Highlights from a wild week of concerts and festivals in Melbourne – most of which bypassed Aotearoa completely.

For many women and survivors of sexual violence, the crux of Jack Tame’s extraordinary interview with Andrew Coster on Q+A wasn’t the part where the former police commissioner narked on Mitchell and Hipkins.

National’s strategy in 2026 will be all about grand openings and major events.

Te Pāti Māori’s implosion has been the political shitstorm of the year.

A whole arsenal of offensive stuff we rarely think of or examine sits in our brains, and sometimes it goes kaboom.

Yesterday was the capstone to a multi-year symphony of simping.

It's facing a greater challenge than it has in decades, with its critics spanning a far wider spectrum.

Buried inside a megaproject for cars is a rare opportunity to carve out bus lanes, bike routes, and walkable streets – if Wellington’s leaders are bold enough to take it. 

Rather than 'restoring balance', it reinforces a Eurocentric framing of the past.

The future of Māori is heading in the right direction.

The government is turning up the heat on regional councils and hoping they won’t notice they’re being cooked.

From one perspective it’s troubling for our democracy. From another, it’s inspiring for all of us who persist in spite of the revulsion we engender in allies and opponents alike.

In his first council meeting as Wellington mayor, Andrew Little opened a political rift between Labour and the Greens.

Tino rangatiratanga is important, but mātauranga is what we are truly at risk of losing.

Follow that car! Leap out in the rain and tell us you’ve changed! New Spinoff editor Veronica Schmidt says Aotearoa needs a rom-com turning point.