 is The Spinoff’s food newsletter – a dispatch on what’s happening in our diverse and ever-changing culinary landscape, covering the personal, the political and the plain old delicious. Enter your email below to 

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The Spinoff Members

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Since taking part in growing kai from seed to harvest, my appreciation for every vegetable I eat has deepened.

Where does kai come from? Learning in the māra

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After household bills are paid, one in five in the working-age population doesn't have enough income for decent kai.

Who are the New Zealanders who can’t afford nourishing food?

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Price hikes, disappearing products and sourcing struggles – could this be the new normal for the chocolate industry?

Nobody panic, but we’re in the midst of a global chocolate crisis

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Outdoor dining seems like something a country with a very nice outdoors should be good at.

Why do we make it so hard to dine outside?

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It's not just a bad ad, it's a symbol of everything rotten in our lives.

I hate the sexy Grimace bus

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Samples of the new cost-cutting kai were served up at parliament today. So how was it?

David Seymour’s new school lunches, reviewed

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Factors include: taste and difficulty of hunting.

The seven types of deer in New Zealand, ranked by a deer hunter

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'Running a restaurant – sometimes it feels like you’re running a charity for rich people.'

Five reflections on a part-reverent, part-riotous Metro Restaurant of the Year

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An impassioned culinary defence of the hot chip, and a guide to some of the capital's finest examples.

Good hot chips are an art form – here’s where to find Wellington’s best

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With a health crisis driven by preventable illnesses, the government can take one big step now.

Smoking ads are banned in New Zealand. Why are junk food ads still allowed?

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A global shortage means imported olive oil is more costly than it’s been since the late 90s. Can local producers compete on price now? 

Olive oil costs heaps at the moment. Can local producers come to the rescue?

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For this Year 11 social studies class, the cuts to Ka Ora, Ka Ako funding hit close to home.

Why free school lunches matter – and what one group of students is doing to save them

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A lot of carnivores can't stomach the idea of a vegan diet. Are there alternatives?

The meat lover’s guide to eating a more climate-friendly diet

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Is your boss dragging you back into the office? At least there’s a local meal deal now. But how good is it? 

New World’s $10 lunch deal, reviewed

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Flaky pastry, rich gravy and slow-cooked meat that falls apart in your mouth. A search for the capital's best pie. 

A tasting tour of Wellington’s best pies

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A venue near Eden Park is now an outpost of the Warriors’ burgeoning empire. Here's what it was like on opening night.

Review: The Wahs have a bar now. Is it good?

The Wahs have a bar now. Is it any good?

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The least popular eating fish tend to also be the most sustainable. But the two don't have to be mutually exclusive if you know what to do with them.

The benefits of eating unpopular fish

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The capital's best chefs and restaurateurs share their favourite local eateries and hidden gems.

Where do Wellington’s top chefs eat on their day off?

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A review of the big doughnuts people queue and queue for at the Auckland Night Markets.

What makes the night markets’ Cook Island doughnuts so beloved?

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When Te Whatu Ora stopped giving toast to new mums, did it rob them of the greatest toast a human being can consume?

‘Give my midwife a Michelin star’: The best times and places to eat toast, ranked

The best times and places to eat toast, ranked

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The Friday Poem: ‘FREE TRAMPOLINE’ by Sophie van Waardenberg

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Featuring the Booker Prize winner for 2024, and further evidence of the impact of book festivals on sales. 

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 15

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'It was pretty ugly, but when my life fell apart was actually when it all started.'

The rebuilding of Fazerdaze

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All 14 malls in Christchurch ranked from worst to best

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'Most regrettable purchase in the last year? A cricket bat at a charity auction – I was drunk and it seemed like a great idea at the time.'

The cost of being: A lawyer with two kids, a mortgage and a love of good meat

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And why one former MP says John Key would never have allowed this to happen.

How the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill played out

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The climate and human rights crises are indelibly intertwined

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Spectators in the public gallery joined in.

House suspended as haka interrupts first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill

Don’t know your 50% sugar hazelnut milk teas from your double Oreo cake cream with cheese foam? Liliana Mañetto Quick takes us on a tour of the wonderful world of bubble tea with a love letter to Wellington’s Hi Tea.

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Liliana Mañetto Quick takes us on a tour of the wonderful world of popping pearls and bubble tea with a comic love letter to Hi Tea.

The Spinoff

KaiJune 12, 2021

Hey Boba, Hi tea: A comic explainer on the joy of bubble tea

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KaiJune 12, 2021

Hey Boba, Hi tea: A comic explainer on the joy of bubble tea

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