The Stephen King super-series hits Lightbox in its entirety tonight, and thankfully, it’s come with A Plan and An Answer to all its mysteries. Uther Dean reviews. In the small town of Castle Rock, shit is going down. The head warden of the local prison kills himself. The new warden discovers a haunted, silent man … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to Devin Abrams, who makes music as Pacific Heights, about his dreamy new album and making a huge pop hit with Drax Project. Devin Abrams knew he had to finish his new album as Pacific Heights, A Lost Light, quickly. With a baby on the way, he knew his life was about … Read more
Thanks to Freeview On Demand, finding your next favourite New Zealand television show is now easier than Minogue and O’Leary finding a thirsty vampire on Wellington Paranormal. Tara Ward explores the library of local content. It’s the Te Papa of television, that gathers our national TV treasures into one special place for us all to enjoy. … Read more
This month on Lightbox you can raid the Met Ball with Sandra Bullock, visit Castle Rock with Melanie Lynskey or share some delicious hot tea with four dames. Ocean’s 8 (drops Sep 5) If there was a film that better summed up the feeling of lounging back with a bottle of prosecco, a large bucket … Read more
New Zealand is in desperate need of skilled tradespeople, which means it’s past time we got women onboard and on the drills. In Mount Albert, on the land where a psychiatric hospital once stood, houses are about to be built. Earlier this year, the government announced it was purchasing 29 hectares of land from Unitec … Read more
Helen Clark is back, with a new book collecting her speeches from four decades in public life. She sat down with Alex Braae to discuss her extraordinary career, and where she’s headed next. In the many years Helen Clark has been involved in politics, firstly in New Zealand, and later at the United Nations, she … Read more
The letter you got saying a cheque was about to turn up wasn’t from a Nigerian prince. Vector’s Beth Johnson explains how the Loss Rental Rebate system works. A month or so ago, if you live in Auckland and you’re the person who pays the power bill, chances are you received an email from Auckland … Read more
In an unassuming spot just outside of our biggest city, exacting standards and secret methods are producing some of the smoothest spirits you’ll ever try. Alex Kirichuk makes the world’s best booze, he says. It’s a bold claim for a tiny distillery in Puhoi, a historic village just north of Auckland, but the Ukrainian master … Read more
What, a paella made with pasta?! We know, but wait, it gets better – Freedom Farms’ delicious new smoked pork chorizo features too. Much of the deli meat − cured products such as salami, chorizo and the like − sold in New Zealand is made from imported ingredients, and under current laws, there’s no requirement … Read more
Alicia Silverstone was the It Girl of the mid-nineties, and she’s back heading up a new show, American Woman, which drops on Lightbox today. Tara Ward rounds up where she’s been since her yellow plaid days. It feels like a lifetime since Alicia Silverstone burst into our collective consciousness with a string of ‘90s classics like Clueless, Batman … Read more
Alice Neville tries a multifaceted, dragon-inspired Belgian beer from Waikanae, while Henry Oliver opts for a full, fragrant and ever-so-slightly funky pinot gris from Waipara. NORTH END OUDE DRAAK 6.2%, 500ml, $19.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co As a youth, I spent many tedious weekends in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, my only entertainment a … Read more
The chair of Vector’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Teina Teariki Mana, ponders the state of gender equity in an industry that still lags behind. The energy industry is predominantly male and if you look at the statistics, Vector is no exception – just 3 in 10 of our employees are female. For generations, working in … Read more
The duo behind the fashion and lifestyle blog Rally discuss working in the fashion industry and life as women of colour in Aotearoa. There are some numbers that register immediately for anyone working in the fashion and modelling industries. 32, 24, 34. 5 ft 10 in. The ‘ideal’ measurements for models. Leilani Momoisea, a self-described … Read more
Crave café has been serving locals in Morningside, Auckland for almost a decade, and is spearheading plans for a major regeneration of the suburb over the coming year. Alice Webb-Liddall talks to Crave manager and co-founder Nigel Cottle about the neighbourhood-orientated social enterprise. In 2009, Morningside existed as an in-between suburb. A train station was the landmark that kept … Read more
