Hayden Donnell recently speculated on the meaning of a leaked internal memo from Stuff.co.nz. Today the site’s editor Patrick Crewdson tells him why he’s not really a slave to Mark Zuckerberg. Before I begin, here’s a haphazard, non-complete listicle of great journalism being carried out in mainstream New Zealand commercial media. 1. Everything by Stuff … Read more
These impassioned posts underscore the depths to which the Republican presidential candidate has fallen – and what it says about America today. The weekend release of a recording revealing Donald Trump bragging about sexual assaults saw many of his supporters in the Republican Party who had stuck beside the controversial candidate disavow him. He subsequently … Read more
An online feud spilled over into real world violence at MOTAT last night when passions erupted at the 2016 League of Legends national championship final. Don Rowe was there, and found it the most exciting part of the event. Last night, perhaps for the first time ever, the Museum of Transport and Technology played host to a … Read more
With newsrooms in a state of flux and old-fashioned news values losing out to Facebook algorithms and snackable content, it’s no wonder young journalists enter the industry with some trepidation. But how much of that worry is justified? Elizabeth Beattie talks to a group of newbie reporters to find out. Last year I and 26 … 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. Down Auckland’s Dominion Rd, past the collection of Chinese restaurants and predating … Read more
After having a hell of a time playing the original Until Dawn game on the PS4, Alex Casey is introduced to the new virtual reality version on the Playstation VR. (After you’ve witnessed these virtual horrors, revisit Alex’s original scream-fest.) Video edited by Joseph Harper The lovely gaming post was brought to your bleeding eyeholes by … Read more
Once again, low voter turnout in local body elections has sparked a round of hand-wringing about the public’s lack of political engagement. But is political apathy really the problem, asks Marianne Elliott. Despite some promising efforts to get people excited about exercising their democratic rights, this year’s local body elections again failed to attract a … Read more
Alex and Joseph are joined by New Zealand’s own Graham Candy on the couch to look at the latest in pop music and eat jet planes. This week Alex and Joseph get their put their back into it with Berlin sensation Graham Candy. Also known as a Troye Sivan impersonator, Candy arrives mystically with a bowl of … Read more
Inside the Lightbox is a sponsored feature where we pluck out shows from Lightbox‘s extensive back catalogue. This week, Pete Douglas presents a guide to all the best popstars who gave telly a whirl. I bloody love a good popstar cameo on a TV show. Ever since Stevie Wonder accidentally crashed into Theo and Denise … Read more
There’s a revolution underway. Deep within the Auckland Viaduct lurks the beginnings of our own tiny Silicon Valley. At GridAKL, more than 50 startups, in industries as diverse as medicine, robotics and augmented reality, are running the entrepreneurial gauntlet looking to build a high-growth business – or at least get a second funding round. In On the … Read more
With its delinquent children, incompetent adults and profusion of flammable materials, Fireman Sam’s hometown of Pontypandy is a true health and safety nightmare. A concerned Chris Ingham has some suggestions. Wales, my ancestral homeland, has made several valuable contributions to mankind, without which modern history would be unrecognisable: daffodils, male voice choirs, Tom Jones, heroic … Read more
What happens when you put of two of the most enduring soap opera characters together in one room? After years of wondering, we finally found out in this exclusive video. Shortland Street‘s Chris Warner (played by Michael Galvin) and Home and Away‘s Alf Stewart (played by Ray Meagher) are two of New Zealand’s most beloved soap opera … Read more
What happens when you get two soap immortals and sit them down together for a chat? Calum Henderson was there to recount the making of television history. WATCH: History is made: Sparks fly when Chris Warner meets Alf Stewart It could be a vision of the end of the world: Alf Stewart and Chris Warner, … Read more
In an opinion piece for the Spinoff yesterday, the Labour leader said his party will work to ‘eradicate’ child poverty. Janet McAllister explains why she’s raising a sceptical eyebrow. When it comes to cutting the granite rock of child poverty, it takes a lot more than a plastic pair of pinking snips. These are the … Read more
