Today The Spinoff Book launches itself keenly into the world, replete with many of the best reads from five years of The Spinoff, plus a host of freshly written material and lashings of new illustrations by Toby Morris. Here’s a taste of the new stuff: an essay by the inimitable Madeleine Chapman on her time … Read more
What could an online private investigator discover about you? Madeleine Chapman paid $99 to find out. When my colleague mentioned in passing that she once stood front row at a Beyoncé concert and incoherently screamed a line of a song into Beyoncé’s microphone, and that footage of the incident was somewhere on Youtube, I knew … Read more
It was supposed to be Auckland’s answer to Melbourne’s laneways or New York’s Chelsea Market, but the empty sites at Queen’s Rise paint a very different picture. Alice Neville reports. In June 2018, to much hype, a new “laneway-style dining destination” opened in downtown Auckland. Housed behind the historic facade of the QBE Centre building … Read more
Ambitious families are spending big money on Crimson’s services – but top New Zealand schools say they provide the same advice for free, and are sceptical of what the highly valued startup provides. Business editor Maria Slade reports. Crimson Education has been a darling of the New Zealand startup scene since precocious teenaged co-founders Jamie … Read more
Thirty years ago, a Lower Hutt intermediate school performed the full, unabridged, adult version of West Side Story. Jet gang member Morgan Davie looks back. September 24, 1987. My gang moves with purpose under the streetlights. In the middle of Lower Hutt, a rival gang is waiting. There’s gonna be a rumble. We walk tough, … Read more
Alice Neville looks back on a heady time in New Zealand’s social history – when an insatiable thirst for a new dairy product brought the country to its very knees. Think back, for a moment, to October 2014. Exactly five years ago. What were you doing? Some occurrences of note for context: the National government … Read more
In this charged essay, Spinoff columnist Morgan Godfery takes stock of Treaty of Waitangi interpretations that pay lip service to values without honouring the core tenets of power. Illustration by Toby Morris. This feature is made possible thanks to the Spinoff Members Fund. We need your help to make journalism that matters. For more information, click here. … Read more
Amy Russell loves to run, but as an overweight person, she is marginalised by an industry that finds that hard to understand. I love to run. Something about its intensity and rhythm is captivating to me. It’s simple as can be, but physically and mentally all-consuming. When a friend asked me ‘what do you think … Read more
In response to Meghan Markle’s admission that she’s finding it a struggle to be a new mother in the media spotlight, columnists across the globe have banded together to launch a charity to support all those women who ‘have it worse’, Emily Writes can exclusively reveal. Meghan Markle – duchess, new mum, tabloid punching bag … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Leigh Hart about the return of Late Night Big Breakfast, the finest morning TV parody show New Zealand has ever made. Late Night Big Breakfast is set to return to TVNZ in 2020 after a five year hiatus, creator and comedian Leigh Hart has confirmed. Filmed in a fully-operational Target furniture … Read more
A psychiatric doctor who helps suicidal teenagers says the Ministry of Health’s suicide reduction plans miss much of the wider issue. We need to listen to affected communities, and equip them to make the changes they need, he writes. Last week, as I left yet another 3am crisis interview in ED as a psychiatric doctor … Read more
The online magazine that boasted a bigger Instagram following than most New Zealand media has abruptly come to an end. So what was Auckland Mag? Why did it exist? And who was its mysterious founder Dan Rolph? David Farrier investigates. The reply from Dan Rolph at Auckland Magazine came quickly. It came quickly because it … Read more
In the wake of the shocking revelations about Three, Duncan Greive assesses the health of New Zealand’s six big media companies. Winston Peters has studied the cold, pitiless heart of a certain strand of New Zealander for four decades now, and has become our foremost expert on both expressing its feelings and trolling it into … Read more
The Southern DHB has apologised and pledged to change practices after a report into a young woman’s complaint about treatment which included being stripped naked and left unattended in seclusion for 12 hours. Here she tells her story. Content warning: this article contains mention of suicide. I’d forgotten the Health and Disability Commission was about … Read more
