SIDE EYE 17 SIX OUT OF TEN Header 2

The Best OfFebruary 28, 2019

The Side Eye: Six out of Ten

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SIDE EYE 17 SIX OUT OF TEN Header 2

The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here.

Photo: TVNZ

Who’s who in the new season of Taskmaster NZ?

Who are the five lucky contestants vying to win a golden model of Jeremy Wells’ noggin?

By Tara Ward | 31st August, 2026

National finance spokesperson Nicola Willis. (Photo: Getty, design: The Spinoff)

The carrot and the stick: National promise lower student loan repayments if you stay, and tougher penalties if you leave

The compulsory student loan repayment rate would drop from 12% to 10%, while overseas-based borrowers who don’t pay would face new penalties.

By Henry Oliver | 31st August, 2026

Bulletin editor

Chris Hipkins with candidates Mananui Ramsden (left), Willow-Jean Prime and Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. (Photo: Lyric Waiwiri-Smith)

As Labour eyes the Māori seats, te tiriti fades from the vision

Labour is hoping Māori will 'get real' and favour economic strategies over Treaty debates.

By Lyric Waiwiri-Smith | 31st August, 2026

Politics reporter

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is desperately trying to keep his wicket. (Image: Mark Cosgrove/Getty Images/The Spinoff)

Chris Hipkins is batting for a draw

Hipkins has been so focused on negating the case against Labour that he never built a cohesive argument for Labour.

By Joel MacManus | 31st August, 2026

Love, actually, at 50: ‘He’s literally the best thing that has ever happened to me’

Love, actually, at 50: ‘He’s literally the best thing that has ever happened to me’

'He's the best friend I have ever had.'

By Love actually | 30th August, 2026

An artist’s impression of the gulls at Pak’nSave Moorhouse. (Composite image: Tina Tiller/The Spinoff)

‘It’s mesmeric’: The Christchurch supermarket thousands of seagulls call home

Come for the cheap groceries, stay for the free nighttime seagull show.

By Alex Casey | 30th August, 2026

Sophie Devine at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso, and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe at the Women’s Rugby World Cup (Photos: Getty Images)

Ted Lasso could well be a NZ show and it makes me want to throw shit at my TV

The new season plays the indignities of women's sport for laughs, but they're grounded in reality.

By Zoe George | 30th August, 2026

Ngira Simmonds was always just one or two steps behind Tuheitia. (Photo: Supplied)

The Kiingi Tuheitia I knew, from a step or two behind

Former chief of staff and private secretary Ngira Simmonds remembers the late Māori king.

By Ngira Simmonds | 30th August, 2026

Noelle McCarthy (Photo: Kristine Crabb. Design: The Spinoff)

Noelle McCarthy on facing people after you’ve told your story of alcoholism and horrible sex

Having a memoir out is like people have gotten hold of your diary and the reason they have it is because you gave it to them.

By Noelle McCarthy | 29th August, 2026

The Best Of

David Hill (Photo: Supplied. Design: The Spinoff)

How being an only child shaped my life

As birth rates decline in New Zealand and around the world, David Hill remembers having no siblings back when that was the exception.

By David Hill | 15th August, 2026

Contributing writer

Photo: Getty Images. Composite image: The Spinoff

A third of people called for jury service last year didn’t show up. Is the system broken?

When trials are getting longer and the 'meagre daily payment' hasn't increased in 30 years, is it any wonder that most of us find a way of getting out of it?

By Shanti Mathias | 14th August, 2026

Contributing writer

The contenders. (Image: Tina Tiller)

The smooth peanut butters of New Zealand, ranked from worst to best

A shock fall for a much-heralded household favourite. A stunning rise for a budget brand.

By Hayden Donnell | 14th August, 2026