Summer reissue: Madeleine Chapman goes through starchy hell to rank every flavour of chip available in New Zealand*. First published 29 March, 2019 *Of course I will have missed some and of course you’ll let me know. Sorry and thanks in advance. This list is so long it really doesn’t need an intro. Hell-123) Any … Read more
Summer reissue: The candidates to tackle Donald Trump are very keen on the New Zealand prime minister. This post was first published 12 November, 2019. It could be because Vogue called her “the anti-Trump”. It could be the desperate shortage of tolerable left-leaning leaders in the Anglosphere. Or it could be because everyone knows it’s … Read more
When you have a kid, words like ‘hangover’ and ‘holiday’ take on a whole new meaning. Mum Anna Gowan rewrites the dictionary for parents. Published 7 June, 2018. Fact: Kids give new meaning to life. “Yeah yeah,” I used to say upon hearing this. “I’ve seen the nappy ads and the cheesy photo shoots of … Read more
Secondary infertility is a hidden pain many families are facing. Gemma Bowker-Wright shares her story. First published 11 June 2018. “Will you have a second?” said the mother at Island Bay Park a few weeks back. She pushed a toddler on the swing while a baby slept in the front-pack on her chest. Her tone was … Read more
In 2018, rapper Mac Miller passed away from a drug overdose. James Roque writes about his passing, and the effect Miller’s music had on him growing up. This post was first published 8 September 2018. This morning the world awoke to the tragic news of the passing of artist Mac Miller. I found out after … Read more
Spinoff writer Madeleine Chapman co-wrote basketball star Steven Adams’ autobiography. She tells how she wrote the book alongside an athlete she’s known since they were both teenagers. Warning: contains a lot of food. This post was originally published 24 July 2018. I knew of Steven Adams before I met him. A common situation now but … Read more
Whether it’s one glass while making dinner or a few at kids’ birthday parties, it’s often hard to separate motherhood from drinking. Mother of three Nadine Anne Hura writes about why she finally decided to quit for good. First published 4 April, 2018 I never hit rock bottom. There wasn’t any great reckoning or moment … Read more
Jesse Mulligan reviews the new cookbook by Jamie Oliver. His calm and measured verdict: It stinks. This post was originally published 1 November 2018. I made three dishes from this cookbook and they all stank. One of them was the pot-roasted cauliflower, a recipe pushed hard in the Jamie Cooks Italy publicity materials, and one … Read more
Before the release of one of 2018’s best albums, Personal Best, Sam Brooks asked Chelsea Jade everything about her (and other people’s) music. This post was originally published 20 June 2018. It’s the rare unambiguously sunny morning in Auckland when Personal Best drops. I’m sitting outside a big building, waiting for an interview, long flowy coat on, … Read more
Since becoming an at-home father, Adam Mamo has been on a desperate search for his masculinity – after all, he keeps being told it’s gone missing. First published on 18 June, 2018 You needn’t look far back in time to when being a stay-at-home dad wasn’t really a thing. Early practitioners of this dark art … Read more
To sleep or not to sleep? Madeleine Chapman stays overnight at Max Richter’s eight-hour show and realises how tired she is. This post was first published 17 March 2018. Being tired is a privilege that must be earned, and I earned it for the first time as a 23-year-old. I used to think being tired … Read more
An essay by Welsh writer Rhydian Thomas on getting the bash, again and again, since moving to New Zealand. The moral of the story: fuck Hamilton. This story was first published on 15 August 2017. The truck pulls over at the end of the Tauranga harbour bridge and the driver’s out before any of us … Read more
Right when the Pokémon Go orgy was at its height, Joseph Harper filed this review. It was to become one of our most controversial gaming posts ever as Joseph found it overwhelmingly pointless and bad. Originally published July 8, 2016 When the Pokémon GO trailer was hurled onto the internet last year, it seemed too … Read more
Back in April Duncan Greive interviewed Emily Edrosa as Street Chant’s long-delayed second album Hauora was released. The pair discussed the often-grim realities of life as a woman in the New Zealand music industry. Content warning: contains discussion of sexual assault. Originally published April 27, 2016 I met with Emily Edrosa twice in April. We went … Read more
In June, Britain voted to leave the European union. The Brexit decision was entirely understandable, wrote former NZ prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer. Across western democracies, some sense of democratic renewal is needed to avoid alienation Originally published on June 29, 2016 Brexit resulted in my view from a break down in accountabilities. It is … Read more
