ICYMI: Chlöe Swarbrick, stock model doppelgängers, and the end of Covid-free NZ
15 June – 22 June
In it to win it: Chlöe Swarbrick’s run for Auckland Central
In the 2020 election, first term MP Chlöe Swarbrick will be one of just two Greens explicitly running to win an electorate. She spoke to Alex Braae about how she rates her chances of taking down National’s deputy leader.
Black New Zealanders on their fight: ‘I didn’t know how unseen we were’
Leonie Hayden talks to three young leaders of New Zealand’s Black Lives Matter movement about colonialism and justice – and why anti-Black racism isn’t just ‘an American problem’.
The week New Zealand’s border failed
Seven days ago New Zealand was basking in a Covid-free glow. But over the week, holes sprung in the managed isolation system, with a scramble to assert authority seeing the military called into an oversight role. Spinoff political editor Justin Giovannetti recounts an extraordinary few days in NZ’s Covid-19 response story.
Is this man David Farrier?
For years, people have been sending David Farrier photos of his stock model doppelgänger – a man who appears in every advert under the sun, from gynecological practices to 3-for-1 pizza deals. So Farrier decided to track him down.
“I enjoy the Spinoff for it's personable and human feel, covering world and local news with an acknowledgement of their own biases and of how these stories can impact us. I like the mix of heavy and light-hearted stories. In fact, it's on that basis I've managed to convince several people who find it difficult to stay informed because of how depressing it is, to subscribe to The Spinoff.”
- Sally Harper, Spinoff Member
Support our work. Join The Spinoff Members.
Solved: The mystery of Todd Muller’s upside down tino rangatiratanga flag photo
Todd Muller has been criticised for posing in front of an upside down tino rangatiratanga flag. Hayden Donnell deploys high-level investigative journalism to find out who’s responsible.
Good riddance to New York’s media bullies, from someone who knows
In recent weeks, several American editors have been exposed for their toxic work practices. For New Zealand journalist Kirsten Matthew, who spent a decade ensconced in this deeply dysfunctional culture, their day of reckoning comes not a moment too soon.
Sun showers and whitewashing: Golriz Ghahraman on arriving in Aotearoa
In this extract from Golriz Ghahraman’s new memoir, the Green Party MP and former refugee recounts how the Auckland she found herself in as a nine-year-old was starkly Pākehā – to the point that she assumed Māori must be refugees, too.
Embracing an online-first world: How lockdown changed the game for small business
Partner content – Covid-19 forced both shoppers and small businesses to quickly adapt to a digital-only world. As life returns to something closer to normal, Visa’s Marty Kerr explains how businesses can respond to consumers’ changed habits.
‘New Korean’ restaurant Gochu is giving classic flavours a modern twist
The duo behind Parnell eatery Simon & Lee talk to Jihee Junn about Gochu, their latest venture in Auckland’s Commercial Bay, and the emerging mainstream popularity of Korean cuisine.
