Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Madeleine Chapman: A harrowing report from the Max Key VIP experience “’You paid to be here? That’s crazy.’ The young man laughed as I hurriedly explained that no, I hadn’t paid $59 for a VIP ticket to Max Key’s DJ gig, my work had. It didn’t … Read more
It would mean a great deal to us at the Spinoff if you’d click your way through this quick survey, to help us work out who our audience are, what you’d like more of, and what we should be paying attention to in election year. Last year we ran an online reader survey, which generated … Read more
Three years in the making, the New Zealand-made documentary Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web will premiere at the South By Southwest film festival in Texas on March 13. Watch the first trailer here.
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Sam Brooks and Natasha Hoyland: Mining the comedy gold for you: The Spinoff’s pop-up comedy section is here! “We’re not going to be a bunch of old white guys just writing reviews and spoiling jokes. We care about comedy, and we care about people who care … Read more
Great news for young people struggling to buy a house while spending up large on window washers, cat whisperers and feng shui consultants. Inspired by big bank economist Tony Alexander, the Spinoff has one hundred thousand dollars for you. A huge couple of days for li’l New Zealand. Lorde has released a superb new record. … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Hayden Donnell: Finding Rosemary: In search of the unsung hero who invented Kiwi Onion Dip “Our disregard for the dip’s architect has bugged me for years. Every time I’ve bitten down on a dip-drenched chip, I’ve wondered the culinary savant behind the flavour miracle being performed … Read more
The Commerce Commission’s decision to deny the Vodafone / Sky merger could have grave consequences for New Zealand sports fans in years to come, writes Tim Martin, CEO of RugbyPass.com. The Commerce Commission’s decision to deny Sky and Vodafone the right to merge has been met with applause in New Zealand, yet I believe it … Read more
This week the Commerce Commission is set to rule on the wedding of two companies, brought together in the name of rugby, reckons Paul Brislen. The people behind the planned merger of Vodafone and Sky TV are heralding a brave new blended world of content and delivery mechanism, an alliance that will position both companies … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. The Spinoff: We are hiring a comedy editor LMAO!! “The Spinoff needs an editor to run our pop up comedy section during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Sound like you? Read on.” James Dann: The Port Hills fire makes it clear: Our Civil Defence is … Read more
A police takedown of a drunk and belligerent biker in the Auckland suburb of Kingsland went viral this week. Pro fighter Shane Young breaks down the action ahead of his own fight this evening in Auckland. Though its logo might look like the sticker on a New Era snapback, the Portland Public House is a … Read more
Morning Report listeners will be familiar with the crisp British tones of Simon Marks, messenger of daily astonishment from the White House. We asked him about the strange new world, his modest media empire, and the dangers of normalising President Donald J Trump. Don’t know about you but my mornings these days usually begin with … Read more
In January National Geographic, the venerable publication of geography, history and culture, achieved a milestone: the Gender Revolution special issue marked the first time a transgender person had featured on its cover. Adrian Hatwell talks to the photographer behind the cover, New Zealander Robin Hammond. When National Geographic‘s January 2017 issue went on sale late … Read more
Marianne Elliott of ActionStation explains why they’re launching a People’s Commission into Public Broadcasting and Media. In the wake of Trump’s victory, the world seems to have finally woken up to the dangers of getting our news via memes in our social media bubbles, and to the critical role of quality, independent journalism in keeping … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Simon Wilson: PM Bill English gave two speeches on Waitangi Day. Both were remarkable. Both were almost entirely ignored “English chose not to go to Waitangi, preferring to attend a breakfast hosted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. When it came his turn to speak during the powhiri, … Read more
So farewell then, TV3. New Zealand’s third channel is now the 100% numeral-free Three, complete with a new visual identity that attempts the rare feat of being both “vibrant, playful and inspiring” and wholly mathematics themed. Madeleine Chapman, José Barbosa and Calum Henderson weigh in on the changes. Exclusive: The TV3 Pinterest board Following a convoluted … Read more
