Watch every episode of On the Rag this International Women’s Day

Catch up on On the Rag. Based on the podcast of the same name, Alex Casey, Michele A’Court and Leonie Hayden set out to jelly wrestle with every issue under the sun. The hilarious, stressful, hidden world of menstruation Hold onto your tampon strings, the first episode of the On the Rag webseries is here! … Read more

The Spinoff presents SUPERPOD 2019

Join various hosts of The Spinoff podcasts Gone by Lunchtime, On The Rag, The Real Pod, Paper Cuts, The Offspin, and Dietary Requirements as we look back at the car crash that was 2019. In this special end of year podcast hosted by Leonie Hayden, we dissect the country’s response to national disasters, the highs and lows … Read more

On the Rag: the climate is effed. Or is it?* (WATCH)

*Yes it is. But in the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, Michele, Alex and Leonie go looking for all the reasons we have to be a little bit hopeful. In this end-of-year, possibly end-of-world episode, Michele does the unthinkable on behalf of all boomers, Alex discovers … Read more

An exclusive interview with a dude who yells at women from his car (WATCH)

In this hard-hitting episode of current affairs show OTR 24/7, lady journalist Leonie Hayden comes face to face with one of society’s most elusive figures. “Hey baby, show us ya [insert weird word for body part here]!” To many women and non-binary folks this is a common greeting, usually delivered with great pizzazz by a … Read more

On the Rag: We made our own safety video for women (WATCH)

In the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, watch as Alex Casey, Michèle A’Court and Leonie Hayden get real about women and safety. Fasten your seatbelts and hold onto your tits, the seventh episode of On the Rag is all about safety. What did we learn about safety … Read more

Gloria Steinem, in her own words

Gloria Steinem speaks to On the Rag about what she has learned from over 50 years of feminist activism.  In this very special episode of On the Rag, we are joined by journalist, author, activist and feminist hero Gloria Steinem ahead of the launch of her new book The Truth Will Set You Free, But … Read more

On the Rag: Scrambled brains, bad cartoons and the Freddy Krueger in the room

Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and Michèle A’Court tackle the past month in women, with thanks to our friends at The Women’s Bookshop.  Boo! We witches are back for a scary Halloween podcast, after a month where Freddy Krueger (Harvey Weinstein) showed his face in public and was courageously confronted by two women in Los Angeles. … Read more

I went to a sex toy party and I learned some things

For the latest episode of On the Rag, notorious prude Alex Casey enlisted the help of sex toy expert and pleasure therapist Teddy Curle.  It sounds a bit like ingredients for an avant-garde stir-fry recipe. Cauliflower. Kūmara. A jar of Vegemite. But what it actually is, sex toy expert Teddy Curle tells me, is a … Read more

On the Rag: Why New Zealand needs to loosen up about sex (WATCH)

In the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, watch as Alex Casey, Michèle A’Court and Leonie Hayden embrace the world of sex positivity. Light some candles and slip into something more comfortable for the sixth episode of the On the Rag webseries. Today, we’ll be stripping bare all … Read more

On the Rag: Why does Greta Thunberg make men so angry?

Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden, Michèle A’Court tackle the past month in women, with thanks to our friends at The Women’s Bookshop.  It’s been a big month for young women using their voice. Greta Thunberg admonished leaders at the UN for not doing enough for the dying planet, which annoyed brave old media boys who think teens … Read more

Abortion myths and a history lesson from bloody legend Dame Margaret Sparrow (WATCH)

In the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, watch as Alex Casey, Michèle A’Court and Leonie Hayden tackle the issue of abortion and why the law has to change. In the fifth episode of our mana wāhine series On the Rag, Alex, Michèle and Leonie look at the … Read more

On the Rag: Helping the environment doesn’t make you less of a man

Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden, Michèle A’Court tackle the past month in women, with thanks to our friends at The Women’s Bookshop.  Mother Earth? What about Father Earth?! In cool news, the world is on fire and some men aren’t using reusable bags because they think it makes them look less masculine. There’s also the scarily familiar … Read more

