‘Waitangi dildo’ protestor banned from Waitangi Treaty grounds

Three years on from making the word ‘dildo’ ubiquitous in respectable New Zealand homes, Josie Butler says ‘f*** you’ to a notice trespassing her from her own ancestral lands. Activist and nurse Josie Butler was served a trespass notice on behalf of the Waitangi National Trust on Friday, trespassing her from the Treaty Grounds, the … Read more

Watch episode 1 of our TV show Get It to Te Papa here, now!

Get It to Te Papa follows journalist Hayden Donnell on an ambitious quest to collect underappreciated Kiwi cultural artefacts and get them into New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa. And you can watch the first episode right now, for free. The first episode sees Hayden and José embark on a desperate quest to find the … Read more

An open letter to the Waitangi Dildo

Today at midday the first two episodes of Get It to Te Papa, a Lightbox Original made by The Spinoff, are released. But first, journalist and presenter Hayden Donnell has a few words for the infamous subject of episode one. STOP PRESS: All 6 episodes of Get It to Te Papa are streaming here, now! … Read more

Announcing Get It to Te Papa: our televised quest to get under-appreciated Kiwi treasures into the national museum

Two years ago, The Spinoff founder Duncan Greive commanded Hayden Donnell to stop pitching things that should be in Te Papa. Today we announce our new show, Get It to Te Papa, starring Hayden Donnell. Here he tells the story of its genesis. GET A FREE LIGHTBOX TRIAL AND WATCH GET IT TO TE PAPA HERE  … Read more

Summer reissue: History in pictures – the 2016 Waitangi Dildo Incident

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

What happens when you appear before a judge you called a c*** on Facebook?

Tim Murphy brings you perhaps the finest court transcript in New Zealand’s long and glorious judicial history. On January 12 2016 Taranaki Judge Allan Roberts announced his retirement, as reported by the Taranaki Daily News. A man named Troy LaRue found the story on social media, and made an uncomplimentary remark about Roberts’ appearance. Unluckily, he was summonsed to … Read more

Waitangi Dildo: What the chilling police reports reveal

We requested police records on the destruction of the Waitangi Dildo under the Official Information Act. What we got back left us with more questions than answers. At first glance, it’s just another Government form. The police property sheet noting the final destination of the Waitangi Dildo is nothing flashy. Nothing new. A jumble of … Read more

History in pictures: The 2016 Waitangi Dildo Incident

It was another ordinary Friday until a pink sex toy whistled through the air, hit Steven Joyce’s jowls, and changed our lives forever. This is our frame-by-frame analysis of the 2016 Waitangi Dildo Incident. Steven Joyce speaks to assembled media. His hands clasped at his waist, leaving him completely vulnerable to a dildo attack. The dildo … Read more