NZ filmmaker Taika Waititi has raised hackles by diagnosing racism in New Zealand in a sweary simile. But good news! Turns out he’s totally incorrect, and all you need to do is scroll down the pages of NZ news sites and social media to find out. Late last week Dazed published an interview with Taika Waititi and … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, José Barbosa reviews the latest collection from the godfather of New Zealand fanzines. New Zealand being New Zealand we could all probably think of people hammering away in their chosen creative field that deserve wider mainstream recognition: Jo Randerson; … Read more
Sky’s bold new strategic plan reveals ambitions to offer unbundled content, online only access and an Apple TV-style box – all while keeping its pricey satellite service. After the commerce commission denied it permission to merge with Vodafone New Zealand, Sky outwardly appeared defeated and deflated. The merger was its technology play, its strategy and … Read more
Public media in New Zealand would be better served by pumping money into institutions that already exist, rather than inventing a new TV station, argues Alex Braae. The ANZ branch in Taumarunui is closing down. I know that from reading it on the front page of the Ruapehu Press, picked up at a petrol station. … Read more
By all means delete the app if you like, but to really strike back against a company that has appears to be indifferent to our privacy laws, we should look to a more powerful tool at our disposal, the law itself, writes Marianne Elliott In news that should take absolutely nobody by surprise, the Office of … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, the national carrier’s online video mocking the humiliated Australians The Newshub headline called it a “ruthless offer”. Stuff called it as a “cheeky offer”. Friendly local website the Spinoff thinks it was “a bit of a dick-move offer”. That offer, … Read more
John Edwards, the NZ privacy commissioner, explains why he has determined Facebook to be non-compliant with the New Zealand Privacy Act – and why he deleted the app. I’ve been on Facebook for nearly 10 years. I wasn’t that keen on it at first, as I kept getting pestered by digital agriculturalists using the needy Farmville … Read more
Spinoff cheat sheet: Carol Hirschfeld has left the public broadcaster after misleading her boss over the nature of a meeting with Clare Curran. What’s going on, and what does it mean for the minister? What just happened? Great question. Carol Hirschfeld, a journalist with a formidable career including senior roles at Three, Māori TV and … Read more
Inspired by the controversy over Facebook’s exploitation of users’ personal information, four Spinoff staffers downloaded their data. Here’s what they found. After revelations that 50 million Facebook users had their personal information improperly obtained by data mining company Cambridge Analytica, Wellington software developer Dylan McKay downloaded his Facebook data, and found some personal information he believes … Read more
Nearly a week on from the publishing of In plain sight, we collate a selection of responses from people involved in the fashion industry and the Pavement scene at the time. Since The Spinoff published In plain sight: behind the pages of Pavement magazine last week, more than 20 people from the New Zealand fashion world … Read more
In this podcast companion to the Spinoff investigation into the NZ magazine Pavement, two of the women at the centre of the story speak with Noelle McCarthy about their experiences. Today the Spinoff published a story, five months in the making, which details multiple claims of predatory behaviour by men who owned and worked for Pavement, … Read more
Three women recount their experiences with the men who ran Pavement magazine and photographed for it, including allegations of sexual harassment, drugs and alcohol on set and sexual relations with a 15 year-old model. By Alex Casey and Noelle McCarthy. This story was made possible by The Spinoff’s Longform Fund for investigative journalism. It was May … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. David Farrier: The clamps fall silent: a eulogy for Bashford Antiques “The reign of Bashford Antiques is over. Part of Auckland’s antique scene for decades, it will perhaps be more fondly remembered as a key player in Auckland’s car clamping scene. Countless New Zealanders fell … Read more
Seven years after first interviewing him about having sex with a dolphin, David Farrier reconnects with Malcolm Brenner for an update. “When I went to Floridaland in November 1970, I had absolutely no intention or inclination to have sex with a dolphin.” I’ve never been more annoyed at not thinking of an idea first: get … Read more
