Noted funny man Nic Sampson (Jono and Ben, Funny Girls) writes us a short story about a dad, his time-travelling son and the dangers of learning about maths. Paul was just getting started on the dishes when he heard his son say the one thing every dad waits his whole life to hear… “Hey Dad I … Read more
A major new report gives New Zealand a road map for achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this century. Now it’s time for business to stand up and be counted, says the Sustainable Business Council’s Abbie Reynolds. You’ve probably never heard of UK-based independent economics consultancy Vivid Economics, but the report they’re … Read more
Veronika Meduna watches the gongs get handed out at last night’s big Prime Minister’s Science Prize ceremony. Anybody who thinks of science as the dispassionate study of cold, hard facts would have had their stereotype shattered at last night’s awards ceremony for the 2016 PM’s Science Prizes. Tears rolled and laughter erupted, often at the … Read more
For Rent Week, rapper/poet/writer/drummer Dominic Hoey (aka Tourettes) looks back in wonder at five shitty flats from his misspent youth. I’m of an age where, if I had my shit together in the ’90s, I could now conceivably own a home. Sometimes on the bus, I drift away in a neoliberal fantasy, where, instead wasting my youth reading … Read more
Ahead of the arrival of Better Call Saul season three to Lightbox next month, José Barbosa sits down with star Bob Odenkirk to discuss the hidden details in the show, Saturday Night Live vs Trump and why Cinnabon gets the party poppin’. For a long time, Breaking Bad was the pinnacle of high quality, must-watch TV. The story of … Read more
Tim Grgec plucked up courage to submit his poetry to literary journals. But he didn’t know anyone in New Zealand writing and no one had ever heard of him. So then what? I used to think of New Zealand’s poetry scene as an exclusive club – a club constricted in living, with strict rules on how to … Read more
In their new book Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson offer evidence of a botched raid that killed six civilians and led to a scramble to conceal the truth. Danyl Mclauchlan reviews Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the Meaning of Honour and weighs up the prospects for an inquiry. This review … Read more
Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson’s new book presents compelling evidence that our SAS was responsible for killing at least six Afghan civilians, wounding at least another 15, and handing over a man to be tortured for information. The appearance that we have been systemically lied to about what our soldiers do in our name is … Read more
People say that children help make a house a home, but what about when your house is rented and you could be turfed out at a moment’s notice? Jo Holsted writes about how her parenting is affected by being a long-term renter. “KALE EAT WAMATO” shrieks my son, as he wrenches yet another budding tomato … Read more
Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson have just published Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the meaning of honour, which they say ‘tells the story of a dark and guilty secret of New Zealand’s recent history’, and makes the case that six civilians were killed and 15 wounded in an SAS operation. … Read more
Yesterday we asked for your stories, good and bad, about the experience of renting a home in New Zealand, and the response was huge. This is first installment, with more to come throughout Rent Week. I lived in a very cute little row of houses, tucked behind the car yards on Great North Road, Grey … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Some people are upset about free-range eggs. Toby Manhire is upset about ‘tasty’ cheese. In the dizzying light of the Countdown cold goods aisle, it is easy to make mistakes. Mistakes such as picking up a block of Alpine … Read more
As part of Equalise My Vocals, a new Spinoff project focusing on equality in the music community, Coco Solid speaks with the DJs behind Auckland club night Fully Explicit. Fully Explicit is a monthly club night held in Britomart, downtown Auckland. Free to the public, the night specialises in club bangers, explicit rap and R&B (of … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather around the oval table and talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. This week on The Real Pod, Alex, Jane and Duncan dive straight into a record off the back of week one of The Bachelor NZ season three. What do we … Read more
In this Rent Week reissue, Tim Lambourne shares his triumphant tale of how binge-watching the legal drama Suits helped him win his underdog tenancy dispute. A few years ago I lived in a four bedroom flat on Summer Street in Ponsonby, Auckland. If you’re unfamiliar with the suburb, Summer Street is about three quarters of the … Read more
