The Best Of

National just loves mums (composite graphic by The Spinoff)

Amazing: National has finally discovered women exist

A groundbreaking discovery that could change everything.

By Alex Casey | 28th July, 2026

Darryl Bryant outside Karamu Barrelworks (Photo: Hayden Donnell)

The best beers in New Zealand come from a shed in the back blocks of Hamilton

Last night, Karamu Barrelworks was crowned the overall champion brewery at the NZ Beer Awards, which is pretty impressive for a one-man operation run out of a shed by a guy called Daryl.

By Hayden Donnell | 26th July, 2026

Help Me Hera: Am I too old to learn to drive?

Help Me Hera: Am I too old to learn to drive?

By Hera Lindsay Bird | 23rd July, 2026

Contributing writer

Image by Tina Tiller

100 more outstanding New Zealand songs that didn’t make RNZ’s Waiata 100 list

There is simply too much good New Zealand music out there.

By The Spinoff | 15th July, 2026

Sam Neill surveys his paddocky vines in Central Otago. (Photo: Ross Land/Getty Images)

‘You thought he would always be there, like the Southern Alps’: Memories of Sam Neill

A giant of the pictures, paddocks (two) and protest, Sir Sam Neill has died at 78. Friends and colleagues share their memories of an extraordinary New Zealander.

By Toby Manhire | 14th July, 2026

Editor-at-large

Sam Neill’s life in TV.

Sam Neill’s extraordinary life on our screens, in his own words

New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. In 2024, he spoke with Alex Casey about his extraordinary life on our screens.

By Alex Casey | 13th July, 2026

Voting isn’t a privilege; it’s our foundational democratic right.

Idea: We should let people vote

Winston Peters called voting a 'privilege' that should be reserved for citizens. Counterpoint: it’s actually our foundational democratic right.

By Hayden Donnell | 8th July, 2026

Left: Gay Liberation Movement demonstrates in Wellington in 1974 (Evening Post/Alexander Turnbull Library). Right: Transgender rights rally, Wellington, 2021 (Getty)

From anti-gay to anti-trans: rhetoric’s the same, 40 years after homosexual law reform

It's 40 years since gay sex was decriminalised, but the scare tactics used in the 1980s are still being deployed now.

By Quentin Allan | 7th July, 2026

A desperate attempt to find any New Zealand connection to the Taylor Swift wedding

A desperate attempt to find any New Zealand connection to the Taylor Swift wedding

They may not have got married here, but that doesn’t mean Aotearoa wasn’t the unofficial guest of honour at Taylor Swift’s wedding.

By Alex Casey | 6th July, 2026

People don’t much love our leaders.

Are we about to elect our least popular prime minister for 33 years?

Polling suggests the PM for the next term of parliament will arrive on a wave of meh.

By Toby Manhire | 6th July, 2026

Editor-at-large

Photo by: Liam Rātana

Meth ruined my dreams of going home to Northland

I want to be on my whenua, with my hapū, but meth has moved in.

By Liam Rātana | 5th July, 2026

Leilani Momoisea fights (Photo: Rāwhai)

Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face

… and other lessons you learn when you decide to fight.

By Leilani Momoiseā | 4th July, 2026

Michael Laws and Winston Peters are returning to rodeo together. Collage by Tina Tiller

Luigi and the Ferret ride again: the long, dazzling double-act of Michael Laws and Winston Peters

Michael Laws is running for parliament again, reuniting with New Zealand First and the 'master salesman' he first worked with almost four decades ago.

By Toby Manhire | 3rd July, 2026

Editor-at-large

Andrew Little, Dean Silvester and Ray Chung.

Police denied making a complaint about Ray Chung. So, what’s this text?

The Spinoff tried to get details about concerns police raised with Wellington’s mayor. Three months later we’ve finally found out what happened.

By Joel MacManus | 3rd July, 2026