The trial of cricketer Scott Kuggeleijn has sparked another round of debate over sexual assault, victim blaming and consent. Melanie Spencer* tells the story of her rape, and explains why online outrage leaves her numb. Content warning: This essay contains a description of sexual assault, along with its mental health implications, which may be triggering … Read more
John Campbell, Kate De Goldi, Patrick Gower, Captain Hurricane and more tell us how they’re feeling in the leadup to a big night for supporters of the country’s greatest rugby side. As any enlightened person will tell you, the Hurricanes are blessed with the most insightful and elegant supporters in the world of sport, whom … Read more
As Auckland contemplates a future of greater housing density with more crowded suburbs and schools, there’s an extreme, low-rise example happening in three of its suburbs. Tim Murphy spent some time in Tāmaki and listened to the man pulling it apart. Auckland’s biggest housing project, the Tāmaki Regeneration, is something to behold. It is on … Read more
Joseph Harper talks to Phil Keoghan about his new documentary Le Ride and asks how a lad from Christchurch grew up to be New Zealand’s most famous ex-pat TV presenter. As a fan of both professional cycling and The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan’s documentary Le Ride seemed almost purpose made for me. Inspired by Cantabrian … Read more
Thousands of ordinary homeowners in Auckland’s affluent suburbs are about to be torn from their historic homes, which will be forcibly demolished. That’s the impression you’d get from a string of stories published under a particular byline, at least. Take, for example, this morning’s scaremongering codswallop … In some of the wealthy suburbs of New … Read more
It’s always a good feeling when the rag arrives right on time. This month, host Alex Casey is joined by comedian and writer Michele A’Court and Mana magazine editor Leonie Hayden to talk about what July held for women in New Zealand and the world. That is to say: lifting the lid on online abuse, screaming … Read more
Parliament may be enjoying the longest recess of all time but the Spinoff’s Gone By Lunchtime podcast is 100% sitting, friends. Joining Toby Manhire in the futuristic audio-pod are Annabelle Lee and Ben Thomas Among the fat being chewed: Auckland Unitary Plan adventure (but only briefly; if you like that sort of thing, there’s more … Read more
Sarah Forster interviews the awesome David Hill, a finalist at next week’s childrens book awards, when he goes head to head with veteran author Kate De Goldi, horsist writer Stacy Gregg, and Luncheon Sausage Books star Jane Bloomfield. David Hill is one of New Zealand’s best-known authors of young adult fiction. He takes on serious thermes, … Read more
Green MP and planning geek Julie Anne Genter reacts to the Unitary Plan – and announces a four-step programme to radically evolve our urban environment into the future. I love city planning – I’m a planning geek. So it’s pretty cool seeing people get excited about the Auckland Unitary Plan. The actual document might be … Read more
The use of the word “outlier” has been condemned, and continued use will result in stiff penalties. When did the word “outlier” become a thing, and why? It’s such a lame word. But it’s enjoying a tremendous vogue, and it must be stopped. It’s one of those words that make writers look smart. It looks … Read more
After being elected unopposed at the last election, councillors Dick Quax and Sharon Stewart finally have some opposition in Howick. Councillor Dick Quax and his ally Sharon Stewart were elected unopposed in the Howick ward last election. That’s a shame, because Quax is what would happen if you put skin and a moustache on an … Read more
Alex Casey chats to filmmaker and activist Taryn Brumfitt about her movement to get women embracing their own bodies, no matter what the media says. Walking up to my interview with Taryn Brumfitt, director of Embrace documentary and leader of body positivity movement, I pondered my Queen Street surroundings with the expression of a cat looking … Read more
Joseph Harper immortalises the fine work of Personalised Plates NZ in an absolute tearjerker of a video. For the past 28 years, Kiwis have been funkying up their bumpers via the plate gods at Personalised Plates NZ. Though at times controversial, there’s no doubting the public service the company has performed over the years has … Read more
The $925,000 government payout is intended to close a long and messy chapter in the David Bain whodunnit, though it will only reiginte the eager Bainologists. Law professor Andrew Geddis explains how we ended up here. In a perhaps vain attempt to replicate Kang’s (in the guise of Bob Dole) solution to another intractable issue … Read more
In this week’s TV column, Aaron Yap looks at how social media platform Snapchat threatens to usurp traditional viewing habits. As much as it pains me to admit it, I’m a more devoted viewer of Snapchat than of any TV channel out there. Worse, Snapchat often acts as a secondary screen even when I am watching … Read more