Hayden Donnell identified the people who did well, and the ones who got massively owned, in the Auckland local elections. Originally published October 8, 2016 Winners Chlöe “22” Swarbrick Chlöe Swarbrick, whose campaign cost roughly the same as the Goff campaign’s cheese budget, came third with nearly 27,000 votes. Despite being a complete political novice, Swarbrick … Read more
A Rihanna logo inspired by death metal bands featured prominently at the VMAs this year. David Farrier followed some rabbit holes to locate the designer behind the whole thing. Originally posted September 7, 2016′ One of the best things that happened at this year’s VMAs was this: Rihanna has always been pretty amazing, but seeing her … Read more
Who was Prime Minister John Key? A lovably uncool dad, goofing off on the breakfast TV couch? A proudly vicious parliamentarian, sticking the knife in at Question Time? A political genius with an uncanny knack for understanding voters better than they did themselves? Or a cautious conservative who avoided the real issues? Danyl Mclauchlan picks … Read more
Early in June the then prime minister told reporters there were plenty of (relatively) affordable Auckland homes on Trade Me. Madeleine Chapman searched the site to see if he was right. Originally published June 2, 2016 Asked yesterday about Auckland’s average house price nearing the $1 million mark, John Key was as upbeat as ever: … Read more
The Kaikoura earthquake wreaked destruction, tragedy and misery, but it also generated much scientific fascination. Including: what was going on in the Hikurangi Subduction Zone and those mysterious slow-slip events? Originally published November 23, 2016 A slow slip event off the east coast of the North Island, with an estimated equivalent impact of a M6.9 … Read more
Ahead of the Ockham national book awards in May, Graeme Lay shuddered to recall the time the award for best novel went to a bogan – and Steve Braunias barges his way in at the end of the story, and adds a highly unusual postscript. Originally posted May 9, 2016 Book awards are wonderful. They’re … Read more
Ever wondered how to sound like you’ve been hit by a log? Way back in April, actor Shawn Ashmore (Xmen, The Following, Animorphs) was doing the press rounds promoting the XBox time travel game Quantum Break. Shawn gave José Barbosa an exclusive acting masterclass. Originally published April 15, 2016 Phew. What a rollercoaster. But there’s more! … Read more
It was a different, more innocent time, when a sex toy thwacking into a senior minister’s head made global headlines. Relive Steven Joyce’s great day in Calum Henderson’s frame-by-frame analysis of the 2016 Waitangi Dildo Incident. Originally published February 5, 2016 Steven Joyce speaks to assembled media. His hands clasped at his waist, leaving him … Read more
In 2016 the Spinoff launched the humbly titled ‘War for Auckland’ campaign. Here we republish the editorials, from June and August, that bookended the bellicose, unruly crowd-funded enterprise Announcing the War for Auckland Originally published June 27, 2016 War?! We know, we know. But what else would you call the vastly differing visions for Auckland … Read more
‘Business is Boring’ is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. In September Simon Pound spoke with telly star Brooke Howard-Smith about his little known past as a professional roller blade champion. What transpired was a story about how losing everything can be the best thing that ever happens to you. … Read more
Facts and ‘cloistered’ expertise were well and truly been put in their place by the Seven Sharp host this year. Siouxsie Wiles on a unique brand of smug bullshit Originally published on June 1, 2016 “Thank God the scientists aren’t running things!” So concluded Seven Sharp host Mike Hosking’s assessment on Monday night of calls … Read more
2016 marked the 35th anniversary of the MS-DOS operating system. The OS has since been used to power industry, calculate distances to faraway nebuli and discover the secrets of Shakespeare. Katie Parker used it to fight tree demons and mine space crystals. This is her story. Originally published April 20, 2016 Once upon a time, … Read more
A week after Leonard Cohen passed away in November, Bic Runga recalled memorising his songwriting advice, driving to his monastery and supporting him on tour in 2010. Originally published November 15, 2016 There aren’t too many artists I would call myself fanatical about, but Leonard Cohen is one of them. When I first started to write … Read more
To launch our new science section this year we asked a dozen scientists and entrepreneurs how positive we can be that we’re progressing towards Sir Paul Callaghan’s dream of a transformed New Zealand through the use of science and technology. Originally published November 16, 2016 The Spinoff is thrilled to be launching today a new … Read more