Max Key has come under very mild fire for photoshopping a shark into an image of himself on holiday. Madeleine Chapman looked into the shark’s history and found that it’s been in a lot more iconic photos than you’d think. On Waitangi Day, at peak social media time, Max Key posted an image of himself … Read more
This media era is characterised as one of disastrous clickbait and diminishing journalistic standards. But Kirsty Johnston and the Herald’s new project Under the Bridge shows that passionate, paradigm-shifting investigative journalism is alive and well in New Zealand. Duncan Greive spoke to Johnston about creating journalism that matters. “I’m pretty much your classic young female … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Murdoch Stephens: Trump’s refugee ban is a moral outrage that shames America. When will PM Bill English say so? “France and Germany have already stepped up and denounced Trump’s refugee policies. But where is New Zealand’s Prime Minister Bill English? One can imagine his strategists talking … Read more
News that the Ministry of Justice spent $23,000 on five internal videos, including one featuring staff lip-synching to a Justin Timberlake hit, has caused the usual sputtering about wasteful government spending. Kathryn van Beek can’t stop the feeling that Timbergate isn’t actually a story. When you’re organising an employee engagement activity for public servants, the … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Duncan Greive: Announcing The Spinoff app “That’s the business motivation though – what’s in it for you? Well, mainly a really incredible experience as a reader. We consider the app – access to all our stories, sortable via author and section – to be the very … Read more
If the first week is anything to go by, the relationship between the Donald J Trump administration and the press will be anything but cosy. That’s excellent news for journalism, argues Paul Brislen. Day One of Trumpton got off to a rocky start with the new press secretary for The Donald taking to the podium … Read more
Burqas are so rare in New Zealand that most of us have likely never seen one in real life, but that didn’t stop TVNZ asking online readers whether they should be banned outright. Let’s worry less about how women choose to dress and more about the ongoing vilification of Muslims in the media, says Donna … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Alex Casey: Shocker: Turns out Jimi Jackson’s a misogynist bully too “The real kicker is that this wasn’t even conducted outside a vineyard, or inside a fictitious locker room where there might have been a vague thought that only a handful of people would ever see … Read more
It’s been a long, lazy summer for many of our morning news outlets, which are finally set to return on Monday after a month off air. But who provided the best holiday cover for Hosking, Ferguson, Barry and the rest? Duncan Greive grades the breakfast news stand-ins. Thanks to the internet and aeroplanes and probably My … Read more
A prominent Auckland property investor has told the NZ Herald that “being a landlord is like being at war”. Hayden Donnell tests his theory. Every day Peter Lewis wakes up, drives an unconscionable distance and begins scouring people’s houses for meth, dog droppings, and other “contraband”. The Auckland Property Investors Association vice-president made that surprise … Read more
Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website. Annabelle Lee: Silly old sausage: Why the Mad Butcher’s Waiheke comment matters “To argue that someone is incapable of making a racist comment because they have a connection to, or interest in, a particular community is a bit like saying a man is incapable of sexism … Read more
Alex Casey recounts the harrowing experience of waiting to interview Quentin Tarantino during his Hateful Eight promo tour earlier this year (scroll down for part one of the video interview at the end). Originally published January 21, 2016 “Oh, Aaalex!” he exclaimed. “You’re a girl! What a surprise!” I laughed louder than I’ve ever laughed … Read more
In June, the internet rediscovered New Zealand’s longstanding ban on personal gardens, and it collectively lost its mind. Joshua Drummond argues that the ban has had its day. First published June 18, 2016. Well, it happened again. We should be used to it by now. It’s only a year since the topic of New Zealand’s … Read more
TVNZ has pulled a story about Kmart from its site after The Spinoff obtained emails showing two online ‘influencers’ received undisclosed payments to appear. The revelations raise fresh questions about the murky and unregulated world of the influencer economy. Alex Casey investigates. This post was first published on November 15, 2017. Two prominent online “influencers” … Read more