Indigenous peoples throughout English-speaking countries have had their children taken away by the state for generations. Most countries have faced up to this legacy but New Zealand has been in denial about its own Stolen Generation – a group now known as Ngā Mōrehu (The Survivors). The new Labour government has agreed to set up … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey drink the last of the Waiheke wines and toast the final episodes of Married at First Sight NZ for 2017. We gather at the MAFSNZ altar for the very last time to reflect upon our journey over the past six weeks. As the participants suffer through their final … Read more
Alex Casey power ranks the final week of Married at First Sight NZ, including eyebrow lady advice and the much-anticipated vow renewal ceremonies. Allow me to tentatively approach the rotunda of romance one more time, for I need to solemnly deliver my final vows to Married at First Sight NZ in this, its last week … Read more
Most of us have forgotten that we had to learn how to poo in a toilet. It can be scary and overwhelming for a child, and it’s our job as parents to show empathy even when we are sick of cleaning up poo. Laura Morley is an expert in helping parents to help their children … Read more
Alex Casey reviews Khalid’s show at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Sunday night. Just like a very primitive prototype for an iPod shuffle, I have the capacity for a little over two albums a year. In 2017, my brain is completely full with Lorde’s Melodrama, and Khalid’s American Teen. By some kind of cosmic collision of … Read more
New Zealand’s favourite alternative flag made a magnificent comeback at the All Whites vs Peru match on Saturday. Jamie Wall talked to one of the dedicated fans behind it. Turns out the flag referendum wasn’t a complete waste of money after all. As the All Whites and Peru took to the sun-drenched Westpac Stadium pitch … Read more
The Climate Action Tracker reveals the NZ ambition is not ‘fine’ as claimed, writes Bill Hare, a physicist and climate scientist and a former lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. New Zealand’s new climate change minister James Shaw is stepping on to the international stage for the first time in his new … Read more
Last week five women accused comedian Louis CK of sexual harassment, charges he admits are true. Sam Brooks writes about why Louis CK has always been a problematic comedian – and not just for this. These are the facts. Louis CK sexually harassed a bunch of women. The women came forward to the New York … Read more
Fergie’s album Double Dutchess dropped last month. It is, for whatever reason, a visual album. Sam Brooks dove deep. Fergie occupies a strange place in our pop culture. After a girl group stint few people remember, she became famous as the most recognisable voice of one of the biggest bands of the 21st century thus … Read more
Steve Braunias reports from the 2017 LitCrawl in Wellington – and wonders whether it could be duplicated in Auckland. Ashleigh Young (genius) couldn’t get in. Fergus Barrowman (publisher) couldn’t get in. Leah McFall, the Sunday columnist with a dedicated following – she couldn’t get in, either. And then word spread about someone else who was … Read more
When it comes to understanding artificial intelligence, is science fiction just a pesky distraction from the real dangers out there? Microsoft’s authority on all things AI seems to think so, reports Jihee Junn. “With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon,” declared Elon Musk back in 2014. “In all those stories where there’s the guy … Read more
Set by the previous government, a one-size-fits-all proficiency target simplifies a complex picture of school success. Martine Udahemuka of market-oriented think tank the New Zealand Initiative explains how the new education minister can improve on the current system. With a new government comes opportunities to shake up a long-entrenched status quo. Nowhere is this more … 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. For one day last decade, I became BFFs with white supremacist, coiner of the term “alt-right”, and one of the world’s biggest fuckwits, … Read more
A hot new teaser clip from one of Auckland’s finest up and coming musicians. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, which means it’s about time Anne Batley-Burton from The Real Housewives of Auckland teased a new* Christmas song. Pairing up with long-time collaborator Vicky ‘Rock Chick’ Loach and Alan Jansson – the musical genius … Read more
