Comedians Hamish Parkinson and Ryan Richards have formed a new act for this year’s comedy festival. Spinoff Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland has a chat with the Fuq Boiz over Facebook Messenger. Hamish Parkinson: Oh, we’ve already lost Ryan. Maybe something awful has happened to him. Is he still alive? We better call the cops and … Read more
In association with our mates Bigpipe Broadband we’re livestreaming a different video game every Wednesday at 7pm on Facebook Live. Join José Barbosa and a cast of roped in innocents for these highlights from a journey into utter mayhem. As Easter draws to a close José and special guest Natasha Boyland celebrate the Resurrection with … Read more
Our regular round-up of new songs and singles, this week featuring Chelsea Jade, Harry Styles, Kamasi Washington, and Mermaidens. SONG OF THE WEEK Chelsea Jade – ‘Life of the Party’ New Zealand’s pop minimalist isn’t better, she’s best In 2015’s ‘Low Brow’, Chelsea Jade was anchorless and anxious, appealing for a lover to deliver the impossible: … Read more
Saturated with Trump commentary, Danyl Mclauchlan’s brain felt like a tiny teacup with a firehose gushing into it. Here he explains why he decided to refocus his attention away from the floods of content and the ‘ludic loop’ of social media, where, more than ever, the audience is the product. I keep a large stack of books … Read more
Auckland Arts Festival boss Carla van Zon has left the spiegeltent. Triumphant but also very ill, she has retired. Simon Wilson pays tribute. The day I interviewed Carla van Zon she was due on a flight to Wellington, where the airport was closed due to fog. So she’d managed to get a new flight to … 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 plays some new releases to a bunch of people hanging around The Spinoff offices to see what they think. Instead of just sitting around the Spinoff offices waiting for the Cyclone Cook … Read more
Andrew Little may have largely succeeded in uniting his party caucus since becoming Labour leader in late 2014, but he’ll need to find an extra gear or two to have a serious chance of becoming prime minister after September 23. In the third of The Spinoff’s election year interviews with party leaders, Simon Wilson talks to Little, … Read more
Andrew Little wants Phil Goff close to him in cabinet, he has revealed in an interview with The Spinoff. Not actually in cabinet, but as an important part of Wellington’s decision-making processes about Auckland. If the Labour Party gets to form the next government, Auckland can expect some big changes. During an in-depth interview with … Read more
Australian troupe Aunty Donna have been taking the internet world by storm with their insanely hilarious sketch comedy. Natasha Hoyland talks to member Broden Kelly about how Aunty Donna came to be and their plans for their upcoming New Zealand shows. I’m so excited to talk to you because I really love Aunty Donna. … Read more
There are plenty of lessons for New Zealand’s criminal justice system to be drawn from the Scandinavian approach, writes Max Harris in this edited excerpt from his new book The New Zealand Project. An increasing number of New Zealanders accept that our criminal justice system – and our approach to imprisonment – is broken. Bill … Read more
Tara Ward goes on a wild Easter hunt to find any half-decent free-to-air television over the long weekend. This Easter’s television viewing is as bleak as a hollow egg that some selfish bastard already pinched the chocolate buttons out of. If you’re relying on terrestrial television this holiday weekend — stuck in a remote bach … Read more
Should we stop using the term ‘special needs’? Spinoff Parents columnist and advocate for children with disabilities Tessa Prebble looks at a new campaign to retire the phrase, launched to mark World Down Syndrome Day. In the world of social justice, language is important. I consider myself fairly woke, or if I’m honest, in a continuous … Read more
Instead of backing US bombs in Syria and feeding perpetual war, we should be applying our energy to the underlying issues, writes the Iran-born human rights lawyer and Green candidate Golriz Ghahraman. I lived under American (and American sponsored) missiles for the first eight years of my life. Every day since Donald Trump was elected president I’ve … Read more
At last, a new Gone By Lunchtime podcast, in which Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee and Ben Thomas chew over the politics of spagh-apple pizza, the Hit and Run claims and relate a harrowing This New Zealand Life story of southern isolation. In this overdue and mildly anticipated podcast, we traverse the vast savannah of topical political happenings. Bill English’s pizza? Yes. … Read more
