Your horse No matter the heat, the place was cooler. Its shade wasn’t ordinary. Its strategy was of sharply dragging the day under, of growing into the bodies we’d angled under the tree, filling us as if we’d barely made it up from the dirt. You’d hold on to the tree, for it … Read more
Moata Tamaira argues that Vikings is really just Outrageous Fortune but with longships instead of V8s. If I’m honest, my knowledge of medieval European history, particularly that of Scandinavia is sketchy at best. It’s pretty much limited to a deep appreciation of True Blood’s Eric Northman with a smattering of “that time I had read … Read more
The Beauty Spot is Zoe Scheltema’s weekly column that dissects the world of beauty and fashion. This week she interviews Terese Tomlin, head stylist and make up artist on The Bachelor NZ. Arguably, there is no more glamorous television event than that of The Bachelor, and it has careered back to our screens trailing thirty … Read more
Is there a more depressing NRL team to support than the Warriors? A man who failed 6th form maths has developed a simple formula to find out. The New Zealand Warriors’ season was barely 20 minutes old when an all-too-familiar anguish began to ripple through their fanbase. Trailing Wests Tigers 16-0 in a game they … Read more
Tara Ward watches May the Best House Win Abroad, the TV One show for houseproud homeowners and snoopy spectators alike. There’s nowt as queer as folk, especially the houseproud homeowners on British reality show May the Best House Win. Tucked away in TV One’s mid afternoon schedule, May the Best House Win is an hour … Read more
Long-lister Greg McGee pokes his head above the literary parapet… The Antipodeans has had a brilliant run, already in its 3rd print, and being short-listed for the Ockham NZ Book Awards would have been the icing on the cake, so I’m disappointed it hasn’t made it. That’s okay: win some, lose some, and good luck … Read more
How well do you know your New Zealand media? Take this difficult quiz to find out! On Wednesday NZME CEO Jane Hastings announced her resignation – an event sharply predicted by Scout in what was a legit scoop and probably the finest piece of journalism in the site’s short history. The moment is noteworthy for a … Read more
Madeleine Chapman chats to Sara Larner, a New York artist who specialises in oil paintings inspired by extravagantly gory scenes from Hannibal. I have never watched Hannibal. My fear of anything scary is strong enough that I will read the summary section of a horror movie’s Wikipedia page so as to know what people are referencing without having … Read more
Dad Art, the new novel by Damien Wilkins, is launched tonight at the writer’s festival in Wellington. Charlotte Grimshaw arrives ahead of the party to consider the book’s virtues and flaws. Michael Stirling is on his own. He has separated from his wife, his much-loved daughter has left home and his father is in a … Read more
The 31 best children’s books in New Zealand as selected by Storylines: you read it here first. The clock has struck 12.01pm, the exact minute that the embargo on the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust annual selection of the best children’s books in New Zealand can be lifted – and here’s your old pals from the … Read more
In 2016, to celebrate Country Calendar turning the big 5-0, Calum Henderson took a look at five of the show’s famous spoofs on NZ On Screen – and one which seemed like a spoof but was totally real. You don’t see a lot of spoofs these days. We’ve got parodies galore, we’re up to our … Read more
George FM’s latest celebrity signing has caused an uproar among dance music fans while garnering the station plenty of free publicity. But the Max Key fuss hides more serious issues at George, says DJ Tom McGuinness. Unless you’ve been living under a Herald-less, Stuff-less, Scout-less rock, you’ll be aware that Max Key, son of the … Read more
After week one on The Bachelor NZ, some of the greatest minds in the country* assemble to talk about the big issues including Jordan’s expressive forehead vein and the mystery ingredients of bliss balls. Claire Adamson on the truth about Danielle Anny Ma on the Bachelor vein Jordan is a Classic Cantab Bloke, and despite his … Read more
The Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment is just about ready to drop their latest AAA game, Quantum Break. José Barbosa gets a first hand demo from the Finnish developer’s head of PR, Thomas Puha. There is a lot of butt shooting. (Music by Purple Planet) This gaming coverage is brought to you with the help … Read more
