Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from the finale of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. You could have knocked me over with a ginger feather when ‘Eye of the Storm’ began with Claire announcing she was dead. Dead as in not breathing, tied to a ship’s mast, plummeting to the bottom of the … Read more
The Auckland Art Gallery is under threat – from a council that ought to know better. Partner content in association with Heart of the City The formalities at the opening of the Lindauer exhibition were, as you might expect, highly ritualised and extremely moving. A gallery connected to the culture of its place. I think … Read more
This week Tasman Rugby Union are announcing a small name change with potentially huge consequences. The mako shark is found in waters throughout the world, but its name comes from here – a Māori word referring to both the shark and its teeth, with variations within New Zealand (mango in some dialects) and other Polynesian … Read more
It’s time to make some serious calls about New Zealand television in 2017, starting and ending with this short survey. As the end of the year looms around the corner like a nervous MAFSNZ contestant at the altar, it’s time we look back at the television that was made in New Zealand for our eyeballs this … Read more
This morning the tireless women’s refuge campaigner Jackie Clark published a Facebook post explaining why her organisation doesn’t want donations of tinned tomatoes. It was a message that resonated with Jess Berentson-Shaw, who studies how to help low income families thrive. Today an important treatise was released into the world, and it was about tinned … Read more
The dynamic and polarising Newshub political editor has announced he’s leaving the role. Here are the Interesting and Incisive musings of Toby Manhire, along with an emotional video tribute from José Barbosa. Days-to-go guy. Puffed up little shit in chief. News fucker. Say what you like about Patrick Gower, but he is always – well, … Read more
Before Six60 ruled the New Zealand summer airwaves, there was Nesian Mystik. Jogai Bhatt misses them dearly. It’s that time of the year again. As the pohutukawa blooms and your MCM sheds his chinos in favour of cargo shorts, the humble New Zealand summer gears up to commit its annual sonic self-sacrifice: a full three … Read more
It’s got tussock, it’s got a lake, it’s got space and beauty and that: Lake Tekapo and its high country stations feature in an awesome new coffee table book. Feature image by Mary Hobbs. Mary Hobbs had a best-seller a little while back with her coffee table book The High Country Stations of the Mackenzie. It focussed … Read more
The video games industry could be New Zealand’s next creative industry boom, but a lack of government support is holding it back. Baz Macdonald reports. For a small country, New Zealand has had a large effect on global creative industries. Our film industry is an obvious example of this, generating over $3 billion in revenue … Read more
Last week food critic Simon Wilson took rookie fine diner Madeleine Chapman to upmarket restaurant The Grove. Then she took him to her restaurant of choice – here are their reviews of KFC. This piece was first published in December 2017. Read part one, The Grove, here. Madeleine Chapman The wicked wing was divine. Served … Read more
Originally conceived to notify you of important breaking news, news alerts in New Zealand have morphed into something altogether stranger. David Farrier reports. I’ve been in America a lot this year and it’s felt like I’ve slowly been descending into madness. I’ve found myself in a dark place where each day I’m reminded that the … Read more
It’s Christmas! And with Christmas comes Christmas music. Here’s the worst of it. It’s that time of year when we gather to celebrate with those we are closest to, those we love and depend on, those who make us feel sure of who and what we are together. Shame the soundtrack is such shite. There’s … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Sam Brooks: A play-by-play of Kim Hill’s medium rare roasting of Don Brash “When it was announced that Don Brash was going to be interviewed by Kim Hill on Saturday Morning, I was both excited and dismayed. Excited because I knew that it wasn’t going … Read more
Renters owning dogs is a divisive issue, especially among landlords. But what happens when your landlord is the government? A few days ago, new Minister of Housing Phil Twyford announced that residents of Housing New Zealand homes will soon be allowed to have dogs. At the moment Housing NZ tenants aren’t allowed dogs except in … Read more
