Sports

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The Spinoff Members

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The Bledisloe Cup of Scrabble is streaming live on YouTube all weekend. Here’s how to watch and everything else you need to know. 

Watch live: New Zealand vs Australia in the Trans-Tasman Scrabble Challenge

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On Saturday afternoon, Mate Ma'a Tonga (MMT) fans were on their way to watch a historic rugby league game.

In pictures: MMT fans turn Penrose red ahead of Tonga’s thrilling win

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With the World Cup won, there’s something else the White Ferns really want

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An occasion so impressive it made me do something I thought I never would.

Oh no… I think I’ve fallen for Auckland FC

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The winningest weekend for New Zealand sport

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His 'common sense' world view holds little time for losers and dreamers... with one major exception.

Mike Hosking is one of the Warriors’ biggest fans, and it doesn’t make any sense

Mike Hosking is one of the Warriors' biggest fans, and it doesn't make a lick of sense

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A shallow dive into the deeply competitive world of pinball in Aotearoa.

How I became the 193rd best pinballer in New Zealand

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It's a question that's been in the headlines for years. The problem is we’ve been looking to rugby writers for answers only psychics can offer.

Have the All Blacks lost their aura? Finally, a definitive answer

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Whether it's for strolling to the shops or sprinting for gold, the same skill, care and dedication goes into every prosthetic from this Auckland workshop.

Limbs without limits: How New Zealand Paralympians get geared up for glory

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The 2024 Paralympic Games begin on Wednesday in Paris. Here's who to cheer for.

Meet the 25 athletes representing New Zealand at the Paralympic Games

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Brannavan Gnanalingam on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine his two favourite things: mooching around Paris and watching the Olympics.

A postcard from the Paris Olympics

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With New Zealand’s press leaving Paris, ‘unparalleled’ Paralympics coverage falls on one reporter.

TVNZ’s 11-strong Olympics reporting team drops to just one for the Paralympics

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New Zealand's medal haul crept up by two overnight as the Paris games close.

A glorious and historic Olympics campaign comes to an end

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Was it a false measurement, a full-blown conspiracy or just some mild incompetence? 

How was Maddi Wesche’s final shot put throw not over 20m? A Spinoff investigation

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Wilcox is well on her way to setting a new record for cycling around the world. Shanti Mathias joins her on the road.

Riding with endurance athlete Lael Wilcox, the woman who just doesn’t stop

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Why are we making our winning athletes wear an ill-fitting jacket during the biggest moment of their lives? 

Our Olympians deserve so much more than fugly uniforms

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We attempt to find out which is more full of shit.

Is the Seine filthier than an Auckland beach after rain?

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Watching sports will always be best with a crowd. But there’s something magic about getting up in the middle of the night to watch alone on the couch.

The golden moments of 4am sport

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Drones, doping allegations, dirty water and much, much more.

The biggest scandals of the 2024 Paris Olympics so far

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Here’s something we can all win gold in: crying at the television.

Nothing beats an old-fashioned Olympics cry

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An interview with the acclaimed journalist ahead of his appearance in Aotearoa.

‘Everything is becoming a culture war’: Jon Ronson on conspiracies and cycleways

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'The best TV performance of the year is by an actor most British viewers won’t recognise, in a production that most won’t see.'

‘Deserves a Bafta’: After the Party premieres in the UK to five-star reviews 

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The new movie musical is undoubtedly a fun watch, but proof that bigger isn’t always better.

Review: The magic of Wicked and the curse of corporate greed

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There are calls for New Zealand’s Family Violence Act to name economic harm as a standalone type of violence.

Financial forms of family violence affect one in seven of us – but the law is lagging

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My parents are finally getting divorced. So why do I feel like my stepdad's feelings are still my problem?

Help Me Hera: Should I cut contact with my ex-stepdad?

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Gang members say it will create more problems, but the government argues it's about improving public safety.

Will banning gang patches actually make New Zealand safer?

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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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The 'free ride' for gangs has ended, says the government. But it might not be that simple.

The gang patch ban is now in force. What’s going to happen?

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The bill's author reflects on what it means for the Samoan community.

New law gives up to 3,480 Samoan elders back their right to NZ citizenship

Summer reissue: In 1995, Otago and All Blacks flanker Josh Kronfeld used his head – literally – to make a unique protest. 

 looks back at a memorable example of a New Zealander going against the grain.

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

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In 1995, Otago and All Blacks flanker Josh Kronfeld used his head – literally – to make a unique protest.

The Spinoff

SportsJanuary 6, 2024

The Side Eye: Sticking your neck out

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