David Farrier

Contributing writer

David Farrier is a New Zealand investigative journalist and Spinoff contributing writer. He is the co-director of the documentary feature Tickled and the creator of the Netflix series docu-series Dark Tourist.

Society
Sep 21, 2021

Being number 14,694 in line for MIQ

Having tried and failed to get home to New Zealand using the old MIQ booking platform, David Farrier gives the new kinder, fairer system a whirl.

Read on.

Society
Jul 20, 2021

David Farrier: The problem of returning home

Like thousands of other New Zealanders, I spend hours a day refreshing a webpage for a chance to be let back in. 

Read on.

Television
Jun 11, 2021

'The parallels were freaky': Toa Fraser on making Sweet Tooth in New Zealand during a pandemic

The director talks to David Farrier about the hit Netflix show, his mid-career pivot into TV, and why he chose to go public with his Parkinson's diagnosis.

Read on.

Politics
Sep 14, 2020

How Billy TK plunged down the Covid conspiracy rabbit hole

How did a blues musician end up New Zealand’s premier peddler of conspiracy nonsense?

Read on.

Media
Jun 18, 2020

Is this man David Farrier?

Everywhere he looks, David Farrier sees photos of his stock model doppelgänger. And so he decided to track him down.

Read on.

Society
May 18, 2020

How 5G and Covid-19 mixed to make a toxic conspiracy cocktail

Two conspiracy theories have merged into something very nasty online and into the real world.

Read on.

Society
Jan 29, 2020

The curious world of New Frontiers

An upcoming three-day conference in Auckland aims to 'envision our future', but Sir Ed Hillary-branded event appears to feature some odd guests.

Read on.

Society
Jan 13, 2020

RIP Zach: Damning ruling finds ‘serious wrongdoing’ by miracle medical AI pair

The father-and-son team behind Zach, the medical AI that seemed too good to be true, have been condemned by an Internal Affairs investigation, which finds they engaged in 'serious wrongdoing'.

Read on.

Music
Dec 31, 2019

David Farrier comes to terms with Tool, the band he hates to love

What’s it like to wait over a decade for a new record from one of your favourite bands? David Farrier writes about the joys, perils and embarrassment of being a Tool fan in 2019.

Read on.

Politics
Nov 20, 2019

Bashford Antiques, Part VI: Of Course This Would Happen – the state clamps down

In which the New Zealand parliament rolls up its sleeves.

Read on.

Media
Oct 20, 2019

The curious case of Auckland Mag, the most popular website you’ve never heard of

The online magazine that boasted a bigger Instagram following than most New Zealand media has abruptly come to an end. So what was Auckland Mag?

Read on.

Music
Aug 3, 2019

The big music: David Farrier comes to terms with Tool, the band he hates to love

What’s it like to wait over a decade for a new record from one of your favourite bands? David Farrier writes about the joys, perils and embarrassment of being a Tool fan in 2019.

Read on.

Media
Jul 21, 2019

David Farrier on the strangest film since Tickled

After watching a mind-bending film about a dying magician that reminded him of Tickled, David Farrier interviewed the director, only to have his interview disappear.

Read on.

Society
May 26, 2019

The mysterious Instagram influencers offering cash for hotel bed jumping videos

David Farrier stumbles on an Instagram account that is perhaps the perfect example of how ridiculous the world of “influencers” has become.

Read on.

Society
May 2, 2019

Bashford Antiques, Part V: Revenge of the Prince

The bizarre story that started back in 2016 just won’t leave David Farrier alone. The saga now includes the courts, the police and a very stylish velvet suit.

Read on.

Media
Apr 3, 2019

‘I have to delete my channel because of perverts’: the YouTube hypnotists targeting children

David Farrier explores the troubling subculture of videos targeting children created by adult hypnotists.

Read on.

The Best Of
Dec 31, 2018

Summer Reissue: The mystery of Zach, New Zealand’s all-too-miraculous medical AI

An artificial intelligence bot called Zach is creating a stir in the medical community. But AI experts are not convinced. David Farrier goes in search of Zach.

Read on.

Society
Dec 19, 2018

It’s time YouTube and Google stopped profiting from porn with kids in it

After writing about fetish videos involving kids on YouTube two years ago, the problem has only got worse, writes David Farrier. When will Google do something about it?

Read on.

Society
Nov 4, 2018

Two dogs, one ukulele, and the extraordinary man who played it

David Farrier went in search of the New Zealand hero who played the ukulele to two horned up doggos

Read on.

Media
Oct 26, 2018

A website tricking people into making fetish content? Sound familiar?

David Farrier becomes suspicious about yet another website that is very quick to point out that it is not porn. Definitely not porn.

Read on.

Media
Aug 5, 2018

Peasville: the bizarre story of one man’s obsession with anthropomorphic peas

David Farrier delves into the 30-year-old mystery of Richard A Kontos, a man with a dream of a better world. A man obsessed with anthropomorphic peas and the tiny town of Peasville.

Read on.

Society
Jul 3, 2018

‘This thing is weird’: Get ready for New Zealand’s Gay Oscars

David Farrier loves a good awards ceremony, especially one for which he’s nominated. But what are the New Zealand LGBTI Awards?

Read on.

Music
Jun 19, 2018

The strange story of how a NZ musician was led into the world of financial dominatrixes

Why some men are paying Princess Chelsea hundreds of dollars for one song.

Read on.

Auckland
Jun 4, 2018

David Farrier goes to the Auckland International Film Festival and, guess what, it is total balls

The organiser calls him the 'idiot guy who don't know anything about festival'. But that won't deter our reporter from heading along to see what this mysterious event really amounts to.

Read on.

Media
May 19, 2018

Mysteries of the ‘Auckland International Film Festival’: the sequel

David Farrier has slowly been going crazy trying to get an answer about who’s actually behind the odd film festival that might not even play your stupid film anyway.

Read on.

Media
May 5, 2018

Waaaait, is this the Auckland film festival I think it is?

The “Auckland International Film Festival” is Definitely Not the “New Zealand International Film Festival”, mmmkay?

Read on.

The Spinoff is made possible by the generous support of the following organisations.
Please help us by supporting them.