There has been widespread condemnation in NZ over Trump’s visa ban, but we could show our words aren’t empty by undoing some of our own discriminatory immigration laws – and one in particular, writes Graeme Edgeler. US President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order prohibiting the entry into the United States of refugees for … Read more
Jazz-fan Mitchell Houlbrooke takes issue with La La Land‘s depiction of jazz authenticity. La La Land is the sort of movie that makes you skip out of the theatre. It’s a musical in the best sense of the word, and despite being cruel to the tear ducts, it leaves you with a sense of self-determination … Read more
Every day, all around the world, babies are born and people become parents. It’s a beautiful thing. Emily Writes has a message for all of the new mothers who are welcoming their new babies. When a baby is born we say welcome. Here is this world for you precious baby. Here are the people who … Read more
Today the prime minister should be at Te Tii Marae, leading our nation on the difficult path, and not back to Disney Treatyland, writes historian Hirini Kaa. “A lot of New Zealanders cringe a bit on Waitangi Day,” said the prime minister recently. This was wrapped around a bunch of language including terms such as … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Murdoch Stephens: Trump’s refugee ban is a moral outrage that shames America. When will PM Bill English say so? “France and Germany have already stepped up and denounced Trump’s refugee policies. But where is New Zealand’s Prime Minister Bill English? One can imagine his strategists talking … 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 Alien Weaponry’s Henry de Jong. Henry Oliver talks to Henry de Jong about singing te reo thrash metal songs about the land wars, playing to pigs on the farm, and what Alien … Read more
The hilarious Thom Adams is back with tales of parenting from the animal world that are heart warming and terrifying. Definitely the only parenting post you will read today that includes the line “those fucking penguins”. In my last article I suggested that it was unhealthy to compare ourselves to good animal parents. I thought it … 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. This week Simon is back in the very warm Spinoff studios talking … Read more
Every Friday, ‘The Album Cycle’ reviews a handful of new releases. ALBUM OF THE WEEK Migos – Culture The Falcons are in the Super Bowl, Donald Glover’s Atlanta dominated the Golden Globes, Gucci Mane is free and Migos just dropped their sophomore album, Culture. In his acceptance speech for Best Television Series Comedy or Musical, … Read more
The ’00s are rightly remembered as a golden age for the hour-long teen-centric drama, thanks to The OC and Gilmore Girls. But Duncan Greive says Veronica Mars is the very best. The kids of Neptune High dress like absolute idiots. Platinum blonde hair feathered at every extremity, tartan bootcut pants, all the earth tones on Earth … Read more
We’re less than two weeks into the Trump presidency, and already the world feels like it’s slipping into a black hole of racism and despair. But now’s no time to give up, says Joshua Drummond. Here’s part two of our series on how you can make a positive difference, right here in Aotearoa. Previously: Okay … Read more
Reports of the US president haranguing and hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull must have sent convulsions of excitement and/or tooth-pulling terror around the NZ PM’s office. Here’s how the English-Trump chat might go. Executive assistant to the President: Mr President, you are now with Prime Minister English. President Donald J Trump: You said … Read more
The weekly Unity Books best-seller chart at their stores in Auckland and Wellington. AUCKLAND STORE 1 Swing Time (Hamish Hamilton, $37) by Zadie Smith Interesting! So in the first chart since Xmas, the best best-seller at Unity Auckland is the latest novel by English writer Zadie Smith; it must be word of mouth, because the reviews have … Read more
President Trump reportedly called his fiery conversation with Malcolm Turnbull “the worst call so far” and later tweeted he would “study this dumb deal” to allow into the United States 1250 refugees currently being held in Australian detention centres. To help out student of international diplomacy Donald Trump – and the rest of us – Tracey … Read more
Head back to school with books so cool and test your knowledge of education in New Zealand. Having trouble viewing the quiz? Take it here.
The arguments for compulsory Māori language classes in schools are compelling, yet some insist it means the sky is falling, writes Don Rowe. Less than eight months out from the first post-Teflon-John election, the Green Party has placed te reo Māori at the centre of their campaign, calling for compulsory inclusion in schools. The plan, which would … Read more
New verse by Kaipara poet Sam Hunt. So I don’t rightly know it’s even you – but being on the edge of what was like a lake I know which could only be seen when there was no sun, no moon, and that water so deep you’d know (if … 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 a journey into utter mayhem. Rise to the spirit of the fight with Spinoff Gaming editor José Barbosa and his guest Skye Pathare and … Read more
How can we stop devastating acts by mothers who are mentally ill? How can we support isolated mothers who are suffering from serious mental health issues? The first step, Julia Kerr believes, is changing the way we talk about mothers and mental illness to protect both children and their parents. Content warning: This post contains … Read more
For only the 7th time in NZ’s history, the Office of Film & Literature classification has banned a video game: the highly sexualised Japanese game Gal*Gun. This week two of our writers examine and respond to the decision to ban the game in question and we ask the Chief Censor to expand and explain his office’s … Read more
For only the 7th time in New Zealand history, the Office of Film & Literature Classification has banned a video game: the highly sexualised Japanese game Gal*Gun. This week two of our writers examine and respond to the decision to ban the game in question and we ask the Chief Censor to expand and explain his … Read more
For only the 7th time in New Zealand history, the Office of Film & Literature Classification has banned a video game: the highly sexualised Japanese game Gal*Gun. This week two of our writers examine and respond to the decision to ban the game in question and we ask the Chief Censor to expand and explain his … Read more
Tara Ward watches the new promo video for TV3’s new 7pm show The Project, and is overwhelmed with pumpkins, backflips and Jesse Mulligan’s cha-cha. Some might say that a song and dance routine has no place in the serious world of current affairs. To them, I kick-ball-change and pirouette in their face, for the promo … Read more
Ian Fraser on a new, brilliantly told account of the famous 1862 killings on a remote track between Nelson and Marlborough. It’s hard to imagine anyone telling the story of colonial psychopath Richard Burgess (1829-66) better than Wayne Martin in this gripping and vivid history. Step by step, Martin shows the leader of the Burgess Gang following … Read more
Following the Women’s March and the hellish weeks since, Alex Casey reached out to people across the country to make this list of actions and organisations you can lend help to here in New Zealand. It is almost impossible to comprehend that New Zealand led the rest of the world during the Women’s Marches less … Read more
News that the Ministry of Justice spent $23,000 on five internal videos, including one featuring staff lip-synching to a Justin Timberlake hit, has caused the usual sputtering about wasteful government spending. Kathryn van Beek can’t stop the feeling that Timbergate isn’t actually a story. When you’re organising an employee engagement activity for public servants, the … Read more
The executive leaders of Auckland Transport are almost exclusively white males. Generation Zero’s Vonnie Veen-Grimes and Eden Williams explain why that needs to change. Often it feels like no matter the amount of passion and drive behind a cause, it is the faceless bureaucracy at the top that creates an impenetrable force preventing progress. The … Read more
Disney’s Moana has been a smash hit in New Zealand. Children everywhere want to dress up as characters from the movie. So how do you let your child dress up as Maui without appropriating Pasifika culture? It’s easy – Emmaline Matagi, an indigenous Fijian born in Fiji, tells you how. These holidays, Disney’s Moana graced the big screens … Read more
From Chinese 3D manufacturing to Korean soap operas to Japanese street fashion, the 21st century belongs to Asia. Little wonder, then, that an increasing number of young New Zealanders are ditching the UK OE and heading to Asia instead. In the second of a two part series on The Asia OE, Catherine McGregor talks to … Read more