The Best Of

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From the low lows of abandoned empires to the high highs of a mall done just right.

All 33 malls in Auckland ranked from worst to best

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It’s a shambles of our own making, but it’s still one we can turn around.

It’s not too late to halt the death spiral of New Zealand’s public health system

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How and what to order, from tea to egg tart.

A beginner’s guide to yum cha

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The PM has never supported Seymour's bill in principle, or beyond first reading in practice, but his language has certainly changed. 

How has Luxon’s position on the Treaty Principles Bill changed over time?

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Newsrooms of old were apparently more impartial. But that’s only because everyone shared the same biases.

Who gets to have an opinion on the hīkoi and who must remain ‘impartial’?

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The CEOs of Westpac and Kiwibank are contemplating quitting Facebook over its inaction on scams.

Banks are grappling with a scam ‘crisis’ while Facebook profits from it

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On the most extraordinary human achievements you’ll never, ever notice, and possibly shouldn’t celebrate. 

The Nobel Prize in Not Beating Up Your Kids

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'It was pretty ugly, but when my life fell apart was actually when it all started.'

The rebuilding of Fazerdaze

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All 14 malls in Christchurch ranked from worst to best

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Despite its dwindling locations and reduced service, NZ Post remains a pillar in every community.

You’re gonna miss the post office when it’s gone

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The overwhelming feeling (other than exhaustion) was that we had protected our tīpuna and mokopuna.

‘Whaka round, find out’: When the hīkoi came to Auckland

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'Historians will be pointing to today and saying this was an important event in nation-building for this country.'

A hīkoi dispatch from Ōtautahi

Joel MacManus

Lyric Waiwiri-Smith

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Reports from Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch as the prime minister and agency leaders delivered a national apology.

Three rooms, one apology: Survivors gather across the motu for abuse in care reckoning

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A public apology may be imminent, but redress and accountability still look to be a long way off.

For abuse in care survivors, an apology without action means nothing

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An in-depth examination of the causes, implications and potential cures for homelessness across the country.

Inside the urgent race to solve homelessness in Aotearoa

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Hīkoi (v.24)

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David Hill is in his ninth decade. In a touching tribute to his late friend, he challenges some myths about 'old farts'.

On being undeniably, irretrievably old

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The seventh and final day of one man's foolish attempt to travel from the bottom of the country using only public transport.

The longest commute, day seven: Joel has reached the end*

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Vic Books closed down in January 2023, but its website and Twitter handle have risen from the dead. What's going on?

What’s up with the curious resurrection of a beloved Wellington bookstore?

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A reverse honeymoon that ended with a secret wedding, and the best first wedding gift imaginable: an XXL bottle of Irn Bru.

My Greatest Trip: Eloping and Nessie hunting in Scotland

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Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was.

The Weekend: What would you march for?

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Is there any statistical proof behind the stereotype that poets can't drive? A non-driving poet attempts to find out. 

Can poets drive? A sociocultural investigation

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A close read of three seven-lines poems by Zen teacher Richard von Sturmer.

How to read a poem: selections from Slender Volumes by Richard von Sturmer

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'I don't know what the chant in the second half of this song means, but by golly it slaps hard and feels good!'

‘By golly it slaps’: Arthur Ahbez’s perfect weekend playlist

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The Friday Poem: ‘Boyhood’ by Art Nahill

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Dolly-mania, new Murakami, and a brilliant local debut. 

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 22

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A cat and mouse thriller that's worth putting your phone down for. 

Review: The Day of the Jackal is a riveting and ridiculous ride

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Treasury says the recession will be deeper and last longer than predicted.

Hold the roosters, no economic dawn yet

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Can a united front hold through to election time?

This week three parties stood together – can they withstand the storm to come?

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

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Toby Morris gazes back to a time where almost every NZ yard had a plastic bottle full of water in the middle of it.

The Spinoff

The Best OfJuly 31, 2019

The Side Eye: The Bottles – a story about nostalgia and dog poo

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The Best OfJuly 31, 2019

The Side Eye: The Bottles – a story about nostalgia and dog poo

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