We indulge our gadget-curious side at Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa There’s no shortage of weird and interesting stuff to be discovered at Volume, the New Zealand music exhibition at the Auckland Museum. There is, of course, handwritten lyrics, posters, t-shirts, records … all the things you’d hope to see at a popular music exhibition. … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. David Farrier: ‘Hello, my name is Ally’ – how children are being exploited by YouTube predators “Josh believes it is highly unlikely Ally & Maddie are two young female YouTubers. He believes the account is run by an adult male. His suspicions are based on the … 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. With Bethesda’s latest sequel in the stealthy-shooty-steampunky series now out, Don Rowe and José Barbosa get stuck into the … Read more
Being forced to socialise with the person who broke your heart is hard enough at the best of times, says in-house counsellor Ms X – but mix in end-of-year emotion and plenty of alcohol and you’ve got a combustible situation. Kia ora Ms X. I recently had my heart broken and I’m seeking your advice. … Read more
The best way to improve the lives of thousands of our most deprived and at-risk kids? Give their parents a regular, guaranteed cash payment, says Jess Berentson-Shaw – no strings attached. We know that families in New Zealand are struggling. So, what are we doing about it? We need people who care, we need 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: Kate Robertson and Matthew McAuley join host Henry Oliver to talk about this month’s new releases. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver talks to contributing critics Kate Robertson and Matthew McAuley about the month’s best … Read more
National list MP and Mt Roskill candidate Parmjeet Parmar wins Simon Wilson’s award for the most emotionally unintelligent politician of 2016 as he weighs up the contest in the byelection phoney war. Parmjeet Parmar made a constituent cry at an electorate meeting in a Mt Roskill school hall last Monday evening. It was a bit … Read more
Every Friday, ‘The Album Cycle’ reviews a handful of new releases. ALBUM OF THE WEEK Georgia – All Kind Music It’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on here. Are the NY-based duo improvising in real time with real instruments? Toiling away on laptops? Cutting up samples and sticking them back together? Jamming out on … 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. Making it in the modern economy is no easy thing. Traditional career … Read more
To celebrate Outrageous Fortune finishing six years ago this month, plus a nomination in the Lightbox People’s Choice Awards, we’ve assembled some of the best Cheryl West moments of all time. In November 2010, the final episode of the dark family comedy Outrageous Fortune aired on New Zealand screens. After six tumultuous, leopard-clad seasons, one … Read more
Aaron Smith’s career is in a steep decline. Hayden Donnell takes a deep dive into the toll having sex has taken on the once-masterful halfback’s career. Aaron Smith was dropped from the All Blacks’ starting line-up yesterday. The announcement felt inevitable. A long time coming. A mercy delivered to a broken man. It’s easy to … Read more
Not content to close out 2016 relaxing in their billowing piles of Pokémon Go cash, Gamefreak have just released two new Nintendo handheld rpgs, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. Joseph Harper took them for a spin. It’s been a massive year for Pokémon. Celebrating 20 years since their first generation handheld games, the company has … Read more
Faced with an absurdly rigid obligation to issue a prison sentence for a relatively minor offence, Justice Toogood deployed every drop of discretion available, writes Andrew Geddis New Zealand has had a “three strikes” sentencing regime in place for some six years now. At the time of its introduction, it was sold as a measure to … Read more
The weekly Unity Books best-seller chart at their stores in Wellington and Auckland. WELLINGTON STORE 1 Wellington In Your Pocket (Fitzbeck Creative, $25) by Nigel Beckford & Michael Fitzsimons, illustrated by Karolina Slovakova Handy and handsome guide to cool places to go in Wellington. 2 Havana Coffee Works (Phantom House, $50) by Geoff Marsland & … Read more
For some New Zealand cities, the past two weeks have showcased the worst weather scenarios, while for others it was the first signs of a hot summer to come. Take the quiz below to find out just who gets the most sun in summer. Having trouble viewing the quiz? Take it here.