Bring you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Alex Casey: Turns out Andrew from MAFSNZ was an absolute pig on Tinder “Andrew Jury, a participant on Married at First Sight NZ, sent abusive messages to a woman on Tinder, calling her a “whore” after she refused his request to “satisfy my Asian fetish.” Jury … Read more
Morgan Godfery was born to a teenage mother and a gang father in Kawerau, New Zealand’s poorest town. He recounts the experience in this essay from the Journal of Urgent Writing, 2017. Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future And time future contained in time past. — T. S. Eliot, … Read more
What happens when New Zealand’s top magicians get together with some of the best in the business from overseas? Daniel Smith went along to the NZ Magic Convention in Wellington to find out. On a normal day, anyone venturing via elevator or many stairs to the 16th floor of Wellington’s James Cook Hotel would find … Read more
Priced out of the housing market? Don’t lose heart. In the second part of a series on alternatives to property investment for ‘Generation Rent’, Jenée Tibshraeny explains the benefits of passive investment and offers a comprehensive guide to the available options. This story has been updated since it was first published on interest.co.nz in June. … Read more
Black Sheep is an RNZ series about the shady, controversial and sometimes downright villainous characters of New Zealand history, presented by William Ray. Here he introduces James Prendergast, the attorney general and chief justice accused of being a racist enemy of Māori. “A simple nullity” – three words which damned the man who uttered them to … Read more
It’s 31 years since the release of The Queen is Dead, the Smiths’ third studio record and NME’s official Greatest Album of All Time. The album has just been reissued in a series of special edition packages and we’re giving away the most impressive of the lot, the 5-LP collector’s box set. More Smiths on … Read more
Simon Wilson has been eating at Pasture, the restaurant that cooks with fire and fermentation and a very singular vision. This is what obsession looks like. Five very small, thick oval slices of a bird’s breast, skin on, in a row on a large plate, with a leg and a large piece of skin. The … Read more
The Spinoff has obtained the email which prompted TOP leader Gareth Morgan to tell one of his candidates to resign for being a ‘pain in the arse’. Don Rowe looks back on another chaotic week for TOP. Illustration by Toby Morris. Gareth Morgan, currently holidaying in Cuba, has still managed to live in the news … Read more
Branko Marcetic asks around to see if the new government can keep both its trade promises and its climate change commitments. Jacinda Ardern melted the anthropogenically warming hearts of many an environmentalist when she declared during the 2017 election campaign that climate change was her “generation’s nuclear free moment,” and that she was determined to “tackle … Read more
I was just a child when NZ took me and my family. Today, as hundreds of refugees cry out for help from Manus Island, we need to remember what we’re really about as a nation, writes Abbas Nazari. During her first foreign trip as prime minister, Jacinda Ardern on Sunday renewed New Zealand’s offer to … Read more
When you have a baby the days are long and the adjustment to a life with so much responsibility is hard – so why not argue about it? Sarah Francis explains why she’s definitely got it tougher than her partner. I am currently competing in a long running, intense and hard fought contest. My foe … Read more
The best-selling books at the best two bookstores adhering to building codes. WELLINGTON UNITY 1 Drawn Out: A Seriously Funny Memoir by Tom Scott (Allen & Unwin, $45) Much is anecdotage, a life well-told, by the great cartoonist who reminds readers that he has also excelled as a playwright, film-maker, and TV script writer. 2 … Read more
Grace Stratton talks to singer-songwriter Emma Cooper-Williams, a finalist at last night’s Attitude Awards which celebrate the achievements of people who live with disabilities. Emma Cooper-Williams is no stranger to obstacles, but, through music, she is turning them into opportunities. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, the 19-year-old University of Auckland student … Read more
Wanna run with the fast crew? Rebecca Stevenson takes a look at Deloitte’s Fast50 index to see how quickly Kiwi companies’ revenue is growing. To take a spot among the fastest growing companies in the country in 2017 businesses had to book revenue growth of 180% over three years. But are Kiwi companies growing faster than … 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. Last July veteran TV producer Bailey Mackey (Code, The GC) came to the … Read more