Steve Braunias reports live from the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. An elderly man fell over, and a young woman who was unable to get to the bathroom in time had to vomit in her handbag. Business as usual, then, at the Ockham New Zealand book awards held this evening at the Aotea Centre. It … Read more
At The Spinoff Parents we are committed to publishing stories of parents who have struggled with poor mental health in the hopes that others will see they’re not alone and we can break the stigma of mental illness in parenting. Here Kelsie Moroney shares her story of overcoming PTSD after a traumatic birth. Content warning: This post contains … Read more
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. ‘Twas the night before The Champagne Lady’s party and The Real Pod gang are preloading with disgusting flavoured jellybeans and unfounded claims about Avril Lavigne being dead. Before tackling the … Read more
Alex Casey tackles the ninth week of The Bachelor NZ, including paddle boards, rejection and some gnarly dads. Just like Zac, I too have a pain in my heart and a pain in my stomach – and not just because I’ve been eating at least a tube of Colgate Optic White a day to try … Read more
Victoria University Press is nominated for just about everything at tonight’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. How come? Is it a good thing? Or is it a depressing commentary on the sorry little state of New Zealand literature? VUP publisher Fergus Barrowman steps up for the revolutionary live email interview. And the winner is Fergus Barrowman. The … Read more
Brendon Green’s shows have a tendency to make people laugh, but also make them cry. He explains why that is, and why it’s actually okay. Twenty minutes into the Thursday night show of my Wellington season, during a pause, an audience member called out “I thought this was a comedy show!” It got a laugh. … Read more
It’s the end of the second week of the Comedy Festival, the third episode of The Laugh-Off podcast and the day we lose it. The third episode of our comedy festival podcast sees actor, writer and comedy expert Chelsea McEwan Millar, comedy editor Sam Brooks and performer Jess Brien attempt to keep things together as … Read more
Alfred Ngaro’s appearance at the National party’s northern conference has already become a political headache. But as Simon Wilson reports, there were more surprising elements in his appearances than have been publicised to date. Alfred Ngaro was the best dressed man in the National Party over the weekend. Make that the best-dressed person. At the … Read more
With Christchurch’s first Techweek over and done, Jonathan Cotton takes a moment to look back and ask the question seemingly on every tech-conscious Cantabrian’s lips: Could Christchurch become the centre of New Zealand’s burgeoning tech boom? ‘The Next Silicon Valley’ seems to be a term that describes everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the second week of Survivor NZ, including charcoal teeth, eye rolls and Sala’s new Mallowpuff range. Click here for week one. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK Buzzy that after all these years, I think this is the first time I’ve seen Survivors wearing jandals! Truly game changing stuff. Almost as good as … Read more
While we await the verdict in the Eight Mile Style action, revisit the glories from some of the greatest days the New Zealand justice system has ever seen. Somewhere in Wellington, Justice Helen Cull is deep in thought, idly tapping a foot, perhaps, composing early passages for her judgment in anapestic tetrameter, maybe, as she decides whether … Read more
Like a lot of mothers, Juliet Speedy was often told that the baby years would be the best years of her life. She’s not convinced. There’s this spot at our small, local mall that I used to frequent. It was a bench seat opposite the supermarket and outside that supermarket is a climb-on Bob the Builder toy. … Read more
Our regular round-up of new songs and singles, this week featuring Miley Cyrus, HAIM, and Japanese Breakfast! Miley Cyrus – ‘Malibu’ Miley’s hip-hop holiday is over ‘Malibu’ is an easy-breezy-beautiful guitar jam about reconnecting with your ex Liam Hemsworth. There are hand claps. In the video, there are balloons. On the single artwork, Miley is … Read more
Who will laugh like a loon and who will cry bitter tears at Tuesday night’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards? CK Stead is shortlisted for the fiction prize; we usually give fiction a really wide swerve at the Spinoff, but today we present his short story ‘Marriage Americano’, taken from his shortlisted book, The Name on the Door … Read more
Devonport is getting that new retirement village but developer Ryman Healthcare has agreed to make it more like, you know, a village. Is everyone happy now? Well, almost. The citizens and architects of Devonport have won their dispute with Ryman Healthcare. The company is now just one legal step away from building its new 600-unit … Read more