TV presenter, stand-up comedian, journalist, loving husband, food critic, radio hero, father of three: is there anything Jesse Mulligan can’t do? Anna Gowan celebrates the unflappable host of afternoons on Radio New Zealand. There was a time when Friday afternoons were glorious. When at 4.30pm, a beer would arrive on my desk care of a … Read more
Tour producer (and Spinoff Comedy co-editor) Natasha Hoyland joins Guy Williams on his mini tour of New Zealand in the lead up to his Comedy Fest show Why Am I Like This?. Organising Guy’s North Island-plus-Nelson tour hasn’t been easy. It was fun to start with, but quickly got hellish. Anyone who knows me knows … Read more
Fresh back from five days in Queenstown for NZ’s nanotechnology and advanced-materials science conference, Dr Ben Mallett reckons AMN8 shows that our stereotypes, of science and scientists, need a bit of nuance. What happens at a science conference? Lots of “talks” (in which scientists speak about their research, with some accompanying pictures); poster sessions; specialised … Read more
What does the dream of owning a home mean in 2017? Is it still achievable for those not already on the property ladder – or even a worthwhile goal? And what are you willing (or able) to sacrifice in order to reach it? The Spinoff wants to hear your stories. If you hadn’t heard, things … Read more
First published as part of The Spinoff’s Rent Week series earlier this year, we’re resharing this op-ed from an anonymous landlord to mark the release of Unsettled, our documentary about the New Zealand housing crisis. I’m one of the “amateur landlords” Duncan Greive mentioned yesterday, the ones who former Reserve Bank governor Arthur Grimes says … Read more
I have asked myself why I didn’t do something about the shocking treatment of institutionalised children, writes Kim Workman. If the government fails to respond to our calls now, this issue will become a matter of national shame I am urging fellow New Zealanders to support Dame Susan Devoy’s call for a full inquiry into … Read more
Nicky Hager is launching his latest book tonight at Unity Books in Wellington. No one knows what it’s called or what it’s about; join us as our correspondents keep a close eye on the author and the bookshop throughout the day. 7:37am: Nicky Hager is awake, and has walked into his kitchen for breakfast. He toasts a … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her first power rankings for contestants of The Bachelor NZ 2017, including many dazzling teeth, Dombo prayers and Zac Franich laughs. “It’s easy to meet people, but hard to find someone,” said our new Bachelor Zac Franich, eyes narrowing on the distance as he tried to figure out what he had just … Read more
To celebrate the opening of the Spark Boroughs Victoria Park basketball court, The Spinoff gathered together a motley crew of musicians and media-types to play a ‘friendly’ game of 5-0n-5. Watch the highlights here. In the media team: Duncan Greive, Madeleine Chapman, Paul Williams, Melanie Bracewell, James Roque, Jamaine Ross. In the music team: Henry … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has a guide for mediocre columnists keen to drum up some manufactured outrage over Parents These Days. You’ve seen those columns on Stuff and in the Herald and The Daily Mail (if you read that garbage) – you know the ones – Parents/Children Are Out of Control! – the headlines … Read more
We sent local Ferndale fanatic James Mustapic along to preview snippets of Shortland Street: The Musical live on stage, because that’s a thing. Big news: there’s a Shortland Street musical in the works and from what I’ve seen of it, it’s iconic. Premiering a rough teaser show as a part of the Auckland Arts Festival, … Read more
Higher hurdles to home-owning have led to more and longer home rentals. Currently the medium and long-term rights are with the landlord, writes property market expert and Massey emeritus professor Bob Hargreaves. New Zealand families typically aspire to own their own homes. But the path to home ownership has become increasingly difficult in recent years, … Read more
Our regular round-up of new songs and singles, this week featuring Teeth, Fleet Foxes, Weezer, Physical, Shakes and Girl Ray. SONG OF THE WEEK Teeth – ‘Succubus’ Brain-frying self-styled “pan-generational Wellington supergroup”. I’ve been enjoying the Phoenix Foundation’s aging process; their 2015 album Give Up Your Dreams is, to my ears, the best thing they’ve done. … Read more
Chuck Berry died this weekend, aged 90. Nabeel Zuberi remembers the rock pioneer’s personal and musical influence. I was nine years old in 1972 when I was first conscious of hearing or seeing Chuck Berry. His novelty tune ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ was No. 1 on the UK singles charts for what seemed an eternity. I saw … Read more