It’s officially the festive season, and what does that mean? An office Secret Santa with a budget of $20 and you’ve picked your boss. Instead of settling for a bottle of average wine and a ribbon, follow our essential guide on what to get those unique workmates. At last year’s Secret Santa, I bought my … Read more
In the fifth episode of Actually Interesting, The Spinoff’s monthly podcast exploring the effect Artificial Intelligence has on our lives, Russell Brown discovers that maybe AI has better musical taste than humans. Subscribe to Actually Interesting via iTunes or listen on the player below. To download this episode right click and save. I am a middle-aged man and suddenly my … Read more
At this time of year, small debts can put people living on low incomes into huge hardship. A microfinance provider is doing their bit to lift people back up again. The financial pressures that come with the holiday period are difficult enough for any family to manage. They become a lot harder when there already … Read more
Looking for the best of our local film content? Look no further than TVNZ OnDemand. Tara Ward catches up on the service’s New Zealand movie selection. Put down your atlas and wave goodbye to old mate Google, because the best way to learn about New Zealand is to chuck on the gogglebox and take a … Read more
Christmas is celebrated by many as a time of joy and togetherness, but the holiday season can also add a whole new set of pressures for Kiwis living in need. Alex Casey talks to three charities who are working with The Warehouse this Christmas to lighten the load for those who need it most. Sometimes, … Read more
In the third instalment in a three-part series on the Great Journeys of New Zealand, Madeleine Chapman completes her odyssey by travelling from Christchurch to Greymouth (and back) on the TranzAlpine. Read part two here. After 20 hours of travelling with an abundance of personal space, someone sat next to me. I shouldn’t have been … Read more
In the second instalment in a three-part series on the Great Journeys of New Zealand, Madeleine Chapman travels from Wellington to Christchurch on the Interislander and Coastal Pacific. Read part one here The young man behind the counter on the Interislander laughed at me when I asked for a glass of red wine. He turned … Read more
In the first instalment in a three-part series on the Great Journeys of New Zealand, Madeleine Chapman travels from Auckland to Wellington on the Northern Explorer. I watched a cow give birth. The cow, standing alone on a hillside, was facing away from me when it happened. She looked like every other cow, and as … Read more
Every week over 8,000 primary school students around the country are doing science experiments in their classrooms, many in te reo Māori thanks to an initiative started in Tauranga. Chris Duggan explains why she felt compelled to start House of Science. After 15 years of teaching secondary science, I was horrified at the lack of … Read more
Clean tech could be a man-made solution to the man-made problem of climate change. Callaghan Innovation is encouraging local innovators to develop their ideas for a lower-emissions planet, with their 2019 C-Prize challenge. In New Zealand, far away from the rest of the world, we often forget that our knack for innovation is highly regarded. … Read more
Our writers confess their guiltiest streaming pleasures on TVNZ OnDemand. But is it really guilty when the pleasure is this good? We’ve all been there. You get home after a long day at work, you pop your feet up on the couch and you can’t do anything but look at the television screen. You don’t … Read more
She’s been a stalwart on our screens and airwaves for two decades and could easily rest on her laurels, but the indefatigable Stacey Morrison is all about giving back to her community. Across Auckland on any given weekday, you’ll find a free te reo Māori class being taught, from Unitec and AUT’s popular classes to … Read more
Sustainable clothing maker Little Yellow Bird is poised to burst onto the school uniform market as awareness of where our wardrobe comes from grows. They just received the supreme award at the NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards for their work. If Samantha Jones has her way, every child in New Zealand will know where their … Read more
Squawk Squad is at the forefront of the predator control and pest trapping movement, and co-founder Fraser McConnell has just won a Sustainable Business Award for its work. He spoke to Alex Braae about why he sees that work as so important for the future. Fittingly for someone who has just been crowned as a … Read more
In the third part of our parenting series What They Don’t Tell You, Jane Yee discovers nothing can prepare you for twins. I’ve had a good many ultrasounds in my life. Most have been exciting, a couple have been devastating, but regardless of the extreme emotion tied to each of those appointments, I couldn’t tell … Read more