Today marks the 10th anniversary of one of YouTube’s first viral videos. To celebrate, Madeleine Chapman looks back on 2006, the year of stellar YouTube content. October 12 has always been an eventful day in our history. On this day in 1492, Christopher Columbus reached land in The Bahamas. In 1773, America’s first insane asylum was … Read more
One of the year’s best books is End of Watch, by the great master of readable fiction, Stephen King. Steve Braunias recalls an appointment with the author in London. Then there was the time I saw a ghost. It was Stephen King. It happened 10 years ago, in London, at this time of year – … Read more
A top-level Fairfax memo has somehow found its way into the hands of youth web tool The Spinoff. We picked it apart for clues as to the future of journalism. About a week ago, we received an email originally sent out to editorial staff at Stuff.co.nz. It was filled with intrigue, Facebook, slightly concerning editorial policy, … Read more
In this week’s episode of #realpod, Jane, Duncan and Alex discuss adult dancing, Being Real and what to do when life gives you lemons. The team assembled this week to discuss episode nine of The Real Housewives of Auckland, a week that saw multiple book launches, Coco Chanel-inspired wisdom and whatever the hell this is: Beyond that, the … Read more
Calum Henderson has his first date with First Dates New Zealand, and finds an odd mix of charm, milk and Tom Hardy tattoos. If a guy orders a tall pint of milk on the first date it’s probably not a good sign. That’s one of the hard-earned lessons from the first episode of First Dates … Read more
Over the next couple of weeks we’re introducing you to contributors to our parenting blog, The Spinoff Parents. Today Stacy Kemeys (BSc PGDipDiet) explains why being an expert in nutrition trumps being an expert in eating. Kids eating (or not eating as it were) is a touchy subject. Everyone seems to have opinions on picky … Read more
Geoffrey Palmer, Winston Peters, Judith Collins, Andrew Little, Richard Prebble, Metiria Turei, Willie Jackson and more on two decades of a proportional system, how they’ve changed their view of MMP, and what still needs fixing. On Saturday October 12, 1996, New Zealanders voted under the Mixed Member Proportional system for the first time. After 143 … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh at The Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. Click here for previous instalments. 1) This relatable woman is all of us at an event with free booze … Read more
Since he swept to power in June, President Rodrigo Duterte has ruthlessly pursued his promised violent crackdown, lashed out at foreign leaders and emboldened vigilantes. In a Manila slum, Iris Gonzales meets his supporter and his critics. Jomalene Mabag has seen it all – the rapists, the robbers, the killers. They’re all drug users and … Read more
It’s week 2 of Worlds and who better to recap the action and rank the players than Eugenia Woo, The Spinoff’s own LoL correspondent. (If you’re new to LoL Worlds and need a steer, try Eugenia’s handy beginner’s guide.) This was a bit of a jam-packed week for Worlds because a bunch of things almost … Read more
In the Spinoff’s monthly politics recap, Annabelle Lee and Ben Thomas join Toby Manhire for a power-walk through the topical rain forest. If you’re interested in hearing what Toby, Ben and Annabelle have to say about the local elections, the excitements of Phil Goff, someone called Tana winning the Porirua mayoralty, voter turnout, a byelection … Read more
Auckland councillors Penny Webster (Rodney) and Calum Penrose (Manurewa-Papakura) both crashed to shock defeats on Saturday. Their campaign manager Hamish Coleman-Ross says it wasn’t his fault – that his opponents stooped to a place his candidates refused to venture. Losing sucks. But when you do, I believe it pays not to disappear into the night, nor … Read more
Under the Unitary Plan at least 400,000 new homes will be built to meet the growth of Auckland over the next 30 years. But while we wait for the Plan to take effect, let’s take a look at how many dwellings are being built right now. News that 35 Auckland apartment development projects have collapsed … Read more
For Monitor this week, Aaron Yap watches BBC series Criminal Justice, the lesser-known original version of HBO sensation The Night Of, and compares the two gripping murder mysteries. David Fincher, the notoriously exacting American director behind such lurid, ultra-stylish thrillers like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl, is a master of making cinematic … Read more
Many parents make the reasonable decision to terminate their pregnancy following an in utero diagnosis of Down Syndrome. But as more sophisticated tests make it easier and less risky to diagnose early, Tessa Prebble wonders whether we’ve really thought through the consequences. When I found out I was pregnant, my GP immediately handed me a … Read more