In what seems like an unlikely source of inspiration, a group of Howick singers have created a folk protest song about Auckland local body planning rules. Hayden Donnell steps in to assess a musical work that somehow combines his two greatest passions. The history of protest music is littered with songs that have seared themselves … Read more
It’s the 2019 Met Ball Gala, and the theme is Camp! In an act of fully precedented hubris, Sam Brooks ranks the looks as they come down the red carpet. It’s the Met Ball Gala, also known as the event that Rihanna wins every year. She’s the Vodafone Warriors of the Met Ball Gala. (Do … Read more
Emily Writes speaks to researcher Leimomi Oakes about Plunket’s dark past and the despicable views of its founder Sir Frederic Truby King. Since becoming a parent six years ago and being introduced to our country’s Plunket health service, I’ve been fascinated by the history of the organisation. By all accounts, its founder Frederic Truby King … Read more
Meghan and Harry have welcomed a new human into the world. And the UK media could hardly be happier, reports Elle Hunt from London. Greetings from London where – you may have heard – a baby has been born. At 5.26am local time on Monday, the duchess formerly known as Meghan Markle gave birth to … Read more
The NZ Herald today launched a new, wide-scope documentary into the effect methamphetamine has on small town New Zealand. Alex Braae talks to one of the journalists involved, Jared Savage, about the process of getting it made, and how his views on the meth trade have changed over his decade reporting on it. Perceptions of … Read more
People too traumatised by the Christchurch mosque attacks to work want to know why Victim Support is holding onto millions donated to the city’s Muslim community while they struggle, write Veronica Schmidt and Max Towle for RNZ. Yama Nabi is a butcher, but these days he struggles with the sight of animal blood. It sends … Read more
Should we increase surveillance of ‘lawless’ online bulletin boards like 4chan and 8chan, and if so, how? Radio NZ’s Max Towle asks 8chan’s founder Fredrick Brennan and New Zealand experts whether the rise of online extremism can be curbed. Fredrick Brennan would open 4chan when he woke, and close it long after dusk, moments before … Read more
Satellites is a series of public events and encounters showcasing the most exciting contemporary Asian artists in Auckland. Sam Brooks interviewed the founder of Satellites, Rosabel Tan, and one of the artists, Ahi Karunaharan, about this year’s programme. A K-Pop dance explosion at Botany Town Centre. An all-female tiger dance at Sandringham Reserve. A give-one-take-one … Read more
Where do mattresses go to die? The dump, of course. But Michael Andrew has other ideas. In the furniture world, there’s no sadder life than that of the mattress. I’ve slept on mine almost every night for 10 years. I’ve eaten on it, read on it, watched TV on it, dreamt on it, cried myself … Read more
Gwyn Easterbrook-Smith reviews Bonding, the story of a grad student dominatrix and her gay best friend whom she employs as her assistant. As an academic who researches the media representation of sex work, and who paid my way through post-grad by doing sex work, including pro-domme (professional dominatrix) work, it could have been designed in … Read more
This afternoon the recommendations from a wide-ranging study of our welfare system will be released. Hannah McGowan, who has lived on a benefit for most of the past 20 years, writes about the indignities and stresses of her life – and the issues she hopes today’s report will address. The first time I went on … Read more
Because being paralysed by hopelessness and fear doesn’t help anyone, here are some ways you can actually make a change on climate, starting right now. On The Spinoff recently, Catherine Woulfe wrote about experiencing feelings of helplessness brought on by terrifying predictions of climate breakdown in books like David Wallace-Wells’ The Uninhabitable Earth. While all … Read more
The oceans are rising and the ground’s getting shaky – time to move the capital to Hamilton. As hellworld boils and our cities descend into the sea, writhing throngs of climate refugees will soon be forced to head for higher ground, scrambling over one another like a scene from the Old Testament. The effect will … Read more
The Auckland Art Fair runs from May 2nd – 5th at The Cloud on the waterfront. Three critics – Megan Dunn, Mark Amery, Ioana Gordon-Smith – cast an eye over what’s on offer. On the opening night of the Auckland Art Fair one artist said, “It gets worse the further in you go.” Another told … Read more
