The year is 2020. The people want content. There are now hundreds of thousands of podcasts in the world, and the number is only growing. The Spinoff promises there are only 11 podcasts currently worth listening to (please don’t ask anyone else). Here they are.
The Spinoff has been making podcasts since before they were cool. In 2015 we had The Fantasy Suite, a passion project by The Spinoff’s mum and dad Duncan Greive and Alex Casey, which has to be in the running for New Zealand’s longest running pod, and for the most rebrands (it’s now the reality TV-focused weekly podcast The Real Pod). From those humble beginnings, our podcast stable has grown to 11, and along the way we’ve hosted various other series, features, and annual superpods.
Beginners to the world of podcasts will need to make sure they have a podcast app downloaded onto their phone. There are heaps to choose from: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts are some of the most popular. The next step is the hardest. If you’re not a regular podcast listener, choosing where to start can be daunting. We’re here to help you navigate the podcasts we produce; we’re sure there’s something for everyone.
Actually Interesting
This podcast explores the effect that Artificial Intelligence has on our lives. Hosted by Russell Brown, this series is perfect for those who are hopeful, interested, and maybe a little bit sceptical of the rise of technology.
If you’ve watched a few too many Black Mirror episodes, Actually Interesting might help to put some of your fears to rest, interviewing some of New Zealand’s top AI experts, engineers and scientists.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Business is Boring
One of our longest-running weekly podcasts is Business is Boring, in which host Simon Pound interviews business leaders and innovators from across New Zealand and the world. In 2019 guests including Tim Brown from Allbirds and Robyn McLean from Hello Cup talked about their journeys to becoming market-leaders. Business is Boring is perfect for those wanting a bit of advice for starting a new hustle, or to find out how your favourite local brand made it to where they are.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Dietary Requirements
Foodies, unite! Dietary Requirements is hosted by three people who are passionate about food, and they come armed with tips to help even the most rookie home cook start serving quality grub. The Spinoff’s very own food editor Alice Neville is joined by Sophie Gilmour and Simon Day, and often a special guest or three. If you’re not too fussed about eating on-mic and you’re partial to the odd giveaway, Dietary Requirements has you sorted.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Gone by Lunchtime
Into politics but find news bulletins a bit too dry? Don’t mind a rambling tangent about Married at First Sight here and there? Like the surprise of not knowing when a new episode will drop? By golly you’ve come to the right pod.
Gone by Lunchtime is the product of Annabelle Lee Mather, Ben Thomas and Spinoff editor Toby Manhire, who sit down for an hour each month to review the past few weeks in New Zealand politics. It’s smart, it’s funny, and the hosts know their stuff and aren’t afraid to disagree with each other. Gone by Lunchtime is the perfect chatty podcast whether you’re a politics nerd or just want to know a bit more about what’s going on in Aotearoa.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
On the Rag
It’s like a hot water bottle on your tummy when a new On the Rag episode drops. Each month Michele A’Court, Leonie Hayden and Alex Casey take to the studio to review the month in feminism, and their humour and heart is apparent in every episode, where they cry, yell, and most importantly laugh together about all the fun facets of being a woman.
If you can’t get enough of the On the Rag crew, they also have a webseries which has just closed out its first season.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Papercuts
The Spinoff’s most soothing podcast is book-focused Papercuts, hosted by Kiran Dass, Louisa Kasza and Jenna Todd. Once a month, the trio talk through the best, worst and strangest new releases, and there’s a regular segment covering the big book news of the month. If you regularly find yourself stuck not knowing what to read next, have a listen – you’ll leave with a to-read list too long to keep up with.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Fold
Featuring interviews with some of New Zealand media’s most influential movers and shakers, this is a podcast for anyone who wants to know how the media industry works from the inside.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Good Citizen
The Good Citizen is a podcast all about how good design and great people shape our cities. Jeremy Hansen talks to leaders such as Jade Kake and Richard Goldie about their visions and the strength of diversity in growing a city for the future. The Good Citizen is for anybody who’s passionate about design and has an interest in the people taking us there.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Offspin
Join the two biggest cricket fans in the Spinoff office for this podcast that was launched for last year’s Cricket World Cup. If you’re a cricket fan, The Offspin is a must listen, with sleep-deprived hosts Alex Braae and Simon Day pulling all-nighters to bring you commentary and interviews with some of the best players and most avid watchers of the sport. When the summer draws to a close and you’re yearning for some cricket content, this is the perfect show to crack into. The Offspin is currently on hiatus, but stay subscribed: you never know Alex and Simon will be moved to record a special episode.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Real Pod
In mid-2019, Real Pod co-host Jane Yee abandoned Auckland and moved to Los Angeles. Though it meant the end of her having to sit in an overheated Morningside studio for an hour each week, there was no way the three Real Pod hosts – or its hordes of fans (affectionately known as Cornies) – would let it mark the end of the podcast. Thanks to the wonders of technology, Jane now calls in each week from her new LA home.
The Real Pod is a dissection of reality TV from the week, and it’s the home of some of the weirdest and most wonderful chats to ever come out of the Spinoff. If you want to truly be part of The Spinoff, first become a member, and second, start listening to The Real Pod.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Spinoff Book Out Loud
Exactly as the name suggests, this podcast is a selection of some of our best writers reading one of their stories from the Spinoff Book, in podcast form. From Toby Manhire talking through the election of 2017 to Madeleine Chapman on the aftermath of her chip ranking, The Spinoff Book Out Loud is a great one for the morning commute – especially if that week’s episode is a story you never got round to actually reading.
Listen to an episode below, find the RSS feed here, or subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.