No one has ever produced a political exposé quite like Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, writes Danyl Mclauchlan. Journalists are supposed to protect their sources. But not all sources deserve to be protected and the best journalism, Janet Malcolm famously observed in The Journalist and the Murderer, often comes from … Read more
The Moana soundtrack can be heard anywhere; in Countdown, at the movies, blasting from the car next to you at the Royal Oak roundabout. Madeleine Chapman sat down with one of the men responsible for the movie’s music, Opetaia Foa’i, to talk Disney, collaboration, and knowing when to draw the line. I spotted Opetaia Foa’i in Ponsonby … Read more
The exhumed skull of a 3,000-year-old Welshwomen. Nazi submarines. Ancient Spanish shipwrecks. The pre-Māori white civilisation theories of Noel Hilliam and his friends have a lot going for them. Except any plausible evidence, writes Scott Hamilton. This post was first published May 22, 2017. I spent part of last week at an art gallery in Manurewa, helping to … Read more
The tohutō (macron) is an important and powerful part of te reo Māori. Simon Day explains how to use it. The macron matters. The use of the tohutō is essential for the pronunciation, meaning, and status of te reo Māori. When you see a vowel with its hat on it means the sound is held … Read more
Chris McDowall explains the origins of this epic graph view into our political history. This post was first published September 14, 2017. For months I’ve followed news about New Zealand’s upcoming general election. Revelations! Resignations! Leadership changes! Bold policy promises! Shock poll results! In this heightened political moment, I found myself wondering about the past. … Read more
Many parents of young people have been in touch asking for advice on how to talk to their children about YouTuber Logan Paul’s video in the Aokigahara ‘suicide’ forest in Japan which showed a man who had died by suicide. High school teacher and counsellor Louisa Woods has some tips for parents. Content warning: This post contains … Read more
Most world leaders are content with typing their own name into Twitter, or coining new weird words. Not Helen Clark, who solves pub arguments and affirms her past deeds, writes Alex Casey. First published 3 August 2017. I’ll never forget the first time Helen Clark interacted with The Spinoff on Twitter. I think it was … Read more
The usual defence of stories about Pākehā enraged by Māori ‘uppitiness’ is that the media are simply reporting people’s views. And that’s bollocks, says Aaron Smale. First published on 1 May 2017. If you drive down the new expressway on the Kapiti Coast towards Wellington, when you get near Waikanae there is a slight bend. On … Read more
It’s a mystery that deserves an answer. Alice, the protagonist of all six Resident Evil films, has not once made an appearance in the video games. This could not be by accident. To get to the bottom of this enduring riddle, Uther Dean interviewed* some of the key players in both the films and the video … Read more
The Good Wife is one of those shows that has always seemed to be around but you’ve probably never seen. Sam Brooks tells you why you haven’t watched it yet, and why you should fix that immediately. This story was first published on August 1, 2017. At some point in 2016 I decided I was … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. In the second episode of our summer series, Cynthya Richardson explores the hidden meaning of NZ’s favourite works of art.
