You know him as a white supremacist and dangerous idiot. New Zealander Julie Hill knew Richard Spencer as a fellow language student – one who was loathed by classmates and teachers alike. This post originally published November 17, 2017. For one day last decade, I became BFFs with white supremacist, coiner of the term “alt-right”, … Read more
Following that Waikato Times column about blokes suffering from women’s periods (comprehensively rebutted here) Michele A’Court generously proffers some empathy advice for men. This post was first published April 27, 2017. Hey Tom O’Connor, I think you’re doing “empathy” wrong. You’re doing that thing where, instead of imagining what it is like to experience something, you just describe … Read more
This year Toby Morris joined The Spinoff. In the first episode of his new cartoon series The Side Eye, he presents a 12 step guide to a perfect non-apology. This post first published October 27, 2017.
A Timaru woman made a citizen’s arrest on Christmas Day 2017 after a car attempted to pass her vehicle and three others on a blind corner. An isolated incident that should be treated as such, or more proof that incompetent tourist drivers are putting our lives at risk? First published on 28 December 2017 It’s … Read more
Who invented Kiwi Onion Dip, and why isn’t there a gold statue of that person on top of Mt Cook? Hayden Donnell goes on a wildly emotional search for an unheralded New Zealand genius. This post was first published February 20, 2017. The woman on the other end of the phone line sounded theatrically English, … Read more
Opinion: Yesterday Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab penned an open letter urging Lorde to cancel her concert scheduled for next June in Tel Aviv. Here Dane Giraud, a member of the NZ Jewish community, offers a counterview. Dear Lorde, I’m not often asked to be the mouthpiece for political movements. Funny that. Not really. Who’d want … Read more
In 2014, New Zealand was one of the first countries to legalise peer-to-peer lending. Jihee Junn takes a look at what effect it’s had on the country’s borrowers, lenders and financial institutions three years on. You might not remember much of it, but a lot of stuff happened back in 2014: John Key romped home … Read more
PICK ONE: This content was made possible by the NZ Human Rights Commission. The Commission is calling on all Kiwis to stand up to racism by giving it no encouragement. No respect. No place. No power. For more information on how to get involved, visit www.givenothing.co.nz
If you thought your Christmas mall visits were bad, how about donning a fake beard and a velvet suit? Alex Casey talks to two professional mall Santas about becoming The Big Man. When I was about three years old, Santa Claus himself visited my daycare Christmas Party. He was as jolly as expected, with a … Read more
Can you ever really be wholly virtuous with your shopping choices? New research from AUT looks at how we balance our good and evil sides when we consume. Are you green to be seen, or do you really care about the environment? Emily Writes talks to AUT’s Sommer Kapitan about consumers’ conflicting motivations. She was … Read more
Opinion: Lorde has announced a concert in Tel Aviv for June. Jewish New Zealander Justine Sachs and Palestinian New Zealander Nadia Abu-Shanab make the case for her to reconsider. Read a counterview from a member of the New Zealand Jewish community here Dear Lorde, We’re writing to you about your planned performance in Israel. We’re … Read more
In the second part of a four piece series exploring places around Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes reveals the capital’s hidden secrets, while Avi Duckor-Jones takes you to the very end of the North Island. Read part one, on the great Auckland summer road trip, here. Windswept hideaways and long drives, … Read more
Christmas is when charities receive some of their biggest donations – and for a lot of organisations their time of greatest need. So why do so many of us insist on giving them junk they don’t want? ‘Tis the season of giving. And for the poor to be ever so grateful for whatever rubbish we … Read more
It’s been a clusterfuck of a year for nearly all of us, and the sooner we say adios to 2017 the better. But what about next year? Our special guest astrologer has been examining your charts. Life is definitely moving at pace for all signs now that you have shifted through the road blocks of … Read more
Zoë Brock is one of six women who have launched legal action against Harvey Weinstein, arguing that the sexual misconduct by the mogul – who has repeatedly denied any illegality – is akin to organised crime. The New Zealander now speaks for the first time since the class-action lawsuit was filed last week: about her … Read more
The University of Auckland’s Mark C. Wilson spent three years fighting to discover how much New Zealand universities are spending on journal subscriptions. Here’s what he found. University research is generally funded from the public purse. The results, however, are published in peer-reviewed academic journals, many of which charge subscription fees. I had to use … Read more
The social media behemoth has become a cacophony of noise and cruelty, and even though it’s integral to Chris Scott’s work as a brand and social comms executive, he’s decided it’s time to hit delete and bid farewell to the Big Blue. Facebook has been a significant part of my life. I’ve used it for … Read more
Michael Field, whose book The Catch helped expose the labour and human rights abuses in New Zealand’s fishing industry, discusses his new investigation into illegal fishing practices in the Pacific. Journalist Michael Field has been writing about the Pacific for three decades. More recently, his investigations have led him into a dark world of foreign-flagged … Read more
‘The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Wellington,’ Mark Twain almost said (the apocryphal saying is actually about San Francisco, close enough). But not this year. The city is basking in a long stretch of hot weather – and some residents are not coping. Something strange is going on in Wellington. The … Read more
In the first part of a four piece series exploring the surrounding environments of Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch by road trip, Spinoff writers Simon Day and Don Rowe head north, east and west from Auckland’s central city. Exploring New Zealand’s glorious natural beauty by car is a rite of passage for any Kiwi. The great … Read more
Every office has at least one grinch, it’s a fact of life. But can an office grinch be converted into a festive fanatic? Madeleine Chapman tries her darnedest. I’ve always held onto the stubborn belief that nobody truly hates Christmas. They might think they hate Christmas, but really they just hate effort. Yes, I’m well … Read more
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
The early signs are the coalition government is not afraid of making tough calls when it comes to healthier approaches to drug use. Stephen Blyth of the Drug Foundation lays out the challenges ahead, and reminds us it’s about more than running a referendum on cannabis. Late last Friday afternoon housing minister Phil Twyford reversed … Read more
Renters owning dogs is a divisive issue, especially among landlords. But what happens when your landlord is the government? A few days ago, new Minister of Housing Phil Twyford announced that residents of Housing New Zealand homes will soon be allowed to have dogs. At the moment Housing NZ tenants aren’t allowed dogs except in … Read more
It started with a gross message sent from a councillor to a journalist. And it hasn’t stopped since. It’s now more than two weeks since Hamilton City Councillor Mark Bunting sent a deeply inappropriate message to journalist, Spinoff commentator and campaigner for Hamilton playgrounds Angela Cuming, and the unpleasantness continues unabated. To briefly recap: Bunting, a … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. Today, voiceover artist Maria has a very special client. Click here for all our Kiwis of Snapchat videos
News that the most popular contraceptive pill in New Zealand is running short has thousands of women quietly panicking. Rose Hoare runs down the reasons. A nationwide shortage of New Zealand’s most commonly used contraceptive pill threatens to unleash hordes of pimply, angry, horny women with deflated boobs and heavier-than-usual flow, just in time for … Read more
We hear a lot about the gender gap in wages, but what about other kinds of demographic disparities? Taking the median yearly wage of a Pacific Island woman as a baseline, Chris McDowall plots out a year in New Zealand salaries. On November 14, Hilary Barry tweeted, “Dear Women of NZ, I’ve got some bad … Read more
Now in its second year, the annual Bad Taste Food Awards run by Consumer NZ looks past the marketing hoopla to show some foods aren’t quite as harmless as they seem. Jihee Junn looks at this year’s (un)lucky winners. ‘Fat-free’ or ‘sugar-free’? ‘High in protein’ or ‘low in sodium’? Which is better? Which is worse? … Read more