All the weird, wonderful moments from the return of Breakfast and The AM Show

Breakfast TV news is back for 2021, and Tara Ward got up early to watch.  “Thank god it’s almost Christmas,” John Campbell said during the opening minutes of Breakfast’s premiere episode of the year. “2021’s been rough so far. I’m buggered”. We’re all buggered, to be fair, but I’m worried that John’s peaking too soon. … Read more

Why was Matty McLean in a dinosaur suit on Breakfast?

These are unprecedented times, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, Breakfast’s Matty McLean does the weather dressed as a dinosaur. TVNZ 1’s Breakfast kicked off level two with a bang yesterday morning. As we viewers at home began to gleefully escape our own personal lockdowns, Matty McLean locked himself into a plastic … Read more

Damage control: Jacinda Ardern faces torrent of Winston-related questions

Across the prime minister’s Monday morning broadcast interviews, there was one overwhelming theme: the behaviour of NZ First and Winston Peters, who happens also to be the deputy prime minister. With turmoil engulfing government coalition partner NZ First and deputy PM Winston Peters, the logical next person to ask for a view was Jacinda Ardern. … Read more

The Real Pod: New year, new decade, same old pod

The Real Pod reassembles to dissect the summer in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. We’re ba-ack! After a long cruel summer full of Jay Jay and Minou heartbreak, The Bachelorette NZ reveals and a mild case of ring worm, there is much to discuss. Why has Breakfast returned more sexed-up … Read more

The Mad Butcher on being NZ’s greatest food influencer

Alex Casey counts down more of The Mad Butcher’s maddest Insta-breakfasts, with bonus commentary from The Butch himself.  We live in very uncertain times. We don’t know what the future of our planet looks like, we don’t know if Minou and Jay-Jay will ever see each other again and we can’t even be sure that … Read more

Decade in review: The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade (60-41)

At 2pm every day this week, The Spinoff will be counting down 100 local television moments of the decade. Today, moments 60-41.  Previously:  The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade, #100 – #81 The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade, #80 – #61 60) John Oliver is obsessed with us, 2015-2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmoe0tgpxaM “How to … Read more

Decade in review: The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade (100-81)

At 2pm every day this week, The Spinoff will be counting down 100 local television moments of the decade. Today, moments 100-81.  100) Kiwi Steve makes it through to Conan, 2017 Not strictly local television, but this moment had about a one in a bajillion chance of ever happening, and yet somehow… it did. In … Read more

Recipe: Savoury baked breakfast oats with tomato, feta and kale

This dish strikes the perfect balance between comforting and interesting – perfect for a weekend brunch. It’s easy to get stuck in a breakfast rut and let’s face it, if you’re searching for inspiration in the cereal aisle you’re bound to leave empty-handed. The breakfast below, however, serves up more than its fair share of … Read more

Hear me out: John Campbell on Breakfast is kind of iconic

Alex Casey woke up at 5.59am this morning to watch John Campbell’s Breakfast debut. Here are some of the highlights. Less than two weeks since the announcement that John Campbell was moving to TVNZ’s Breakfast to take Jack Tame’s place, there he was on the telly. It was 6am in the shiny pink studio and … Read more

The strangely aimless late career of John Campbell

The arrival of one of New Zealand’s most beloved broadcasters on breakfast TV is very perplexing, writes Duncan Greive  Four years have now passed since #savecampbelllive, one of the most bizarre episodes in our recent media history, and one which sent an iconic broadcaster into a funk from which he doesn’t seem to have emerged. … Read more

In defence of eggs benedict: the everyman’s breakfast treat

Maybe it’s basic. Maybe it’s not to the tastes of foodies about town. But eggs benedict is delicious, writes Hayden Donnell, as he pushes back on the benedict pushback. I remember my first eggs benedict. It was at Clarry’s in Devonport; an establishment more similar to a retirement village dining room than a traditional cafe. … Read more

Our breakfast shows are back and the banter is weirder than ever

Alex Casey woke up at 6am this morning to flick between the first episode for 2019 of both The AM Show and Breakfast. Here are some of the highlights. Nothing captures Monday morning ennui like The AM Show. “Welcome back my friends,” belts out prog rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, “to the show that never … Read more

The Spinoff’s unofficial ‘bad tourist’ eating tour of New Zealand

With this detailed guided tour, it’s easy to follow in the footsteps of the unruly visitors whose shocking antics have gripped the nation. Mere weeks into 2019, we already have a strong contender for the year’s most compelling news story. From the farthest reaches of the North Shore to the light-industrial outskirts of the Tron, … Read more