A couple of years ago Aldous Harding was just another New Zealand folk musician. Then she found a fierce voice, and started playing a string of mesmerising live performances which now have her on the verge of international fame. Henry Oliver sat down with her to try and find out what sparked her transformation. First … Read more
You know him as a white supremacist and dangerous idiot. New Zealander Julie Hill knew Richard Spencer as a fellow language student – one who was loathed by classmates and teachers alike. This post originally published November 17, 2017. For one day last decade, I became BFFs with white supremacist, coiner of the term “alt-right”, … Read more
Scott Hamilton’s The Stolen Island is an investigation into the people-snatching raid on the Tongan island of ‘Ata in 1863. In this excerpt, he writes about visiting ‘Eua, the island where the survivors of the raid were re-settled. This story was first published 27 February 2017. In 2013, I took a group of students on … Read more
Having analysed the spate of uplifting stories about millennial strugglers buying homes, Don Rowe reveals how you, too, can lift your foot above your head and on to the lowest rung of the property ladder. It’s not impossible, it just takes a few little tricks – like not paying rent. First published on 16 March … Read more
Simon Wilson came back from a visit to Paris filled with enthusiasm for ways to make Auckland better. Here’s the first: a great big bike share scheme. First published on 15 June 2017. Ten days ago I rode a bike around the Place de la Concorde. It’s that roundabout in Paris with about 10 … Read more
After being told I’m so incredibly, breathtakingly lucky that my husband watches our children when I have to travel for work, this post by Brannavan Gnanalingam was like the first pinot gris after a very long day. I too long for a day when we are all allowed to be incompetent as parents. Bring it … Read more
Jihee Junn visits Microsoft’s sprawling headquarters in Seattle to find out how the tech giant is clawing its way back to relevance. This post was first published on November 6, 2017. In Cupertino, California, Apple is on the verge of completing its mothership – a glistening monolith of immaculate Norman Foster design. Its seamless curves and … Read more
She’s an anti-vaccination, anti-fluoride campaigner who believes measles is a hoax and polio can be cured with vitamin C. Meet Siggi Henry, one of the most powerful people in our fourth largest city. Angela Cuming reports. This post was first published on July 13, 2017. When Hamilton councillor Siggi Henry wore a tinfoil hat to … Read more
Most of my life growing up I was the clean cut Māori boy with the short and tidy haircut, but all of that changed nearly three years ago, writes Te Miri Rangi. This story was first published on 21 November 2017. Through my journey of understanding more about how my Māori worldview can shape my … Read more
Following that Waikato Times column about blokes suffering from women’s periods (comprehensively rebutted here) Michele A’Court generously proffers some empathy advice for men. This post was first published April 27, 2017. Hey Tom O’Connor, I think you’re doing “empathy” wrong. You’re doing that thing where, instead of imagining what it is like to experience something, you just describe … Read more
In which an accountant, his nurse wife, and their lawyer daughter lovingly squabble through letters to the editor, on the subject of the 5-minute quiz. This post was first published on May 28, 2017. Something like the lost epistolary novel of PG Wodehouse has surfaced in the pages of Wellington’s daily paper over the last couple of weeks. … Read more
Just how hard is it to win an election and successfully lead a government? Seems easy enough, but there’s only one way to find out for sure: simulate it in a computer game. This was originally published on September 1. No actual politics game measures up to the ideal politics game for which I yearn. … Read more
The contrivances of the first generation of reality shows are being overtaken by higher stakes games, writes Duncan Greive. This story was originally published on November 15, 2017. The first season of Married at First Sight NZ is over, and I for one am an absolute wreck. For the past three years I’ve been part of ‘The … Read more
The coincidences have mounted to the point where it must be asked – has Pitbull come back to the future to warn us about our impending ecological demise? On the release day of his new album Climate Change, Carys Goodwin dares to investigate. This post first published March 17, 2017. It’s 3:05am and I’m staring … Read more
The Block NZ signifies everything that’s wrong with our tax system. Takapuna tax expert Terry Baucher fills Rebecca Stevenson in on how we can get a lump of cash, and keep it all to ourselves. This post was first published on September 19, 2017. After we all recovered from the horror that was The Block … Read more
When you watch your cat attempt to derail your partner’s phone call with Donald Trump, it’s hard to avoid the word ‘surreal’, writes Clarke Gayford. This post first published November 6, 2017. Write us a diary, the Spinoff asked. What do I call it? Diary of a plus one? Hello from the other side? First-man … Read more
At least one of these 15 soothsayers is bound to be right … We asked them to name their winners and losers in politics 2017, and so they did. We asked them to describe the year in sentence. They did that, too. We asked what might be the issues 2018 hinges on, and again they … Read more
Ever noticed that every summer news story is recycled from previous years? We’ve even regurgitated this story by former sadsack reporter Hayden Donnell (with a few updates to make it appear relevant) who last year designed a drinking game to improve, or at least anaesthetise, your holiday news reading experience. The news will be the … Read more