Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. Alex returns from our nation’s capital to confront tales told in her absence. She also brings with her the latest Sue Nicholson and Bevan Chuang physic/clairvoyant/seer news. The gang of … Read more
Struggling to make it to September without new Outlander episodes? Tara Ward offers some suggestions to see you through. Somebody alert the authorities, because Droughtlander has set upon us like a rampant case of eighteenth-century smallpox. It’s that tortuous time between Outlander seasons, when last year’s Parisian double-agent escapades seem but a distant memory, yet … Read more
Next in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to fashion entrepreneur Pinaman Owusu-Banahene about bringing Africa to Wellington, growing up in a matriarchy, and the slow death of fast fashion. For someone who once thought fashion was shallow, Pinaman Owusu-Banahene’s iridescent turquoise outfit is an … Read more
The Official Information Act is being badly undermined and our transport planning system is broken. Researcher Harriet Gale reports on the nonsense at the heart of both problems. Sir Geoffrey Palmer has written just recently about the failure of the Official Information Act to provide true government transparency. He noted that as a country we … Read more
Yesterday Newsroom posted a scoop on Todd Barclay’s weird, possibly illegal recordings of one of his former employees. Hayden Donnell keeps track of all the falsehoods unfurling out of the story. I went to sleep in London just after Newsroom broke its story about Todd Barclay, his secret recordings of a staff member, and the apparent … Read more
Like a lot of mothers, Angela Cuming is frankly sick of Jamie Oliver parenting advice. Get ready for a rant about Oliver and the army of judgers who don’t know shit about kids who are picky eaters. I like to keep a couple of Jamie Oliver cookbooks in my kitchen. I find them incredibly handy … Read more
Music memoirs are so hot right now. Philip Matthews reads one of the best new books of the bunch – a hilarious account by Will Carruthers of Spacemen 3, a “drug parakeet” who ended up digging trenches. Do you feel like there is a boom in music memoir writing right now? Long may it run. Locally, Nick Bollinger’s … Read more
Newsroom today broke the story of the payments and coverup that followed allegations of clandestine recording by Todd Barclay. But the MP for Clutha-Southland remains something of a mystery on the national stage. Peter Newport, a former RNZ reporter based in Queenstown, has interviewed him on multiple occasions and shares his impressions. Over the past two years I’ve … Read more
The battle for New Zealand mobile network supremacy got a whole lot more interesting today, as Spark launched some cutting edge technology – in Queenstown. Peter Newport reports. With a flick of a switch, Queenstown today became home to the fastest mobile data speeds in the country. The new 4.5 G mobile data technology, available … Read more
Gareth Shute talks to Annabel Alpers about retiring her Bachelorette moniker and finding a new way to play live. From her very first EP as Bachelorette in 2005, Annabel Alpers was lauded by local music critics. Her first album, Isolation Loops, prompted Gary Steel to write in Metro: “Alpers’ imagination makes most songwriters seem like … Read more
Thirty years ago next month, Armagan Sabetian arrived here as a refugee from war-torn Iran. Today, on World Refugee Day, he writes about his love and gratitude for his adopted home country. Why are secular English-speaking western democracies the destination of choice for so many immigrants from around the globe? Here’s the simple answer: they’re the … Read more
The story of Todd Barclay’s behaviour towards his electorate staff has become a lot more interesting, as new details about efforts to cover it up emerge. A crucial question, writes law professor Andrew Geddis, surrounds claims of pressure put on his former electorate agent to withdraw her complaint Newsroom’s truly exceptional piece of investigative journalism into the … Read more
Over the weekend a fan of Hamilton brewer and bar Good George noted how similar taps at an Auckland’s Headquarters bar were to their custom taps. The bar’s owner, gross hospitality personality Leo Molloy, found the post and went apeshit. Here, Good George’s Race Louden responds. Ron Burgundy would be mightily impressed at how quickly things … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the seventh week of Survivor NZ, including Nate’s totally normal axe collection and Barb’s scampi feast. Click here for last week. After the fireworks/glimmer of hope last week offered, this week took a step back into ‘New Zealand yeah alright no worries’ mode. We said goodbye to the universal people’s champ and … Read more
