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The Spinoff Members

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'I wonder what went through his head every Anzac Day, every year. Maybe you could be forgiven for just wanting to get blitzed and forget about it altogether.'

Don’t mention the war: On grandparents and Anzac biscuits

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When faced with an abundance of radiant, fairly priced produce, I will always buy too much. But I refuse to let anything go to waste.

How to make the most of your market haul

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Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? 

All of the Raglan Roast cafes in Wellington, ranked from worst to best

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'Your Instagram makes it look like you buy lunch from Munchy Mart every day. Is this true?'

What does a uni student with two part-time jobs eat?

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With a fast-growing TikTok and Instagram following, food blogger Bryer Oden is serving up a delicious ode to Wellington’s food scene – all while embodying a genuinely healthy attitude towards food and eating.

Meet the ‘health sensation’ scouting Wellington’s best cheap CBD lunches

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Parāoa parai is kai Māori, but it also connects us to our indigenous whānau overseas.

Fry bread’s global history, from Native America to Aotearoa

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Comparing apples with apples is big business.

What’s behind the explosion of apple varieties at the supermarket?

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From the ovoid-at-all-costs to the truly eggceptional.

The mini Easter eggs of New Zealand, reviewed and ranked

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Often listed as a great source of iodine, feijoas in fact have... none? 

Feijoas and the iodine myth

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CCTV cameras, self-checkout machines, loyalty cards, facial recognition: is your information safe?

Supermarkets know everything from your gender to licence plate number. Do you care?

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Instagram will only get you so far in a new city. To find the best feeds, you need an uncle who loves an 'unpretentious' brekky spot.

Two brilliant breakfasts in Ōtautahi

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Seriously, we do not need a jam donut hot cross bun.

I tried 12 flavours of hot cross buns and don’t believe Jesus died for these sins

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Much Moore says the ‘more plant based, less dairy’ label used on some of its products is meant to inform customers. But not everyone is convinced.

Vegan advocates claim dessert branding ‘misleading’, MPI says otherwise

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Australia and the UK already don't tax food. Will Aotearoa follow suit?

Rawiri Waititi’s member’s bill to remove GST from food, explained

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Tōrere Macadamias have turned this Australian nut into a vehicle for Māori sustainability.

What do macadamia nuts have to do with kaitiakitanga?

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New Zealand has an overreliance on supermarkets. In times of intense need, it's the small, underfunded organisations that end up filling the gap. 

If there was a disaster next week, where would you go for food?

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Something about only seeing fresh or canned tomatoes your whole life makes this solution feel revelatory.

How to make the most of a bumper tomato crop by doing the bare minimum

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Flabby malt character, dad lagers and notes of wet cardboard are all in a day's work for these brew pros. Can a humble hop fan keep up?

Do you have what it takes to be a beer judge?

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An Auckland cafe is facing a backlash for poisoning birds. So what other options are there for dealing with unwanted feathered guests? 

Is poisoning pesky sparrows the right way to get rid of them?

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Even in its simplest form, bread is a dream – but it should be a dream that's easy to fulfil.

‘A child’s dream’: Baking bread in Palestine

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Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.

Remembering the great TrueBliss vs Bardot national anthem sing-off

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I'm on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help!

Help Me Hera: Do I even want the public sector job I might be about to lose?

Sunday Essay Hope McConnell Feature Image

For all its virtues, Anzac Day – unlike its cousin Armistice Day – is a commemoration of war, not peace.

Seize the day

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Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or RSA.

The first, forgotten Anzacs, more than 50 years before Gallipoli

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Poem for Anzac Day: ‘Hoki Mai’ by Tayi Tibble

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A poem from Bill Manhire's 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.

Poem for Anzac Day: ‘My World War I Poem’ by Bill Manhire

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The best-selling American writer on the ideal conditions for reading, the true meaning of utopia and more.

‘Emily Dickinson made me into a writer’: Lauren Groff on the power of reading

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An early and strong contender for book of the year. 

Page-turning rural gothic: Ash by Louise Wallace, reviewed

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'I just remember seeing them live for the first time and thinking to myself: This is it. This is the reason. This is what life is all about.'

‘It was my Eras tour’: Meet the world’s biggest TrueBliss fans

In the first in a series of Wellington-focused food comics, Liliana Mañetto Quick illustrates why she loves Cha, a haven of calm on Courtenay Place.

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Liliana Mañetto Quick illustrates her love for Cha, a haven of calm on Courtenay Place.

The Spinoff

KaiNovember 28, 2020

Cha chow down: A food comic about Courtenay Place’s cosiest cave

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KaiNovember 28, 2020

Cha chow down: A food comic about Courtenay Place’s cosiest cave

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