Recipe: Pumpkin pancakes

A weekend breakfast treat, perfect for using up leftover roast pumpkin. Lucky for us, last year’s summer garden offered forth an abundance of crown pumpkins, self-seeded down the back underneath the dappled shade of the pear trees. They’ve done us well and just as I notice we are down to our last few, I see … Read more

Admit it: Rawdon Christie is better at fancy dress than you are

Alex Casey celebrates New Zealand’s king of the costume box, Rawdon Christie. Here at The Spinoff, we’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the mystery man they call Rawdy. Gracing the couch on TVNZ’s Breakfast for four years, he was a beloved early morning oddity who interrogated politicians as sternly as he … Read more

Kraft peanut butter v Bega peanut butter: A Spinoff taste test for the ages

Kraft is introducing a new peanut butter to compete with Bega peanut butter, which due to some business stuff is now producing the original-recipe Kraft peanut butter. Peanut butter nutter Hayden Donnell smuggled some of the new spread into the country to test it ahead of its release here. Kraft peanut butter was once the … Read more

The maddest Insta-breakfasts of The Mad Butcher

Alex Casey counts down the most intriguing Instagrammed breakfasts of Sir The Mad Butcher. I don’t know about your social media diet, but I am sick of scrolling through endless pictures of smoothie bowls, protein oats and mermaid toast wondering when a foodie influencer will finally post something a) actually relatable or b) actually yum. … Read more

What’s TVNZ serving up for breakfast in 2018?

Alex Casey watches the debut of a new look Breakfast on TVNZ1, and assesses the buffet of early morning news options.  Breakfast was off to a pretty weird start before it even began. In a promo video posted to their Facebook page last week, Jack Tame, Daniel Faitaua and Matty McLean can be seen goofing around … Read more

Three’s stealth attack on TVNZ

The shock resignation of Mike Hosking has led to Three playing some very aggressive media chess. “You’re looking very bronzed,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Duncan Garner on Monday morning. “A bronzed whaler,” he replied, assumedly not a confession of his summer recreational activities. Thereafter, they got into the serious business of Trump and shitholes … Read more

‘Janice’s email stood out for its dazzling ignorance’: Jack Tame on the racist email which made him snap

Jack Tame reflects on his reaction to a very stupid email on Breakfast – which has now had over one million views on Facebook – and explains why we still need our bubbles burst.  I think it’s time to lay off Janice. She cannot have expected this response: Multiple Janice-from-Friends memes, ‘Living Next Door to Alice’ … Read more

Turns out Hilary Barry is a bloody legend no matter what channel she’s on

Tara Ward dives into a delicious, piping hot serving of all-new Breakfast, and breaks down the key changes in TV One’s revamped morning show.  A fresh day dawned in New Zealand yesterday and with it a new era of breakfast television. “This is your Breakfast, this is New Zealand’s Breakfast” said new co-host Jack Tame. “I’m … Read more

Conspiracy: Rawdon Christie thinks aliens are using Pokémon GO to destroy civilisation

Calum Henderson tuned into Breakfast this week to witness what was potentially going to be the end of the Rawdon and Nadine era. What he discovered was a conspiracy theory that probably requires urgent global attention. It’s 6:21am on Monday morning and Breakfast co-hosts Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross are watching footage of a distressed … Read more

Television: Counting Down the 50 Best New Zealand TV Moments of the Year (#50-41)

The first in our week-long series, counting down the greatest New Zealand television moments of the year. First up? Ali G, jizz smears and secret burps. Contributions by Alex Casey and Calum Henderson.  41) Takes two tractors to tango The triumphant TV One show This Town spent time chilling out with regular New Zealanders and … Read more

The Spinoff’s TV Week: Breakfast Blunders, Background Burps and Budding Broadcasters

1) John Campbell Live in Samoa Say what you want about John Fellett, but he’s as adept at the counter-punch and exploiting an opportunity as anyone in television. So when TV3 dramatically dumped John Campbell a few weeks back, you can bet one of the first calls the broadcaster took was from a Sky exec, … Read more

Breakfast: But Is He Blind? Rawdon Asks the Big Questions of a Viral Video

Rawdon Christie had a bizarre response to a viral video on Breakfast last Friday. Luckily Duncan Greive was there to shoddily capture the whole thing on his cameraphone. A man stands alone on a crowded thoroughfare. Alone, as we all are in this world. Alone, but for the dozens of people passing every minute. And … Read more