Ahead of Mark Hunt’s fight against Frank Mir this weekend, the TAB is finally taking bets on the UFC. What happened, what does it mean, and. most importantly, who should you bet on? Don Rowe reports. In 2010 I sat five metres from a bulging and aged chicken-wire fence on the ground level of Lumpinee … Read more
Starting tonight at 8pm, Māori Television presents Game of Bros, a new reality series about the quest for the perfect man. But what kind of man can we expect to find? The Brown Bachelor or The Nesian Ninja? Dan Taipua investigates. Think of some ways you could improve The Bachelor: First of all, you’d switch the gender … Read more
The Beauty Spot is Zoe Scheltema’s weekly column that dissects the world of beauty and fashion. This week she delves into the gendered double standards of appearing ‘professional’. I have a friend who works for a large Auckland advertising agency that recently gave their staff reviews. It went well, but there was one area in which she was told … Read more
The campaign to free wrongfully convicted Teina Pora is now the subject of a book – In Dark Places: The confessions of Teina Pora and an ex-cop’s fight for justice, by Michael Bennett (Paul Little Books, $34.99). Dr Jarrod Gilbert interviews the book’s hero, the “tall and good looking” Tim McKinnel. One day Tim McKinnel decided he’d bust a … Read more
Auckland City Limits, the new festival headlined by Kendrick Lamar and The National, is as ambitious a live music project as New Zealand has seen in a decade or more. During its assembly Duncan Greive twice interviewed its promoter, Campbell Smith, who gave very candid insights into the business of music festivals. I first heard … Read more
Alan Dale is a national treasure, acting legend and generally lovely man, who has for far too long flown under the radar. Katie Parker celebrates this humble kiwi great of the small screen. It was out of unconditional love that I joined my boyfriend to see the Entourage movie last year. As I should have … Read more
Opinion: With falling dairy prices and evaporating rivers, James Dann says it’s time to give Cantabrians back their vote for their regional council. The Key government’s decision to replace the elected council at ECan has been a blot on their record during the dairy boom. Now, with the sector heading south, it looks like one … Read more
After week two on The Bachelor NZ, some of the greatest minds in the country* assemble to talk about the big issues including the official drink of the show, Jordan’s dessert flirt and Lindsey’s paintball massacre. Anny Ma on the holey necklace Who would’ve thought that after watching a reality show about some Kiwi lasses finding love, I’d … Read more
Last night’s episode of Shortland Street saw the debut of a trans character, played by a trans actor. But the show has tackled important social issues from day one. Last night in Ferndale a boy in a hoodie shuffled around the hospital’s glass cabinetry, looking caught between an egg salad sandwich and a mince and cheese … Read more
There’s a terrible drought affecting New Zealand, and no-one is reporting on it. Don Rowe goes where MSM churnalists fear to tread, and covers the great weed shortage of 2016. A giant ‘meh’ echoed around New Zealand last week, as news broke that a combined police and air force operation had culminated in the elimination of ‘around 9000’ cannabis plants … Read more
Alex Casey assembles her contestant power rankings for week two, including a wet t-shirt contest, arty conversations and the hit list to end all hit lists. This week on The Bachelor we saw a crummy dog wash, crummy paintball and a crummy mousse attack. Or as Mike Puru chose to describe it, a series of “spectacular” dates. … Read more
The Southern Kings have staggered from crisis to crisis for years, failing to pay their players last Super Rugby season, and struggling to field a team this year. Kings beat writer Michael Green talks to Don Rowe about covering South Africa’s most turbulent franchise. Southern Kings fans have seen enough chaos in the last few years to last … Read more
There’s a new Bachelor, a new mansion, and the same old group of plonkers talking about it for far too long. It’s The Fantasy Suite, The Spinoff’s weekly podcast about The Bachelor NZ hosted by Jane Yee with Alex Casey and Duncan Greive. It’s a full spectrum Bachelor experience, containing why Naz’s hit list end … Read more
Holly Walker reviews American Housewife (Doubleday, $43) by Helen Ellis. If the rumours are true, not only do we have another season of The Bachelor and a New Zealand Survivor to look forward to, but soon the Real Housewives franchise will hoist up a gilt-framed mirror in Herne Bay and show the rest of us … Read more
What kind of Kiwi are you? According to this noxious survey, you’re less of a patriot for being proud of Māori culture. The Kiwimeter survey – as seen on TVNZ’s website and all over your Facebook feed – has grabbed the attention and opinions of the nation, not to mention its fair share of controversy. … Read more