Z Energy is New Zealand’s largest petrol retailer, yet its CEO says he’s dedicated to mitigating climate change. Alex Braae spoke to Mike Bennetts about how that apparent contradiction can work. For the boss of a retail business, Z Energy CEO Mike Bennetts spends a lot of time talking down his own product. In a … Read more
At Vodafone HQ on the North Shore, a multinational team is working to build a network which will change New Zealand. Duncan Greive watches the birth of 5G. The fridge is basically the same as those at workplaces across New Zealand, groaning with beer and little else. It looks like any other modern double door, … Read more
From golden beaches to lush kauri bush, a visit to Te Tai Tokerau offers a true showcase of New Zealand’s natural splendour. We’ve put together a list of all you need to know before you explore the Far North this summer. If you’ve got friends or relatives visiting Aotearoa, top of their list should be … Read more
Like it or not, plant-based meats are coming to a burger near you. Does this spell the end for animal agriculture, or just a shift in attitudes? This fake meat business might seem like a hot new trend, but China has been doing it for 1000 years or so. Mock meat, or fanghun, was developed … Read more
In October teams of second-year Unitec Architecture students designed, modelled, then constructed interactive light installations in Devonport’s Windsor Reserve for GLOW@Artweek. The brief is strict. Their budget is zero. And the installations must be zero waste too, both in the construction and in the afterlife of the projects. These strict conditions on Unitec’s installations for … Read more
In the second part of a new event series looking at the future of Auckland, The Spinoff and Auckland Council host In My Backyard: Glen Innes, to ask what the suburb can teach the rest of the city about housing. Photographer Brendan Kitto shares his images from the 2016 exhibition Redevelop which explored housing changes in … Read more
Sam Brooks interviews the three guest curators of the New Zealand Festival of Arts: Bret McKenzie, Laurie Anderson and Lemi Ponifasio. An Oscar-winning Conchord, the world’s most beloved multimedia artist, and a world-renowned director and choreographer with an attitude. Three weeks, three unique visions of what a festival can and should be. In 2020, in … Read more
The Good Citizen podcast focuses on the way good design – and good people – can change cities for the better. In this episode, Jeremy Hansen talks to architect Richard Goldie about his bold idea for a partially submerged stadium on Auckland’s waterfront, a project that’s now a finalist in an international architectural competition. The … Read more
With the 2020 cannabis referendum fast approaching, New Zealanders have a unique opportunity to let the government know what they want from drug reform. It will then be up to our policy makers to decide whether drug reform will focus on changing outcomes for those struggling under historically racist policy. By the time Tricia Walsh … Read more
In the second part of a new event series looking at the future of Auckland, The Spinoff and Auckland Council host In My Backyard: Glen Innes, to ask what the suburb can teach the rest of the city about housing. Hayden Donnell looks for inspiration and innovation on how to house the city’s future. Auckland Council’s Unitary … Read more
Alex Casey goes on a journey to find out all there is to know about what a “normal” vulva looks like. Spoiler alert: there are many, many versions of normal. The funniest and most embarrassing thing anyone has ever said to me in my whole life happened during my very first smear test. I was … Read more
In the second part of our parenting series What They Don’t Tell You, Catherine Woulfe welcomes the daughter she fought for. The extremely strange thing about a planned c-section is that you get a text from the hospital booking in the birth, like it’s a dentist appointment. Text YES to confirm. Then you sit in … Read more
Premiering tonight on TVNZ DUKE, Tara Ward explores the salty depths of Spiky Gold Hunters. Spiky Gold Hunter is Country Calendar for hard arses. DUKE’s new documentary series follows six Kiwis as they search the Foveaux Strait for kina, a job with great financial reward but huge risk. These divers work in some of the … Read more
Emily Writes provides an essential guide through the vast world of sex toys and finds something for everyone. Sex toys have well and truly become mainstream. When you buy a toy you’re taking control of your sex life and fully celebrating your body and how wonderful it is. These days, there truly is a sex … Read more