The Spinoff Weekly: You can leave Auckland on December 15. But should you?
November 15-22
A note to readers:
This is the last Monday evening version of The Spinoff Weekly. Starting this weekend, The Spinoff Weekly becomes The Spinoff Weekend, a curated collection of the best of The Spinoff’s big reads and deep dives delivered every Saturday morning, with updates, analysis, commentary and a personal touch from its author, Chris Schulz.
You can leave Auckland on December 15. But should you?
Aucklanders are already booking summer holiday houses in record numbers. Leonie Hayden argues for putting off that road trip just a little longer.
Introducing (and explaining) The Spinoff’s new look – and new site
The Spinoff’s creative director Toby Morris explains our new site, new app, new look and the evolution of our design philosophy.
A message from The Spinoff’s new editor Madeleine Chapman:
Like any good door-to-door salesperson, I’m about to cheerily introduce myself and then, in the very next breath, ask you for money. Hi! I’m Madeleine (or Mad) Chapman, previously an intern at The Spinoff, then a staff writer, senior writer and now editor. It certainly wasn’t the plan to step into this role in the middle of a delta outbreak, nor did I think my first weeks on the job would unfold alongside New Zealand’s largest city slowly coming out of stagnation. But despite the strange and unfortunate circumstances, The Spinoff team has stepped up once again, working tirelessly (and mostly from our bedrooms) to bring you the most important news when you need it, and the lighter moments when things are looking a little bleak. We’ve been able to continue this work because of the ongoing contributions from our members and I can’t thank you enough.
But can I boldly ask that you consider becoming a member if you aren’t one already? If you’ve read something on our site recently that you enjoyed or appreciated, consider it a koha for that alone, because every dollar donated through The Spinoff Members is used to create more of the work you see every day. With Christmas around the corner (which I’m finding genuinely hard to believe), there’s no such thing as shipping delays on a membership of The Spinoff bought for whānau and friends.
RIP centrism: Why Stuff is gradually moving left while the Herald inches right
The days of news outlets attempting to reach as broad an audience as possible are likely gone for good, writes former Mediaworks head of news Hal Crawford.
‘People froth it’: Inside the craze for Aotearoa’s most sought-after record
Home Brew’s debut EP has sparked a craze amongst collectors who are willing to pay big bucks for it. How high will they go?
Are New Zealanders ready for a ‘Tesla revolution’ in housing?
She wants to build affordable, spacious and private apartments for the masses – except the first lot of units she’s selling start at $2.9 million. Annelies Powell talks to Reweti Kohere about how Silicon Valley inspired her property development plans.
The Sunday Essay: Born and raised in Pātea
There is something in the water here, the ever-flowing awa that carries down Taranaki Maunga himself.
Matthew Ridge saved his big TV comeback for this?
After 10 years off screen, ‘Ridgey’ is back. Can he survive without the bro-downs and lad chat?
‘It still haunts me’: A vaccination plea from an ICU nurse in London
As an intensive care nurse in the UK during the first and second waves of the pandemic, New Zealander Caitlin Allen witnessed first-hand the carnage Covid wrought on an unvaccinated population. Aotearoa has a rare opportunity to avoid that, she writes.
Lots of kids’ books suck. Here’s how to pick a good one.
Writer and writing teacher Eirlys Hunter on the pragmatics of pinning down magic.
Health and safety is about far more than helmets
Partner content
While you may be familiar with your workplace’s safety procedures – helmets, closed-toe shoes and fire drills, for example – staying well at work is not just about reducing accidents. Ben Fahy talks to WorkSafe about the importance of work-related health.
