Tara Ward recaps the seventh episode of this season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which shipped her and her emotional stability off in a crimson coffin. Ship me off to the colonies and throw me your smallest shovel, because I am of no use to anyone after that episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. It had everything: tension, dread, … Read more
Each week, Jesse Mulligan talks to hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders, through TV, radio and in print, and his voice is beloved throughout the country. He tells Alex Casey about the humiliating failures, awkward experiments and games of Strip Honk he endured along the way. This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine. Jesse Mulligan … Read more
Inside the cutting edge Waikato farm technology hub which makes our pastures greener and impregnates up to 80% of New Zealand’s dairy herd. The inside of a cow’s anus is warm and cavernous, and getting your hand inside is a breeze. After smearing a dollop of lubrication to a sleeved glove you simply beak your … Read more
Lightbox has a bunch of new options – but are you wondering how to use them? How do you watch movies? How do you download things to your phone? Never fear, tech adept Sam Brooks is here to help. What’s the difference between Standard and Premium? With the standard Lightbox plan, you can watch all … Read more
The winners of this year’s Hi-Tech Awards showcased how New Zealand isn’t just good in tech, but good for tech as well, with gender diversity and cultural inclusion taking centre stage more than ever before. Whether it’s tall poppy syndrome or just genuine humility, New Zealanders are pretty terrible when it comes to shouting about … Read more
After suffering two life-threatening injuries, local musician Jeremy Toy now faces another challenge: getting his career back on track. He talks with Hussein Moses about channelling his pain into his music. Plus, hear the premiere of She’s So Rad’s new single ‘You and I’. In the moments after the crash that left him lying on … Read more
The government is digging deep into the price of electricity in New Zealand, with a review of the entire energy sector. What will the review look at, why should there even be one, and does it mean you might pay less for power? * Where did the idea for a review come from? The price … Read more
The compromises of the Labour-led government’s first budget was a sign of the consultation required in a coalition, says Grant Thornton’s Greg Thompson. MMP has bestowed a three-way coalition upon us and politics in New Zealand has now become a matter of consensus. This means that hard decisions are difficult to make and certain policies … Read more
For The Spinoff Music, the big question of the day isn’t what dress Meghan Markle is going to wear, but what song she’ll be dancing to with Harry. Thanks to Spotify, here’s our best guess. Choosing a song to have your first dance to as a married couple is either super easy or super hard. … Read more
Alex Casey dissects episode five of The Handmaid’s Tale, including the march of the child brides and a lovely holiday to the colonies. Contains spoilers, obviously. Finally, we’ve caught somewhat of a break. ‘Seed’ was perhaps the most relaxed episode of the season so far, and when I say relaxed I mean a couple of … Read more
A few hours before the budget is announced to the public, journalists and other interested parties get a preview in a secure room deep inside the Beehive. This year, Jess McAllen was among them. The night before the budget is released political journalists stock up on lollies. On the day, plates of lamingtons, in red, … Read more
Grant Robertson has completed his first big test as finance minister in publishing the 2018 budget. How did he fare? We asked experts from across a range of sectors to give us their verdict. Read analysis from our business editor, Rebecca Stevenson, here, and from Grant Thornton director Greg Thompson here. Healthcare back on track, … Read more
The Budget’s R&D spend looks less than futuristic, says Grant Thornton’s Greg Thompson. While a chunk of this year’s expenditure naturally focuses on the perennial portfolios of health, education, justice and housing, this Budget aims to adjust the direction of our economy to deliver not just now but in years to come. This has been … Read more
They’ve left wiggle room for some rainy day expenses, but the Labour-led government more than anything has sought to sell today’s funding announcements as an exercise in cleaning up National’s mess. Rebecca Stevenson reports from Wellington Grant Robertson hammered a few key messages in his budget address today: this is a budget that will lay … Read more
As of today, there’s a bunch of new ways to Lightbox! Sam Brooks counts them all, including premium subscriptions, movies, downloads and a kids corner. So you’ve got Lightbox. It’s your favourite place to stream The Handmaid’s Tale, Suits, UnReal and a range of other great shows. It sponsors your favourite TV section on the internet. It’s … Read more
