Kiwi brands like Tip Top and Montana might improve their bottom line by sourcing products from overseas, but they risk losing their customers’ trust for good, writes marketing lecturer Sharon Forbes. New Zealand’s reputation as a food exporter is based on branding around consistent quality and safety of New Zealand-made products. However, recent stories relating … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin, in today’s edition: Activists are blockading an oil industry conference today, nurses are set to strike, and 20,000 cows are getting culled. Environmental activists are blockading the New Zealand Petroleum Conference in Wellington today. Spokesperson for Oil Free Wellington James Barber told the NZ Herald his expectation was that the protest at … Read more
Vector’s new technology engineer Kate Murphy shines a light on the history and impact little things can make on energy reduction at scale. New inventions or refinements of old ones continue to make our life better, or at least easier. That’s not a bombshell. But what is sometimes not understood is how tasks that once … Read more
Rebecca Stevenson uses key numbers to look back at the reign of Sky TV’s legendary CEO John Fellet, who yesterday announced his intention to retire within 12 months. 27 years The length of time John Fellet has worked for Sky TV. He didn’t slide straight into the big chair, first appointed as chief operating officer. … Read more
A bunch of people seem to have taken the Green MP and minister for women’s comments about diversity on boards very personally, when the research suggests there’s nothing controversial about them at all, writes Anna Connell for RNZ. I am always astounded by those who take a comment about institutionalised racism or sexism personally, but … Read more
Helen Taylor explains why she devotes her research to bird semen, and how an avian sperm race can help save one of New Zealand’s forgotten taonga, the hihi. When I was little, I wanted to be David Attenborough, but here I am at 35 hanging out in the bush collecting bird semen samples and encouraging … Read more
An extract from a fascinating new book by ex-Hokitika Guardian journalist Cheryl Riley, who tells the stories of remarkable men and women of Westland. Dorothy Fletcher was born in 1927, the youngest of four children to Alec and Isabella Graham, part-owners of the Franz Josef Hotel. Her mother did not keep good health after Dorothy … Read more
Nearly a week on from the publishing of In plain sight, we collate a selection of responses from people involved in the fashion industry and the Pavement scene at the time. Since The Spinoff published In plain sight: behind the pages of Pavement magazine last week, more than 20 people from the New Zealand fashion world … Read more
Sam Brooks continues his dig through the NZ on Screen archives and the history of New Zealand drama with 1978’s Radio Waves, a half-hour maybe-comedy about the travails of an Auckland radio station. After watching Close to Home, I was struck by three things. One, how indebted New Zealand drama (and this also extends to … Read more
When it comes to minority groups, getting the words right is important. Tessa Prebble explores the popular term ‘special needs’ when it comes to being a parent of a child with disabilities, and asks whether in using that term we are doing our children a disservice. Disability is not a dirty word. So why do … Read more
When we think of berries we think of the delicious summer varieties – raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and more. But Aotearoa has an abundance of native autumn berries, if you know where to look. For some of us our childhood memories of berries might range from picking wild blackberries on our way to school or trekking … Read more
Nick Mowbray, the entrepreneurial brains behind the brand that brought us Robo Fish, X-Shot and Bunch O Balloons, talks to Jihee Junn about YouTube, sustainability (or lack thereof) and the $27 million loss caused by the collapse of US retailer Toys ‘R’ Us. At last week’s Better by Design summit at Villa Maria Estate, Nick … Read more
Afterpay or Afterbae – whatever you call it, Richard Meadows says this online shopping enabler is too good to be true. Shop now. Pay later. You may have noticed this tantalising option popping up on Trade Me listings recently, and on several other major retail sites. If you shop online, you’re about to start seeing a … Read more
Candid, considered and confronting, Three’s story of singer Stan Walker’s battle with cancer transcends the famous-person-facing-adversity form, writes Sam Brooks. “I went for a routine check about two months ago – a week later I found out I’ve got cancer. I know I’m gonna beat this …” He pauses. “… And then, nek minute, I … Read more
