Budget 2017: We invited Eric Crampton to make the argument for a tax cut. Here he offers the case for a modest cut to reflect inflation, the case for a more substantial cut, and, for good measure, a dumb case Read all our Budget 2017 coverage here. There are a lot of dumb cases for … Read more
Budget 2017: What does it all mean and why should we care? Over to you, Morgan Godfery Read all our Budget 2017 coverage here. The only thing duller than accounting is government accounting. What’s an “OBEGAL”? Why are politicians debating “appropriations”? What kind of terrible person would volunteer for the “budget lock-up”? For “ordinary New … Read more
For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars and thinkers – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss the internet. “If there’s an important email, someone will tell me there’s an email” Click here for episode one: … Read more
For Shortland Street’s 25th anniversary week, Alex Casey interviews the soap’s longest serving extra. In Ferndale, Dr. Mary Tompkins is a god among mortals. She was there when Luke Durville died of a brain bleed. She was on duty when a gunman unleashed hell in the cafeteria during the Christmas party. She treated a pilot after … Read more
Yesterday we published a critical review of First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Australian writer Sarah Wilson’s book about her anxiety issues. Today Naomi Arnold, a fan of the book, responds. Fucking anxiety, eh. I have/have had anxiety, and so have about three dozen people I know, admire, and love, some of them brilliant and … Read more
Auditor General Martin Matthews has come under extra pressure to resign today as the State Services Commission launches a full, independent investigation into the treatment of whistle-blowers who tried to warn Matthews about fraudster Joanne Harrison. Peter Newport reports. 5pm update: It has just been announced that Matthews is to step down while “his suitability … Read more
Budget 2017: I had a dream of an evidence-based budget for a thriving New Zealand, writes Jess Berentson-Shaw, head of research at policy think tank The Morgan Foundation. Read all out Budget 2017 coverage here. In my dream it was budget day. Pre-empting the finance minister, joint prime ministers Chlöe Swarbrick and Nikki Kaye leapt … Read more
With the release of his fifth album, The Afterlove, James Blunt has managed to keep making music despite being the recipient of perhaps the most unreasonable level of hate from around the world. Madeleine Chapman caught up with one of her favourite musicians to find out how he blocks out the haters. It’s hard work being a … 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. Much of what we talk about in entrepreneurship in NZ comes to … Read more
Last night Dr Lance O’Sullivan, 2014 New Zealander of the Year for his work bringing health programmes to disadvantaged rural areas, leapt onto the stage to protest a screening of the controversial anti-vaccination movie Vaxxed. He spoke to Don Rowe about why he did it. Why did you get on stage? Look, I was always intending … Read more
Don Rowe visits the hallowed warrens of Supertrash in Eden Terrace, only to find its owner preparing to close up shop. Supertrash! Or is it ‘No Eft-pos’? Judging by the size of the respective signs outside it’s the latter. Judging from what’s inside it’s most certainly the former: books, a breadbox, golf clubs, blazers, ladders, … Read more
In the wake of the devastating attack on children in Manchester, many of our little ones will be asking questions that we will struggle to answer. Counsellor, school teacher and mum of three Louisa Woods has some advice on talking to your children about terrorism. Anyone who’s ever had more than a passing interaction with … Read more
Five years ago, South Pacific Pictures responded to an online campaign from fans outside NZ and unblocked the 20th birthday special for a couple of days. A repeat, please, this time round, beseeches Gemma Gracewood from New York. Dear South Pacific Pictures, Five years ago when Shortland Street turned 20, your special 90 minute feature-length episode was … Read more
Budget 2017: Bill English has been trumpeting the “social investment approach” as a core part of his thinking, and it underpins much of this week’s budget. For economist Simon Chapple, however, it amounts to a rhetorical banner that obscures standard centre-right political goals Dr Simon Chapple has held senior economist and public policy roles in New Zealand … Read more
For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars and thinkers – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss women and gender. “The feminist movement…sometimes it takes a bit of that feminine radiance of out them” Click here … Read more
Nichole Brown writes to her precious tamāhine about their taonga tuku iho and the journey she has made back to her tūpuna. To my sweet little girl, I am so sorry for white-washing your world. I am so sorry for not giving you a name that reflects who we are. I love your name – it … Read more
Alex Casey watches The Bachelor NZ’s ‘Women Tell All’ special, and finds a fittingly tame end to the season. Will we ever forget the moment that Naz stomped onto The Bachelor NZ’s Women Tell All stage last year, brandishing her manicured fingers like knives and effing and jeffing up a storm? It was better than … Read more
Labour candidate Rohan Lord announced yesterday that he was withdrawing from the East Coast Bays race, blaming his low placing on the party list and the barrier to progress which is being a white middle-class man. So much for party loyalty, writes Ben Thomas. Rohan has pulled out of East Coast Bays. That’s bad news … Read more
There’s the Billy T Award, there’s the Fred Award… and now there’s Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks’ completely biased Comedy Festival awards. I saw 40 shows in the festival. That’s just over one third of all the shows, which seems like simultaneously too many shows and nowhere near enough. Best Show That Should’ve Been At … Read more
The Auckland Council is going to decide soon whether begging should be banned. There’s a better approach, says Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly. A colleague of mine found a man waking up in Aotea Square a few winters ago. It was early in the morning and fog – it might as well have been fog … Read more
“I know it may appear mean-spirited,” says Deborah Hill-Cone, “to write a bad review about anyone who has the courage to speak publicly about their mental illness.” And then she proceeds to write the bad review. Sarah Wilson writes in First We Make the Beast Beautiful, “I’d spent my life agile and I arrogantly traded … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens making the news. Today, Ed Sheeran fan Fantasia tries her best to win tickets from The Edge.
The NZ International Comedy Festival has come to an end for 2017 and emotions are running high. The fourth and final episode of our comedy festival podcast sees actor, writer and comedy expert Chelsea McEwan Millar joined by Spinoff comedy co-editors Sam Brooks and Natasha Hoyland as they emotionally wrap up the final week of the NZ … Read more
It seemed Donald Trump had killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but it has sprung back to life with Bill English’s visit to Japan. His confidence that the NZ parliament has already approved a TPP11 is misplaced, however, writes Andrew Geddis. As everybody should very well understand, the primary rule for surviving a horror movie is: “When it appears … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the second week of Survivor NZ, including pelican eating, Lou’s evacuation and Barb’s cuppa. Click here for last week. Big episode eh. This week we saw two of the ways in which people can get mercilessly rekt by the Survivor gods. First we had poor old Lou who may have legitimately … Read more
Martyn Pepperell talks to Fis and Rob Thorne about their new album of trans-continental experimental collaboration, Clear Stones. “There is more to be experienced than can be seen with the eyes or spoken about with language,” muses Christchurch-raised electronic music composer Fis (Olly Peryman), speaking by video chat from Zaragoza, Spain. “Language is just a … Read more
Serious production issues – ‘not enough food, no running water’ – have been alleged by season two bachelorette Ceri McVinnie in a blog post we have republished with permission below. MediaWorks have been approached for comment, and we will update as soon as we receive a response. The below is an updated and amended version … Read more
For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss the origins of life. “The pyramids: how the f- did they get there? Who put them there?” This content, like all … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather with an audience in The Christchurch Art Gallery to talk about the dramatic season finale of The Bachelor NZ – and so much more. ‘Twas a brisk Christchurch evening when The Real Pod team assembled with 70 of their best mates* in the city art gallery to talk about … Read more