Duncan Greive finds some sweet reprieve in the shambles of The Crowd Goes Wild, the only seven o’clock show New Zealand can count on right now. In these times of dread and chaos it’s hard to know what induces more anxiety: being away from a constant supply of breathless reporting, or mainlining it ceaselessly. On … Read more
While walking through the Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa exhibition at the Auckland Museum, Henry Oliver thought to himself: which decade had the best music? Rather than telling you his answer, he’s asking for yours. This week, round two: only the strong decades survive. The votes are in, the first round is over. Time to … Read more
As Bill English sounds the horn for a September polling day, Toby Manhire take a deep breath and speculates on what to expect in the months to come. Plus: the key dates in the leadup to the election And they’re off. Bill English has announced that the election will fall on September 23, a date … Read more
Looking to ‘cleanse’ your body, balance your hormones and improve your sex life? Gwyneth Paltrow has just the thing for you: jade ‘eggs’ for your hoo-ha, available for the low, low price of NZ$90 through her website Goop. The eggs are just the latest in a long tradition of celebrity quackery, says scientist Dr Jess … Read more
Ahead of Splore, one of the final stops on the summer festival calendar, Don Rowe chats to tabla drummer Prabhash Maharaj, the youngest musician in a lineage more than 500 years old. For four thousand years the holy city of Varanasi has been the spiritual centre of India. A lodestone for music, religion, philosophy and … Read more
Half a million people attended last week’s literary festival in Jaipur, India. Half a million! There was anti-Muslim debate, a famous author described Trump as America’s “dick pic”, and police roamed around in camel-coloured berets. Sam Gaskin reports. In Jaipur’s historic pink city, people pick their way through narrow lanes littered with Nestea paper cups … Read more
Peter Capaldi, the 13th person to play The Doctor in the BBC’s Doctor Who, has announced 2017 is his last year as a Time Lord. José Barbosa assesses Capaldi’s tenure in the role and offers some pleas for the next incarnation. “Everything ends and it’s always sad. But everything begins again and that’s always happy. Be … Read more
A dual citizen of Iran and New Zealand argues that the PM’s response to the US visa ban falls far short, and explains why, whether the ban affects her or not, she’s personally boycotting Trump’s America. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” – Desmond Tutu … Read more
Starting a new school can be daunting for both parent and child. Janette Roberts is a mother of four, now adult children, and has been teaching for 30 years. She’s been there, done that – and she’s got some tips for you. My firstborn set off for his first day of school cheerfully with his dad, … Read more
Ahead of David Attenborough’s New Zealand live shows, Anthony Gardiner pens a heartfelt letter to the man in blue who made bat poo cool. Dear David, I can’t remember the first time you came into my life. For someone who means so much to us all, it is strange to not be able to recall … Read more
Radio host and political commentator Duncan Garner calls protestors at the Waitangi Marae “self-appointed meatheads” who “hijack the holiday for feeble grandstanding and cheap shots”. It’s just the latest attempt by Pākehā to ridicule and invalidate the Māori tradition of protest, says Madeleine de Young. Prime Minister Bill English’s decision not to attend the Waitangi … Read more
The Spinoff tries to remember what happened at yesterday’s Laneway festival. A thumbs up I absolutely love a long, drawn out festival. The more days I can spend in a dusty, stagnant field the better. I like them because there’s no urgency. It’s for this reason that the thought of trying to spread myself across … Read more
Every month host Alex Casey is joined by comedian/writer Michele A’Court and Mana magazine editor Leonie Hayden to discuss what happened in the world of women over the preceding four weeks. Fresh from the Auckland Women’s March, they return this year with help from their legendary sponsors at BON tampons. With a much-needed glass of bubbles, and in the safe bunker … Read more
Graham Reid takes The Chills on a tour of Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa exhibition at the Auckland Museum. A little more than 24 hours before they take the stage at Laneway under a blazing blue sky, five very weary Chills arrive at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. They’ve been up since 5am and are … Read more
