This late-in-the-year howl from Hayden Donnell captured the mood of the people.<\/p>\n
2. Duncan Greive: Tom Phillips, Clarke Gayford and rumours that won\u2019t go away<\/a><\/p>\n Intense speculation was spreading on unregulated social media platforms, and Duncan Greive\u2019s take had readers enthralled.<\/p>\n 3. Madeleine Chapman: An argument with myself about Tin\u0101, the movie of the moment<\/a><\/p>\n Erstwhile editor Madeleine Chapman\u2019s thoughtful analysis was a huge hit.<\/p>\n 4. My Life in TV: \u2018I should have walked out\u2019: The live Breakfast moment Ali Mau regrets to this day<\/a><\/p>\n This headline drew curious readers in like moths to a flame.<\/p>\n 5. Anna Rawhiti-Connell: Is \u2018cunt\u2019 still the worst thing a woman can call another woman?<\/a><\/p>\n A question for the ages, sparked by Andrea Vance\u2019s controversial c-bomb column.<\/p>\n 6. Max Rashbrooke: Luxon\u2019s epic unpopularity in one chart<\/a><\/p>\n More proof that people love to read about unpopular politicians.<\/p>\n 7. Ben Gatting: All 11 of New Zealand\u2019s Great Walks, ranked from worst to best<\/a><\/p>\n A classic Spinoff ranking, done well.<\/p>\n 8. Tara Ward: Adolescence is the best show you\u2019ll watch this year<\/a><\/p>\n A great review of a powerful show that had viewers the world over hooked.<\/p>\n 9. Shanti Mathias: How many phones will stop working after New Zealand\u2019s 3G shutdown?<\/a><\/p>\n Another December hit, this time news-you-can-use from Shanti Mathias.<\/p>\n 10. Chris Schulz: Taylor Swift will never again perform in New Zealand. Unless\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n Swifties and ellipsis fans flocked to this one.<\/p>\n Mostly our in-depth cover stories \u2013 these are the ones you lingered over the longest.<\/p>\n 1. Liam R\u0101tana: Hawaiki hou: M\u0101ori men at the turning point<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Kristin Hall: Back to the streets: Rotorua\u2019s enduring homelessness crisis<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Alex Casey: Is everyone getting Botox without me?<\/a><\/p>\n 4. Tara Ward: The birth of the Wests: How Outrageous Fortune came to be<\/a><\/p>\n 5. Anna Rankin: Grist for the mill: the slow death of New Zealand\u2019s industry towns<\/a><\/p>\n 6. Janhavi Gosavi: Inside Legacy: the MLM that thrives in secrecy<\/a><\/p>\n 7. Anonymous: Bumble fumbles: A brutally honest anthology of modern dating<\/a><\/p>\n 8. Joel MacManus: Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing<\/a><\/p>\n 9. Eric Frykberg: Perpetually broke: How New Zealand could (eventually) afford its future<\/a><\/p>\n 10. Tasha Black: The almost unbelievable story of New Zealand\u2019s greatest conman<\/a><\/p>\n 10 more great reads that just missed the cut<\/p>\n Nick Iles: The dream pub is real, and it is in Wellington<\/a><\/p>\n Alex Casey: How one 40-year-old song ended up in seemingly every big NZ movie of 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Shanti Mathias: IRD is learning the hard way what scams have done to trust<\/a><\/p>\n Joel MacManus: A play-by-play of Ray Chung\u2019s train wreck interview with Sean Plunket<\/a><\/p>\n Emma Wehipeihana: Diary of a Junior Doctor will make you cry \u2013 and it should<\/a><\/p>\n Alex Casey: \u2018Classic David and Goliath\u2019: The Christchurch food truck that\u2019s got KFC clucking mad<\/a><\/p>\n Preyanka Gothanayagi: NZ racism hits different: \u2018I\u2019m not even going to try to pronounce the next name\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Tom Augustine: All 86 staple items at a classic Kiwi bakery, ranked and reviewed<\/a><\/p>\n Alice Neville: The secretive Tory donor with the golden visa \u2013 and the ear of the Beehive<\/a><\/p>\n Hayden Donnell: Winners, losers, big losers and gigantic losers from the 2025 local elections<\/a><\/p>\n Hosted by the inimitable Robbie Nicol, our explainer video series shed light on everything from roadside drug testing to internet cables. Here are the five most popular.<\/p>\n 1. NZ\u2019s new roadside drug tests \u2013 explained<\/a><\/p>\n 2. NCEA is dead?<\/a><\/p>\n 3. The fragile underwater cables that connect us to the internet<\/a><\/p>\nImage: The Spinoff
\nThe stories you spent the most minutes reading<\/p>\nRobbie, Robbie, Robbie, Robbie and Robbie (Image: The Spinoff)
\nThe most-watched Now You Know videos<\/p>\n