The Spinoff Members

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Dominion Road has made a name for itself as a destination for authentic, regionally-specific Chinese food. How did it get here?

Chinese, but not a Chinatown: The rise and rise of Dominion Road

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Would a pistachio beat a pecan in a fight?

Pretty much every common nut in Aotearoa, reviewed and ranked

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Bubbles, pearls or boba – no matter what you call them, they've taken New Zealand by storm. 

‘Just like the pie’: Bubble tea is here to stay

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There’s plenty on offer beyond Grapetise these days – but is any of it any good?

The boozeless bubbly of Aotearoa, reviewed and ranked

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The iconic 'No left turn except access to KFC' road sign has vanished. Joel MacManus investigates.

What happened to the Queenstown KFC road sign?

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From fried chicken and franchises to fusion and fine dining, Korean cuisine has taken over Tāmaki Makaurau.

The inside story of Auckland’s Korean culinary boom

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'Pākehā don’t have a base camp like marae, or the tradition of dedicated ringawera in the kitchen, but we improvise.'

What I ate while I grieved

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How and what to order, from tea to egg tart.

A beginner’s guide to yum cha

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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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'For blokes, it's probably the child they never knew about. And for women, it’s probably the child they’ve never spoken about.'

‘One hell of a shock’: Why not everyone wants flowers from David Lomas

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Megan Dunn on the the question of what it means to be more true to your dreams than your fears.

What I write about when I write about mermaids

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'Everything reminded me of the comfort of TV, the promise of a story.'

Can NYC ever live up to the hype? 

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Why do so many of us install security cameras – and are they breaching other people’s rights?

Selling security, delivering anxiety: The rise of home surveillance cameras

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An essential guide to all the holes you can drive through in this country.

All 29 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to best

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When he died, my friend Doug got no media obituary. Hardly anyone outside his tiny rural community knew him. But everyone inside that community did.

A life story

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I watched all 46 of Tom Cruise's films over the past 12 months. The question on everyone's lips: why?

‘The mission is clearly possible’: On watching every single Tom Cruise movie ever made

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How a little jar of seawater ends up as a red cross that ruins your day-at-the-beach plans – but keeps you safe from swimming in sewage.

A trip to the beach with the poo detectives

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After two decades of promised redevelopment, Johnsonville Shopping Centre remains neglected and half empty. 

Who killed the Johnsonville mall?

For 32 years, Midnight Espresso has kept Wellingtonians caffeinated and comforted until the wee small hours. Liliana Manetto Quick parked up from 7.30am to 1.30am and documented what she saw. 

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What happens when you spend a full day at Midnight Espresso?

The Spinoff

KaiMarch 13, 2021

A day at Midnight: a comic about Cuba Street’s most beloved café

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KaiMarch 13, 2021

A day at Midnight: a comic about Cuba Street’s most beloved café

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