The best-selling books at the two best bookshops in the English-speaking world. AUCKLAND UNITY 1 Good Sons: A Novel of the Great War by Greg Hall (Mary Egan Publishing, $32) “Greg Hall says his first novel is the perfect tribute to family members with strong Oamaru links who fought during World War 1. Mr Hall, … Read more
Around this time every year, the howls of agony echo around the country – from south to north, people who enjoy a drink in moderation have just realised that religious traditions have imposed on their freedoms. But forewarned is forearmed. Bars, super markets and bottle shops will be forced to stop selling bevvys at midnight on … Read more
New verse by Sophie van Waardenberg. unhatched egg/two girls at easter we are helping to cut down the trees they say. we know what the hills will look like when we have finished. they will have burn scars like we have on our wrists from clumsiness, from baking. the dog tastes a hundred empty … Read more
Sometimes you don’t know what to do when you go to comedy shows. Is it okay to heckle? What do you do when you get thirsty? What if I hate it? Luckily for you, our comedy co-editors have got the answers to these hypothetical questions. What if I arrive late? Be a better person. Really? … Read more
Longtime Hugh Laurie fan Pete Douglas counts the reasons why the Chance actor and Spice World star remains one of the greats of our time. How is it the second week of April already? I feel like I have only just digested my Christmas pudding, taken the decorations down from the tree, experienced the empty … Read more
Join us as we follow the progress of Cyclone Cook, live from the buckets under the large leak in The Spinoff’s roof. For official cyclone updates for the Auckland region, see aucklandcivildefence.org.nz. For updates on the national states of emergency, see civildefence.govt.nz.
Beer baron Sir Douglas Myers’ many achievements have been revisited after his passing last week. Pete Douglas takes a look at one of the most fascinating and unlikely of his successes – helping bring the great Gnarls Barkley single ‘Crazy’ into the world. Deep into the second season of the greatest teen soap … Read more
For the second of RNZ’s ‘9th Floor’ series of interviews with ex-PMs, Guyon Espiner talks to Mike Moore about his short spell in the top job, getting rolled by Helen Clark, and his hopes and fears for Labour today – including some advice on the party’s leadership rules. Moore also rejects the idea that Roger Douglas’s … Read more
Two years ago, Alex Casey climbed into the on-set trailer belonging to Dominic Bowden – then Dancing With the Stars US backstage host, now host of The Bachelor NZ – to talk live TV, Kiwis vs Americans, and making it in Los Angeles. Just as all roads lead to Rome and all Suzukis lead to … Read more
Cassia Mor talks to women about sex after babies – the good, the bad and the in-between. I talked to 10 women about sex after childbirth and the differences in their responses were quite amazing. It became clear that for these women – like me – so many factors came into play in their journey back … Read more
The living costs loan is designed to keep students housed and fed, but in our biggest cities it rarely even covers rent. That’s where a new lobby group for legislative reform to improve students’ welfare comes in, says Jack Close, the group’s founder. Living costs are a student loan administered by StudyLink to cover “day … Read more
James Roque has been causing a stir recently with the title of his upcoming comedy festival show James Roque Wants To Show You Something. But what exactly is that ‘something’? Kia ora, James Roque here, you’re favourite grammatically inconsistent New Zealand comedian. It’s two weeks out from the NZ International Comedy Festival and I’ve had a … Read more
Our resident JRPG aficionado Sam Brooks submerged himself in Atlus’ Persona 5 and when he came up for air he had this happy, goofy look on his face. He reveals what made him bliss out. I got into videogames when JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games) were huge. They were everywhere, thanks to the now inexplicable … Read more
The increasing impact of South Pacific cyclones on our own weather systems are the latest evidence that ‘kick the can down the road’ global warming policies aren’t enough. Lisa McLaren of youth-led climate change organisation Generation Zero explains why they’re campaigning for a legally binding target of net zero carbon by 2050. New Zealanders are … 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. Adàn Tijerina is the director of Almighty Beverages. It’s a Wellington based company … Read more