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Love, actually, at 53: ‘I resent the fact that he’s playing video games while I work two jobs’

Love, actually, at 53: ‘I resent the fact that he’s playing video games while I work two jobs’

I expect my relationship to last until: I lose my shit and throw him out.
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By Love actually | 13th September, 2026
Guest writer
Composite image: The Spinoff

Can you actually outsource your mental load? I desperately tried to

Invisible labour is fiendishly difficult to outsource, because setting a reminder isn’t the whole picture. Much of the burden is noticing that you needed to make a reminder in the first place.
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By Rose Hirst | 13th September, 2026
Guest writer
Pork & Poll Taxes 2026 (Photo: Alyssa Medel)

Pork & Poll Taxes reclaims New Zealand’s forgotten history on stage

Jihee Junn talks to the writer/director of a new play about the earliest Chinese New Zealanders – and the families they left behind.
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By Jihee Junn | 13th September, 2026
Contributing writer
Chrissy Houghton shares her picks for Hamilton East (Portrait: supplied. Composite image: The Spinoff)

Where to eat in Hamilton East – an insider’s guide

Not-to-be-missed Thai curries, quiche, sundaes and more.
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By Charlotte Muru-Lanning | 12th September, 2026
Contributing writer
Deborah Russell knitting in the debating chamber on September 2 (Image: The Spinoff)

Needling for change: the surprisingly political history of knitting

When Deborah Russell was spotted knitting in question time last week, she was joining a rich and meaningful political tradition.
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By Stephen John Taylor | 12th September, 2026
Guest writer
Photo: Abbas Nazari
Opinion

Abbas Nazari: What 9/11 means to me

While the world recoiled, we watched from an Australian frigate, having just been rescued by the Tampa.
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By Abbas Nazari | 11th September, 2026
Guest writer
Some of the places we recommend. (Image: Tina Tiller/The Spinoff)

A user’s guide to the City Rail Link

Best nearby bars. Best journeys. Worst journeys. Best shopping. Best parks. Here’s how to get the best bang for your 5.5 billion bucks.
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By Hayden Donnell | 11th September, 2026
Senior writer
Take your pick. (Composite image: The Spinoff)

All the best (and most questionable) political party merch for election 2026

Pop a Labour breath mint or grab your hot pink hoodie, it’s election season.
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By Emma Gleason | 10th September, 2026
Staff writer
Dating Files: A ‘mostly straight’ 25-year-old looking for a ‘minimum 6’1” educated guy’

Dating Files: A ‘mostly straight’ 25-year-old looking for a ‘minimum 6’1” educated guy’

Mostly I'm finding: bums.
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By Dating Files | 9th September, 2026
Guest writer
Robyn Malcolm (Photo: TVNZ)

Robyn Malcolm wants us to change how we think about menopause

Malcolm is on a mission to find out more about menopause in New Zealand, and why she had such a brutal time of it.
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By Tara Ward | 8th September, 2026
Staff writer
The big moment. (Photo: Caleb Smith, for the Capital Kiwi Project. Image design: The Spinoff)

‘It was 10 years of work, all in one moment’: Wellington’s kiwi are now truly ‘free range’ 

The Capital Kiwi project has just marked a major milestone: the final monitoring transmitters have been removed from the 250 kiwi released in the hills around Wellington in recent years.
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By Shanti Mathias | 7th September, 2026
Contributing writer
The rocket lift at Sky World (Photo: Chris Schulz. Design: The Spinoff)

She was assaulted in the rocket lift, now she’s fighting for more security in dilapidated Sky World

Is the entertainment hub on Auckland's Queen Street a dangerous building? The victim of a late-night sexual assault says yes.
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By Chris Schulz | 7th September, 2026
Guest writer
Love, actually, at 30: A ‘work in progress’ relationship with a divorcé

Love, actually, at 30: A ‘work in progress’ relationship with a divorcé

'We don't share finances - but I imagine this will be a conversation when I move in.'
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By Love actually | 6th September, 2026
Guest writer
Cate King of King Bees knows where to eat when she’s buzzing around Gisborne (Portrait: Supplied. Composite image: The Spinoff)

Where to eat in Gisborne – an insider’s guide

From karaage, to cream doughnuts, to a special-occasion restaurant perched above a surf club.
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By Charlotte Muru-Lanning | 5th September, 2026
Contributing writer
Gone By Lunchtime (Image: Tina Tiller)

Gone By Lunchtime: Only 64 more days of tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax

Has this election campaign peaked early?
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By The Spinoff | 4th September, 2026
Staff writers
Louise Upston and Ricardo Menéndez March in parliament this week. (Photos: Screengrabs from Parliament TV. Design: The Spinoff)

Echo Chamber: As always in the House, ‘sorry’ seems to be the hardest word

There were rhymes but little reason in parliament this week. 
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By Lyric Waiwiri-Smith | 4th September, 2026
Politics reporter
Image: Emily Wong/The Spinoff
Opinion

Performing heart surgery with a hammer? Why we need a better cure for inflation

The OCR is a wildly inappropriate tool for a highly complex job.
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By Jeremy Smith | 4th September, 2026
Guest writer
New Zealand’s power companies are swimming in cash. (Image: Tina Tiller/The Spinoff)

How the energy gentailers made $1 billion in profit this year 

Why did they make so much more than last year and are we being ripped off?
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By Joel MacManus | 4th September, 2026
Senior writer
Green MP Tamatha Paul has thrown around some accusations about rental housing. (Image: The Spinoff)
Opinion

Tamatha Paul got her property facts wrong – and I’m in the middle of it

I think I can explain what’s going on.
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By Joel MacManus | 2nd September, 2026
Senior writer
Dating Files: A repro-conditional fraysexual who’s never had a bad date

Dating Files: A repro-conditional fraysexual who’s never had a bad date

'Even if I discovered absolutely no attraction to the person, there was never a situation where someone turned out to be horrible.'
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By Dating Files | 2nd September, 2026
Guest writer

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The Spinoff is subject to NZ Media Council procedures. A complaint must first be directed in writing, within one month of publication, via our contact page. If not satisfied with the response, the complaint may be referred to the online complaint form at www.presscouncil.org.nz along with a link to the relevant story and all correspondence with the publication.

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