A weird thing happened to me at the cricket yesterday: for the first time in my life I felt sympathy for Australia, confesses Jamie Wall. It was at around 4:30pm yesterday that the unthinkable happened. Maybe it was the oppressive heat. Maybe it was because I’m almost 36 and slightly more rational these days. Or … Read more
Nicola Gaston on the anti-science agenda of the Trump presidency, and why scientists should embrace the arts. First they came for the scientists, but I was not a scientist, so I did not speak out. Scientists are often not comfortable with politics, with the idea of marching for a cause, with the idea of protest. … Read more
This is The Spinoff Parents podcast, Dear Mamas, a straight-talking parenting conversation with Holly Walker and Emily Writes. Our brilliant and talented sponsors are Little Big Crate. Little Big Crate delivers gorgeous threads for your little big person, right to your front door. This episode includes discussion of the loss of a child, so please … Read more
Adrienne Jansen tells about the night she was asked to come to her local police station to deal with a refugee picked up on a drink-driving charge. It was the last night of a university writing course. Twelve of us sat around and read our work aloud and talked politely about publishing opportunities. I went … Read more
The Wellington Sevens that took place this weekend was a noticeably less raucous party than tournaments of years gone by. Ruined by the ‘Fun Police’? Emily Writes isn’t buying it. The Sevens is no longer a drunken mess, she says – and that’s a good thing. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but The Fun … Read more
We need not just to boldly condemn the current US approach, but to act, by doubling in our refugee quota, argues Hon Peter Dunne. One of the more famous observations of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, is that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. It is a point that the … Read more
We need to stand alongside Muslim New Zealanders in the wake of the US visa ban – and tell our decision makers in no uncertain terms that we will not allow the politics of hatred and bigotry to become normalised here, writes race relations commissioner Susan Devoy. Wellington’s very first UN Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in … Read more
The US President’s executive order banning all immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries has drawn global condemnation. Now, more than ever, it’s time for New Zealand to step up and do what’s right for refugees, writes Murdoch Stephens. When President Donald Trump banned a tweet from a government department that mentioned carbon dioxide, hinting at … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Duncan Greive: Announcing The Spinoff app “That’s the business motivation though – what’s in it for you? Well, mainly a really incredible experience as a reader. We consider the app – access to all our stories, sortable via author and section – to be the very … Read more
In her final column for The Spinoff, in-house therapist Ms X answers the question: when do disturbing sexual fantasies become a cause for concern? Dear Ms X I’m 26 and have a question about fantasies. I really get off on the idea of being borderline assaulted, but know that I would definitely NEVER want this … 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 Cut Off Your Hands’ Nick Johnston and Phil Hadfield. Henry Oliver talks to Nick Johnston and Phil Hadfield about getting older and getting the band back together. Either download (right … Read more
Forever the mother of Charlie and Oliver, Rebecca Clews knows about the devastation of having your babies too early. Here she bravely shares her story in the hopes that other parents might understand – and those who know feel comfort that they’re not alone. Content warning: This story may be upsetting to parents who have … Read more
Every Friday, ‘The Album Cycle’ reviews a handful of new releases. ALBUM OF THE WEEK New Dawn – The Dying Light New Zealand’s ambient scene has remained in the shadows for the most part, but if New Dawn get the attention they deserve, it won’t for long. The Christchurch duo create ambient soundscapes that are … Read more
If the first week is anything to go by, the relationship between the Donald J Trump administration and the press will be anything but cosy. That’s excellent news for journalism, argues Paul Brislen. Day One of Trumpton got off to a rocky start with the new press secretary for The Donald taking to the podium … Read more
For Italian scientist Silvia Giordani, the battle against cancer cells takes place at a scale 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. A guest at February’s AMN8 conference in Queenstown, she talks to Charles Anderson Onions and tubes. It was almost a decade ago that Silvia Giordani started thinking seriously about the difference between them. … Read more