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New Zealand’s love for Liam Lawson, explained

Who is he and what's driving the never ending pile-up of headlines about him?

By Emma Gleason | 23rd December, 2025

Contributing writer

So what are the kids up to for New Year’s these days?

'I'd rather take ketamine than drink a box of beers.'

By Alex Casey | 23rd December, 2025

Splore could have been saved

Why did a single Linkin Park concert receive government funding but Aotearoa's longest-running music festival didn't?

By Chris Schulz | 23rd December, 2025

Our 10 wild political predictions for 2025, revisited

Our wildest dreams failed to come true in 2025, but who's to say they never will?

By Lyric Waiwiri-Smith | 23rd December, 2025

Politics reporter

New To Streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more over the holidays

If you have a stressful holiday period incoming, just know it still can't be worse than The Pitt season two.

By Thomas Giblin | 22nd December, 2025

Images: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Footprints 07858/ Decor Cakes; design: The Spinoff)

The Ōtāhuhu cake institution that’s been creating edible masterpieces for 60 years

For Tāmaki Makaurau's most fantastical cakes, head southside.

By Charlotte Muru-Lanning | 22nd December, 2025

Contributing writer

Mourners gather after 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in the shocking attack at Bondi.

From Bondi, we must learn Jewish and Palestinian safety and liberation are intertwined

Antisemitic violence is wrong in the way all forms of racist violence are wrong.

By Nadia Abu-Shanab and Justine Sachs | 22nd December, 2025

What it was like to have Fred Dagg as a dad

What it was like to have Fred Dagg as a dad

'We always felt like we shared him.'

By Alex Casey | 22nd December, 2025

Image: The Spinoff

The Spinoff’s biggest stories of 2025

Retail embarrassment, great walks, the c-word and more – fill your browser tabs with this year's most popular reads.

By The Spinoff | 22nd December, 2025

bookpublishers.co.nz targets New Zealand authors with bold claims

Disappointed authors, dead-end addresses and the .co.nz book publishing website with no NZ staff

bookpublishers.co.nz has an 09-phone number and claims it’s one of the top publishers in New Zealand, but its digital trail leads to the UK and Pakistan.

By Claire Mabey | 22nd December, 2025

Image: The Spinoff

Sorry! The economic recovery you ordered has been delayed

Expectations were repeatedly raised and dashed, but 2025 ended up being another frustrating year in the desert for many New Zealanders.

By Dan Brunskill | 22nd December, 2025

Yawynne Yem and the council house she grew up in.

I was ashamed to grow up in a council house. Now, I feel lost without it

Love made Yawynne Yem self-conscious about living in a Wellington council house. But now she wishes she could take her boyfriend to see where she once covered black mould with One Direction posters.

By Yawynne Yem | 20th December, 2025

Jiaqiao Liu’s debut poetry collection was taken out of Ockhams contention due to the use of a now defunct AI model in three of the poems.

AI got my poetry collection disqualified from the book awards – here’s my side of the story

'Personally, I am more interested in the artistic reasoning behind a writer's choice to use generative AI.'

By Jiaqiao Liu | 20th December, 2025

Be prepared this summer. (Design: The Spinoff).

The Spinoff guide to life: How to return home like a pro this summer

Heading back to small-town Aotearoa over Christmas? Not being a dick will get you a long way.

By The Spinoff guide to life | 20th December, 2025