2016 has lurched into a loping trot and with that comes all new Parliament TV. José Barbosa sits down, watches the first day of debate in the House and tries to find some foothold on sanity. As with all our TV coverage it comes with supplementary papers filed by our sponsors, Lightbox. Try a 30 … Read more
The Spinoff meets Grant Robertson at the cricket to talk leadership close-miss, caucus divisions on the TPP, the future of work and waffle, and whether John Key is brilliant or Labour just plain useless. In the 2014 Labour leadership race, Grant Robertson was a whisker – one percentage point – from victory. He was comfortably … Read more
To mark the beginning of the parliamentary year, the Spinoff presents a fun and mildly educational game, inspired by Top Trumps, in which MPs are pitted against one another on the basis of their career stats – years in parliament, majority and Twitter followers – and some arbitrarily assigned ratings, power and style. All complaints … Read more
It was another ordinary Friday until a pink sex toy whistled through the air, hit Steven Joyce’s jowls, and changed our lives forever. This is our frame-by-frame analysis of the 2016 Waitangi Dildo Incident. Steven Joyce speaks to assembled media. His hands clasped at his waist, leaving him completely vulnerable to a dildo attack. The dildo … Read more
Only very rarely does the prime minister’s diary throw up an empty page, but so it was in the year of our lord 2016, after John Key decided he wouldn’t after all be travelling to Waitangi. It may be true that he once insisted he would mark the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty … Read more
In Gone By Lunchtime, the Spinoff’s new politics podcast, Toby Manhire is joined by former Native Affairs producer Annabelle Lee and Ben Thomas of political PR outfit Exceltium to discuss the Waitangi kerfuffles, the trade deal row, state of the nation speeches from the four main party leaders, and home baking. Listen on iTunes or … Read more
As Americans go to the polls in Iowa, US-Kiwi import Nik Dirga explains the fear and loathing driving Donald Trump’s rise. If you’re an American living in New Zealand, chances are you’ll get asked for your take on US politics. “So, do you think they’ll really elect Trump?” You hear this a lot lately. Now, … Read more
In light of National’s decision to fast-track the City Rail Link, Hayden Donnell looks back at some of the times the party’s top MPs scorned the project as a terrible idea beloved only by wastrel lefties. National’s stance on public transport in Auckland lurched toward sanity yesterday, with an announcement it will fast-track funding for … Read more
Hundreds of refugees remain stranded in Nauru, some in one of Australia’s controversial detention camps, others now in the community. 28 refugees on Nauru have appealed to New Zealand, seeking resettlement under a 2013 deal with Australia. One of the Nauru refugees details conditions in the camp and on the island, and why they wish … Read more
Public bodies are increasingly demanding dosh from media making Official Information Act requests. We want your money, too. OIA! That’s the anguished sound of journalists across the country receiving responses to requests under the Official Information Act that go something like “Dreadfully sorry, O Intrepid Seeker of the Truth but we can’t provide the information … Read more
You’re a great talker, but when it comes to Waitangi and Māori you’d do well to take my course, and listen for a change, writes Dr Hirini Kaa. Dear Mike (and all your fans across various media outlets) Have I got an opportunity for you! I would like to invite you this semester to enrol … Read more
A pantheon of New Zealand politics watchers were asked to cast their minds over 2015, select their champs and their flops, their ups and their downs, and the issue or story to look out for in 2016. Today, Part Four: The Big Issue for 2016. We asked our glittering academy to gaze into their crystal … Read more
David Seymour rode to the rescue of publicans and pub-loving rugby fans a couple of months back when he introduced a bill enabling licensed premises to open for World Cup screenings in the early, very early and very, very early morning. Toby Manhire catches up with the one-man ACT caucus over breakfast, beer and All … Read more
Nicky Hager tells The Spinoff about his case in the High Court, Dirty Politics a year on, and his next book – “one of the most important projects that I could imagine”. Nicky Hager has been back in headlines lately after court documents revealed, among other things, that Westpac had provided his transaction statements to … Read more
