Behind the Story

Deputy editor Alice Neville joins Madeleine Chapman to discuss OIAs, wading through document dumps and making government speak accessible. Alice spends most of her time editing other writers’ work but when she does find time to write, she dives deep. Three weeks ago, we published a longform feature from Alice headlined “Inside the government’s beleaguered bid to reduce violent crime”. It detailed the many complicated layers in the government’s violent crime target, and walked us through why a simple target isn’t so straightforward. This week, she followed up by reporting on the details that weren’t included in the government’s recent updates. Including that the vast majority of additional violent crime victims in the latest survey were women, and the connection between financial stress and violent crime.

This week, staff writer Gabi Lardies steps in as guest host, joined by Books editor Claire Mabey to discuss her in-depth investigative cover story. Claire is deeply embedded in the publishing industry in Aotearoa, so she clearly remembers the shock when Narrative Muse was awarded $500,000 to boost sales of New Zealand books. In a closely connected sector, no-one had heard of Narrative Muse, or any of the people behind it, before. Three years later, Claire has canvassed the industry to see what impact that half a million dollars had, if any.

Bulletin editor Stewart Sowman-Lund has had a few roles in his time at the Spinoff, first as live updates editor, then reporter, and now as bulletin editor. Writing a bulletin every morning takes up plenty of his time, but he also specialises in following those random, one-off tips that every journalist gets.This week’s tip was from a man who had strangely been called by the police while driving, to tell him to stop using his phone while driving.

‘It was quite baffling’: Police call driver on motorway to say ‘stop using your phone’

This week 10 years ago, a website was launched. It was a TV blog, dedicated to the most prestige and the most comforting of shows, and it had two writers on staff, founder Duncan Greive and film critic Alex Casey. The first article ever published by thespinoff.co.nz was about the return of Full House. Today, that website has an editorial team of 20, with writers and editors in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. We have podcasts, like this one, video series and live events. The Spinoff 10 years on looks very different to the little TV blog that launched in September 2014. But some names persist. 

After more than 80 columns, Hera’s advice spans the spectrum of human troubles. For our live event, we revisited three problems from the archives, talked about Hera’s response, and heard updates from the callers themselves. Note: the callers emailed in their updates so the voices you hear won’t be their actual voices. Instead you’ll hear some of the greatest voice talent that works in the Spinoff offices.

To find out more about The Spinoff's series of live events visit https://thespinoff.co.nz/events

Help Me Hera: An acquaintance is in love with me and it’s making me uncomfortable

Help Me Hera: I’m trans and my mum is a Posie Parker superfan

Help Me Hera: I’m desperate to have kids but my partner is stalling

Staff writer Gabi Lardies has been to plenty of radical left gatherings in her time. But despite her enthusiasm for the causes, she’s found herself increasingly disillusioned with the results, or lack thereof. Last week, Gabi headed along to yet another meeting of Auckland’s radical leftists to report from the inside and see if this time would be any different.

The result is a gentle yet illuminating portrait of radical groups, regardless of the lean.

‘Where angels fear to tread’: A night at Auckland Irish Club with radical leftists

Documentary maker Julie Zhu is the director of Takeout Kids, an observational series following five children as they work and grow up in their parents’ shops.

The series is beautiful, both in the stories it tells but also literally, with a focus on scene-setting and stunning cinematography. Julie joins Madeleine Chapman this week to talk about how she finds the short stories within hours and hours of footage, and the special considerations required when filming with young people.

Takeout Kids season two trailer

The Ground We Won trailer

Takeout Kids season one

Anna Rawhiti-Connell knows more about the internet and how it functions than probably any other journalist in New Zealand. And this week she had the perfect subject: Raygun, the Olympic breakdancing competitor from Australia.

Raygun has been many different things since she first revealed herself in the final weekend of the Paris Games. She’s been an icon, an embarrassment, a hero, and now apparently the subject of an investigation. Anna tracked her rise and fall and rise and fall in a deep dive for The Spinoff. She joins Madeleine Chapman this week to talk about the latest developments, as well as share in some lukewarm takes about New Zealand’s success in Olympic sports.

Anatomy of an Olympic internet sensation: Raygun’s fall and rise and fall and rise and…

‘That’s hip hop’

Senior writer Alex Casey has this week written an incredible longform feature about the rising trend of young children coveting skincare. Note: this is not about makeup or wearing your mum’s lipstick. It’s about 10 year olds using serums and anti-wrinkle creams.

Alex has been thinking, writing about and living the beauty industry for years, and this is likely just the first in a series of big features about a billion-dollar industry with controversial aims. She joins Madeleine Chapman this week to talk about the unique challenges of interviewing kids and her own spotty history with skincare and beauty.

‘It’s insidious and dangerous’: The kids fighting wrinkles before their 10th birthday

Hera Lindsay Bird has been writing the extremely popular Help Me Hera advice column for over a year now, offering incisive, funny and wise guidance to New Zealand’s biggest and smallest problems. And soon, you’ll be able to hear her talk about that advice at some Spinoff live events. Hera joins Madeleine Chapman this week as she’s also an Olympics obsessive and has written about the games, specifically which events should be culled and which should be added. It’s surprisingly reasoned and justified for such a hot take.

Help Me Hera

Ten sports we should cut from the Olympic programme (and what could replace them)