The migratory patterns of New Zealand media content grow even more elaborate as RNZ and the Spinoff reveal their groundbreaking new deal. The juggernaut of quality New Zealand journalism is teaming up with friendly local website The Spinoff, it was announced today to nil fanfare. According to a media release from RNZ, both parties are delighted … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. David Farrier: The mystery of Zach, New Zealand’s all-too-miraculous medical AI An artificial intelligence bot called Zach is creating a stir in the medical community. A doctor in Christchurch is teaching it to write patient notes. An Otago professor has it interpreting ECG results. … Read more
Yesterday’s Al Nisbet cartoon attacking the #metoo movement unwittingly drew Toby Morris’ attention to a different problem: the very specific demographic drawing cartoons in our daily newspapers. Cartoonists don’t retire, they die. Eventually. And in a way it makes sense. There are a limited number of positions, and it’s a highly specialised skill that’s not … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Ali Mau about the launch of #MeTooNZ, a nationwide investigation into sexual harassment and assault. Ali Mau has never been busier. Not even one week after she launched #MeTooNZ, a nationwide investigation into workplace sexual harassment, Mau has been inundated with calls from hundreds of survivors wanting to share their experiences from … Read more
Two witches at The Spinoff respond to Al Nisbet’s terrible cartoon this morning, one which is not only confused about the meaning of ‘witch hunt’ but could also work to silence women emboldened by #MeToo. What in the name of Anjelica Houston’s wig is this?! Look, we honestly don’t know. We’ve tried burning it at … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Linda Clark: How the legal profession has excused and minimised the Russell McVeagh scandal “This shouldn’t need to be said, but young women drinking free alcohol is not the problem here. Yet that view has some powerful supporters. On Wednesday, the former solicitor general Mike … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today we explain what Sky has done to its prices – and why they’ve done it. What are they up to? Sky has announced “new pricing and packaging” today, vastly simplifying the way people buy its product, and likely … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe takes a look at Vero, the so-called Instagram-killer. Vero? That’s an insurance company right? Yes! No! Both! Vero is the self-proclaimed ‘Instagram-killer’, a ‘new kind of social network’, or as I call it, ‘yet another fucking … Read more
On Monday night, Seven Sharp aired a segment warning against the left-leaning political extremist groups, aka meme pages, on Facebook. Madeleine Chapman expands on the report. It’s a dangerous world out there for young people. No one drives safely, everyone drinks too much, and there’s MDMA laced with something more dangerous than MDMA. But there’s a new … Read more
Redactions which disappeared due to a technical glitch point to a standoff which pits NZ on Air and the big private media companies against RNZ. The stakes? A huge funding boost which could shape the future of our media. A standoff is brewing between RNZ and NZ on Air over who will control the annual … Read more
Australian 60 Minutes presenter Charles Wooley this week revealed himself to be in love, or “smitten”, with Jacinda Ardern. Madeleine Chapman watched and wept. Charles Wooley just wanted to ask Jacinda Ardern out for a date. It’s not that complicated. Except it is, because he did so via a 13 minute creep fest of an interview for 60 … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Daniel Couch: Why aspiring National leader Mark Mitchell’s war-for-profit past matters “In several countries, such as the United States of America, it is commonplace for former soldiers to serve in the highest positions of elected office. In most of these instances that armed service has … Read more
The appointment of Jessica Mutch and Tova O’Brien to TV’s top parliamentary positions means the leading editors in the press gallery are all women. Madeleine Chapman asks four of them whether that matters, and about the broader state of play in 2018. With the announcement that Tova O’Brien and Jessica Mutch will assume the role of … Read more
A new documentary released by VICE today reveals an underreported public health crisis. Don Rowe talks to assistant producer James Borrowdale about Syn City, an in-depth look at New Zealand’s synthetic cannabinoid epidemic. In a shitty flat somewhere in West Auckland, 20-year-old Tammara is getting high. Between her legs is a resin-stained bottle of L&P, … Read more
NZME and Stuff are working together wherever they can, regardless of what the watchdog and high court have to say about it. Update 21 February: Stuff announced further closures and redundancies below – this story has been updated to incorporate this news. A week before Christmas the High Court stepped in to save journalism from itself. … Read more