Opinion: The government wants more electric vehicles on NZ roads. But the plan to let them drive in bus lanes can only throw improvements in bus services into reverse, writes Matt Lowrie. The government wants to boost the currently dismal uptake of electric vehicles, increasing the numbers on our roads from about 1,200 to 64,000 … Read more
In honor of the New Zealand Comedy Festival Joseph Harper dives deep into a few comedy games. But it turns out that games based on comedy aren’t actually that funny. The Comedy Fest is happening at the moment and nobody loves to laugh as much as me. So this week I decided to highlight some … Read more
Guy Williams likes reddit.com/r/newzealand, but reddit.com/r/newzealand does not like Guy Williams. He issued a challenge to its citizens this week: come and see my show. So they did, and Madeleine Chapman was there to watch it happen. “I totally get why people don’t like me. Like, when I watch LeBron James play, I want to see him … Read more
Opinion: By issuing a blanket ban because an age restriction would be “impracticable”, the Office of Film and Literature Classification has dangerously overdone it, putting drivers of the vans on a par with child sex offenders, writes Graeme Edgeler. Last week, the Office of Film and Literature Classification declared three Wicked Campers vans “objectionable” because … Read more
All week this week we focus on books and authors nominated for next Tuesday’s Ockham national book awards. Today: a goddamned epic interview (6000 words!) with fiction finalist Patrick Evans, conducted by Spinoff Review of Books literary editor Steve Braunias. The live email interview is seldom practised but will revolutionise journalism as we know it, … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. Today: Penny Ashton. I remember when I started my love affair with bonnets. I vividly recall sitting in the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square in 1996 and being utterly captivated by what was unfolding before … Read more
If you haven’t read Tolstoy’s War and Peace (and who has?), Lindsey Dawson has found an easier way to experience his epic love-and-conflict story: by watching it on the telly. The Russians are coming! We’ve heard that phrase often enough, but back in 1812 it was the Russians yelling, ‘The French are Coming!’ Napoleon wanted Moscow. … Read more
Mark Thomas was just 30 when, on the cusp of becoming a National MP, he was publicly knifed by his own Prime Minister and made history. He was our first sacrificial lamb under the MMP electoral system, ruthlessly cut by Jim Bolger two days before general election day in 1996, when National decided Act’s Richard … Read more
Jordan was ravenous for love on the Bachelor NZ this week, overnighting with Naz and Fleur – but sending poor Erin home after she failed to notice he is physically indistinguishable from Aragorn. It was all hometowns and fantasy dates this week or, as The Bachelor NZ likes to call it “terrible chat with a brother-in-law … Read more
Mark Weldon misrepresented Hilary Barry in a company-wide email before his resignation, writes Hayden Donnell. On Monday night Mark Weldon sent an email to all MediaWorks staff. It was mostly a defence of his tumultuous tenure as the company’s CEO: assertions its finances were in good order, potshots at “spurious” speculation over its ability to survive. There was … Read more
An excerpt (lightly edited – the least it needed! So many semi-colons!) from the masterful biography Maurice Gee: Life and Work, by Rachel Barrowman (Victoria University Press). In this early chapter, she writes of Gee as a young, unhappy misfit in Wellington, putting up with James K Baxter and enjoying his time as a hospital … Read more
There’s a new Bachelor, a new mansion, and the same old dorks talking about it. The Fantasy Suite is The Spinoff’s weekly podcast about The Bachelor NZ, hosted by Jane Yee with Alex Casey and Duncan Greive. Have a listen below, or download here on iTunes, or here on Stitcher. This week Jane, Alex and … Read more
Duncan Greive looks back at the brief and blighted Mark Weldon era. Last night I watched Mark Weldon complete what would turn out to be his final act as CEO of MediaWorks from the back of a refurbished warehouse in Mt Eden. He stood on stage alongside NBC’s Chris Taylor to announce the replacement of … Read more
As the franchise splutters to a halt, Katie Parker examines why The Sims 2 remains the gleaming jewel in the Maxis simulation game crown. I would love to say I have nostalgia for The Sims 2, but the truth is that since I first received it on pre-order at 14 in 2004 I have kept … Read more
