Poetry for the soul

Poetry for the soul

BooksNovember 20, 2015

Books: The Friday Poem – Chum, by Brian Turner

Guest writer

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Poetry for the soul

Poetry for the soul

Chum

Likes, friends, the more chum

we spread the more our pond

fills up with eager, hungry fish.

Nī Dekkers-Reihana. (Photo: Supplied).

Nī Dekkers-Reihana on why you should get off the internet

'Go to live art experiences. It might be bad, but it might just be fucking brilliant and if it is, it will change your neural pathways for real.'

By The Spinoff | 9th June, 2026

Vanessa Weenink.

One MP, One Pint: Vanessa Weenink on leaving Labour to become a blue blood

When you've watched your dad get arrested and been an army medic in Afghanistan, switching political allegiances is just one chapter in a jam-packed life story.

By Lyric Waiwiri-Smith | 9th June, 2026

Politics reporter

Image by Tina Tiller.

Ah rats: What to do if your house is invaded by a plague of rodents

After a recent spate of rodent headlines, we find out the best way to deal with an influx – and ask if it's a sign of an impending ratpocalypse.

By Alex Casey | 9th June, 2026

The Fold: The creator economy goes mainstream

The Fold: The creator economy goes mainstream

The latest development in the growing world of influencer marketing.

By The Spinoff | 9th June, 2026

The cost of being: A 21-year-old software engineer who invests $500 a week

The cost of being: A 21-year-old software engineer who invests $500 a week

'I eat as much as I can in the office for free.'

By The Cost of Being | 9th June, 2026

The red-lit Dunedin Town Hall, the venue for the 2018 Labour party conference. (Photo: RNZ / Chris Bramwell)

The ups and downs of Labour’s list announcement

Who's on the ascent, who's on the decline, and what signals does the party give about its future based on where it put first-time candidates?

By Henry Oliver | 9th June, 2026

Bulletin editor

The debate is between fewer apartments and way fewer apartments. (Image: Tina Tiller)

Auckland Council’s culture of less

Auckland's councillors will today weigh up a difficult choice between fewer apartments and way fewer apartments.

By Hayden Donnell | 9th June, 2026

The Spinoff team (Photo: Todd Karehana)

An update from The Spinoff’s CEO

A progress report on our ambitious goal for 2026.

By Amber Easby | 9th June, 2026

New To Streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

New To Streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

Including a bunch of New Zealand comedians trying to escape, and a new British comedy-drama starring Jemaine Clement.

By Thomas Giblin | 8th June, 2026

Books

Two local titles and an international booker prize winner.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 29

Auckland and Wellington agree on the top three.

By The Spinoff Review of Books | 29th May, 2026

A black and white photo of writer Elizabeth Cox who has long brown hair and is smiling. Behind her is a collage of book covers.

‘Tears (mine) every time!’ Elizabeth Cox’s love/hate relationship with children’s books

'A bad rhyming scheme will bug you every time... '

By The Spinoff Review of Books | 27th May, 2026

‘Mind-bending, impressionistic, genius’: The Black Monk by Charlotte Grimshaw, reviewed

‘You don’t read this book for the plot. You read it for the mind-bending, impressionistic wordiness of it all, for the tour through a character’s splintered psyche.’

By Rachael King | 23rd May, 2026

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 22

The Ockhams and Auckland Writers Festival effect.

By The Spinoff Review of Books | 22nd May, 2026

Witi Ihimaera Smiler: In honour of the octopus

'The octopus plays the long game when it comes to survival. So have Māori.'

By Witi Ihimaera | 21st May, 2026