Saatchi & Saatchi executive chairman Kevin Roberts has been suspended over comments about gender in advertising. How could an ‘expert’ in the industry be so astonishingly lacking in insight, asks business and brand strategist Jane Cherrington. We need to talk about Kevin. Mr Roberts has caused quite a stir by suggesting that gender inequality is over, … Read more
Comic book superfan Liam Fernandez celebrates the first season of Preacher, a faithful adaptation that didn’t manage to ruin his childhood. Many years ago I was recommended a comic book by a friend. I had just finished reading Watchmen, and given the lofty bar that Alan Moore’s layered alternate history tale had set, my next … Read more
Sarah Forster interviews the awesome Kate De Goldi, a finalist at next week’s childrens book awards, when she goes head to head with veteran author David Hill, horsist writer Stacy Gregg, and Luncheon Sausage Books star Jane Bloomfield. Kate De Goldi is one of New Zealand’s finest writers. She has won the overall Children’s Book of … Read more
Enough heeding a small group of angry residents, time to listen to the experts. That was the message yesterday at the launch of the pro-Unitary-Plan campaign group Coalition for More Homes, writes Tim Murphy. The rowdy hordes have had their say on the Unitary Plan. Now it’s time for the experts. So says the prosaically … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her rankings for Shortland Street last week, including when the shitake hit the fan and a very good dog. 1) At last, Ferndale gets it’s Chops For years, nay decades, people have protested the lack of a canine presence in Ferndale. Erinsborough had Bouncer (RIP), Summer Bay had Dag Dog, so why hasn’t Shortland … Read more
A group of young Wellingtonians have scored millions of online views for their idiosyncratic Shakespearean revamps. With the launch of their third series, Bright Summer Night, we asked them to explain themselves, and they sent us a video. The first two web series by the Candle Wasters put a girdle around the earth in hardly … Read more
Jazial Crossley grew up in Auckland in the ’80s, the daughter of a teenage solo mother who spent her early years on the DPB. In this essay for the War for Auckland project, she describes her childhood, and wonders what might have happened to her had she been born today. When I was growing up … Read more
Harry Potter tragic obsessive fan Charlotte Graham reviews Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. [SPOILERS] everywhere. You’ve been warned. Harry Potter hasn’t slept much for 20 years and it has made him sort of a dickhead. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a delicious hot mess of time travel and popular fanfiction tropes from the … Read more
Labour says the Unitary Plan won’t provide affordable housing. Our mild-mannered economist Shamubeel Eaqub says that ignores the basics of supply and demand. People are getting worried the new Unitary Plan won’t provide enough affordable housing. Modelling done for the Independent Hearings Panel that authored the plan appears to show only 15% of the 247,000 new … Read more
A group calling itself ‘The Coalition for More Homes’ emerged this morning, bringing yet more pressure on the Auckland Council to pass the Unitary Plan. This morning The Spinoff received an email from a group calling itself ‘The Coalition for More Homes’, demanding, essentially, more homes. What’s interesting and significant about the group is its … Read more
Nine years after the latest instalment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has just had its embargo lifted and The Spinoff’s Madeleine Chapman has her hands on a copy. (Spoilers ████████████ aka redacted for readers’ safety). I remember when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out. I was in year nine and it was … Read more
Our resident Blockaholic Jane Yee recaps the highs and lows from week nine of The Block NZ, including Dylz’ romantic prospects. It was chock-a-Block NZ in Meadowbank this week as the teams scrambled to complete their garages and laundries. They also had to wedge in some goodwill community service, a whole lot of odd jobs … Read more
Compiling the best reading of the week from your friendly local website. Duncan Greive: Announcing the War for Auckland So for the first time we’re opening up the opportunity to contribute to The Spinoff financially via our PledgeMe campaign. We’re asking for money for this specific project, from both businesses and individuals, to chip in … Read more
After Alex Behan’s essay chronicling his attempts to change the long-running historic mispronunciation of Radio Hauraki went viral on Thursday, a news report on Te Kaea yesterday indicates change is coming soon. On Thursday morning, 15 minutes after finishing what should have been his second-to-last shift on the station, we hit publish on Radio Hauraki … Read more