Emily Writes has been leaked the minutes to a Mother’s Day gift guide focus group for Farmers department store. Here is the unedited transcript of the hour-long meeting. The Spinoff has obtained an exclusive transcript of the focus group that become the basis for the 2019 Mother’s Day Farmers catalogue – one which featured 11 … Read more
The bizarre story that started back in 2016 just won’t leave David Farrier alone. The saga now includes the courts, the police and a very stylish velvet suit. It’s just over a year since I wrote the conclusion to my Bashford Antiques saga. That four-part series focussed on an Auckland antiques store that had turned … Read more
Millennials and post-Millennials continue to have it out with the ever defensive Baby Boomers over the environment. Jai Breitnauer asks where are Gen X and what can they offer? It’s 1987: my parents have just traded their old fridge for a CFC-free version. Roll on deodorant is now a thing. The phrase ‘global warming’ is … Read more
Has a dictatorial regime been overthrown by freedom fighters? Have cowardly plotters backed by evil empires tried to defeat the will of the people? Here’s Alex Braae’s cheat sheet sorting out what exactly is going on in Venezuela. What’s all this then? Early this morning, New Zealand time, a man called Juan Guaidó stood with … Read more
Cricketer James Faulkner ‘came out’ on social media this week, except it all turned out to be a joke. Jack Cottrel responds. It must have been a surreal experience. One dumb in-joke and the next morning, you’ve come out as gay. Or not. Australian cricketer James Faulkner yesterday trotted out what, in context, is some … Read more
Hankies are a gross piece of cloth filled with snot that you carried around all day. They’re also great, argues Madeleine Chapman. For ten years of my life, from 2002 to 2012, I had a runny nose. It wasn’t a runny nose like you get when you’re sick. It was just runny. The cause: allergies, … Read more
A wave of theft has hit adult store Peaches and Cream, with rampant clowns and suspected drug addicts pilfering expensive sex toys over the weekend. Don Rowe reports. A cadre of clowns spotted apparently pilfering a 19-inch, double-ended dildo from a store in Auckland last night is just the latest in a series of bizarre … Read more
Oskar Howell went to the inaugural Flat Earth New Zealand Conference in Auckland and found some surprisingly normal people with some very strange beliefs. I am not a flat earther. I believe this ball we are on is round, and we are hurtling through space at over 100,000 kilometres an hour, destined to spin through … Read more
Michael Hill Jeweller is currently urging the public to buy for “all your Mums” this Mother’s Day, including your real mum and your ‘work mum’. Madeleine Chapman wonders how many other mums are out there. Did you ever accidentally call your teacher ‘mum’ in front of the class? Did you shart? Did you not speak … Read more
A school teacher’s day starts well before the first child walks in the gate, and ends well after the last leaves. For Traci Liddall, the principal of an intermediate school, the day begins before the sun rises and work doesn’t stop for weekends or holidays. 5.30am: The alarm goes. I lean over and turn it … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey revels in the wonders of a borrowed fabric shaver. I’ve sold so many old jumpers on Trademe in my life that I think my alias could be Slight Lee Pilled. “Slight pilling around the cuff,” I used … Read more
Paula Simpson dissects why the most privileged group in our society also appears to be the angriest. In the wake of the Christchurch shootings, social media is awash with articles. And in the comments under each article there are incredibly angry people. And they seem to mostly be white men. Before the hate starts: no, … Read more
Students and police who were present at the three most famous Dunedin riots of the last 30 years share what they remember about how it all went down. This piece was originally published in Critic Te Arohi, the University of Otago student magazine. 1990: Saturday 22 April – Easter Tourney “Easter Tourney” saw students from … Read more
Coverage of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka has insufficiently considered the complex historical context within which the attacks took place, writes Nishhza Thiruselvam Last summer when I was on holiday in India, I booked a last minute flight from Tamil Nadu to Colombo to visit my ancestral hometown for the first time. I went … Read more
Mobility dog owner Hannah Gibson explains why it’s important assistance dogs like hers stay focused on the job. Over three months ago, I met Darcy (affectionately called Mr Darcy by Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust, the organisation which trained him and every one thereafter). He is my mobility dog and he loves his job. I have waited … Read more