The one episode of Shortland Street you need to watch this year

The Spinoff Daily, Friday December 20

Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.

Today on The Spinoff: the songs New Zealanders listened to most in 2024; reviewing and ranking Aotearoa’s alcohol-free bubblies; Hera Lindsay Bird’s ideal reads for every age, 31 and up; and Unity Books’ top-selling books of the year.

But first: Tara Ward gets you up to speed on everything you need to know before Shorty’s big Christmas cliffhanger.

If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of the year is always a super-sized dose of drama, devastation and death, with past cliffhangers featuring bombings, shootings, fires, kidnappings, murders and stabbings. Trucks have crashed through reception, brides have died on their wedding day, and Santas have lost their shit. If something’s going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas.

Spread good cheer and good journalism by gifting a membership

It’s been a few weeks since we published our open letter outlining our current reality.

We revealed that only 2% of our audience support us financially and shared the real need to double the number of members who support us with monthly or annual payments. As of today, we are over one third of the way towards that target.

If you’re already a member, thank you. If you’re a member who wants to spread good cheer and good journalism, you can support The Spinoff by gifting someone else a membership for Christmas.

The real NZ Wrapped: Duncan Greive analyses the 2024 NZ Music charts

The boozeless bubbly of Aotearoa, reviewed and ranked

How the gambling industry is using influencers to appeal to a new generation

A book for every year of your life: Part two, ages 31 to the grave

‘Just like the pie’: Bubble tea is here to stay

Join us in 2025 for four fantastic events, or buy another Spinoff fan tickets for Christmas.

Auckland at Q Theatre: Gone by Lunchtime Live, April 9 and Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club Party, February 13

Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse: The Fold Live, February 20 and The Spinoff Book Club, March 13

The Unity Books bestseller chart for 2024

The Friday Poem: ‘Bejeweled log’ by Holly Fletcher

The Bulletin wrapped, 2024

Ten stories that defined New Zealand’s media in 2024

The Spinoff Daily, Thursday December 19

Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.

Today on The Spinoff: festive advice from Hera Lindsay Bird for all those juggling different expectations of Christmas, the song of the summer; the biggest stories of the year and our favourite movies of 2024

But first: Duncan Greive catalogues a torrid year for New Zealand’s media

It was a torrid year for almost every aspect of New Zealand’s media. Duncan Greive breaks down the key storylines – and the one vast, existential threat lurking underneath.

Listen to Duncan and Glen Kyne discuss these stories on the latest episode of The Fold.

Spread good cheer and good journalism by gifting a membership

It’s been a few weeks since we published our open letter outlining our current reality.

We revealed that only 2% of our audience support us financially and shared the real need to double the number of members who support us with monthly or annual payments. As of today, we are over one third of the way towards that target.

If you’re already a member, thank you. If you’re a member who wants to spread good cheer and good journalism, you can support The Spinoff by gifting someone else a membership for Christmas.

Help Me Hera: I hate spending Christmas with my in-laws

Banger alert: the song of the summer is ‘Harty Māori Stylez’

The Spinoff’s biggest stories of 2024

Join us in 2025 for four fantastic events, or buy another Spinoff fan tickets for Christmas.

Auckland at Q Theatre: Gone by Lunchtime Live, April 9 and Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club Party, February 13

Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse: The Fold Live, February 20 and The Spinoff Book Club, March 13

The Spinoff’s favourite movies of 2024

The Bulletin: The year in five news events

A world on fire: the World Bulletin year in review

The 2024 Golden Jandals for conspicuous contributions to NZ politics

The Spinoff Daily, Tuesday December 17

Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.

Today on The Spinoff: What happened to the Queenstown KFC road sign?; The Spinoff’s favourite music of 2024; Our outlandish political predictions for 2024, revisited

But first: Toby Manhire and Ben McKay award the world’s most coveted footwear-themed political prizes

Forget boot camps. This is the jandal academy. Affordable, rubbery, and radiating that unmistakable aroma of sea salt and toe sweat, the official ceremony of the Golden Jandals begins now.

Spread good cheer and good journalism by gifting a membership

It’s been a few weeks since we published our open letter outlining our current reality.

We revealed that only 2% of our audience support us financially and shared the real need to double the number of members who support us with monthly or annual payments. As of today, we are over one third of the way towards that target.

If you’re already a member, thank you. If you’re a member who wants to spread good cheer and good journalism, you can support The Spinoff by gifting someone else a membership for Christmas.

What happened to the Queenstown KFC road sign?

The Spinoff’s favourite music of 2024

Our outlandish political predictions for 2024, revisited

Join us in 2025 for four fantastic events, or buy another Spinoff fan tickets for Christmas.