Our first equity crowdfunded business, Renaissance Brewing, has gone bust. But Richard Meadows writes that rather than being a canary in the crowdfunding coalmine, it’s a reminder that early stage investment is ride-or-die. 2014 was a piquant, joyous year; easy on the palate, with just a hint of botanicals to make things interesting. For Renaissance … Read more
It started with a gross message sent from a councillor to a journalist. And it hasn’t stopped since. It’s now more than two weeks since Hamilton City Councillor Mark Bunting sent a deeply inappropriate message to journalist, Spinoff commentator and campaigner for Hamilton playgrounds Angela Cuming, and the unpleasantness continues unabated. To briefly recap: Bunting, a … Read more
We’re often given the impression teenagers don’t want to share too much with their parents, but is that really the case? High school counsellor Louisa Woods asked real teenagers how communication with their parents could be improved. Revelations of sexual assaults and harassment by Harvey Weinstein and other prominent men have filled social media feeds … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. Today, voiceover artist Maria has a very special client. Click here for all our Kiwis of Snapchat videos
Just as mamaku holds the earth together after landslides, so too can it heal wounds and infections in us, explains Donna Kerridge. Mamaku (Cyathea Medullaris), also known as kōrau, katātā and pītau, is one of my favourite rongoā. It is the largest of our tree ferns and prefers damp soils and frost free hillsides. At … Read more
After a 10-week hiatus, Colmar Brunton’s poll for TVNZ is revealed on Sunday morning, and mobiles are being surveyed alongside landlines for the first time. It seems a long time since those heady days of early spring, when we were drunk on polls. But after the enforced sobriety post-election – well, there was that one … Read more
The best-selling books at the two best bookstores between the devil and the deep blue sea. WELLINGTON UNITY 1 La Belle Sauvage: Book of Dust Trilogy by Philip Pullman (David Fickling Books, $35) Next week the Spinoff Review of Books presents its list of the best books of 2017 and you can bet your ass … Read more
New poetry – actually, she sent it in on Thursday, and we have rushed it to the head of the queue in these dry days of summer – by Hawkes Bay writer Marty Smith. To the trees of summer If we could start the poem again, walking backwards in a waterlogged sky which refuses … Read more
News that the most popular contraceptive pill in New Zealand is running short has thousands of women quietly panicking. Rose Hoare runs down the reasons. A nationwide shortage of New Zealand’s most commonly used contraceptive pill threatens to unleash hordes of pimply, angry, horny women with deflated boobs and heavier-than-usual flow, just in time for … Read more
We sent Simon Wilson, who’s been writing about Auckland’s best restaurants for years, and Madeleine Chapman, who regularly wears a KFC tracksuit to work, to dinner at fine-dining restaurant The Grove. Here are their reviews. Read part two of The Critic and the Rookie: Simon and Madeleine go to KFC, here Simon Wilson The quail … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week 18 year old Alexia Hilbertidou talks following your passion, no matter your … Read more
Nicola Bond, mum to a special needs child, has some tips for helping kids with autism spectrum disorder get through what can be a really stressful time of year. If you’re the parent of a special needs child and the thought of Christmas has you reaching for a glass of wine, don’t worry, not you’re … Read more
This Sunday a unique parade is taking place on Auckland’s K Road to honour Hape, the resourceful ancestor that Karangahape Road is named for – and to highlight the plight of his descendants. You may have heard the name Ihumātao at some point over the past couple of years. They are the small semi-rural South … Read more
Acclaimed New Zealand author Peter Wells has been keeping a diary ‘talking about what I saw, was going through, thought’ since his cancer diagnosis. November 15, 10.45am View from my hospital room. In the foreground, the green building is where I flatted with my brother Russell in 1974. Russell was a great stylist and the … Read more
Tyler Henry aka The Hollywood Medium is giving one of the most bizarre and compelling performances on television right now, and he probably doesn’t even know it. Straight up: I’ve got no idea if Tyler Henry, the titular Hollywood medium of Hollywood Medium, is legit or not. His Wikipedia page is full of people debunking … Read more