There are few things New Zealanders love more than walking around the city without shoes or socks on. And now, just maybe, the Northern Hemisphere is ready to get onboard. Betteridge’s law states that any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘no’. Though often true, it can sometimes … Read more
Alex Casey scours the internet for the top tips to keep your pets cool in this horrendous heatwave. I don’t know about your cats, but mine are pissed off. Zelda in particular. Where her brother Link, cold-blooded Prince of Darkness, spends his blistering summer days lying in the hot water cupboard like the anarchic goth … Read more
Wendyl Nissen, in an extract from her new book of household tips, advises natural ways to kill the worst thing about summer – flies. Flies drive me absolutely nuts and, unfortunately, with hens come flies. Up north the flies are especially bad in the heat of March and I must confess that after putting out … 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
The groping of a topless woman at a music festival last year highlights just how retrograde our attitudes to public nudity remain. But, writes Kristin Hall, there is a better way – just look at any European beach. This post was originally published 8 January 2018. It was a lazy day on a white hot … Read more
Simon Day uncovers the fascinating history of New Zealand’s longest running music festival. Twenty years ago on the rugged cliffs above Karioitahi Beach, an hour south of Auckland, somewhere between 500 and 700 people gathered to spend two days celebrating the end of 1998 and the beginning of 1999. It was a wild bush trance … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here
Need some last minute Christmas present ideas? Why not support Māori-owned business while you’re at it? Cards, prints, art and stationary There are lots of artists and designers making beautiful products that not only look great but also showcase te reo Māori. Tuhi make planners, and maramataka journals to record your low and high energy … Read more
Seriously, look at it. Bring on summer. Feels like just yesterday it was Christmas and now summer’s back. Wow summer vibes, right? Wrong. It’s going to rain for 10 days. Metservice has reported thunderstorms today, rain tomorrow, rain on Friday, and rain until the end of time. Niwa, the prettier version of Metservice, has controversially … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe uncovers an icy scandal that reaches the heights of our primary industries. It should have been obvious. We should have seen the trends. All across the country, in the freezers of our dairies and stores, something … Read more
Māori are continually over-represented in Aotearoa’s drowning statistics. Simon Day spoke to University of Otago’s Dr Anne-Marie Jackson about using traditional techniques to help teach water safety and reconnect Māori with their awa. In te ao Māori water is considered the source of all life. We are descended from the water, and it provides a … Read more
As we drag ourselves through the final stretch of January, Don Rowe asks one sleep expert how can we get some desperately needed shut-eye. This post was first published in January 2018 Last night I dreamed I was back in high school, lacing up my boots to run out for the first XV in a … Read more
In the final part of our series exploring adventures around Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, our writers take a trip through Auckland’s backyard, and further beyond. Scroll to the end of the story for a chance to win a weekend exploring in the new Hyundai Kona. I once fake proposed to my then girlfriend. It was … Read more
Just how worried should NZ homo sapiens be about talk around a surge in shark numbers in our shore, and the unexpected visitors to Oriental Bay. Alice Webb-Liddall talks to Riley Elliott. It’s a scorcher of a summer, and as reliable as sun burn and ice creams come the shark headlines. The Jaws effect, even … Read more
The groping of a topless woman at a music festival last year highlights just how retrograde our attitudes to public nudity remain. But, writes Kristin Hall, there is a better way – just look at any European beach. It was a lazy day on a white hot strip of Italian beach and I was caught … Read more
‘The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Wellington,’ Mark Twain almost said (the apocryphal saying is actually about San Francisco, close enough). But not this year. The city is basking in a long stretch of hot weather – and some residents are not coping. Something strange is going on in Wellington. The … Read more
Before Six60 ruled the New Zealand summer airwaves, there was Nesian Mystik. Jogai Bhatt misses them dearly. It’s that time of the year again. As the pohutukawa blooms and your MCM sheds his chinos in favour of cargo shorts, the humble New Zealand summer gears up to commit its annual sonic self-sacrifice: a full three … Read more