Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Don Rowe on why we should call off this garbage year a few weeks early. Incessant rain, unseasonable storms and a nationwide trend towards … Read more
This win at all costs culture isn’t new in secondary schools rugby isn’t new – schools have been recruiting talent in return for “opportunity” and “a better education” for over a decade. But do the students really benefit, or is it just the schools? ICYMI, St. Kentigern’s College has recently been banned from competing at … Read more
The Christmas season is upon us and that means Women’s Refuges face their busiest time of the year, writes barrister and anti-violence advocate Catriona MacLennan for RNZ. This year, a new law will give police more power to protect women who need help most. While some families will be enjoying presents and parties this festive … Read more
Think you’re helping the planet by chucking that sushi container in the recycling bin or dutifully using your local cafe’s compostable takeaway coffee cups? Think again, writes Greg Roughan for RNZ. So the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) puts out a 47-page report on New Zealand’s plastic packaging system, and there’s a line that leaps out: recycling … Read more
A group of doctors are fighting as ‘conscientious objectors’ on abortion, and the NZ Medical Association is in their corner. Emily Writes is not impressed. This week, a group of doctors in New Zealand said they would “fight” for the right to not provide advice to pregnant women. It is, as I see it, part of … Read more
A major new investigation by the Classification Office confirms that exposure to porn is widespread among NZ teens, and is affecting the way they think about and experience sex. OK, says high school teacher and writer Bernard Beckett – so what do we do about it? Using pornography to learn about sex is akin to … Read more
Stacey Kerapa has bitter first-hand experience of how brutal police are capable of being to Māori trans people, but the progress made over the years means that the decision to ban uniformed cops is a huge mistake, she says. Julie Hill reports. Last year, I interviewed a group of trans women who were sex workers … Read more
The recent killing of an American by a North Sentinel tribe has put the isolated island on the map. But there are three myths about the North Sentinelese that have been regurgitated in media. Scott Hamilton sheds some light. It was a story from another century. A young man landed on a small island, with a … Read more
Ahead of Wednesday’s March for Reproductive Rights in Wellington, four people weigh in on why they’ll be supporting the march and what they hope to see from the national discussion around abortion rights. ALRANZ supports Model A by Terry Bellamak, national president of ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa By now, most New Zealanders are familiar with … Read more
Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Alex Casey on dreams. If nobody talked about their dreams, we wouldn’t have The Terminator. We wouldn’t have Google. We wouldn’t have Einstein’s theory … Read more
Healthcare workers experience more violence than any other job in New Zealand. A nurse writes about her experiences in ED wards around the country, and what needs to change. I don’t work as an ED nurse to be assaulted. I go to work to help people. Unfortunately, the two currently seem inseparable. Violence and aggression towards … Read more
Infrequent flyer Joseph Nunweek gruellingly attempts to rank them all. “Toneless.” “Trivialising safety” “A juvenile mish-mash.” The real surprise last week when The Hon. Shane Jones MP criticised the latest Air New Zealand safety video wasn’t that the Minister for Verbiage would stick his neck out and create a political football – it was that … Read more
The job’s got harder, the pay’s got worse. Toby Morris spends a day with two primary teachers and finds out what the teaching crisis is all about. The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here The Bulletin is The Spinoff’s acclaimed, free … Read more
Commercial water bottling continues to spark controversy. But is it really such a big deal, or a proxy for something else, asks environmental scientist Tim Muller Many Cantabrians are up in arms about water bottling company Cloud Ocean Water, the latest chapter in a story that’s played out across the country. There’s been a petition, … Read more
In part two of Mike Kilpatrick’s journey of losing weight through becoming a pro wrestler, he writes about the rage that a simple visit to the doctor can conjure. Read part 1 here . Perhaps the only thing more inexplicable than a 44-year-old massively unfit man trying to become a wrestler is the love that most … Read more
Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Jihee Junn rains on your parade. Parades are awful, ban all parades. Santa Parade, Pride Parade – there’s no such thing as a good parade. Ever watched … Read more
While multiple New Zealand Christmas parades are maintaining the Dutch ‘black Pete’ character, one of the most famous has decided to end it. Willem van der Velde tells Alex Casey why. A Dutch restaurant owner has told The Spinoff that blackface has no place in Christmas parades as it is hurtful to people. His comments … Read more
In many ways, getting ready to die has been the most fulfilling project of my life. Everything after has seemed ordinary, unimportant, except for love, writes Michael Stevens Today is World AIDS Day. It used to mean a lot more to me than it does now, but it’s still worth remembering. I’ve had HIV for … Read more
From an academic suspecting foul play to the spooks blocking Huawei gear in the new broadband roll-out, China is suddenly in a lot of headlines. Don Rowe rounds it all up. “China’s covert, corrupting, and coercive political influence activities in New Zealand are now at a critical level.” So began Dr Anne-Marie Brady’s 2017 policy … Read more
Want to give to charity this Christmas? Hold the tinned tomatoes – here’s what they really want. Right now charities and community groups are being flooded with gifts, food and goods from well-meaning Samaritans looking to share a bit of Chrimbo goodwill. But the most valuable thing you can give to charity, it turns out, … Read more
The news that the recidivist drunk driver will not be jailed for his latest offence has prompted an outcry. But prison clearly isn’t working, writes Roger Brooking. Isn’t it time we tried something new? News that Gavin Hawthorn has recently been convicted of drink driving yet again has caused oodles of outrage in the media. … Read more
There’s a new movement in the dog community – veganism. But are dogs being forced to forego meat against their will? Emily Writes met some dogs to get into the (meat-free) bones of the matter. Buddy* is a six-year-old golden labrador. He’s extremely interested in balls and has a PHD in Owner Behaviour at Canine … Read more
As the debate surrounding the Auckland Pride parade continues to gather steam and rumours spread in all directions, here’s a guide to the issues, the history and the decisions that led to the fallout, by Sarah Murphy for RNZ. The LGBTQI community is not one community, but is many communities made up of people with diverse … Read more
Amid the misinformation and anger, Kylie Parry, parent of two beloved transgender children, serves up the important facts. And her kids pitch in, too. As a parent of two transgender children I try really hard not to read the opinions of people who have issues with transgender youth (and with transgender adults). I couldn’t avoid … Read more
Aren’t Can’t Don’t: Contrary to popular opinion, lots of young people care deeply about politics and are desperate to have their voices heard, writes youth journalist and activist Azaria Howell. On September 24th, 2018, I rushed to the mailbox to see what I had received for my 17th birthday. To my delight, a card (that … Read more
While the suffrage anniversary offers real cause for celebration, not everyone exercises their right to vote. In the second of two films in our Aren’t Can’t Don’t series, made with the assistance of NZ On Air, women explain why they don’t vote. One hundred and twenty-five years after women voted for the first time in a … Read more
Flying almost anywhere in Europe for the price of a mid-price restaurant meal? If there was ever a reason to move to the UK, budget airlines are it, writes Elle Hunt in the latest instalment of her Elleswhere series about life as a New Zealander in London. Once I paid several hundred dollars for a … Read more
An ex-colleague of Linda Astor, who tricked her way to becoming the head of clinical psychiatry at Nelson-Marlborough Health, has spoken out for the first time about working with the fake psychiatrist. Tracy Neal of RNZ reports. The Medical Council says the chances of a pretend doctor working in New Zealand are not impossible, as … Read more
Speaking to The Spinoff’s On the Rag podcast, Clementine Ford predicted one man would turn up to protest her speaking event. What she didn’t anticipate… was four. Last night in the Auckland suburb of Freeman’s Bay, feminist commentator Clementine Ford’s speaking event was met with a small group of angry protesters. With protest plans laid … Read more