Nine musicians and producers from this year’s SongHubs, a collaborative song-writing retreat presented by APRA AMCOS with support from NZ on Air, share their experiences. Five rooms at Roundhead Studios, each containing three songwriters and a producer, pumping out a brand new song every day for a week – could there ever be a more … Read more
British miniseries galore, Joanna Lumley travelogues, plucky teens putting on a musical about 19th Germany – May on Lightbox has got it all. Sam Brooks and Alex Casey run down what’s coming to Lightbox this month. Love, Nina (May 2) Who doesn’t love a delicious Nick Hornby adaptation to soothe the weary soul? Based on the … Read more
What might the 2018 Budget deliver on regional economic development, and how will it intersect with our largest city? In the first piece in a series analysing Budget 2018, Grant Thornton’s Murray Brewer casts his eye over the options and opportunities. The government’s moves on regional economic development are courageous and long-overdue, and will have … Read more
From transport, medicine, retail and travel, this year’s crop of nominees for Kiwibank’s Most Innovative Hi-Tech Service Award are being recognised for shaking up some of New Zealand’s most vital industries. With the winner to be announced on May 25 as part of this year’s Hi-Tech Awards, Jihee Junn takes a look at the talented … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to Wellington artist and producer Estère about technology, attention and her new album My Design, On Others’ Lives. Estère has had one crazy year. She’s released a conceptual double album, My Design, On Others’ Lives (recorded with help from NZ on Air) opened for Grace Jones toured Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, UK, South Korea, Australia and … Read more
As the population of New Zealand booms and our largest city grinds to a standstill, the government faces a once in a generation challenge – housing the nation. Don Rowe spoke to Master Builders’ David Kelly about the state of the New Zealand construction industry, and how the private sector will play an essential role … Read more
Setting a budget and sticking to it is really hard and The Spinoff Parents regularly gets asked to pull together budget tips that real parents use. Here are the best crowd-sourced tips from parents in New Zealand. We’ve tried to split this series into parts – because we were sent so many tips. This week we’ve compiled … Read more
Alex Casey reviews the return of The Handmaid’s Tale, available exclusively on Lightbox with new episodes every Thursday. Sweaty palm on heaving heart, there is simply no other television show that elicits such a violent, physical reaction in me like The Handmaid’s Tale. You should know the story by now, because it’s one that may … Read more
In the new film Isle of Dogs, David Farrier says director Wes Anderson has produced his most artistic, political and detailed film yet. My introduction to Wes Anderson came back in 2001, when I rented The Royal Tenenbaums from Video Ezy in Tauranga. I was blown away by this utterly bizarre, beautiful thing I … Read more
They formed in 1965, had their biggest hit in 1990 and in 2018 they’re coming to New Zealand with Def Leppard! Get ready with a quick guide to the last half-decade of German hard rock veterans Scorpions. Scorpions? Sorry mate, never heard of them. You have almost definitely heard at least one of their songs. … Read more
Good morning, and welcome the The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major welfare changes coming, more funding for soldiers with PTSD, and Eric Murray won’t have a beer after all. A major overhaul of the welfare system is coming, in line with Labour and Green election campaign promises, reports Newshub. PM Jacinda Ardern indicated that could include the scrapping … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Food grant stats show poverty in NZ is getting worse, woman’s benefit wrongly cut off by WINZ over dates, and the budget responsibility rules are set to be bent. The number of New Zealanders using food grants continues to rise, reports Newshub. Almost 150,000 New Zealanders accessed … Read more
Last week, Auckland-based producer and musician October released her debut album, Ultra Red. She tells Henry Oliver about how, two months before the album’s intended release, she took the recordings back and remade it by herself. “I had my pre-album release freak out – no big deal, I just reproduced the entire album, as you do,” … Read more
With The Handmaid’s Tale season two arriving exclusively to Lightbox on Thursday, Alex Casey assembles a handy list of ways you can bide your time. I wish I could tell you everything about The Handmaid’s Tale season two, I really do. I wish I could tell you why I was silently wincing at my office … Read more