Dan Taipua’s Save State series presents five gaming relics that every collector needs in their shrine/garage, from the essential basics to the very rare and frustratingly pointless. In the third installment, Dan lists his favourite hand-helds. 5. Sony PocketStation & Sega VMU Look at these cute lil’ guys. Portable systems are usually standalone devices, but … Read more
Avowed YouTube procrastinator Matthew McAuley presents a selection of his favourite Gordon Ramsay clips – a kitchen nightmare for every mood. Where once my tastes in YouTube content were basically indiscriminate, they have recently become quite unexpectedly refined. Like a bad, unsophisticated restaurant with an over-long menu and a maître d’ who’ll happily serve you … Read more
Aaron Yap celebrates the superb Cold War spy drama The Americans. The Americans is currently the best spy show on TV. Scratch that. It’s the best show on TV, period. I’m saying this as a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Homeland, a show that its most avid followers have to admit is awfully patchy, even at its … Read more
The Otago Daily Times has called time on the great online giveaway. The big New Zealand publishers will be watching closely, writes Tim Murphy, former editor-in-chief of the NZ Herald. Its masthead describes it as the “Independent Voice of the South”. Others, affectionately, call it the Oddity. Now the Otago Daily Times lives up to … Read more
Steve Braunias shares a divan with British writer Andrew O’Hagan at the Wellington writers festival. London novelist and essayist Andrew O’Hagan was in Wellington last week as a guest at the New Zealand Writers Week, and people constantly mistook him for another guy. “Look,” said the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten, as O’Hagan walked into the … Read more
Forced to adhere to Wallace Chapman’s commands, José Barbosa must complete one level in a video game. The catch: Wallace hasn’t played a video game for 30 years. This post, like all our gaming coverage, was brought to you by those good sorts at Bigpipe. They’re an ISP that definitely knows where the dishes are … Read more
Since its announcement No Man’s Sky has exploded brains with the promise of unfettered space exploration. Can it beat the hype? Josh Drummond reckons it won’t, but not for the reasons you think. The game-changing game trailer that will change gaming begins with a black screen. Text flashes that assures us that all footage is captured … Read more
Big wins for the Highlanders and Chiefs, heartbreaking losses for the Blues and Sunwolves, and the Brumbies juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Scotty Stevenson assesses all the movers and shakers after round 3 of Super Rugby. 1. The Brumbies Rd 2: 31-14 v Force Last week: 1 (N/C) David Pocock played for ten minutes of … Read more
Taika Waititi’s new film Hunt for the Wilderpeople opens on March 31. It’s a good-natured romp based on a novel by Barry Crump, who created an enduring myth of himself as a good keen Kiwi bushman. The reality was different. London-based poet Fleur Adcock offers a rare memoir about her brief marriage to “Crumpy”. When I’m … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her Shortland Street Power Rankings for last week, including Dayna’s new lease on life, Lucy’s love lament and Chris bringing back the dance move that nobody needed. 1) Chris uses his best jazz hands to magic money out of Rachel’s budget Thousands of Shortland Street CEOs have sat in the Big Chair, … Read more
The Unitary Plan is a complicated beast of a document that has flummoxed many taking part in the debate. Simple misunderstandings are massively exacerbating Auckland’s housing crisis, says architect Henri Sayes. I’m an architect, I like buildings. And as an architect, I deal with planning regulation on a daily basis and know that the planning … Read more
The NRL ought to use players like Packer and Greg Bird as ‘What Not To Do’ mentors to help young players avoid making the same mistakes they did, writes Ben Stanley. The Russell Packer redemption song reached its crescendo in Melbourne on Monday. It was sung in hushed tones, really. There he was: just another … Read more
Brendan O’Carroll, aka Mrs Brown, tells Calum Henderson how a five-minute radio play he created 25 years ago slowly turned into one of the most popular shows on television. It was three days out from opening night in Liverpool when Brendan O’Carroll got a phone message at his hotel in New York: “John Urine’s gone.” … Read more
Mallory Ortberg is a founder of The Toast, and the kind of writer other writers lose their minds over. Superfan Hilary Beattie tracked her down during her visit for the New Zealand Festival. Mallory Ortberg is a beacon of light in this cruel, dark world. As the lead writer for the Toast, which she runs … Read more