Culture
Premiere: Merk makes door hinges sound cool in his new music video
There’s a metallic synth sound, almost like a squeaking hinge, in Merk’s latest single ‘H.N.Y.B’. You wouldn’t think a door hinge in need of lubrication is…
How to stop being afraid of the word 'fat'
Ema Tavola first learnt about BMI when she was at school. “We went around the class. Everyone got weighed, and then we looked at everyone on…
Illustrations of what I think about on Waitangi Day
This Waitangi Day, we asked illustrators from across Aotearoa to draw what they think about on February 6th. Their images speak of resilience, courage, tenacity and…
Backstage on a giddy night at the Pride Gala
We handed Freya Finch, the director of OurGala, and Hugo Grrrl, drag king and effervescent MC of the night, a disposable camera each to take photos…
“Righteous and Confident”: Being 18 in New Zealand Today
Classic coming-of-age tales used to include some combination of driving, sex, first loves, alcohol and arguing with your parents. But what would the story motifs be…
Crafting a cartoon: Tales of Nai Nai
The new animated show Tales of Nai Nai needed over 400 mouth shapes to be digitally drawn, and most of them appear on their characters face…
What I know about the business of stripping
Top earners in the world of stripping know the art of the hustle. They understand that for men to feel comfortable spending money on them, they…
James Roque is using comedy to heal scars of colonisation
If you’ve ever been caught short you may have popped into the local dairy to grab a few essentials – toothbrush, toothpaste, maybe a bit of…
Regarde Moi: an exhibition by three siblings making art for themselves
When Synthia Bahati’s Burundian family first moved from Tanzania to Auckland’s North Shore as refugees, they were a source of fascination. “People would come up to…
The Others Way Festival
K’Road made a strong argument for being the home of music in Aotearoa.
The Others Way Festival hit Karangahape Road on Friday night for an evening of eclectic…
Kai at Ihumātao is a symbol of aroha and resistance
The makeshift wharekai and kitchen at the Ihumātao occupation is full of activity. People stream in and out of the gazebo tents carrying trays of clean…
Carving a space for Chinese artists at Auckland's Mercury Plaza
Growing up in Auckland, Ross Liew didn’t think he was brought up Chinese. “But turns out,” he says, “it just didn’t look Chinese or sound Chinese.…
Ihumātao in photos
Hundreds of people have gathered to protest against a new housing development planned for the land at Ihumātao (Te ihu o Mataaho). The Ihumātao occupation is…
The Asian beauty wave: monolids, puppy eyes and self-realisation
“We have a different bone structure around our eyes,” says Katherine, “and they have more… what do I say, 3D features?”
There’s lots of giggling as we…
Sex workers portray themselves the way they want to be seen
Art has been obsessed with sex workers for centuries. From Picasso to Dostoyevsky to Satine the courtesan from Moulin Rouge!, sex workers have long been a…
The World Press Photo exhibition
Their journey to the USA was over, along with the hopes that her daughter Yanela Sanchez might grow up to see a brighter future in the…
How fireworks are helping decolonise Wellington
This past Sunday, Wellington held its second annual Matariki Sky Show – a fireworks display that is just one event in the dozens organised as part…
Snapshots of trash
“It’s really hard to ignore the issue of garbage and consumption when you’re laying in it”Photographer Gregg Segal turned the camera on himself and his family.…
Wasted
Our student culture of getting wasted and transitioning into professionals.Seven years ago. 1am on a freezing Dunedin morning.
Everybody around me had their pants off – as…
PREP's Coconut Tomato Spaghetti
Natalie from PREP traded in long days on the road as a truck driver for long days in the kitchen as the founder of PREP - a…
Is sugar babying sex work?
Sugar babies are supposed to lie in the space between a girlfriend and a sex worker - generally young women who spend time with older men…