Kia ora

The Spinoff

  • The Spinoff

Opinion

Dave Rennie has time travelled back to the All Blacks’ glory years to headhunt Gilbert Enoka and Sir Graham Henry (Image: Getty / The Spinoff)
Opinion

Dave Rennie is leading the All Blacks back to the future

The new coach has assembled some old familiar faces to help restore the team's dominance. But will his nostalgia-tinged appointments pay off?
avatar
By Paul Thomas | 21st May, 2026
Guest writer
Gurus: Nicola Willis and Sir Brian Roche (Image: The Spinoff)
Opinion

Thanks to Nicola Willis and Brian Roche, I now get that I’m just human capital

Please replace me with AI, for my chief concern is productivity.
avatar
By Veronica Schmidt | 21st May, 2026
Editor
Nicola Willis announcing the public service overhaul this week, against a backdrop of public service workforce stats (Photo: Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via Getty Images; Public Service Commission; additional design by The Spinoff)
Opinion

The human cost of governing by spreadsheet

A government that repeatedly destabilises workforces, reduces services and creates widespread insecurity will find the social contract beginning to erode.
avatar
By Rebecca Jayde | 21st May, 2026
Guest writer
Photo: Michael Klajban/CC BY-SA 4.0; design by The Spinoff
Opinion

The quiet but major shift slipped in among the conservation law reforms

A late addition to the suite of reforms changes the overarching purpose of the Conservation Act. Its impact could be profound.
avatar
By Melanie Nelson | 19th May, 2026
Guest writer
Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and Gerry Brownlee are all list-only candidates for National in 2026
Opinion

Why National should try to lose some electorates this election

A win isn't always the best result.
avatar
By Dan Brunskill | 18th May, 2026
Guest writer
Maybe we could try giving other people a go for our awards (clockwise from bottom, Ron Brierley, Allan Hubbard, James Wallace, Rod Drury and Bob Jones)
Opinion

After Rod Drury, can we flip our awards systems upside down?

It’s time for our awards to honour those at the bottom, not the top.
avatar
By Hayden Donnell | 14th May, 2026
Senior writer
Paul Goldsmith has kicked off a storm (Photo: Getty. Collage: The Spinoff)
Opinion

Is the climate law change this government’s jump the shark moment?

The government has ignored international law, the world's highest court, our own Supreme Court and the science.
avatar
By Martha Jeffries | 14th May, 2026
Guest writer
Maybe Nga wai hono i te po could enlighten the warring tribes of Westminster with some stability. (Photos: Getty. Collage: The Spinoff)
Opinion

The Māori queen could bring much-needed stability to the warring British tribes

Nga wai hono i te po arrives in London as British tribes continue to war over Downing Street. Perhaps she can bring them stability. Maybe she could whip them up a treaty?
avatar
By Jamie Tahana | 13th May, 2026
Guest writer
John Tamihere, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, and Hone Harawira. (Design: The Spinoff).
Opinion

Māori politics just got even more interesting

With Te Pāti Māori splintering, a new party in the north and the possible reappearance of a familiar face, the battle for the Māori seats is set to be one for the ages.
avatar
By Liam Rātana | 13th May, 2026
Ātea editor
Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins (Photo: Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images; additional design The Spinoff)
Opinion

The ‘grand coalition’ idea is gaining traction. Here’s why it wouldn’t work

The proposal neglects two major factors in politics: emotion and self-interest.
avatar
By Andrew Geddis | 11th May, 2026
Contributing writer
Ministers Chris Bishop and Simon Watts are trying to reform regional councils. Image: Joel MacManus
Opinion

The case for Super Rugby-based regional councils

The perfect map for regional government was drawn by a rugby administrator in 1995.
avatar
By Joel MacManus | 11th May, 2026
Senior writer
A blockade in the Taiwan Strait would hurt NZ much, much more than Hormuz
Opinion

A blockade in the Taiwan Strait would hurt NZ much, much more than Hormuz

If I were Nicola Willis, I'd be worrying about this.
avatar
By Anna Fifield | 7th May, 2026
Guest writer
Try to guess which MPs are from the 5th parliament and which are from the 54th. (Image: Tina Tiller)
Opinion

New Zealand’s immigration debate is like something out of the 1870s

Act is chasing NZ First who are chasing the anti-immigration vote.
avatar
By Joel MacManus | 6th May, 2026
Senior writer
Literally, the Kaimai Express was going to Tauranga. Metaphorically, it was heading into the past. (Image: Tina Tiller)
Opinion

A train trip back in time to before we screwed up our transport system

The Kaimai Express was a trip to a less car-dominated past. It may also have been a small taste of the future.
avatar
By Hayden Donnell | 5th May, 2026
Senior writer
When severe weather warnings don’t result in severe outcomes, people question their basis
Opinion

Severe weather warnings aren’t predictions – why do we judge them as such?

The issue is not that the data is wrong, it is that probability is being treated as prediction, and then judged accordingly.
avatar
By Ruben Miller | 5th May, 2026
Guest writer
James Christmas and Mahesh Muralidhar will be battling for the Tāmaki seat this election
Opinion

Can National win back Tāmaki now that Brooke van Velden is gone?

Brooke van Velden ran a strong campaign to win Tāmaki off National in 2020. Liam Hehir weighs up what will be different in this election's match-up.
avatar
By Liam Hehir | 5th May, 2026
Guest writer
The jandal in situ
Opinion

I’m obsessed with the jandal tag all over Auckland

After years of either ignoring or shaking her head at graffiti tags, Madeleine Chapman has fallen in love with the jandal.
avatar
By Madeleine Chapman | 4th May, 2026
Contributing editor
King Charles III and Donald Trump have made amends over war efforts. (Design: Tina Tiller).
Opinion

King Charles III: A symbol of peace, unity and protection

The monarch’s trip west was seen as a resounding success in repairing British and American ties.
avatar
By Liam Rātana | 3rd May, 2026
Ātea editor
Photo: Getty Images
Opinion

For some New Zealanders, not all immigrants are made equal

As election-year rhetoric ramps up, a recent study suggests a quarter of New Zealanders have negative feelings about immigrants from India.
avatar
By Nayantara Sheoran Appleton | 28th April, 2026
Guest writer
How to disappear completely: the Labour Party story
Opinion

How to disappear completely: the Labour Party story

The party’s strategy seems to be staying very quiet and still as its opponents implode.
avatar
By Hayden Donnell | 28th April, 2026
Senior writer

Sections

  • Video
  • Kai
  • Internet
  • Partners
  • Science
  • Society
  • Books
  • Sports
  • Media
  • Business

About

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Use of Generative AI 
  • Advertise
  • Jobs

Members

  • Donate
  • Members terms

Subscribe

  • Newsletters

FOLLOW US

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Privacy PolicyThe Spinoff Members Terms and ConditionsThe Spinoff Advertising Terms and Conditions

The Spinoff is subject to NZ Media Council procedures. A complaint must be first directed in writing, within one month of publication, to info@thespinoff.co.nz. If not satisfied with the response, the complaint may be referred to the online complaint form at www.presscouncil.org.nz along with a link to the relevant story and all correspondence with the publication.

© The Spinoff 2026
×
▼

Loading...