Listen to Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and Michele A’Court tackle the past month in women, news and popular culture, with thanks to our friends at The Women’s Bookshop. This month on On the Rag, we are reunited in the bowels of Mediaworks for another hour of shrill women’s chat. Alex and Leonie unpack their first experience being … Read more
How does one report on something that’s happening behind closed doors? New Zealand media did their best last week as Jacinda Ardern gave birth, but was it enough? Or too much? We all waited in the rain for the baby to arrive. Not to arrive in the world – Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford was … 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: “Names for the baby? I’d definitely suggest Paula.” The Spinoff TV screens Fridays at 9.45pm from June 22nd on THREE. Thanks to NZ on Air. Click here for all our Kiwis of … Read more
From the day the pregnancy was announced, Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford have been showered in advice, and that will only continue now the wee thing has emerged as a discrete human being. In typical adultocentric style, however, the advice has been about, rather than by or for baby. To remedy that, we invited the … Read more
What will they name the New Zealand Royal Baby? It’s one of the hardest decisions parents make, so we at The Spinoff Parents thought we would help. Here are some earnest suggestions for Jacinda and Clarke to help them on their way to choosing the perfect name for their bundle. We have carefully considered personalities, … Read more
The prime minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford have just announced the safe arrival of their baby girl. She arrived at 4.45pm, weighing 3.31kg (7.3lb). Our parents editor sends her congratulations to the new parents. Dear Jacinda and Clarke, I know open letters are naff but here we are. As we are a … Read more
The Spinoff TV’s Ra Pomare and Angella Dravid discuss the big First Baby news. Live blog: Rolling updates as New Zealand awaits the arrival of the First Baby The Spinoff TV screens Fridays at 9.45pm from June 22nd on THREE. Thanks to NZ on Air.
Jacinda Ardern has not yet had her baby – though check here for the very latest – but deputy prime minister Winston Peters has nevertheless assumed her set-piece duties. And how Winstonianly has he assumed them? Here are some examples from the almost-prime-minister’s answers to questions across the last 24 hours, drawn from the post-cabinet … Read more
Winston Peters has assumed prime ministerial duties from Jacinda Ardern – well, some of them – as she prepares to go on maternity leave. Toby Manhire watches (thanks Newshub) the weekly set-piece post-Cabinet press conference. In late September 2017, Winston Peters stood before the parliamentary press gallery in the Beehive Theatrette and evacuated a bellyful of … Read more
Live updates from Hayden Donnell, Toby Manhire and Madeleine Chapman Sunday, June 24 8.30pm: Earlier today the prime minister and her partner appeared at Auckland Hospital to acknowledge Clarke Gayford’s cardigan. “There’s nothing wrong with that dad cardie,” said Jacinda Ardern, in a Facebook video. It was “a real find”, said the prime minister of … Read more
What if, on a short-running sitcom in the early 2010s, Christina Applegate was playing our very own Jacinda Ardern? It’s unlikely, but possible! Hear us out. From 2011 to 2012, sitcom princess (I would posit she’s third or fourth in line for the throne, somewhere behind Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Christina Applegate starred in the messy, hilarious, short-lived … Read more
Australian 60 Minutes presenter Charles Wooley this week revealed himself to be in love, or “smitten”, with Jacinda Ardern. Madeleine Chapman watched and wept. Charles Wooley just wanted to ask Jacinda Ardern out for a date. It’s not that complicated. Except it is, because he did so via a 13 minute creep fest of an interview for 60 … Read more
With each passing week, a new international profile of Jacinda Ardern is published. Having studied them all, Madeleine Chapman presents a simple DIY guide. Dinosaurs. A robust exchange of views in the ACT caucus. An international story on New Zealand that doesn’t mention Middle Earth. These are three things that don’t exist in 2018. Profiles … Read more
Earlier this week the Spinoff visited the prime minister at her Auckland home for a wide-ranging interview. So wide-ranging, not all of it made the cut. Below, Jacinda Ardern on Winston Peters, the arts, sexism in politics, Auckland, and Donald Trump Jacinda Ardern on working with Winston Peters “It had always been said to me, … Read more
