Culture

Culture

New to Streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

Including heist thrills, psychological thrills and more.

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If a tapa cloth lives in a museum is it a ghost in a drawer?

Doron Riki-Semu

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All the weird and wonderful things from election night coverage

a brown scrapbook background with a photo taped to it depicting a grandma with white hair and her granddaughter with black hair, both smiling and holding flowers

Hotboxing my car as my grandma died

Four book covers arranged on a graphic of a book shelf with coloured and textured shapes behind them.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 6

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TV & Film

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‘Where the hell is my wicker husband?’: Our thoughts on Wicker

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New to Streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

A man wears a black jacket and stands with his arms on his hips in a scene from Happiness

‘We’re defined by our compassion’: Harry McNaughton on finding true Happiness

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New to Streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

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All the best things to watch this Labour Weekend

Taika Waititi's new film is a big ol' hunk of nothing.

Taika Waititi’s new film isn’t as bad as the critics say it is – it’s even worse

Books

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Creative NZ

A black and white photo of Airini Beautrais who is a young woman with long hair. She is smiling. Behind her is a collage of coloured shapes and textures.

'Bury me with something trashy': Airini Beautrais' books confessional

The Spinoff Review of Books

Dame Naida Glavish smiles at the camera in a black jacket and red top, standing in front of a traditional Māori whare surrounded by greenery.

Naida Glavish on the grandmother who made the ‘kia ora lady’

a pink textured paper background with a portrait of an older man with short white hair and a short white beard.

David Hill on the challenge of getting boys to read

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The life and times of a 19th century Wellington bug collector

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How to talk to strangers, and other things I learned drawing 1,462 New Zealanders

A Court of Thorns and Roses cover on a stool with colourful shapes behind it.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending October 30

The Spinoff Review of Books

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Music

Teeks has found inspiration and growth in a failed relationship.

Teeks has made an album so hot it hurts

Lily Allen on the phone sharing the bad news with her New Zealand fans.

Sad! The year’s most interesting pop show has just been cancelled

olivia dean at western springs

Olivia Dean's big night did not go to plan

Paul Goldsmith

Silver Scrolls: Why does Paul Goldsmith keep turning up to these things?

The cover of Che Fu's 2001 album Navigator.

The ‘soundtrack of Aotearoa’: Che Fu’s Navigator, 25 years on

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If Laneway’s 2027 poster feels slight, there’s a reason for that

Stage

Chris Parke

‘Better than The Chase’: Chris Parker on why live art is so good

a woman with shoulder length grey and brown hair smiles to the camera on a background of lined paper and some speech bubble cutouts

'Hope is an act of defiance': Miranda Harcourt on avoiding paranoia and negativity

a portrait of a middle aged man with blue eyes, white skin, and dark brown short curly hair. He wears a forest green collared shirt

‘I can’t wait to put them in a play’: Dave Armstrong on the benefits of meeting insufferable people

Amit Ohdedar doesn’t regret a single moment living in New Zealand

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

Urzila Carlson on why having good manners trumps all

Visual Arts

A white art deco building with LADIES REST above the door against a blue sky

The hard-fought history of women’s public toilets in New Zealand

Westlake Boys High School sewing club.

Inside the Westlake Boys High School sewing club

A person in black clothes sits in an art studio surrounded by paint cans, artworks, and art supplies, with colorful paintings and splattered walls in the background.

Meet the artist who created a new portrait every day for a year

Chevron Hassett

A man stands in front of a garage art studio, wearing a brown jacket and black hoodie. Behind him are large abstract artworks, canvases, and art supplies.

How Hugo Koha Lindsay turned colonial blackboards into works of Māori resistance

Chevron Hassett

The inside story of Simon the sign guy, Wellington’s favourite street artist

Lyric Waiwiri-Smith

an older woman wearing a loose black top and cream skirt sits in an eclectic living room painted purple and filled with art on the walls

‘We are oppressed by a brutal bourgeoisie’: What 96 years of living has taught painter Jacqueline Fahey

More in Culture

South African-born, Aotearoa-raised rapper Furo 4404 poses with his hands outstretched and head lowered against a textured brown and mint-green graphic background.

Rapper Furo 4404 thinks most hip-hop music sucks

a haunted looking image of a bare forest in the background, with the headshots of a man and a woman overlaid on an orange colour splotch

What Noelle McCarthy and Tom Sainsbury are reading for Halloween

Noelle McCarthy

A black and white picture of Richard Wolfe who is an older man with white hair. He's wearing a black t-shirt. Behind him is a collage of coloured shapes.

'I enjoy serendipitous finds in the community libraries': Richard Wolfe's rich reading life

The Spinoff Review of Books

A woman sitting on a log outside

I had to breastfeed other people's babies at Gloriavale

Rosanna Overcomer

A black and white head and shoulders photo of writer Kaarina Parker who is a young woman with shoulder length hair.

'I too would have loved to cut off Cicero’s head': Kaarina Parker's books confessional

The Spinoff Review of Books

Our writers

Liam Rātana

Liam Rātana

Ātea

Politics

Sport

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Meet the nine new Māori MPs entering parliament

Te Pāti Māori holds five seats despite turmoil, as Greens surge

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Chris Schulz

Chris Schulz

Society

Music

Business

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Why do 0% beer fans keep getting asked for ID?

Teeks has made an album so hot it hurts

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Alex Casey

Alex Casey

TV & Film

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Review: Big Girls Don’t Cry captures the endless ache of adolescence

Buyer beware: New pineapple Fruju found cosplaying as grapefruit

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Toby Manhire

Toby Manhire

Politics

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Sport

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‘She would have been, like, are you insane?’ Qiulae Wong on her new job

Seriously, 131 MPs? There literally aren't enough seats for them in parliament

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Veronica Schmidt

Politics

Culture

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RNZ’s Lisa Owen takes to RNZ’s chair over $12m budget blowout

Veronica Schmidt

Tomorrow is election day. We'll have rolling coverage, yes, but also dogs

Veronica Schmidt

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Claire Mabey

Claire Mabey

Books

Culture

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How one man's passion for rugby league is getting kids into reading

Meet the tiny indie publisher behind the New Zealand novel of the year

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Tara Ward

Tara Ward

TV & Film

Politics

Society

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The entrances of election night, ranked

All the weird and wonderful things from election night coverage

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Emma Gleason

Emma Gleason

Culture

Business

Kai

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Election 2026: All the most statesmanlike and skux fashion wins last night

Where to go for cheap eats in Auckland central – and where to splurge

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