On Friday, fans of The Killers turned out for a packed show at Spark Arena – the band’s first in New Zealand since 2009. Jihee Junn sat down with drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr before the show. When Hot Fuss came out in 2004, I was instantly in love. I loved the sparkly synth rock, the … Read more
Patsy Holt’s granddaughter may be tiny like a mouse but she has the courage of a lion – and she’s the reason the 73-year-old grandmother is running her first ever marathon. As part of our series celebrating the amazing things young New Zealanders do every day, brought to you by our friends at Flick, Angela … Read more
Information is power, right? A new money personality quiz built by our partners at Kiwibank could help you tackle your money issues. The Spinoff took it for a spin – here are our results. Do you ever consider your relationship with money? Or that the way you feel about yourself carries through into what sort … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Australian banking scandal described as a wake up call for NZ, Commonwealth wide free trade deal being talked up, and nurses union voting on strike opens. Scandalous banking misconduct in Australia is being described as a wake up call for New Zealand, reports Radio NZ. A … Read more
All seven seasons of Prime Suspect drop on Lightbox today, and Sam Brooks is here to tell you why its central character Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is one of television’s most significant characters – ever. Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison doesn’t show up until five minutes into the first episode of Prime Suspect, which came out way back … Read more
Last night, Halsey played an intimate performance to a hundred or so people before her Spark Arena show. The Spinoff was there. Last night, to celebrate the opening of S @ Spark Arena – a new bar and performance space in Spark Arena where Spark customers can hang out and have a drink or two … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New Zealand’s land is in bad shape, medicinal cannabis submitters warned, and a symbolic day for Pike River families. New Zealand is losing 192 million tonnes of soil every year, according to a new environmental report. Radio NZ reports a bit under half of that soil loss is … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Free trade with Britain moves closer, police and government at odds over drug driver testing, and EQC checks may be recalled. The PM is in London reassuring Britain that New Zealand is very keen on a post-Brexit free trade deal. The meeting between Ardern and Britain’s Theresa … Read more
There’s a whole heap of brilliant kids television on Lightbox. But where to start? Anna Gowan runs down the best shows to watch with your kids these school holidays. Paw Patrol (Seasons 1-3) Parents, teachers and nannies will weep tears of gratitude as Ryder and the gang return to protect the shoreside community of Adventure … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin: In today’s edition: Spies in the spotlight, support from freight CEO for government’s rail strategy, and Housing NZ lose same tenancy tribunal case twice. The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Cheryl Gwyn has put together a reference group for oversight of NZ’s spy agencies, reports Stuff. Their job will be … Read more
With the announcement that the Government will end offshore oil and gas exploration in New Zealand, and at the end of our four-yearly schooling by Australia in how to win medals, Vector’s Karl Check says parts of Australia are also making pretty good progress when it comes to shifting away from coal and gas fired … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: A new poll is out, the government is considering public-private partnerships, and rents are rising rapidly. A new 1 News Colmar Brunton poll shows a drop for Labour, but government parties still comfortably ahead of the National party. It’s being reported by 1 News as the ‘end of the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Candidates have been selected for the Northcote by-election, dark web booming for drug trafficking, and attacks on DOC rangers getting more frequent. The candidates are in for what should be an intriguing by-election contest in Northcote. Nationals’ Dan Bidois will defend the seat after being the clear favourite … Read more
No one likes the tax man. Not even his mum. But Dany Miller-Kareko is the modern face of the IRD, who’s out to convince Kiwis she’s here to help. James Borrowdale followed her around Auckland while she tried. If there was one place to prove that old adage wrong – the one about about the … Read more
The new show by Ryan Murphy, Feud: Bette and Joan, hits Lightbox next week. Sam Brooks runs down which great current-day actor is playing which star of Hollywood’s golden age, and where to check out their best work. For a self-identified actressexual like myself, Feud: Bette and Joan is a goldmine. The miniseries follows the making of … Read more