Mental health campaigner Mike King has quit the panel shaping strategy for suicide prevention in NZ, saying ‘It would be funny if people weren’t dying’. Below, his resignation letter in full The minister of health, Jonathan Coleman, last week rejected a report from ActionStation into NZ mental health. Speaking in parliament, he attacked the group as … Read more
New Zealand has some of the largest and most overpriced houses anywhere in the world. Motu Research affiliate Andrew Coleman looks at little-discussed tax change in 1989 which sowed the seeds for the current crisis. Everyone wants to talk about housing nowadays. Young people commiserate with their friends about rents and wonder how they’ll ever … Read more
Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks reviews the two recipients of the Creative Comedy Project Grant – Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore’s Two Hearts and Sarah Harpur’s Dead Dad’s Club – and awards our third Spinoff Comedy Badge of Honour. Laura Daniel x Joseph Moore: Two Hearts We’re halfway through the festival, I’ve seen about twenty-five shows, and I’m going to call it: Two … Read more
Sure, Alfred Ngaro screwed up royally – but there was a lot more to the National party conference this weekend. Steven Joyce let a budget secret slip, Paula Bennett stole the show, and the party revealed its 10 point plan to shut down Labour, writes Simon Wilson. “I can’t tell you how proud I am,” … Read more
Jonathan Cotton goes to Techweek’17’s Future of Food event in Christchurch to find out how New Zealand can innovate our way to a bigger slice of the $1 trillion global food market. It’s the brutal hour of 7:30 in the morning and I’m at the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce on Kilmore Street for The … Read more
Lawyer Andrew Geddis looks into what should happen if associate housing minister Alfred Ngaro were ever to actually do what he threatened over the weekend. Given the speeches at the National Party’s Auckland regional conference, New Zealand’s housing situation/challenge/imbroglio/anything-but-a-crisis appears to be the number one problem on the Government’s radar this election year. That’s probably not so surprising. Stories … Read more
The associate housing minister has issued a statement of regret after Newsroom caught him spraying threats at non-government service providers including Willie Jackson and the Salvation Army. Here we speculate on how it might read after a good dousing in truth serum. What Ngaro said: “My comments about the Government’s work in social housing and some … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Jack Tame: ‘Janice’s email stood out for its dazzling ignorance’: Jack Tame on the racist email which made him snap “Of my two broadcasting gigs, some associate Newstalk ZB with pushing conservative agendas. So, some hosts don’t believe in climate change? Perhaps someone suggests on air … Read more
Happy Mother’s Day! Today Sam Brooks remembers his crazy/beautiful mother, and the life lessons she left him with. she broke three ab circle pros and made the manufacturers replace them free of charge each time. she never admitted they didn't work. — Sam Brooks (@sbrookbrooks) April 30, 2017 It was my mother’s birthday a few … Read more
What does Mother’s Day mean to you? What do you love about being a mum? Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked a bunch of mums to tell us what their life is like. The time is here for Mother’s Day content. In the hopes of finding you some quality out-of-the-mouths-of-babes content I asked my four-year-old … Read more
Alex Casey reports back from the Techweek’17 ‘Breaking Stereotypes’ panel with a bevy of useful life advice. The room for the Breaking Stereotypes panel was built to inspire, from the shaggy aqua rug to the bespoke mismatched seats, to the wall art that literally said “inspire”. ‘Twas the middle of Techweek’17, the coffee was steaming, … Read more
The Spinoff and Spark proudly present Pod On The Couch, a weekly podcast exploring music and the people that make it. This episode: Henry Oliver talks to Ladi6. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver talks to Ladi6, aka Ladi and Parks, about improvisation, letting go of old habits and the forthcoming EP, Royal Blue 3000. “It was almost like we … Read more
Bulls was an unexceptional country town until a chance discovery of a secondhand book of bovine puns changed the course of history. Jess McAllen uncovers the remarka-bull story. Like many great artists, the person who roused the small town of Bulls to paint the streets with puns will never know how iconic his work was. … Read more
Calum Henderson reviews Gutsful, the new factual series from the brains behind Neighbours at War. When Neighbours at War wrapped up last year after eight seasons it left an unexpectedly big gap in the local television landscape. Where else on telly were we going to find the real, unfiltered version of New Zealand the show’s … Read more