A New Zealand site covering pop culture, politics and social life through features, criticism, interviews, videos and podcasts.
Live Last read · last published · next check
‘What I most resent in my relationship is my own fear of betrayal inherited from past relationships.’ Want to be part of Love, actually? Fill out the questionnaire here . Age: 29 Gender: Female Sexuality: Bisexual Ethnicity: Pākehā Religion: Atheist Occupation: Teacher Length of relationship: Three and a bit years Children: 0 (in this economy??) How we met: A modern day love story: A few weeks…
Alex Casey explores a gentle form of internet trolling that has emerged in the most surprising of places. When The Spinoff’s own memberships lead and occasional contributor Ben Fagan was perusing various pub and brewery sites for some potential top secret Spinoff events later in the year, he couldn’t have known he was about to be trolled to high heaven. But on the Garage Project site , after…
Two dots above a vowel and a loaf of bread becomes continental. New Zealand is about to lose a German bread that was never German, and as the only German in sight, I have been invited to grieve. I will pass. Bürgen was invented in Auckland in 1987 by a master baker called Doug Leighton. Australia took it five years later, and an Australian company, George Weston Foods, has owned it ever since.…
The booksellers of Unity Books Auckland and Wellington review a handful of children’s books sure to delight and inspire readers of all ages. AUCKLAND Reviews by Daniel Deveney , Elka Aitchison and Roger Christensen , booksellers at Unity Books Auckland Ahab and the White Whale by Manuel Marsol, translated by Chloe Garcia Roberts (Age 5+) The illustrations alone are worth the price of this…
Where to find Avondale’s finest filter coffee, fish tacos, fresh vegetables and more according to restaurateur Kaz Suzuki. Avondale is a suburb in a state of flux. There are various modern developments underway, its cherished spider mascot, Dale, disappeared from its main street in 2024 after two decades, and the future of its famous markets remains uncertain. Amid all this change, restaurateur…
Cystic acne and its scarring seem to be disappearing from New Zealand faces. Here’s why. A bright green star adorned the freckled face of the teenager manning the supermarket check-out. Groups of schoolgirls sauntered past, clutching Stanley cups, cheeks dotted with neon stickers. At first, I wondered if they were a fashion accessory, but no, they had a purpose. They’re pimple patches, a way to…
With his new album, Hellhole of the Pacific, Greatsouth turns Māori history, taonga pūoro and alt rock into a challenge to New Zealand to reconsider the stories we tell ourselves. The Mitsubishi Galant with faded red paint about to peel off like bad sunburn confirms I’m in the right place. You don’t see a lot of cars like this in the gentrified Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn. A thick, brown curtain…
From luggage to toys, cameras to watches, baby gear to hiking gear, you name it, you can probably rent it. For many, ownership isn’t as appealing – or attainable – as it once was. What’s behind the growing trend? Luxury used to be tied to permanence. You bought the designer bag, financed the car, signed the mortgage. Wealth sat in your driveway and hung in your wardrobe. But somewhere along the…
The man who took on Christopher Luxon speaks on The Spinoff politics podcast, Gone By Lunchtime. Nine days ago, Chris Penk was identified as the single rogue element, the solo-coup-mounter within the National Party caucus. Christopher Luxon announced that, having called a confidence vote in the leader at that emergency meeting, Penk the insurrectionist had been sacked as a minister. Within hours,…
What’s scarier: having 11 new taxes, having 11 portfolios, or having to remove a member’s bill at the 11th hour? The troops may be tired and the headlines may be hostile, but the fight to win election 2026 is not yet lost. As the National caucus returned to parliament’s battleground this week, they had a new beat to march too, piped in directly from Simeon Brown’s office, level 6, the Beehive:…
The top 10 sales lists recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Be Brave: Life of a Pacific Correspondent by Barbara Dreaver (Awa Press, $45) Dreaver’s career story reads like a thriller. Read just one snippet of it on The Spinoff, here . 2 Eyes of Kings (Flash & False Gods #3) by Chloe Gong (Hodder Press, $38) Gong is an NY Times…
Including, yes, people still wear sunglasses inside, shorts and ruffles are having a moment, and much more. Emma Gleason reports from Shed 10 in Auckland. 1. New Zealand fashion appears to be alive and well. If you’re doing a pulse check on the local industry you could start with the gobsmacking number of designers involved in this year’s fashion week. By my estimates more than 180, most of them…