Auckland at Q Theatre: Gone by Lunchtime Live, April 9 and Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club Party, February 13

Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse: The Fold Live, February 20 and The Spinoff Book Club, March 13

How to not hug people you don’t want to hug this holiday season

The Bulletin: The very long road to fiscal recovery

In six hours, everything changed: Watching Korea’s political turmoil from afar

The Spinoff’s favourite TV shows of 2024

The Spinoff Daily, Monday December 16

Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.

Today on The Spinoff: Why demolishing the bridge would make Te Ngākau Civic Square a much better public space; the crisis facing Kōhanga reo; the People’s Choice awards for best books of 2024

But first: From evil penguins to globe-trotting jackals, here are the TV shows that we were animals for this year.

“We’ve already covered off our favourite local television moments of the year, but there is still so much more to dive into beyond our televisual shores. It was predicted that 2024 would be a rough year for television, what with the big streamers cutting their commissioning budgets and the ripple effect of the 2023 writers’ strike still being felt. Nevertheless, our square eyes persisted and we at The Spinoff still managed to watch a bunch of good stuff.”

Spread good cheer and good journalism by gifting a membership

It’s been a few weeks since we published our open letter outlining our current reality.

We revealed that only 2% of our audience support us financially and shared the real need to double the number of members who support us with monthly or annual payments. As of today, we are over one third of the way towards that target.

If you’re already a member, thank you. If you’re a member who wants to spread good cheer and good journalism, you can support The Spinoff by gifting someone else a membership for Christmas.

Windbag: Tear down the City to Sea Bridge

Empty classrooms, silent language: Kōhanga reo faces a crisis

The best books of 2024: The people’s choice

Join us in 2025 for four fantastic events, or buy another Spinoff fan tickets for Christmas.

Auckland at Q Theatre: Gone by Lunchtime Live, April 9 and Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club Party, February 13

Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse: The Fold Live, February 20 and The Spinoff Book Club, March 13

The cost of being: A public servant and mum who’s saving for a house deposit

What can we learn from Australia’s version of the Marsden Fund furore?

The Bulletin: Councils back on the government’s naughty step

The ghosts of Wellington’s most atmospheric street

The Spinoff Daily, Monday December 16

Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.

Today on The Spinoff: Successfully avoiding one of this year’s most viral phrases; all the TV news we lost in 2024; fish poo and the push to discover the secrets of the sea floor

But first: What is it about Holloway Road? The ghosts of Wellington’s most atmospheric street

Claire Mabey explores the past and present of Holloway Road, one of Wellington’s most mysterious and storied communities.

“A pair of long-eared goats graze high on the verdant hillside. There’s a near-constant shriek of kākā flying overhead, passing over like fantastical creatures. The Lilliput library is stuffed and sits like an elven den, wooden and soft on the ledge beside the bright yellow house that used to be a post office. A heavy, fruity scent of roses hangs in the air. A skeleton in a magenta wig is draped over a wooden fence beside a hand-painted Toitū te Tiriti sign; foxgloves bloom pinkly in the grassy berms; another skeleton hand thrusts out of a front lawn to give a bony thumbs up. Three small Cruella de Vils trip down the footpath with their vampire dog, and behind them a fairy walks a cat-bat on a lead. A green-faced witch and a fortune teller oversee a table laden with lollies, corn chips and guac, a skull and a box of wine and are cackling at every cluster of trick-or-treaters who venture near. A single black cat treads silently down the middle of the road with the distinct air of owning the place.”

An update on the response to our open letter

It’s been a fortnight since we published our open letter outlining our current reality.

We revealed that only 2% of our audience support us financially and shared the real need to double the number of members who support us with monthly or annual payments. As of today, we are over one third of the way towards that target.

The response to our letter has been encouraging. Thank you to all our existing members who responded by donating or increasing their contributions. We’re grateful to all who also decided to sign up again. Welcome to our new members. We’re delighted to have you.We still have a way to go, but the support has made us as determined as ever to get there. Please continue to spread the word and share the letter. You can also gift someone a membership for Christmas or donate as an organisation or company.

If you haven't yet, please become a member or donate today.

To all the TV news we lost in 2024

Carbon credits, fish poo and the push to discover the secrets of the sea floor

What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

I see hundreds of ads for togs so why is it so hard to find a decent pair?

I made it to the end of 2024 without finding out what ‘hawk tuah’ means

As soon as a new viral moment started circulating six months ago, Alex Casey made a choice to avoid it for as long as humanly possible. This is her story.

A love letter to my five friends

‘I’m very happy about that’: Frankie Stevens on being the voice of Christmas

The joint winner of this year’s Landfall Essay Competition: Wasteland: A response to a university restructure

‘A great song is one you can dance and cry to’: Elliott Dawson’s perfect weekend playlist

Get the best of The Spinoff sent to you over summer

If you’re subscribed to The Spinoff Daily you’ll receive our twice-weekly digest over the summer break – sent at the leisurely time of 10am on Tuesdays and Fridays, and containing a handpicked selection of the best of The Spinoff this year. Perfect for beach, bach, backyard or travel reading.