Christmas Island made headlines in 2001 when the Norwegian ship MV Tampa attempted to land more than 400 asylum seekers on the Australian territory, an island nestled beneath Indonesia with a resident population of less than 2,000. For years before and after the island had been a target for so-called “boat people” travelling from Asia … Read more
Greg Bruce interviews his Mum about her penchant for Seven Sharp‘s Mike Hosking over John Campbell. Mum came over last week to babysit my daughter and on arrival told me some story about something Mike Hosking had been talking about and, because this is a fairly common occurrence, I thought, ‘Why is my fundamentally decent … Read more
Did you know the key to winning in politics is having enough votes in Parliament to form a government after the election? If not, Danyl Mclauchlan has found just the publication for you. It’s Christmas. The political year is over. Parliament has risen. The festive season has begun: work parties, family holidays, barbecues, long car … Read more
A pantheon of New Zealand politics watchers were asked to cast their minds over 2015, select their champs and their flops, their ups and their downs, and the issue or story to look out for in 2016. Today, Part Four: The Big Issue for 2016. We asked our glittering academy to gaze into their crystal … Read more
How do we remember Rob Muldoon? Hardly at all, if the paucity of coverage around the 40th anniversary of his first election victory as leader of the National Party is a guide. And yet he’s surely the least forgettable Prime Minister New Zealand has seen. Everyone knows about the Great Counterpuncher On November 29, 1975, … Read more
A pantheon of New Zealand politics watchers were asked to cast their minds over 2015, select their champs and their flops, their ups and their downs, and the story to look out for in 2016. Today, Part Three: Stronger, Weaker, the Same We presented our experts with a list of things, parties mostly, and asked … Read more
A pantheon of New Zealand politics watchers were asked to cast their minds over 2015, select their champs and their flops, their ups and their downs, and the story to look out for in 2016. Today, Part Two: The Flops. We asked our experts to rank the three worst performing individuals in politics for 2015. … Read more
A pantheon of observers of New Zealand politics were asked to cast their minds over 2015, select champs and flops, ups and downs, and the story to look out for in 2016. Today, Part One: The Champs. We asked our experts to rank the three best performing individuals in politics for 2015. Below, read the … Read more
Recently NZ On Air published its 2015 report. Our thoughts on NZ On Air’s digital funding and other tidbits from the report can be read here. But that’s not all we gleamed from the numbers and tables … Without a doubt the most interesting morsel from the report is this: The Christian Broadcasting Association made … Read more
Unsure how to vote in the first part of the NZ flag referendum, or just want to confirm that you’re on the right path? Try the Spinoff quiz, which will identify the flag that you should mark as “1” on the ballot. (Please note that this tool has not been programmed to suggest which flags … Read more
The French capital will host close to 50,000 visitors from Monday for the milestone fortnight-long climate summit. In the lead-up to the event, many people have had a lot to say. Below is a selection of the best and most eye-raising verbal (and illustrative) emissions. 1. Christiana Figueres: Paris Will Mark, Rather than Create, a … Read more
Exciting developments in one of New Zealand’s most enduring news categories: people and things getting sued by Colin Craig. The enigmatic former Conservative Party leader has reportedly threatened angry blogster Cameron Slater with legal action over the publication of a poem what he wrote. “In an email to the blogger,” reports the New Zealand Herald, “Craig … Read more
The NZ flag debate is fomenting confusion throughout the international press. Voting forms for New Zealand’s flag referendum have been dispatched by the legions of androgynous orange workers at the Electoral Commission, and the debate has returned to entertain and curse us. One point on which almost everyone, or at least those who favour a … Read more
A dispatch from Estonia, where the five leading countries in terms of online government are deep in digital conversation. The second D5 Summit is being held this week in Tallinn, Estonia. At first glance, it may appear an unlikely venue. After all, Tallinn is one of the oldest cities in the world, with the first … Read more
A close hearing of history reveals the things world leaders say to one another when they think the microphones are off. This week the world reeled at the release of footage that captured small talk between US President Barack Obama and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull at the Apec summit in Manila, during which they competed … Read more