A lot has changed for Tom Scott in the past four years and, with his new project Avantdale Bowling Club, he’s ready to reveal all. He talks to Hussein Moses about fame, infamy and coming home to Avondale. In a home studio, out the front of his house, is where you’ll find Tom Scott most … Read more
In the second story in a series on the future of work, Alex Braae looks at the vulnerability of our data, and the cyber security industry whose job it is to protect it. About a year ago, a Californian company started crowdfunding for the Smalt – a ‘smart salt dispenser.’ It streams music, helps you … Read more
Since 2016, the Department of Conservation (DOC) has partnered with Kiwibank to develop the conservation dog programme and, by proxy, raise the profile of conservation as a whole. Don Rowe goes to visit these hard-working canines to find out what it takes to be a DOC dog. The egg of a common skink is about the … Read more
The Single Object is a series exploring our material culture, examining the meaning and influence of objects that surround us in everyday life. In the second piece in the series, Danyl Mclauchlan visits the Reserve Bank to inspect Bill Phillip’s MONIAC. It looks like an artifact from an alternate timeline. MONIAC is about two metres … Read more
Better Call Saul is dropping weekly on Lightbox right now – and it’s slowly catching up with the start of Breaking Bad. While we wait, here are four fanservicey ways the new show could tip its hat to the old one. Better Call Saul, the often-prequel sometimes-sequel series to Breaking Bad, is back with its fourth … Read more
Alex Casey spoke to Alley Miller about finding the courage to get on a motorbike for the first time, and how this led her to her tribe. Alley Miller can recall the most magical moment of her entire life without a moment’s pause. It happened one afternoon when she was heading home on her motorbike. … Read more
In the fifth part of the new podcast series Venus Envy, Colleen Smith and Emma Espiner discuss raising feminists. Like mother, like daughter, Emma Espiner grew up protesting. When other kids had the day off school because teachers were on strike Espiner joined her mum Colleen Smith demonstrating for pay parity. In this episode of … Read more
Goodbye Freeview Plus, hello Freeview on Demand. Tara Ward takes the new Freeview platform for a test drive. A deep library of diverse local television is now available in one place with the launch of its new on-demand service, which takes the content of New Zealand’s free-to-air TV channels and streamlines it into a single, … Read more
How will history remember Donna Awatere Huata? Saraid Cameron hopes it’s for her feminism. Donna Awatere Huata will be speaking on a panel discussing the #MeToo movement at LATE at Auckland Museum on Wednesday 15 August. I spent much of last summer (for theatre-geek reasons) in the New Zealand Women’s Archives, an almost forgotten collection at … Read more
With its fascinating regional diversity, New Zealand’s most popular red has evolved into a wine that’s making the world sit up and take notice. Pinot noir is a fickle friend. It’s one of the most difficult grapes to grow and wines to make. It requires a sunny, cool climate; its tightly clustered bunches are particularly … Read more
A ’70s housewife, an exhausted mother, and a law student moonlighting as a call girl: these are just a few of the people coming to Lightbox in August. Better Call Saul (S4 starts August 7, Express) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYl0Bio5E-E The mostly-prequel sometimes-sequel series to Breaking Bad could very easily have been more of the same. There was a … Read more
In the fourth part of the new podcast series Venus Envy, Damaris Coulter, Annah Pickering, and Nunu Davey, discuss fighting for your community when no one else will. For three women who have been at the front lines of feminism for a decades, the #MeToo movement has little relevance, and Kate Sheppard’s meaning is limited … Read more
The Phoenix Foundation’s Samuel Flynn Scott on longevity, listening to your old work and the band’s four-date tour with the NZSO to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Tonight, in their hometown of Wellington, the Phoenix Foundation start their four-city tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the band’s 20th anniversary. Like many things … Read more
Choosing ethically produced meat and eggs at the supermarket is now a no-brainer for many of us, but not so long ago it wasn’t even an option. Like many people, Gregor Fyfe loves bacon. Always has. What he doesn’t love is not knowing how and where the pig that provided his bacon was raised. But … Read more
Should you fear the future of work? Rose Hoare looks at where your job is going, and what you can do to future-proof your career. You are probably aware of the disheartening predictions about robots coming to steal your job. They are expected to appear one day, smiling pleasantly and speaking grammatically perfect English (and … Read more