On Megyn Kelly’s new show Keith Morrison delivers a high-gloss paean to New Zealand, where US citizens are apparently flocking following the demise of the American dream. Branko Marcetic tunes in. When former Fox News-host Megyn Kelly put out the third episode of her new NBC show, most probably expected they’d direct their outrage at … Read more
Next in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to Choice Bros head brewer Kerry Gray about the Wellington brewer scene, stag semen and why his bar will be a haven from Trump. “Kiwi drinking culture got fucked up because everyone wanted to get fucked up,” says … Read more
Today is World Refugee Day. This afternoon at parliament, Anglican Bishop of Wellington Justin Duckworth will represent his diocese in a call for MPs to sign a pledge supporting the doubling of our refugee quota to 1500 places. He writes about why New Zealand urgently needs to do more. In the final months of 2015 … Read more
Last September a meditation centre in the Kaipara discovered the council had allowed a shooting club to move in almost next door. Simon Wilson went to a public meeting to find out how the battles lines are drawn. The little community hall at Makarau smells of mice and dry rot, but mildly, like it’s what … Read more
Among the resurgence of adult animated shows, Bob’s Burgers stands out for its joyous, optimistic look at working class family life. Madeleine Chapman spoke to John Roberts about impersonating his own mum and how that became a full-time gig as Linda Belcher. I watched three seasons of Bob’s Burgers before bothering to look up the voice cast and I … Read more
A 10-page advice sheet for candidates on using Twitter and Facebook and the rest has surfaced. And Nicky Wagner has helpfully provided a real-life example of what to avoid. Toby Manhire reads the rules. “While there is no substitute for traditional, on-the-ground campaigning during an election, every candidate running for parliament needs to have a social media presence that is … Read more
Lorde: Behind the Melodrama, an 11 episode track-by-track podcast interview with Lorde about her new album is out now. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver introduces the series. Read our definitive review of Melodrama here and our interview with Lorde about her return to the stage at Coachella here. Over two afternoons in May, I sat in the … Read more
Gemma Gracewood grew a baby and a placenta and then she gave the placenta away. Here she interviews the scientist she gave it to. Content warning: There are photos of a placenta in this post. These photos are either totally “ewww” or completely effing amazing depending on your opinion of the placenta. Photos provided courtesy … Read more
My First Power Up is an occasional series in which writers reminisce and replay the first video game they ever played. In this inaugural installment Sam Brooks returns to the gag-laden point and click adventure Sam and Max: Hit the Road. Our first video game can really define us. For some people it’s something benign like … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today Jesse Mulligan, former celebrity figurehead for the local anti-Bunnings campaign, takes a first look around New Zealand’s most controversial hardware store. The new Bunnings is big and green with a sausage sizzle and a playground. In these respects it … Read more
A personal essay – and travelogue – by the Auckland poet and rapper about the strange making of his debut novel, Iceland. “But why did you come here?” he asked. I could tell he was a fisherman by his worn rain jacket and scarred hands. We were standing at the edge of the ocean in … Read more
In the first in a week-long series chatting to Wellingtonians about what they’re up to in the windy city, Alex Casey talks to ProjectR director Jessica Manins about the robot revolution, the future of film, and the best secret places to have a wine. It’s kind of fitting that when we showed up to see … Read more
Why, if David D’Amato is dead, does Jane O’Brien Media and the world of Competitive Endurance Tickling live on? The filmmakers behind Tickled address the conspiracy theories, and reveal a new side to the story – and lawsuits – that simply won’t go away. A Spinoff Exclusive. A precursor: This article contains spoilers for both … Read more
Kate Robertson has been pursuing an interview with Little Mix ever since they announced their Auckland show late last year. Three weeks ago, she kind of almost got there. A few weeks ago I was offered the holy grail, a phone interview with not one, but TWO members of Little Mix (I know, it’s as … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Sam Brooks: A one-act play about ‘The Louvre’ from Lorde’s new album Melodrama “There are Kettle crisps at Lou’s party. There are RTDs that Marty’s creepy older boyfriend he met on Tinder bought for everybody. But they’re disgusting so Aroha is mixing them with her dad’s … Read more