In modern sport it’s hard to tell what’s more important: the hi-tech equipment, or the athlete themselves. Ahead of his appearance at Techweek’18, Olympic cyclist and America’s Cup cyclor Simon Van Velthooven talks to Madeleine Chapman about the increasingly important role of technology in sport. When you achieve something as impressive as an Olympic medal, it’s … Read more
At Techweek‘18 the people leading New Zealand’s innovation and technological revolution share their secrets. We asked the experts for their festival recommendations. The description of Techweek‘18 as a festival of the future is perfect. The pace that science and technology is reshaping our society and economy is often alarming and overwhelming. Techweek’18 is a diverse … Read more
KiwiSavers like you and me are the benefactors New Zealand’s infrastructural development is looking for, says Simplicity’s Sam Stubbs. The government is signalling that New Zealand’s infrastructure build, apart from anything rail related, will go slower than expected. Increases in core funding, let alone mouldy surprises at Middlemore, are draining the national coffers of monies that any … Read more
Kate Robertson talks to Auckland hip-hop/electronic/jazz band Yoko-Zuna ahead of Seamless, an all-ages show in Auckland this weekend. For Yoko-Zuna, 2018 looks set to be a tipping point. Consistently gaining momentum since their 2015 debut album This Place Here, the Auckland-based four-piece are finding themselves ready to break through the alternative sphere and well into the mainstream. … Read more
Budget 2018: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a tax, says Grant Thornton’s Dan Lowe. Budget day is fast approaching and the predictions are coming thick and fast. Many will be watching with keen interest, not just because it’ll be Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s first budget since being … Read more
With Budget day fast approaching, how will it be sold to the public? And how will the opposition go about pinning a derisive name on it? Let’s look back at some of the best and worst attempts. Budgets are complicated, big hairy beasts of policy packages rolled out to the public in the space of … Read more
You want mothers? Lightbox has ’em. Tara Ward takes a look at the best TV mothers to hang with this weekend. Mothers. They’re everywhere these days; at work, at the gym, on the television. They’ve even had the audacity to give themselves a day in their own honour (it’s tomorrow, FYI). Nowhere is safe from women … Read more
Alex Casey dissects episode four of The Handmaid’s Tale, including tense baby showers and a walk down memory lane. Contains spoilers, obviously. June, in the sacred words of Fur Patrol, am I surprised to see you here with Lydia? No. No I’m not. After last week’s literal plane crash disaster, I knew it was only … Read more
Square Dance Discotheque, a silent disco presented by Spark and Spotify, is set to be the hottest dancefloor in Auckland this weekend – and certainly the most interactive. So you’re not completely unprepared, here are five guaranteed bangers from David Dallas and Shapeshifter’s playlists. One hand raised vertically, the other placed horizontally on top, together … Read more
It’s getting cold and, errrr, winter is coming. As part of our budgeting series brought to you by the awesome folks at Flick Electric, here’s everything you need to know about keeping your family warm. These tips from New Zealand parents have been curated by Emily Writes, editor of The Spinoff Parents. It’s freezing. I … Read more
Patsy Stone visiting two of the most beautiful places in the world? Sold! Tara Ward watches Joanna Lumley’s TWO travel series which you can watch on Lightbox right now. Last night I dreamed I saw Patsy Stone trapped in a warm embrace with an over-sized, dancing seal. The sun was shining, Patsy was grinning wildly, … Read more
The health sector needs significant investment, but where is that money going to come from? In our series analysing Budget 2018, Grant Thornton’s Pam Newlove says the government needs to look to the private sector. How revolutionary do voters want the new government to be? It’s a question that must be considered, as the government … Read more
With the budget just weeks away we’ve created a helpful (mostly) alphabetic introduction to the mysteries of the annual government Budget. A Ambitious What every budget always is. B Books In budget-speak, this exclusively refers to accounts, often in relation to the balancing thereof, and disappointingly never to potboiler novels. C Chewing gum Michael Cullen’s … Read more
As the University of Otago Māori student body grows, so too do their aspirations for a space to call their own. In March, the University of Otago’s Vice Chancellor Harlene Hayne announced a 10% increase in Māori students, and over a decade of uninterrupted year-on-year growth in both Māori and Pacific enrolments. The university says its … Read more