Peter Wells reviews Our Young Man by Edmund White. Can an author write too much? A glance down the inside page of Edmund White’s new novel discloses either a staggering productivity (13 novels, six works of nonfiction, three biographies and four memoirs) or an author’s unstoppable urge to create. His seminal A Boy’s Own Story … Read more
It’s Icy Tower meets Flappy Bird meets Election 2016. Don Rowe speaks to the Auckland-based designers of Jrump, the game that puts The Donald in the hands of the people, rather than other way around. Kiwis are famous for our seemingly innate ability to make light of serious situations. But these days, what with people … Read more
While council politics are in the spotlight in much of the country, Christchurch has barely even registered there’s an election coming up. James Dann goes in search of some political passion in the Garden City. On a dark and stormy night, I find shelter in an upmarket European car showroom. Assembled are three councillors and … Read more
In a special extended episode of our Real Housewives of Auckland podcast, Jane, Duncan and Alex discuss the fallout from Julia’s racist slur, both within the show and in the wider world. The sixth episode of #RHOAKL was dominated by Julia’s saying “boat n*****” in reference to Michelle, particularly the aftermath, in which she tried … Read more
A celebrity interview can be a minefield, especially when it comes to the subjects deemed ‘off limits’ by publicists. Jesse Mulligan asked some fellow interviewers about the topics they were told never to bring up. In 1999, two years after the suicide death of lead singer Michael Hutchence, INXS announced an Australasian tour with 1970s … Read more
Tara Ward dives into a delicious, piping hot serving of all-new Breakfast, and breaks down the key changes in TV One’s revamped morning show. A fresh day dawned in New Zealand yesterday and with it a new era of breakfast television. “This is your Breakfast, this is New Zealand’s Breakfast” said new co-host Jack Tame. “I’m … Read more
Disney have once again come under fire for cultural appropriation, this time for the release of their Maui costume for kids. Madeleine Chapman explains why it might not be so bad. Mulan is my favourite movie. Not my favourite Disney movie or even my favourite children’s movie. Mulan is my favourite movie, period. I’ve seen … Read more
Who’s getting the blue tick – Goff? Swarbrick? Crone? Bright? Let us show you the way. The Spinoff’s War for Auckland psy-ops division has emerged from their underground bunker with their picks for Auckland mayor. – Click here – to discover on whom The Spinoff has bestowed its coveted mayoral seal of approval.
The 2017 Super Rugby draw is out today. To mark the occasion Scotty Stevenson has power ranked every round of the upcoming season, from 1 to 16(B). Click here to see the full 2017 Super Rugby season schedule 1. Round 14 I like this round. All 18 teams are playing and it is the Pascall … Read more
With Jeffrey Tambor taking home his 4000th Emmy award yesterday and the new season arriving exclusively to Lightbox on Saturday, Sam Brooks tells you exactly why you need to catch up with Transparent. When Transparent was announced as a pilot for Amazon TV, a pilot where Arrested Development patriarch Jeremy Tambor would be playing a … Read more
Newly purchased works from the acclaimed NZ entry at the Venice Biennale have just been unveiled at Te Papa. Toby Manhire caught up with the artist at the notorious Urban Cafe in Newmarket to discuss the politics of his exhibition, the appeal of technology, and whether he might yet get into watercolours. When Simon Denny’s … Read more
There are some lovely lucid moments in Fiona Kidman’s latest novel, says Charlotte Graham, and it’s a reminder that “you’re reading a boss”. If only the book was longer. Dame Fiona Kidman told an interviewer recently that she thought barreling through seven decades of New Zealand history with “a story integrated” was “an interesting exercise … Read more
Following an acclaimed showing at the Venice Biennale, Simon Denny’s politically charged Secret Power is now on view at Te Papa. Henry Oliver spoke to investigative journalist Nicky Hager about his role as special adviser on the exhibition. I met Nicky Hager last year on the Golden Staircase of the Marciana Library in Piazzetta San … Read more
Figures on the ethnic breakdown of cannabis convictions show the folly of the prime minister’s faith in ‘police discretion’, writes Don Rowe. A majority of New Zealanders now support the decriminalisation of marijuana, according to a poll released last month by the New Zealand Drug Foundation. The survey, conducted by the same company that polls … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her rankings for Shortland Street last week, including the arrival of Sass, sad bears, and everyone’s favourite, Damo. 1) Leanne is a sweet scented, demented Jezebel The 100% pure romance of Leanne and Howard’s love affair pierced my cold dead heart like a pungent sprig of rosemary through a freshly butchered piece of … Read more
The Spinoff War for Auckland PsyOps Division is giddily excited to launch our turbo-charged endorsement tool – click here! We say: give these people your vote for mayor and council. The tool – click here! – is a core part of our outlandish and belligerent campaign for a better Auckland. Drawing on field research conducted by … Read more
Peter King caused an enormous and very welcome stir last week when he mounted a passionate free-market argument which attacked the Book Council, academics, librarians, the Listener, the Spinoff, Creative New Zealand, intellectuals, wine drinkers, cheese eaters, oh yes and writers – basically everyone who runs the seething little village of the literary power elite. Time … Read more
Alex Casey and Madeleine Chapman will be live blogging every moment of the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards for all you poor sods stuck at work.
