From aggressive squirrels to the return of SATC, the start of the year has presented clear evidence that the end is nigh, says Emily Writes. Happy New Year! I think we’re all going to die! The first days of 2021 have shown that those who said “2021 will be better” in a fit of desperate … Read more
We did it, folks. This hell year is finally over. Emily Writes has some suggestions for celebrating 2020’s departure the way it deserves. It has been a year of highs and lows, but mostly lows. A lot of lows. Fire, pandemic, enforced family team – it’s been dramatic. So this New Year I am exorcising … Read more
It’s called ‘dopamine dressing’, and it promises to make you feel happier with just the change of an outfit. The notoriously colour-allergic Emily Writes took the plunge. Many years ago a New Zealand designer told me clothing is like Christmas wrapping: the gift is you. There have have been billions of words talking about fashion, … Read more
It’s a New Zealand institution – one that Emily Writes wanted no part of. So no one was more surprised than her when a family getaway to the local Top 10 turned out to be kinda blissful. About 15 years or so ago, my husband and I were planning a holiday. I am of the … Read more
On Sunday, Stuff published a column by journalist Andrea Vance saying Wellington’s good days were over. Wellingtonian Emily Writes steps up to defend the city’s honour. I’m a big Andrea Vance stan so I was shocked when I saw the headline to her column “Wellington, I’m sorry to say it, but your good days are … Read more
Another week, another scandal hits a lowly ex-reality TV idiot. But what of those who rush in to defend Pete Evans, and people like him? Emily Writes outlines the tried and true formula. Welcome to the first ever guide to defending D-grade celebrities who share Nazi imagery online. Before we start, you might be wondering … Read more
Are you excited about spending Halloween on the couch this year? So is Emily Writes, who has some suggestions for a weekend of spooky streaming. If 2020 hasn’t been scary enough for you and you’re looking to be terrified this Halloween, there’s plenty to watch on all of the streaming services. Binge away and add … Read more
Halloween is just around the corner. If you’re a parent looking for spooky activities to entertain your beastly offspring, Emily Writes has got your back. What to do for Halloween during a global pandemic? It’s a question few parents care about or are asking, but I’m on deadline and so here we are. If you’ve … Read more
The facts are simple: mammograms save lives. But what’s it like to have one? Emily Writes talks to Dr Monica Saini about keeping your breasts at their best. Today, nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. As you read this, at least nine women will be grappling with a new diagnosis. Whether they survive … Read more
You know who probably takes photos? Green voters. On Newstalk ZB’s Leader’s Breakfast yesterday, famous Christian Judith Collins was asked about NCEA and secondary education. She said, “There are too many photography classes, too much media studies, too much woke stuff”. Obviously this got all the Leftie liberal woke leftists worked up but was it … Read more
The challenges of postnatal depression are increasingly part of our conversations around birth. But too often the mental distresses encountered while pregnant are misunderstood or unspoken. I didn’t know about antenatal anxiety until I had it. I’d been concerned about postnatal depression, and prepared to handle it as best I could. But I’d never heard … Read more
How can we help people realise they’ve made a mistake without falling into the ‘callout culture’ trap? This post was originally published in Emily’s newsletter: Emily Writes Weekly. Subscribe here. As soon as I saw the black squares on Instagram for Black Out Tuesday, I thought a feed covered in black squares would be helpful. … Read more
In celebration of both level two day and budget day, Emily Writes puts on her business reporting hat to take a look at the winners (and one potential loser) of the post-lockdown economy. As New Zealand begins to reopen from today, a number of industries and businesses will rise. In the past seven weeks many … Read more
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and this year it will be different – no, not because of the pandemic, but because Emily Writes has created a gift guide for you. This Mother’s Day will be a Mother’s Day like no other. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic and if you’re a … Read more
In the first part of a new series sharing the stories of families learning from home during lockdown, Emily Writes watches her sons hold on to connections in isolation. I think when I look back on this time as a parent one of the things that will stick with me is my seven-year-old son desperately … Read more
At the beginning of the level four lockdown Emily Writes spoke to children across the country about how they were feeling and what advice they might have for grown-ups. Almost four weeks on, she checked in to see how they were doing. The day we went into lockdown I decided to have a chat to … Read more
This week, as a treat for tired parents, we’re sharing a small sample of the Emily Writes Weekly newsletter free. Emily Writes Weekly comes out every Thursday at 7pm. This week’s edition included – along with tips about Quibi and Emily’s fan mail of the week segment – ideas for home learning for parents. It … Read more
Parents who have had it drilled into them that their under-10s will fall behind if they don’t homeschool all day are stressing out. There’s absolutely no need to, and teachers agree. Today marks a return to school for most primary school kids in New Zealand, except that they won’t be returning anywhere. It’s groundhog day … Read more
Wondering how to spend a long weekend when you can’t leave the house? Emily Writes has a guide to all the other wild documentary series you could watch. Netflix’s true crime/poverty porn series Tiger King is a hit, there’s no doubt about it. It’s been the streaming service’s most popular title for nine days straight … Read more
Netflix’s four-part series Unorthodox traces a woman’s escape from a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. Emily Writes considers the lessons we can all learn from her journey. There was a moment watching Netflix’s miniseries Unorthodox when I felt like I was actually in Berlin, where much of the show is set. I felt hope and … Read more
Tips on how television can help educate your kids, for parents who have to keep working. It feels as if a great many parents are simply flourishing during this lockdown with fairy gardens, bird song and mason jars, daily bongo drum dancing and essays written by three-year-old prodigies about how satisfying it is to be … Read more
We’re excited to announce the launch of Emily Writes Weekly, a new paid newsletter by The Spinoff in collaboration with Emily Writes, landing in subscribers’ inboxes every Thursday evening. Below she explains what it is – and why it costs money. It has been five years since I wrote my first blog post. It’s easy … Read more
‘Over the last six months I’ve realised there are always more tears.’ In August, Emily Writes wrote about the tough months following her son’s hospitalisation and diagnosis. This is what’s happened since. Part 1: Ward One: Emily Writes on love and fear and hope at her son’s hospital bed Six months ago I was holding … Read more
We need to challenge those who minimise the actions of rapists based on the gender or ages of their victims, argues Emily Writes. Content warning: this article contains descriptions of sexual assault. News out of Australia of another college supporting a sexual predator is as unsurprising as it is horrific. Victims of sexual assault, regardless … Read more
My name is Eddie and I’m seven and my mum said I have to write about my school holidays and I just want to play Minecraft. I love swimming so these are the best places for swimming by me Eddie. Eddie: Kilbirnie pool is new now but the only thing that’s new are the water … Read more
Emily Writes got to meet the contestants in the new Bachelorette NZ show, and boy were their teeth shiny. The Bachelorette NZ airs at the end of this month, so it’s definitely time to find out more about the men who will feature in this show that you will complain about on Twitter but definitely … Read more
The new Apple TV+ fantasy series is utterly nonsensical and suffers from a severe lack of sexiness. Still, Emily Writes can’t quit it. It will come as no surprise that I was absolutely frothing about Jason Momoa’s new show See. So much so that I signed up to Apple TV+ as soon as it came … Read more
The scale of the horror in Australia right now can be hard for kids to process. Emily Writes explains what she’s been doing with her own sons to help them feel a little less afraid. My sister and niece and nephews live in Sydney and my brother, uncles, and grandmother live in Queensland. I was … Read more
Summer reissue: A column this year pondered why anyone would work in fencing, but it applies to much of manual labour. With her husband’s permission, Emily Writes shares his story of what an honest living really is. First published on 1 February 2019 “Fencing sounds like a great way to make an honest living, but you … Read more