With Hilary Barry’s resignation from TV3 still sending shockwaves through the television news universe, James McOnie creates a New Zealand newsreader hall of fame just so he can imagine her place in it. Hilary Barry is walking away from TV3 at a time when her stocks couldn’t be any higher. The Newshub has been gutted … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. My New Zealand International Comedy Festival show this year is Children & Other Mistakes, about my personal decision to not have children. An accidental pregnancy at this point could really derail things, so it’s nice … Read more
All week this week we feature a book or author nominated in next Tuesday’s Ockham national book awards. Today: Holly Walker is given a rare interview with fiction finalist Patricia Grace. Since becoming the first Māori woman to publish a book of short stories in English in 1975, Patricia Grace has always made a commitment … Read more
The Blues hold their breath for a win against the Rebels and the Hurricanes come back with a vengeance in South Africa. Scotty Stevenson brings us the latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 10: 24-22 v Sharks Last week: 2 (up 1) You have to hand it to the Chiefs – they have … Read more
Joanna McLeod collates her favourite life lessons from Parks and Recreation‘s Pawnee, the little town built on optimism, fizzy drinks and a thousand rubber nipples. Please note this story contains spoilers. Some people seek guidance from lifestyle gurus, motivational speakers or large amounts of drugs. For me, everything I need to know I can learn … Read more
Opinion: John Key says he’s open to China’s request for an extradition treaty and has asked the Law Commission to investigate. But we’ve been monitoring the Chinese justice system for years already, and the moral answer couldn’t be clearer, writes Amnesty International’s Grant Bayldon. In 2013 a woman named Liu Ping dared to challenge the … Read more
The NRL set up the @NRLBunker Twitter account in an attempt at transparency. Instead it has become a multi-media sideshow brimming with fan fury. Calum Henderson scoured the account for this list of devastating burns. Getting absolutely fuming mad and shouting at the ref every time he makes what you perceive to be a wrong decision is a hugely important … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her Shortland Street Power Rankings for last week, including Harry becoming a man of the world and Jordan Mauger’s sartorial influence. 1) Never fear: Gin will fix it Ding dong, it’s Gin o’clock. Drink it in, people, drink all the Gin. Who cares why she’s back – when you win Lotto you don’t … Read more
During the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, ‘Behind the LOLs’ will reveal the inner workings of some of our finest comedy talent. Today: Eli Matthewson. This year it seems like me and all my peers decided to get experimental with our Comedy Festival shows. Maybe because we’ve reached the stage in our lives where we have steady-ish incomes … Read more
All week this week we feature books and authors who are nominated for next week’s Ockham national book awards. Today: Steve Braunias gazes upon the wonders of one of the four finalists for best book of illustrated non-fiction. Here is one of the reasons New Zealand Photography Collected (Te Papa Press) by Athol McCredie is … Read more
Our resident Outlander fanatic Tara Ward shares her thoughts from the much-anticipated return of time-travel romance series. Contains spoilers. And smoulders. This week’s Outlander episode covered more ground than Rupert and Angus when Mrs Fitz hits the dinner gong. There was a poisoning, greasy convict juices, bedroom intruders, perfect Jamie hair, a monkey bite, a joke about … Read more
David Seymour has thrown his member’s bill into the parliamentary hat. But the legislation currently being debated in Canada differs in some important ways, writes Andrew Geddis. The case of Lecretia Seales last year brought to prominence the issue of doctor assisted suicide/aid in dying (it’s a telling sign of how divided views are that … Read more
The latest installment of the Mars based Doom series is nearly upon us. But a Mars expert claims the depiction of the red planet as a portal to the underworld is a grossly exaggerated one. José Barbosa presents this explosive and challenging interview. Admittedly the original Doom took place on the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, but … Read more
A year of chaos and controversy may end today, as Mark Weldon fronts the new-look MediaWorks board with his most important star on her way out and senior staff close to revolt. UPDATE: Newshub has confirmed that Mark Weldon resigned this morning; Wednesday 4 May – more to follow. In the aftermath of news of … Read more
Intimate, informative and idiosyncratic, podcasts are the media format that everyone seems to love. But beware, says Holly Walker: podcast puppy love can quickly spiral into aural obsession. I was having a rough time. My partner was sick and we had a small child. I was working full time, and doing most of the domestic … Read more