The Best Of

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According to a Wellington urban legend, the notorious Ngāti Toa chief used to pull his waka onshore to drink at the city’s oldest pub. Is it true?

Windbag: Did Te Rauparaha really drink at the Thistle Inn?

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How a free concert in Aotea Square ended in chaos – and Dave Dobbyn being charged with inciting a riot.

Booze, brawls, batons and blood: The Queen Street riot, 40 years on

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'Pākehā don’t have a base camp like marae, or the tradition of dedicated ringawera in the kitchen, but we improvise.'

What I ate while I grieved

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The rising star MP on chairing the committee that will attract untold heat, his own path to politics, and whether haka are welcome at the hearings. 

Meet James Meager, the man left holding the treaty principles bill

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Artisanal upstarts, sad suburban relics and sprawling retail kingdoms: the city of the future has it all.

All 4.8 malls in Hamilton ranked from worst to best

Gabi Lardies

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A conversation about Damien Wilkins' latest novel.

What we thought about: Delirious by Damien Wilkins

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There’s plastic everywhere, and efforts to reduce it are limited by the power of big oil.

Is New Zealand – and the world – doing enough to tackle the plastic problem?

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Act had disproportionate influence in year one, says David Seymour. Is he right? 

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In a Q+A interview on Sunday, the prime minister said 'what I say to you is' 26 times in 30 minutes. 

A journey through the 26 times Luxon said ‘what I say to you is’ on Q+A

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'It could end up costing people their lives for the sake of a tan.'

‘Really dangerous’: The TikTok UV tanning trend that has made it to Aotearoa

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In praise of the people who turn up in service of other people's health.

God defend the breast screeners of New Zealand

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How to start reading again this summer

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I work in the public service because I want to serve the public. But right now that just doesn't seem possible. 

Help Me Hera: Everything feels so hopeless

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'There would be a monkey in the laundry, a camel in the front yard ... When you look back at it now, it was pretty incredible.'

The remarkable story of Willowbank, Christchurch’s first zoo

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In the first instalment of a three-part series, Oliver Neas investigates the dramatic showdown between councillors and activists over Wellington Airport.

Privatisation lost: How the Wellington Airport saga split the left

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The former minister and Auckland Central dynamo has died aged 44.

The indomitable Nikki Kaye

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Hundreds of thousands of New Zealand women are impacted by stalking and harassment, and they’re being failed by the official response. 

Zeni’s experience is extreme, but it isn’t rare

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Zeni Gibson has been stalked and gruesomely harassed for nearly nine years by a man in Wellington she rejected when she was 17. This is her story.

‘I need to make you suffer’: My near decade of violent harassment by a man I barely know 

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'Whenever you're writing about TV, there's always a bit of memoir in it.'

‘You bring your whole life to watching TV’: Critic Diana Wichtel on a life in review

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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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Ready the lifeboats: the coalition boat appears to be listing. 

Gone By Lunchtime: A plan to have a plan about some ferries

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From mullet competitions to ram raids, if it happened in Te Awamutu, the Courier was there to cover it.

A love letter to community newspapers 

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In which we judge this year's New Zealand books by their covers, and pick the top 10.

The Spinoff’s best NZ book covers of 2024

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From Holmes to Sheeran, a look back at some of the more memorable visitors Ferndale has ever seen.

A brief history of celebrity cameos on Shortland Street

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The selfishness of this city's drivers never fails to ruin my day. How do I get from A to B without wishing retribution on my fellow motorists?

Help Me Hera: How do I navigate Auckland traffic without going insane?

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The long-awaited drama about the new Interislander ferries reaches a pivotal moment.

An ‘announcement of an announcement’ of two new boats

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From 'testing' to 'tiring', there's a clear theme.

The world in 2024, in one sentence

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From fried chicken and franchises to fusion and fine dining, Korean cuisine has taken over Tāmaki Makaurau.

The inside story of Auckland’s Korean culinary boom

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The government says it's a 'technology-led approach'. Critics say it's an 'abject failure'. 

The finalised second Emissions Reduction Plan is out – what’s in it and what’s not?

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

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Sohail Din of the University of Auckland's Muslim Student Association talks to Toby Morris about Friday prayers and life after the Christchurch terrorist attacks for Muslim New Zealanders.

The Spinoff

The Best OfApril 2, 2019

The Side Eye: Who sets up the speakers?

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The Best OfApril 2, 2019

The Side Eye: Who sets up the speakers?

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