If we want councils to be open, accountable and democratic, we have to overhaul the laws the govern the sector, writes Jason Krupp. Local government in Zealand is broken and dying, only it is dying so slowly that you’d hardly notice it unless you are looking, and it is a problem. That most of you … Read more
Tara Ward watches The Job Interview, an awkward fly-on-the-wall series that goes inside one of life’s most hellish experiences. A new show began on TVNZ1 this week that confirmed several popular beliefs about job interviews: they suck, and nearly everyone sucks at them. Filmed in a fly-on-the-wall style, The Job Interview promises to reveal what really … Read more
Dunedin writer Alan Roddick may hold the New Zealand record as the author who has had the longest period between two books. A new collection of verse was published in September; it follows his debut collection, published in 1967…The two Friday poems are taken from his 2016 book, Getting It Right. Lost and Found … Read more
New Zealand’s rates of sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia are some of the highest in the Western world. That’s the bad news, says Siouxsie Wiles – the good news is that we can begin fixing the problem just by being more frank about our genitalia and what it does. Lady parts. Bits. Flower. Front bottom. … Read more
A new baby can be hell on your romantic relationship, but it doesn’t have to be. The secret? It’s really no great secret: communication, and lots of it, says Leigh-ann Griffiths. Meet Leigh-ann Griffiths, our new Spinoff Parents Relationships Expert. She’s got three kids and is a trained counsellor. She’s no-nonsense but she’s compassionate too. … Read more
As we near the end of Movember, José Barbosa wades through the history of television to present the most fertile grounds for upper lip accessories.
Those who rush to condemn the Auckland visit of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte display their ignorance of the nation’s complicated history and nuanced current situation, says Cameron Walker. December 2017: The author has added a postscript to this article. Scroll to end to read Since Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in May, … Read more
With the Terry Teo reboot arriving on television screens this Sunday, co-creator Gerard Johnstone looks back at the original series that started it all. When my producer Luke Sharpe and I stumbled onto the idea of rebooting Terry Teo for a modern audience, it felt like a no-brainer. Even the mere mention of his name made … Read more
Rather than ask people to help fund a particular project, Coco Solid is asking supporters to help pay for her life. Henry Oliver asks her about crowdfunding and the changing nature of making a living as an artist. Coco Solid (aka Jessica Hansell) is a musician, writer, and multi-disciplinary artist. She makes rap music as … Read more
Did anyone in Wellington actually get any work done last week? Sarah Lang suspects not. I finally joined the Twitterati (@sarsoss) days before what became Trumpocalypse. Rather than joining a virtual celebration of a glass ceiling in shards, as expected, I watched The Spinoff’s Trumpocalypse Rating swing from ‘panic/stockpile’ to ‘all Hail Dear Leader Trump’, … Read more
Steve Braunias conducts the live email interview – the revolutionary journalistic practise trailblazed exclusively by the Spinoff Review of Books – with journalist and author Adam Dudding. Feature image credit: Noah Ferguson-Dudding. Adam Dudding is a feature journalist with the Sunday Star-Times, and his first book My Father’s Island was longlisted on Tuesday morning for … Read more
We recently published a column from a bottle-feeding mum who wondered why there was so little information available for those parents whose babies don’t breastfeed. If you need something doing, do it yourself – presenting the Complete Spinoff Parents Guide to Infant Formula, written by our own kid food expert, Stacy Kemeys. First things first, … Read more
Barely a month into his mayoralty, Justin Lester found himself leading a major disaster response following the 7.8 Hanmer Springs earthquake. He looks back at how the city handled the quake and its aftershocks, and lays out what can be done better next time – because there will be a next time. Last week’s earthquake … Read more
Comedian and writer Michele A’Court explains why she asked men to pipe down on her Facebook page, and how her request was received. The answer may surprise you… Two days after the election of President Trump, I tried a social media experiment on my personal Facebook page. I asked men to shut up, and give … Read more