The Best Of

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Shortsightedness in kids is skyrocketing overseas. Is New Zealand next?

Staring down the ‘silent epidemic’ of myopia in children

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'People always joke that they hope I never contact them. Because for blokes, it's probably the child they never knew about. And for women, it’s probably the child they’ve never spoken about.'

‘One hell of a shock’: Why not everyone wants flowers from David Lomas

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'Some people might take the news elegantly … not running around the house like I did.'

‘Several hours screaming’: Jess Hong on being cast in Netflix’s most-watched series

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Did advertisers create this mess? Or are they our best shot at fixing it?

Advertising largely funds the media. How do ad execs view the current crisis?

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Subways, palaces, gold heists, rockets on trains and luxury nightlife? You Bollywood in Wellington.

When Wellington starred in a Bollywood spy thriller: a scene-by-scene breakdown

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We're more likely to see Judith Collins waving at us from space than 12 years of data on child poverty.<br />


All the things we won’t know in 10 years

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Their relationship strikes me as unhealthy and it's making me angry. What should I do?

Help Me Hera: I set up two of my closest friends and bitterly regret it

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Eyebrow wigs, oil spills, or Facebook Marketplace: where your cut hair ends up is anyone's guess. 

Do you know where your hair goes after it’s cut?

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The collapse of Newshub and job losses at TVNZ are just the public face of an evolving polycrisis in New Zealand media. Is there a way out?

What happens when you ask 20 NZ media CEOs two big questions?

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An operationalised, strategically aligned, actionable guide to the phraseology of prime minister Christopher Luxon.

The Christopher Luxon dictionary of corporate speak

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'It's 65 years back. I'm in my final year at Napier Boys' High, and I'm about to earn my first money from writing.'

‘He’s finally done it’: David Hill on the high school essay that made him a writer

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I watch the surface of the Hauraki Gulf swarm with signs of life, but a struggle for survival is taking place underneath.

The Sunday Essay: Piercing the living waters

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Tax battles lost, the lure of Dunedin, and which White Fern he most identifies with. 

At the cricket with Grant Robertson

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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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Original Paul Jennings book covers, ranked by their levels of body horror

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'We say to our kids every dinner time, you have no idea how lucky you are that we have all our own food here. And they just go ‘yeah yeah whatever mum'.'

‘We’d never move back’: Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie on swapping the hustle for the harvest

Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie on swapping the hustle for the harvest

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A 23-year-old dreams up a hopeful, sustainable future for the city he calls home.

Auckland 2074: a daydream of a future city

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Join us for a nose around parliament's own library, and the books its patrons have been borrowing. 

Ghosts, gargoyles and a mystery box: What’s inside our Parliamentary Library?

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After watching Paul Goldsmith play piano, Mad Chapman wants to see every politician's random hobby.

Every politician should have a hobby

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Vapes with high nicotine content and appealing labels were banned on March 21. But some outlets have continued to sell them – and at reduced prices.

Vape retailers openly selling banned products after law change

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Barcelona's city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? And why can't we do it here?

How superblocks can help reimagine city life

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Yes, they're better for the environment. No, that's not a good enough reason for me to use them. 

Hear me out: You can shove your reusable period products

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The government's plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start.

20,000 more on jobseeker benefits than this time last year

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Student advocates are calling for 'drastic measures' to force the university to take their concerns seriously.

Auckland uni students threaten rent strike over rising accommodation fees

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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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A new novel set in Wellington is a narrative of grief, and an ode to beautiful food writing. 

A love letter to Wellington: when i open the shop by romesh dissanayake, reviewed

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The government has made it well known it expects departments to cut roles. We break down the numbers as they currently stand.

An updated tally of the public sector job cuts

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Of course I wind down my window at the lights to profess my love to the strangers in the black De Tomaso Pantera. And of course they accommodate me with amused grins.

Confessions of an unlikely petrolhead

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I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here's exactly how it played out.

What it’s like to be made redundant by the Ministry of Education

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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