From an all-male radio station panel to a bad Paul Henry poll, Jessica McAllen digs through the shittiest New Zealand contributions to International Women’s Day. In case you missed the Beyoncé memes and “go girl” quotes clogging up social media, yesterday was International Women’s Day. In accordance with age-old tradition, many men and corporations marked the day with ill-advised … Read more
He’s back as the host of The Bachelor NZ, but are Mike Puru’s greatest TV performances hidden in plain sight over on shopping channel YesShop? Calum Henderson watches one of his hypnotic advertorial masterpieces. If you listened carefully you could hear it in the wind at around 7:30pm on Monday night: the sound of a … Read more
Listen to the second episode of The Fantasy Suite, The Spinoff’s weekly podcast all about The Bachelor New Zealand. 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 … Read more
Sarah Forster re-reads a classic not just of children’s literature, but of all writing – the four Faraway books by workaholic and genius Enid Blyton. Even now, nearly 50 years after her death, no other writer can bring the world of everyday magic alive as well as Enid Blyton. I recently read Blyton’s great series The … Read more
Alex Casey presents her first contestant power rankings for The Bachelor NZ 2016, including scabby tattoos, #wokeboarding and the return of Thingee. Welcome back friends, it’s been an eternity. How’s your health? How much of Art Green’s book did we get through over summer? I read one chapter and then ate a giant pile of … Read more
Welcome to TV Mum, a weekly podcast starring Brendon Green and his Mum, Dianne. Every week Brendon will try and get Dianne to remember the details of a TV show she’s recently watched. The resulting discussion is a journey through Dianne’s shaky memory and never ends up where you’d expect. For the final episode of … Read more
Why are so many women’s sports played in near-empty stadiums? Madeleine Chapman suggests some big changes to bring in more fans. Over the weekend I took a bus to Tauranga to watch the first of three tournaments aimed at deciding the best women’s basketball team in New Zealand. The event was held at ASB Baypark Arena, a huge sporting complex … Read more
To celebrate International Women’s Day, The Spinoff assembles some of the most hilarious, brave and butt-kicking moments for women on television. Contributions by Alex Casey, Madeleine Chapman and Sophie Smith. International Women’s Day is all about celebrating the achievements of women throughout history, and looking forward to a future of equality for all. Or, if you … Read more
Duncan Greive interviews Vend’s Vaughan Rowsell, a tech titan trying to reset his industry’s notoriously problematic agenda. News broke a couple of weeks back that Vaughn Rowsell, the extravagantly moustached CEO of retail solutions startup Vend, was stepping aside as CEO to focus on the product side of the business. I thought the decision was interesting, and … Read more
Reports of a blowout in the Auckland Council information technology budget are as dismal as they are unsurprising. Nigel McNie, a software developer who has been building complex, bespoke IT systems for many years, offers some free advice. Eyes have been rolling up and down New Zealand at news of a Super City IT cost … Read more
Dan Taipua’s Save State series presents five gaming relics that every collector needs in their shrine/garage, from the very essential basics to the very rare and frustratingly pointless. In this second edition, he looks at the Sega Mega Drive. 5. Six Button Control Pad You need one of these if you want to play fighting … Read more
The Bachelor NZ is back, and with it countless group dates and one-on-ones and helicopter rides. But there’s a much simpler way to find true love on TV. Expat Kiwi Julia Hollingsworth explains what our next Bachelor can learn from China’s most popular dating show. A cryogenic tank slides down a chamber onto a garishly … Read more
Thom Shackleford grins and bears it as PJ O’Rourke comes across in an 844-page greatest hits package as that blowhard at the party who’s had a bit too much to drink, thinks he’s hilarious and sometimes is but mostly you just want to punch in the face. The first thing you notice about this anthology is … Read more
Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham has left the club just minutes after his side was ranked last on the KFC Super Rugby Power Rankings. Scotty Stevenson reports. Richard Graham walked out of Ballymore yesterday after overseeing one of the great declines in Super Rugby history. Yes, he walked out, but it was the Reds board … Read more
The shortlist for the New Zealand Ockham Book Awards: you read it here first. The clock has struck 12.01am, the exact minute that the embargo on the shortlist of the national book awards can be lifted – and here’s your old pals from the Spinoff, at the ready, first with the news. The winner of best … Read more