Hayden Donnell is a staff writer for The Spinoff.
Playing onboard the Interislander, one of the most important (and worst) shows in the country.
The Labour Party has been accused of internal bickering and crisis-level disunity this week. Hayden Donnell sets the record straight.
People keep saying The Path is a TV show about Scientology. Hayden Donnell sets out to demolish these false prophets and their suppressive allegations.
The Church of Scientology opened a new $16 million headquarters in Auckland on Saturday. Hayden Donnell glides excitedly into the ceremony.
Knight of the Realm Sir Bob Jones rose from his crypt yesterday and immediately yelled the first racist thing that came to mind. Hayden Donnell asks why we keep enabling this sad bully.
A New Zealand television icon made a shock comeback during the cricket on Sunday. Hayden Donnell spoke to our most famous expat extraterrestrial about whether this could pave the way for a reunion with his old friend Jason Gunn.
A prominent Auckland property investor has told the NZ Herald that “being a landlord is like being at war”. Hayden Donnell tests his theory.
World Rugby recently introduced new tackle ball laws, and everyone’s arguing about whether they’re good or bad. Hayden Donnell attempts to settle the debate with a binding legal judgement.
No-one knows who they are in the 'real world', but the members of Viva La Dirt League are famous in the only place it counts: the Internet. They tell Hayden Donnell how to walk their path to success.
Hayden Donnell identified the people who did well, and the ones who got massively owned, in the Auckland local elections.
Ever noticed that every summer news story is recycled from previous years? Former sadsack reporter Hayden Donnell designs a drinking game to improve, or at least anaesthetise, your holiday news reading experience.
What do you see when you look at the Canterbury logo? If you're one of the estimated 50% of New Zealanders who are oblivious to its true meaning, sit down, take a deep breath, and prepare to have your world turned upside down. Hayden Donnell reports.
Dave Baxter, the man behind 'Love Love Love', recently won a big payout from his former manager. Hayden Donnell gleans some key findings from the judgment.
John Key’s shock resignation has spawned a cottage industry for pundits convinced they alone know the hidden reason for his decision. Hayden Donnell ranks their theories.
Aaron Smith's career is in a steep decline. Hayden Donnell takes a deep dive into the toll having sex has taken on the once-masterful halfback's career.
Replaying The Witcher 3, Hayden Donnell is propelled into an intense love triangle, but finds he is not alone.
For a moment it looked like the government might be seeing sense on Auckland's transport demands. But the volcanic response to a Mt Roskill light rail proposal suggests the road obsession remains, writes Hayden Donnell.
Donald Trump may be enveloping the US in his godforsaken embrace, but is he also ruining New Zealand? Hayden Donnell talks to Tayyaba Khan about being a Muslim in the age of Trump.
Phil Goff just completed the first important act of his mayoralty: picking his leadership team. Did he screw it up? And how long must Penny Hulse pay for Len Brown’s doodle? Hayden Donnell investigates.
It began as a dark kernel of Duncan Greive's rage and blossomed into our most successful and only campaign yet. RIP.
Hayden Donnell recently speculated on the meaning of a leaked internal memo from Stuff.co.nz. Today the site’s editor Patrick Crewdson tells him why he’s not really a slave to Mark Zuckerberg.
A top-level Fairfax memo has somehow found its way into the hands of youth web tool The Spinoff. We picked it apart for clues as to the future of journalism.
Hayden Donnell identifies the people who did well, and the ones who got massively owned, in the Auckland local elections.
When rugby players make catastrophic screw ups, their bosses like to smooth things over with the public by taking away key learnings. We stole their method and took some of our own lessons out of the Aaron Smith sex toilet scandal engulfing New Zealand.
Hayden Donnell pays tribute to the brave men and women who sat through four awful weeks of the Colin Craig defamation trial.
Wait, stop the party: the Unitary Plan isn’t actually in the clear yet. Hayden Donnell reports on how a cluster of anti-change campaigners is holding the whole thing up.
Forget transport and housing policy. Hayden Donnell dons his sorting hat to uncover the info on the Auckland mayoral candidates that truly matters.
