I waited over an hour to see Meghan Markle’s hand

Spinoff royal correspondent Alex Casey waits at the Auckland Viaduct for the celebrity encounter of a lifetime. ‘They will be here any second,” said a feverish woman holding a GoPro, an accurate 23 minutes before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would wobble their way down the Viaduct like me after a mad night at … Read more

Stats NZ under fire over ‘very serious’ shortfall in digital first census data

Statistics NZ has conceded that the 2018 census response rate may be down by almost 5%, sparking concerns that some groups might not be captured by the survey. It has also led to a delay in the release of first results till March next year, and an apology from the government statistician The 2018 Census, … Read more

Congratulations, She’s A Boy: I got top surgery!

We’re back for the fourth installment of Congratulations, She’s a Boy, following Wellington writer Felix Desmarais’ female-to-male (FTM) transition. This month: a life-changing operation. What a difference a month and a bit makes. Last time I wrote my column, I had breasts. Now I’m sitting here writing having just seen my new nipples, grafted on … Read more

Make Me Tick: Show us your ballot box, baby!

In the lead up to the election, comedians Melanie Bracewell and Angella Dravid take a journey through the voting process in Make Me Tick, The Spinoff’s four part video series with the Electoral Commission. Today, Angella visits the voting booth. Last night, I forced myself to walk to the post box to submit my enrolment … Read more

Make Me Tick: Voting – why even bother?

In the lead up to the election, comedians Melanie Bracewell and Angella Dravid take a journey through the voting process in Make Me Tick, The Spinoff’s four part video series with the Electoral Commission. Today, Melanie discovers the value of one vote.  Whenever I talk about voting with my friends, they often say they can’t be … Read more

Make Me Tick: our government is like a toffee pop

In the lead up to the election, comedians Melanie Bracewell and Angella Dravid take a journey through the voting process in Make Me Tick, The Spinoff’s new four part video series with the Electoral Commission. Today, Angella contemplates the branches of government. I went to St Patrick’s School up until the age of 12. I … Read more

Make Me Tick: getting down with democracy

In the lead up to the election, comedians Melanie Bracewell and Angella Dravid take a journey through the voting process in Make Me Tick, The Spinoff’s new four part video series with the Electoral Commission. Today, Melanie gets hyped for the history of democracy.  When Angella and I were told that the first topic we were … Read more