Samuel Flynn Scott of The Phoenix Foundation goes on assignment for RNZ, immersing himself in a mixture of mediocrity, dazzle and rain. To steal and ruin a good lyric: there is no sun shining on the black clouds hanging over the domain today. It’s wet, it’s bleak. Ed Sheeran is in town and he’s used … Read more
This week the All Blacks launched their ad campaign to boost the June test series with France, labelling it The Battle For The Gallaher Cup. But ‘battle’ is the wrong word for the wrong situation, writes Jamie Wall for RNZ. Dave Gallaher was the captain of the Originals, the first New Zealand rugby team to … Read more
Back by lukewarm demand, On The Reg is The Spinoff’s regular gaming session streamed live! This highlights package sees Sam Brooks and Rhys Mathewson play Sea of Thieves, the highly anticipated game from Rare Studios, make the ill-advised decision to play it solo, and somehow manage to have fun anyway? This post, like all our gaming … Read more
Essayist Nadine Anne Hura discovers a town alive with the voices of the past. There’s a way of looking, where, if you’re not paying attention, you won’t see anything at all. Nuhaka is a place like that. It came up so fast, it was already in my rear-view mirror by the time I realised I’d gone past. I did a u-turn and pulled up opposite the general … Read more
A diorama of Auckland dating to the 1930s was lost for decades, and shows in stunning detail the central city with light rail right through it, and before huge chunks of it were demolished. By Duncan Greive, images by Joel Thomas. Who ruined central Auckland? As we contemplate a decades-long healing process – building the … Read more
Yesterday, Kane Williamson became the first New Zealand batsman to score 18 test centuries. But is he New Zealand’s greatest ever batsman? Cricket is built on statistics. It’s the backbone by which one era can be compared to another. It’s Bradman’s average, Stephen Fleming’s conversion rate, and for a very long time Martin Crowe’s 17 … Read more
Last week the Highlanders reigned victorious over the Crusaders in the southern derby. Scotty Stevenson explores the metaphysical reasons why they beat the old foes from up the road. Dan Pryor stood on the concrete concourse of Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night wearing a faded Swanndri and approximately fourteen kilograms of dreadlocks. In his left hand was a … Read more
Olly Hills couldn’t find a field guide to native New Zealand cicadas, so he decided to fill the gap in our biological literature. Angela Cuming caught up with the young biologist to talk about his first book. The idea for Cicadas of New Zealand came to Olly Hills the same way many other authors stumble … Read more
Earlier this month the government cancelled the New Zealand passport of a woman living in Australia, citing classified security concerns. Stripping a NZ citizen of their passport might seem unprecedented – but it’s happened before, writes David Belgrave. Most of us in New Zealand believe that we have a basic right to travel outside the … Read more
The Spinoff and Spark proudly present Pod On The Couch, a weekly podcast exploring music and the people that make it. This episode: Henry Oliver talks to Kate Robertson and Madeleine Chapman about their summer music festival experiences. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver, prolific pop pundit Kate Robertson and Spinoff staff writer Madeleine Chapman talk Auckland … Read more
Rebecca Stevenson takes a look back at the tenure of ‘Mr Milk’, Theo Spierings, atop our biggest company. It’s our biggest business (yet it’s a co-operative) and its chief executive Theo Spierings also earns the highest salary in New Zealand – a lottery dream of a wage packet of about $8.3 million a year, or … Read more
At the end of a week in which the New Zealand media swooned at the presence of a former president completing a few private rounds of golf and a few private speeches, what, asks Finlay Macdonald, did it really amount to? He came, he saw, he … putted. No, former US president Barack Obama’s visit to New Zealand will … Read more
New verse by Hamilton writer Therese Lloyd. Roast Lamb for Christmas Dinner, For Example when I think of temporary things like this broken pencil that breaks more with each word or the marriage that I had once and then didn’t, or the way my father drank gin and tonic for breakfast on the last … Read more
International co-production Nori: Roller Coaster Boy is one of two new Lightbox Originals, representing the TV service’s first foray into original programming. Alex Casey talked to the NZ creatives behind it. Nestled in the shadow of Peter Jackson’s enormous Park Road Post studio in Miramar is POW studios, a small sound production company in quiet … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Brianne West, founder of sustainable, plastic-free cosmetics company Ethique. ONE: How did Ethique start and what was the inspiration behind it? Ethique came about as a combination of my passion for the environment, knowledge of the … Read more