A step by step guide to getting an abortion in New Zealand

On The Rag host Leonie Hayden got (fake) pregnant and decided to get a (fake) abortion. This is her story. Every year in New Zealand about 13,000 people have abortions. And every year in New Zealand about 200 people are denied abortions. Under our current abortion laws we have an illusion of choice. Abortion care … Read more

10 common myths about abortion, busted

In the latest episode of On the Rag, Alex Casey sits down with ALRANZ’s Terry Bellamak to bust some common myths about abortion.  Since 2015, Terry Bellamak has been the president of the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand (ALRANZ), a group that advocates for abortion law reform alongside further reproductive rights, including the … Read more

The Kia Ora Lady: Dame Rangimārie Naida Glavish in her own words

When we decided to do an episode of On the Rag on ageing, I knew immediately I wanted to talk to one of my kuia, and I knew who I wanted it to be, writes Ātea editor Leonie Hayden. Growing up, Naida Glavish (Ngāti Whātua) was one of my adopted mum’s very good friends, her … Read more

Hilary Barry is ageing like a fine wine

For their latest ageing episode, Hilary Barry joins the On the Rag team to talk wrinkle creams, menopause and why people still think she is Jeremy Wells’ mum.  This month’s episode of On the Rag is all about ageing. Time ravages us all, of course, but there’s no denying that women bear the bigger burden … Read more

Teenage girls talk about their online lives

Alex Casey chats to a group of 16 year-olds about the pressures of Instagram, weird men in the DMs, and their multiple online identities.  “I’m planning on getting it,” says Neha. “Just my breasts. They’re just too small. It doesn’t look really nice in clothes and stuff.”  Aaliyah would too, but wouldn’t touch her butt. … Read more

The online exodus of women and minorities

Two major studies show that women and minorities in New Zealand are being harassed to the point that they’re leaving online spaces in droves. Leonie Hayden reports on the growing tension between the right to free speech and the right to live without fear. You don’t know unless you know. This is the only way to … Read more

When did the internet turn into a flaming cesspit? (WATCH)

In the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, watch as Alex Casey, Michele A’Court and Leonie Hayden wrestle with the positives and perils of being a woman online.  In episode three of our On the Rag web series, we explore the ways that the promised utopia of the … Read more

On the Rag: Celebrating women’s right to choose and also Fleabag

Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden, Michèle A’Court tackle the past month in women, with thanks to our friends at The Women’s Bookshop.  Rough winds do shake the darling pod of May, but that won’t stop the On the Rag team huddling together in the midst of a thunderstorm. Not to get all Gone by Lunchtime on you, … Read more

Golriz Ghahraman on dealing with the ‘scared, panicked, angry mob’

The Green MP has been given extra security following threats of violence. She tells the Spinoff about the ‘barrage of hate’ she confronts. Green MP Golriz Ghahraman has described the “barrage of hate” she has received since becoming a member of parliament, and its impact on her life and employment. In an interview with Leonie … Read more

On the Rag: a very hairy episode (WATCH)

Based on the podcast of the same name, Alex Casey, Michele A’Court and Leonie Hayden set out to jelly wrestle with every issue under the sun. This month, they’re waxing lyrical about body hair.  For the second episode of our feminist series On the Rag, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and Michéle A’Court sharpen their secateurs … Read more

The absurd history of period advertising in New Zealand

Alex Casey takes a look back at the period ads of the late 90s and early 2000s, with the help of advertising guru Jill Brinsdon.  These days I can time my targeted ads for menstrual products like clockwork. Period trackers, bleedable underwear and menstrual cups all flood in on Facebook and Instagram several days before … Read more

Watch all of The Spinoff’s new shows right here

This weekend, lend your eyeballs to our three new shows: Two Sketches with Toby Morris, Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends and On the Rag. Look, it’s the weekend and you’ve already watched all the things. You’ve watched Game of Thrones. You’ve watched Dancing With the Stars NZ. You’ve watched the video of the goat in … Read more