The Best Of

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Meet the Southland principal who wrote and directed a feature length fantasy epic starring the whole school.

‘Primary school LOTR’: The principal giving Peter Jackson a run for his money

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Making a splash: Is this the most impressive select committee submission ever?

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If you want to read a book that makes you feel good about your body, I beg you to look elsewhere.

In defence of Sally Rooney’s skinny protagonists

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Some are simply terrible. Others are fanciful but fun. A couple are actually quite good – but there can only be one champion, and it might shock you.

All the Auckland harbour crossing ideas, ranked from worst to best

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'I knew NZJH would be unlikely to publish my review but I couldn’t in good conscience have written anything else.'

The NZ journal that commissioned then spiked a critical review of its co-editor’s book

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If we’re after a tonic for what ails us, Live and Let Dai is a compulsory first dose.

Review: In confronting death, Dai Henwood is teaching us how to live

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We're unlikely to meet our target by buying carbon credits or reducing our emissions. So will we just leave the Paris Agreement? 

Paris is burning: Will New Zealand abandon its climate change targets?

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The Casey Costello guide to the school holidays

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For all the spectacle of WoW, Alex Casey couldn't tear her eyes off Christopher Luxon in the front row. 

I watched Christopher Luxon watch the World of Wearable Art

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The council’s new noise restrictions on a popular underage music venue are symptomatic of wider issues within the scene, says one gig organiser.

Auckland’s dying all-ages gig scene loses another venue

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A few levers the council could pull to boost cafes and bars during an economic downturn.

Windbag: Return-to-office won’t save Wellington hospo. Here’s what could

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'This is the biggest crowd in the Octagon since Danyon Loader came through here in 92.'

‘National hates the south’: On the ground at the Ōtepoti hospital protest

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Hear me out: Stop saying ‘problematic’

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It’s mainly family violence, and mainly female victims.

Exclusive: Here’s what we weren’t told about the recent rise in violent crime 

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The gold-laden Titanic of the Pacific continues to capture our imaginations, even as an ecological disaster looms.

The deep allure of the RMS Niagara, one of New Zealand’s most notorious shipwrecks

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Joy Cowley reveals her enthralling life story, from a difficult childhood, to getting drunk with Roald Dahl, to encountering an Arctic polar bear.

Finding Joy: The fascinating and painful life of Aotearoa’s most prolific writer

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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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$3 billion for a new hospital? Unaffordable. $3 billion for a new motorway? Now we’re talking.

The things that are unaffordable and the things that aren’t

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Flaky pastry, rich gravy and slow-cooked meat that falls apart in your mouth. A search for the capital's best pie. 

A tasting tour of Wellington’s best pies

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The star of the prime ministerial press stand-ups is stepping down. Who will fill his angry shoes?

Huge opportunity: Could you be the guy standing behind the PM looking furious? 

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Last time, not even 10% of voters could be bothered.

The Auckland election on right now that almost nobody can be arsed with

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I'm sorry, but I can't stop apologising. 

Help me Hera: I’m so apologetic I’m annoying everyone around me

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The Reserve Bank followed through on a widely predicted double rates cut. It's just the beginning.

The sun peeks through the economic clouds, but when will it fully emerge?

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Toheroa were so good, we ate them all. But one group is working hard to restore them along one of Aotearoa's most famous beaches.

The fight for the toheroa of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe

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From healthcare to schools to roads, are core public services becoming the preserve of those who can afford them?

The slow drift towards ‘user pays’ risks turning New Zealand into a two-tier society

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As we head into the competition's final week, which of the six remaining castaways stand the best chance?

Celebrity Treasure Island power rankings: The mad king’s destiny

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Does the maligned Folie à Deux at least deserve a little credit for daring to try something different?

Review: The new Joker movie isn’t great, but is it really as bad as people are saying?

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John Campbell doesn’t solve a crime in his new series – instead he uncovers how long you can ask a question before someone finally listens to you.

Review: John Campbell, true crime and a taste of TVNZ’s new era

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The brat green billboards were right, the Chappell Roan rumours were wrong. 

Our quickfire reckons on the Laneway 2025 lineup

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

Mark’s statistics can be viewed in more detail 

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How many more times likely is a Māori person to have a police dog used against them? Twice as likely? Three times? Ten times? Toby Morris talks to Julia Whaipooti about Māori over-representation in the justice system. 

The Spinoff

The Best OfJune 28, 2019

The Side Eye: The receiving end

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The Best OfJune 28, 2019

The Side Eye: The receiving end

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