Last week the discovery of Nazi symbols sprayed outside a Wellington synagogue brought shock and condemnation. But New Zealand is no stranger to antisemitism. In light of increasing ignorance about the Holocaust, we need to revisit and acknowledge our history, writes Scott Hamilton. Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Around the world, candles will be lit … Read more
At a recent wedding I was asked how Christchurch is doing now. It turns out that question is more difficult to answer than I thought. On a warm autumn night in Melbourne, a nice man wearing a nice suit has two questions. The first is easy: Where do you live? “Christchurch,” I tell him. As … Read more
Far from home, the Latin American football fanatics of Waiheke Island are fighting to regain their place on the New Zealand football league. It’s a tale of passion, pride and love for the beautiful game, writes Michael Andrew. This story was made possible by Spinoff Members. To support independent, homegrown journalism, join today. For the … Read more
A downtown Auckland institution, the 28-year-old foodcourt Food Alley is soon to be demolished. Alice Neville and other Spinoff staff visited at lunchtime the day after the news broke to see how diners and stallholders were feeling. My earliest memories of Auckland life revolve around Food Alley. ‘Twas the summer of 03/04 and I’d come … Read more
As the Labour caucus gathers for its annual retreat in the Wairarapa, Toby Manhire asks what might be on the agenda. Labour MPs are meeting today in Martinborough for their now traditional January dress-down gear-up for the political year. The Brackenridge resort, just off the road to Lake Ferry, has in recent years seen the … Read more
To see someone like us – a band geek, a joyful dancer, a plus size beauty – being unapologetically who she is, is powerful. Applying that to your own life for the better is precious. And then she gives you a shout-out on the radio? Beautiful. Last week something really weird and exciting happened to … Read more
After three years, Serena Williams is a champion again. Sadly not everyone was too thrilled about a mother competing. When Serena Williams won the ASB Classic women’s title in Auckland on Sunday, the sold-out crowd stood and cheered. As the organisers rushed the court to prepare for the trophy presentation, Williams left. She strode off … Read more
The father-and-son team behind Zach, the medical AI that seemed too good to be true, have been found by Internal Affairs to have engaged in ‘serious wrongdoing’, with the trust providing ‘inconsistent, misleading and untruthful answers’. David Farrier looks at what went wrong, and tries to make sense of a very, very perplexing story. Read … Read more
It’s a Kiwi tradition fraught with outrage, red tape and injury. It’s also really bloody fun. Alex Casey takes a look back at the evolution of the lolly scramble in New Zealand. Legend tells of an impromptu lolly scramble that rocked the Wellington art scene in a matter of seconds. The year was 2003, and … Read more
A fringe political party is hoping for better returns in 2020 after adding a high profile independent lawyer as co-leader. Alex Braae reports. A courtroom champion of stopping 1080 drops and promoting medicinal cannabis rights is turning her attention to parliament. Independent lawyer Sue Grey gained national profile through cases like the Brook Valley brodifacoum … Read more
Some people are just untidy. Madeleine Chapman is one of them, and this year she’s decided to embrace the mess. “I was going to clean that up,” I said, feeling a distinct shame I’d never felt before. The cleaner just shrugged. “It’s not that messy, we get this all the time.” I was panicking. I … Read more
They are the clowns who shall inherit the earth – and for Trump, Johnson, Morrison et al, the jokester act provides the perfect political cover, writes Morgan Godfery. (This essay is extracted from new essay collection Public Knowledge: Radical Futures and is heavily abridged. Godfery goes on to argue for a revolution by degrees, beginning … Read more
Turns out that a lot of people are very mad at a lot of our iconic tourist attractions. This summer will go down in history as the first time that I stood in the shadow of the mighty L&P bottle in Paeroa. The rumours are true – I have never seen a botty so big. … Read more
After a dreadful whitewash of a test series in Australia, Alex Braae assesses the questions that will be asked in the wake of it. So that was awful to watch. Three games, three massive first innings deficits, six batting performances that ranged from brittle to pathetic, and three shocking test match defeats. It wasn’t meant … Read more
Summer journeys: In the fourth of a special travel writing series, Anjum Rahman recounts a return to her place of birth at the age of 12, and reflects on how the history of Muslims in India is being rewritten. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming … Read more
Alie Benge on the book that built a shimmering private world for her and her sisters. I own two copies of Little Women. One is bound in white leather, has gilt edges, a gold filigree pattern on the front, and the heft of a family Bible. Each copy of this edition is made to order. … Read more
Summer Journeys: After touring the world with his band The Phoenix Foundation, Samuel Flynn Scott has figured out the real reason we travel – to nosy around where humans buy snacks. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click … Read more
Writer and actress Michelle Langstone reflects on loneliness on a trip to Singapore. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. Three days in Singapore as a step-down converter from the bougainvillea-stained Greek holiday that has left my … Read more
Summer journeys: FOMO drove Kristin Hall to join her adventurous partner on a road trip from Ireland to South Africa, wending their way through the back blocks of some of the least explored countries in the world. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member … Read more
There are many lessons climate scientists can learn from mātauranga Māori. Lesson one is: don’t panic. This story was made with support from the Science Journalism Fund Hank Dunn (Te Uri o Tai, Te Rarawa) has survived five shipwrecks in his lifetime. He told me this a few moments after I met him at the … Read more
Summer journeys: In the first of a special summer travel series, Linda Burgess looks back on the not-so-glamorous New Zealand holidays of her youth. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. American girls, in their early teens, … Read more
The Weird Old Guy with a ponytail who no one really knows, and 11 more oddly specific characters you’ll probably encounter this Christmas. There’s no hiding from it. Tomorrow you will attempt to bring many and varied family members together in total peace and harmony to enjoy each other’s company, assisted by nothing more than … Read more
The 2010s will go down in media history as the Take Decade. Hayden Donnell combed through every single take made in New Zealand in the last 10 years to compose this list of the worst ones. If there’s one overarching media trend from the 2010s, it’s our inexorable move toward a take economy. Look at … Read more
Eight years after publication, Walter Isaacson’s “iBio” Steve Jobs remains massively influential. Danyl Mclauchlan examines how the deeply flawed genius the book revealed continues to manifest. It’s the end of the decade, and my social media aggregators are filled with lists of the best, most influential books of the last 10 years. For most writers … Read more
Nina Tonga searches for the hidden history of the Dawn Raids at an Auckland high school. I hold Tip Top bread close to my heart. Not because it’s my preferred loaf (not by far) but because it reminds me of my Uncle Neini, one of the first from my family to move to New Zealand … Read more
Alex Casey looks back at 10 years of reality television in New Zealand, a genre which reflected both our viewing habits and the good, bad and ugly sides of our national character. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like watching television in 2019 has become kind of a stressful chore. What used to be … Read more
For a lot of people, there’s not much joy to be found at Christmas. Emily Writes spoke to Dr Sarah Bell-Booth and Gwendoline Smith about how to deal with the hard stuff in the face of all that relentless holiday cheer. Despite my anxiety, I generally enjoy Christmas now that I can do it on … Read more
It is hard to remember a year in which New Zealand was so repeatedly in global headlines, writes Kamahl Santamaria, a Kiwi journalist based in Doha. Time zones are a strange thing. You go to sleep, and then for eight hours or so, you miss out on everything happening on the other side of the … Read more
We get a handle on the artists and artworks that shaped this decade in Aotearoa. As 2019 draws to a close, the four nominees for this year’s Turner Prize subverted the competition – they asked to receive the award as a collective. Meanwhile, at Art Basel Miami Beach, a banana taped to the wall sold … Read more