Hayden Donnell | The Spinoff

Hayden Donnell

Politics

Society

Hayden Donnell is a senior writer for The Spinoff. He previously worked at RNZ, TVNZ and the New Zealand Herald, alongside other media companies that have since closed down or been renamed. His primary passions are local politics and the Big Fresh animatronic fruit and veggies.

Hayden Donnell

Latest

An Auckland Transport train with blue, grey and green livery sits in the left of the screen with a nose on its front and a peg on its nose.

Problem? Auckland’s trains smell like piss

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How the final leaders' debate went down

Buck, Kiwibank's green-haired sheep mascot, looks worried in a video about the recent attention she has got online.

Kiwibank's response to the fuck Buck movement may have made things worse

Quilae Wong, a 38-year-old woman with long brown hair is smiling at Iain Lees-Galloway, a man with white hair and a white beard.

Qiulae Wong, the radical moderate

Chris Bishop, a middle-aged National minister with brown greying hair and Wayne Brown, an elderly man with grey hair, clink their full beer glasses together.

Breaking: Wayne Brown finally had a beer with Chris Bishop

Winston Peters, a smiling man in a suit and tie, stands facing the camera with his arm held out, in a mall setting. A woman with white hair is a the left of the image, back on, and a photographer can be seen at the right.

Walking with Winston: The NZ First leader takes his campaign to the streets (and malls) of the North Shore

More

People stand near a pink bus inside an aircraft hangar

Act preaches free market economics in a literal echo chamber

A smiling cartoon sheep with green wool is surrounded by red and pink heart illustrations. The background is a softly blurred indoor setting.

Kiwibank is desperately trying to stop people saying they want to fuck its sheep mascot

A group of people in red jackets and a man in a suit stand before microphones in a store. “Election 2026” signs are visible on fridge doors and as a graphic overlay.

Arena Williams steals the show at Chippy’s no bullshit policy launch

six adults in business casual attire sit on a stage as a panel, with a suited man as the moderator. three women and one man have their hands raised while two men don't

How The Great Mt Albert Debate went down

A smiling person holds colorful bills near a machine that shoots out confetti-like money, all set against an abstract blue and green background.

No one is wasting more ratepayer cash than the government