The Spinoff’s favourite TV shows of 2025
From the modern horrors of Adolescence to the campy twists of The Celebrity Traitors UK, here’s everything we…
The beep test: ‘Ritual humiliation’ or efficient fitness appraisal?
You probably did it at high school. Your kid probably did too. But why? *BEEP*: Wait, what’s happening?…
How hard is it to eat enough vegetables? Pretty hard
The vast majority of New Zealanders fall short of the recommended five servings of vegetables a day, according…
When art is life: the exhaustive (and sometimes exhausting) Chris Knox biography, reviewed
Claire Mabey reads Not Given Lightly, Craig Robertson’s long-awaited biography of iconic, contradictory artist Chris Knox. Where do…
Who can write a novel today?Â
Claire Mabey argues that it’s high time we stop thinking of creative work as a nice-to-have; and instead…
What is ‘dark academia’ – and why is it having a moment?
Claire Mabey unpacks the not-quite-a-genre of dark academia: its features, themes and examples. What is dark academia? “Dark…
What would Sarah Jessica Parker think of Carrie Bradshaw’s novel?
Claire Mabey dissects the fragments of Carrie Bradshaw’s historical novel and wonders what Booker Prize 2025 judge Sarah…