Working hard or hardly working? A look at who isn’t participating in the labour force, and why. Inspired by the Real Housewives of Auckland, this week’s charts from Figure.NZ provide an insight into the real lives of New Zealand’s ‘housewives’ and others not in paid work. Want to know more? Check out Figure.NZ.
This morning, an hour after news of a Real Housewives racism scandal broke, Duncan Greive spoke with Michelle Blanchard on the phone from the US about the episode. “This flat champagne, it’s driving me nuts,” says Michelle Blanchard, from an airline lounge in New York. She’s drinking in the afternoon, an hour away from boarding a flight … Read more
Compiling the best reading of the week from your friendly local website. Don Rowe: The most divisive man in New Zealand sport explains himself “He writes with such anger, blaspheming the patron saints of the punters, week after week. Before the 2015 World Cup, Rattue penned his own Satanic Verses, calling for the sacking of … Read more
The Spinoff was granted an exclusive preview of next week’s racism-scarred episode of The Real Housewives of Auckland on Friday. Here Duncan Greive discusses the shocking moment, and the fallout within and without of the episode. This morning the Herald on Sunday reports that one cast member of Real Housewives of Auckland calls another cast member “n*****” … Read more
New Zealand’s greatest reality show doesn’t only offer a window into the lives of the rich and shameless, says Max Rashbrooke. It’s also a perfect distillation of how the country’s wealth is increasingly being concentrated at the top. In the first episode of Real Housewives of Auckland, Louise Wallace introduces herself with the immortal line, … Read more
100 years ago to the day New Zealand entered the Battle of the Somme, laying down life and limb to protect France from the German Empire. But what if France had never been in the First World War? Seems ridiculous right? Not if you’re Battlefield 1 developers DICE. On the 4th August, 1914, the army … Read more
In-house psychotherapist Ms X helps out a senior rugby administrator in an apology-shaped pickle. Dear Ms X, I’m having a bit of a problem getting people to believe I really am sorry about a thing that maybe happened. I didn’t actually do the thing that was bad, but I’m in charge of the people that … Read more
In fits of democratic exhilaration, Gen Zero and the Auckland war bunker celebrate the start of the Auckland local elections, and explain their imperious plans to tell you how to vote. On the day voting papers begin to dribble into the letterboxes of the Super City, Spinoffistas Toby Manhire and Hayden Donnell are joined by … 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. Many will know Brooke Howard-Smith from TV, as long time host of … Read more
In association with our mates Bigpipe we’re livestreaming a different video game every Wednesday at 7pm on our Twitch channel. Join José Barbosa and a cast of roped in innocents for a journey into utter mayhem. This week José Barbosa is joined by old mate Ashley Hinton for a heaping wad of low-fi hacker puzzle … Read more
Auckland’s housing market is now ministerially sanctioned as ‘out of control’. Hayden Donnell spoke to Chris Minty from Saba about whether apartments are the answer. Auckland’s house prices just reached $1 million on average. As milestones go, it’s like your first catastrophic break-up, or turning 40: no-one feels that good about it. The Government now … Read more