SIDE EYE 23 TRAP LIFE Header

SocietyNovember 27, 2019

The Side Eye: The Trap Life

Comic artist

Share Story

×

×

Share Story

×

SIDE EYE 23 TRAP LIFE Header

The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series here.

A new fantasy by Francis Spufford, and a newish novel from Elisabeth Easther make the charts this week.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending April 10

Amaze, amaze, amaze!

By The Spinoff Review of Books | 10th April, 2026

It’s just Elijah Just (Photo: Getty Images)

Why the All Whites should switch to black

NZ Football said it to fool us, but the joke’s on them – it’s actually a good idea.

By Calum Henderson | 10th April, 2026

Production editor

Big inclines, little screens: Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium, reviewed

Big inclines, little screens: Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium, reviewed

We were there for a day of historic firsts inside Ōtautahi’s long-awaited $683 million stadium.

By Alex Casey | 10th April, 2026

According to one dealer, buyers have gone from carefully researching models to ‘What EVs have you got? OK, we’ll buy it.’ (Photo: Getty Images)

Fomo at the forecourt: EV sales skyrocket amid surging fuel prices

Fear of missing out on cheaper running costs has sent EV registrations soaring four-fold – and now dealers are selling cars that haven't even left Japan.

By Catherine McGregor | 10th April, 2026

Contributing writer

The downside is you have to sell a kidney for diesel. The upside is there are fewer traffic jams. (Image: Emily Wong)

Driving has never been worse. Driving has never been better

More people are getting on buses and bikes and the roads are clearer for cars. Who would have thought?

By Hayden Donnell | 10th April, 2026

For the second year in a row, Donald Trump is messing with NZ’s economy

Has Trump ruined NZ’s economy again?

Even if the US-Iran ceasefire holds, we're not out of the woods.

By Dan Brunskill | 10th April, 2026

Gone By Lunchtime (Image: Tina Tiller)

Gone By Lunchtime: The force majeure election

Wars, cyclones and mayhem everywhere.

By The Spinoff | 9th April, 2026

(Left) Gregor Kregar, Cumulus Structure, 2026; (Left) Gregor Kregar, T-REX Reflection, 2026. Both sculptures feature in the Auckland Art Fair Sculpture Trail.

The Weed Eaters, Georgia Knight and the Auckland Art Fair Sculpture Trail: The Spinoff event guide

The Weed Eaters hits Gisborne this week.

By Claire Mabey | 9th April, 2026

Puka Moeau plays the little worm

The Worm reviewed by the target audience – an eight-year-old

Theatre criticism about characters and costumes, but also Pringles and stuff the reviewer yelled at the cast.

By Veronica Schmidt

& Emma | 9th April, 2026

Society

How NZ may look this winter. Or not…

It could get properly cold this winter

It's too early to say for sure, but if an expected El Nino develops by June, more cold southwest airstreams could blow across the country than in recent winters.

By Paul Gorman | 8th April, 2026

Boil water notices see some New Zealanders having to boil their tap water for safety

Here’s what you might not know about a boil water notice

A boil water notice is in place for parts of Auckland – and there's more to it than not filling your glass from the tap.

By Emma Gleason | 7th April, 2026

The cost of being: A recent graduate now living and working in Australia

'Moving here drained my savings soooo much, so for now I'm back to basics.'

By The Cost of Being | 7th April, 2026

Revealed: The New Zealand city most likely to say thank you to the bus driver

Over the past week, The Spinoff has been stealthily logging thanks yous uttered on buses across the motu.

By The Spinoff | 7th April, 2026

Range anxiety: the reality of owning an EV

Commuting? Amazing. Maintenance? A breeze. Road trips? Hmmmm.

By Henry Oliver | 4th April, 2026