In what’s thought to be the last piece of writing Peter Wells completed before he died, he wonders about his great-grandfather, and the locket he wore all his life. ‘The Story of a Locket’ is published in part here, and features in the extraordinary collection of essays Queer Objects, released this week by Otago University … Read more
Hayden Donnell identifies who did well, and who got massively owned, in the 2019 local elections. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. Most of these winners and losers lists fail to capture the nuances of election humiliation. … Read more
Stephen Colbert has made good on his promise to visit New Zealand, and the prime minister has made good on her promise to drive him around. When Jacinda Ardern appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York late last month, she challenged the host on his failure to visit New Zealand. The comedian … Read more
Some TVNZ OnDemand viewers have reported feeling alarmed at a series of ads that address them by their names. So how does it work? Jihee Junn finds out. Recently in a Spinoff Facebook group, a rather lively discussion was sparked by a post about an ad shown on streaming platform TVNZ OnDemand. “Does the Skinny … Read more
Emily Writes watches Netflix’s new US-set series Unbelievable and can’t help be reminded of events back home. I was asked to review Netflix’s new mini-series Unbelievable more than a month ago. After watching the screener over the course of a few nights, it sat on my to-do list for weeks. I would sit down to … Read more
Documents and correspondence dripping out of NZ First paint a picture of a party in turmoil and invite questions about the mysterious foundation which funds it, writes Danyl McLauchlan. The email landed in the very early hours of Thursday morning, sent by an anonymous account, addressed to a handful of senior rightwing politicians and newsrooms … Read more
The prime minister conducted most of her Tuesday morning media interviews in-studio today, including her regular chat with ZB titan Mike Hosking. Madeleine Chapman watched then wrote this. Every Tuesday morning Jacinda Ardern has the pleasure of speaking to Mike Hosking. A weekly interview slot on ZB, among others, has long been held by the … Read more
For decades, local politics in the Far North has been dominated by conservatives. This election, a gang leader-turned-Man Up organiser, a former Green Party MP, and the lead singer of Opshop are among those trying to take down what they call the ‘old boys club’. Hayden Donnell heads to the winterless north. The Spinoff local … Read more
A recording of a toy store Christmas marketing meeting has been leaked to Emily Writes. Despite the danger involved, she has chosen to release these tapes for the benefit of parents. The following will chill you to the bone. I knew it had to be released when it turned up on my front door wrapped … Read more
One man set the tone for a nation divided over rugby and apartheid South Africa. Halt All Racist Tours (HART) founder Trevor Richards writes on Muldoon, politics, sport and culture in 1970s New Zealand. Read Trevor Richards on the birth of a movement that divided New Zealand and changed us forever here. For many in … Read more
The first encounter between Māori and Captain Cook and his crew ended in the murder and brutalising of nine Tūranaga-nui-a-kiwa ancestors. The Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s intention to include Māori history and voyaging traditions in the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of that tragedy has prompted a mixed reception. This feature is made possible … Read more
Lucy Zee celebrates the little blue powder compact tucked away in every New Zealand makeup bag. You’re at a house party. You’re not quite drunk but tipsy enough to feel emboldened to look through the bathroom cabinet after your pee break. Behind the Korean face masks, Revlon ColourStay foundation, next to the antihistamines and Mario … Read more
ACN is a reseller of 2degrees plans but seems to rely more on recruiting people than selling product. Cameron Wilkinson does the maths and discovers a classic MLM scheme. This story was amended on October 9, 2019 to reflect that the Federal Court of Australia found ACN is not a pyramid scheme. The Spinoff regrets … Read more
After a short but successful career in China, table tennis champion Chunli Li moved to New Zealand to coach. She soon discovered she was better than everyone, and that was a problem. Chunli Li trains alone. In the basement of the Panmure YMCA, four regulation table tennis tables occupy the floor space. On the wall … Read more
If you see a woman walking barefoot around Parliament, it’s probably Wellington policy advisor Amy Russell. She explains why she rarely wears shoes, and why the raised eyebrows don’t bother her, much. By and large, I don’t wear shoes. I mostly walk barefoot to and from work. I go barefoot in the office. I go … Read more