From actors to activists, scientists to storytellers, this year’s YWCA Y25 list celebrates some of Aotearoa’s most inspirational young people. Illustrations by Te Atarua Davis (Waikato-Tainui). Across Aotearoa, young women and gender-diverse people are doing extraordinary things. They’re leading climate action, championing Māori and Pacific communities, advocating for mental health and hauora, and…
The return of 7,500 acres and hundreds of millions of dollars is not the end of the Nelson Tenths story. Te Here-ā-Nuku trustee Hēmi Sundgren argues the real test is what happens next. There are moments in our history that feel like endings: signatures are placed, agreements reached, numbers settled. But every so often, those moments are not endings at all – they are thresholds. The resolution of…
With the election approaching, parties are scrambling to signal who they are and who they might work with – often by ruling things out rather than ruling them in , writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here . Labour tries (and fails) to keep its head down Labour spent much of the week trying to define itself – and distance…
Second-hand book sales are booming… but who’s buying the books and what in the hell are they doing with them? What have book sales got to do with AI? Media outlets across the world are reporting that business for second-hand booksellers is booming… but not because of the cost of living or a collective surge of interest in acquiring lovely old books for personal libraries. It seems more sinister…
Alex Casey takes a look back at our proud history of going apeshit over supermarket promotions. My household is delighted to announce the safe arrival of our brand new Smeg wooden cutting board, weighing a hearty 1.2kg and costing us – checks notes – 50 New World stamps. In some ways, it cost us $1,000 in groceries. In other ways, it was absolutely free, because we would have definitely been…
Circa Theatre’s latest production is the best warm-up to the worst time of the year. Is there anything more Wellington-coded than a sold-out political satire at a waterfront theatre? Six election cycles in, and it seems the hype around Public Service Announcements’ triennial election satire is only building. You’d think more exposure to the Nact-First government would be the last thing any…
He’s an electorate-only candidate in the safest of safe Labour seats, but the outspoken artist/wrestler isn’t campaigning to get himself into parliament – it’s all about the party. It’s an early afternoon in South Auckland, and Herbs’ ‘Dragons and Demons’ is vibrating through the stereos inside the Wanderers Club in Māngere. It’s been said that this pub was once a favourite watering hole of former…
From a grandmother’s celebration potatoes to recipes smuggled out of a city at war – Nick Iles on the memories that underpin some of the capital’s favourite foods. Nobody makes anything of any significance in isolation. We are all informed by the things we have consumed – quietly organising and storing information away for when we choose to create. This is as true in food and hospitality as…
How do I find my way to pride? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz or fill out this form . Dear Hera, After being asleep for decades, I find myself inside the middle-aged crisis that is my gay awakening. It’s not cathartic or joyous, and mostly I am afraid. For years now I’ve experienced the slow creeping horror, I think not of my queerness, but of discovering that I am…
A growing revolt from mayors and communities is putting pressure on the government’s fast-track regime , writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here . The government’s fast-track legislation was designed to remove “unnecessary red tape” and “fix New Zealand’s economy” . But as fast-tracked developments spring up around the…
This is what people are telling pollsters. What might be the impact of New Zealand politics’ new kids on the blocs? Less than a month ago, the question was whether or not the Opportunity Party could tip over the critical 5% mark . Since then, three polls appear to have put that to rest, with the teal-decked outfit scoring 6.1% in a Curia poll for the Taxpayers’ Union, 5.2% in a Talbot Mills poll…
This week, Christopher Luxon drew attention to a little-known parliamentary peril: crossing the road. One woman dared to give it a go. This is her harrowing account. There comes a time in every person’s life when they are forced to confront their biggest fears. For some, it’s getting rid of the rat that keeps squeaking under your floorboards. For the Hayden Donnells of the world, it’s being…
The Māori roll is growing, stoked both by new enrolments and voters switching from the general roll. Ātea editor Liam Rātana explores what’s behind the increase and how it could impact the election. There are now almost 310,000 Māori on the Māori roll, 54,000 more than on the general roll. The 10% difference – 55% to 45% – is the largest discrepancy between the two rolls since 2013, at a time when…