As she marks six months as Labour leader and embarks on a critical year for her newly formed government, Jacinda Ardern hosts Spinoff editor Toby Manhire at her Auckland home. Mid-morning, Anniversary Monday, and Auckland is melting. “Yesterday, I was trying to write a speech, and it was 31 degrees in the house, and in … Read more
Plunket’s chief executive Amanda Malu says celebrating and supporting whānau and their parenting choices is how the village of New Zealand can help raise every child. Plunket people, like many across the country, were genuinely thrilled by the announcement from the prime minister and her partner Clarke Gayford on Friday last week. Yet the news … Read more
Annabelle Lee, Toby Manhire and Ben Thomas return for the first Gone By Lunchtime of 2018, guest starring a real life baby who reveals all about her encounters with a pregnant Jacinda Ardern. Your friendly GBLT content providers return to swelter in an obscenely overheated “studio” to splutter out a word or two on the … Read more
The Real Pod assembles for the first time in 2018 to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. Jane Yee, Alex Casey and Duncan Greive are back for another year with a new and improved Real Pod, featuring more new segments than you can shake a … Read more
Jacinda Ardern’s plan to be both PM and a mum has prompted shrieks of outrage from some. What better example of the prejudice that many mums face when they go back to work, writes journalist and mother of two Sarah Stewart. To illustrate this story we have used photos of the author-mums who write for … Read more
The inner-west Auckland suburb has plenty to keep a stay-at-home dad and his baby occupied, writes Phil Pinner, who has been there and done that. Since Friday’s announcement that Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford are expecting a child in June, the father-to-be has inundated with unsolicited counsel. Gayford, who will be a stay-at-home dad for … Read more
NZ Art Parallels is the Twitter account which reveals the hidden connections between world art history and New Zealand politics and media. Now NZ Art Parallels has joined The Spinoff for a monthly column collecting the best parallels from Twitter and exclusive Spinoff-only content. There are two types of parallel: the no-brainer – the one … Read more
Across the country there was celebration over the news prime minister Jacinda Ardern is pregnant with her first child. Privately, there was pain and heartache as those who wish for the chance to have a baby cope with the news. Alicia Young talks about compassion and empathy for those struggling. Remember that time we hosted … Read more
Following Jacinda Ardern’s announcement that she will soon have a baby, the Spinoff has exclusively obtained a memo from the daughter of MP Kiri Allan to her fellow parliamentary under-ones. To: Parly Cuzzies From: Hiwa-i-te-rangi Allan-Coates Subject: Parly Kids’ Caucus Hey Parly Kids, My mum’s started making all these weird “whooping” sounds yesterday. It was … Read more
Two words from Emily Writes in response to today’s many terrible reckons: shut it. I live in the most wonderful liberal bubble. It is here in my echo chamber that I hide from terrible comments from people with shit for brains. I don’t venture into comments sections anymore; I just don’t want to be knee-deep … 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, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern isn’t feeling too great. Click here for all our Kiwis of Snapchat videos This section is made possible by Simplicity, the online nonprofit Kiwisaver plan that only charges members … Read more
A woman prime minister having a baby while in office? It’s already happened once, in Pakistan. As the fervour ensues over Jacinda Ardern’s bombshell announcement, many have been asking: “How historic is this really?” We know it’s unusual – it’s not every day you have a female head of government, let alone one that’s three … Read more
The Spinoff Labs has deployed advanced machine learning and AI to come up with these images which accurately answer the critical question: what will the prime ministerial child look like? Prime minister Jacinda Ardern today announced her pregnancy via cute Instagram of two big fish hooks and a small fish hook. The reaction seems to have … Read more
A message for prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who announced her pregnancy this morning. Dear Jacinda, First of all – like obviously – congratulations! Second of all – BABIES!! Little tiny feet and little hands and gummy smiles and button noses! Third of all – we’ve got your back. Seriously. That squeeing you heard across the … Read more
Jacinda Ardern has announced via social media that she is hapu, and will be become a parent wwith partner Clarke Gayford in five months. “Clarke and I are really excited that in June our team will expand from two to three,” the prime minister has announced on social media. The announcement comes three months to … Read more