Retail embarrassment, great walks, the c-word and more – fill your browser tabs with this year’s most popular reads.
The 10 most read
1. Hayden Donnell: Ikea’s opening was a deeply embarrassing time for us as a nation
This late-in-the-year howl from Hayden Donnell captured the mood of the people.
2. Duncan Greive: Tom Phillips, Clarke Gayford and rumours that won’t go away
Intense speculation was spreading on unregulated social media platforms, and Duncan Greive’s take had readers enthralled.
3. Madeleine Chapman: An argument with myself about Tinā, the movie of the moment
Erstwhile editor Madeleine Chapman’s thoughtful analysis was a huge hit.
4. My Life in TV: ‘I should have walked out’: The live Breakfast moment Ali Mau regrets to this day
This headline drew curious readers in like moths to a flame.
5. Anna Rawhiti-Connell: Is ‘cunt’ still the worst thing a woman can call another woman?
A question for the ages, sparked by Andrea Vance’s controversial c-bomb column.
6. Max Rashbrooke: Luxon’s epic unpopularity in one chart
More proof that people love to read about unpopular politicians.
7. Ben Gatting: All 11 of New Zealand’s Great Walks, ranked from worst to best
A classic Spinoff ranking, done well.
8. Tara Ward: Adolescence is the best show you’ll watch this year
A great review of a powerful show that had viewers the world over hooked.
9. Shanti Mathias: How many phones will stop working after New Zealand’s 3G shutdown?
Another December hit, this time news-you-can-use from Shanti Mathias.
10. Chris Schulz: Taylor Swift will never again perform in New Zealand. Unless…
Swifties and ellipsis fans flocked to this one.
The stories you spent the most minutes reading
Mostly our in-depth cover stories – these are the ones you lingered over the longest.
1. Liam Rātana: Hawaiki hou: Māori men at the turning point
2. Kristin Hall: Back to the streets: Rotorua’s enduring homelessness crisis
3. Alex Casey: Is everyone getting Botox without me?
4. Tara Ward: The birth of the Wests: How Outrageous Fortune came to be
5. Anna Rankin: Grist for the mill: the slow death of New Zealand’s industry towns
6. Janhavi Gosavi: Inside Legacy: the MLM that thrives in secrecy
7. Anonymous: Bumble fumbles: A brutally honest anthology of modern dating
8. Joel MacManus: Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
9. Eric Frykberg: Perpetually broke: How New Zealand could (eventually) afford its future
10. Tasha Black: The almost unbelievable story of New Zealand’s greatest conman
10 more great reads that just missed the cut
Nick Iles: The dream pub is real, and it is in Wellington
Alex Casey: How one 40-year-old song ended up in seemingly every big NZ movie of 2025
Shanti Mathias: IRD is learning the hard way what scams have done to trust
Joel MacManus: A play-by-play of Ray Chung’s train wreck interview with Sean Plunket
Emma Wehipeihana: Diary of a Junior Doctor will make you cry – and it should
Alex Casey: ‘Classic David and Goliath’: The Christchurch food truck that’s got KFC clucking mad
Preyanka Gothanayagi: NZ racism hits different: ‘I’m not even going to try to pronounce the next name’
Tom Augustine: All 86 staple items at a classic Kiwi bakery, ranked and reviewed
Alice Neville: The secretive Tory donor with the golden visa – and the ear of the Beehive
Hayden Donnell: Winners, losers, big losers and gigantic losers from the 2025 local elections
The most-watched Now You Know videos
Hosted by the inimitable Robbie Nicol, our explainer video series shed light on everything from roadside drug testing to internet cables. Here are the five most popular.
1. NZ’s new roadside drug tests – explained
3. The fragile underwater cables that connect us to the internet
