Join The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman as she sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the wee...
Recorded on the sandy shores of the mighty North, guest hosts Liam Rātana and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (along with regular producer Te Aihe Butler) take over The Fold for a behind-the-scenes look at how the media covers Waitangi. After three days of politician stand ups, haukāinga-led forum panels and more story leads than we had time to cover, what stood out? What did we learn? And how can The Spinoff get a golf cart for Waitangi 2026?
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29:51
The Spinoff enters the press gallery
This week was the first week back for politicians in parliament, which meant a big week for anyone reporting in the gallery. Newly minted Spinoff political reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith spent 12 hours listening to oral submissions to the select committee on the treaty principles bill, and started her new column Echo Chamber, which recaps the lively question times in the House for those too busy to watch parliament TV.
Lyric joined Madeleine Chapman to share how she’s settling in and what her aspirations are for the next six months in the gallery.
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15:56
Summer reissue: Raygun and the meme Olympics
Behind the Story is taking a break over summer. We’ll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here’s one of our favourites from 2024:
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’
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21:00
Summer reissue: A turning point for Māori activism
Behind the Story is taking a break over summer. We’ll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here’s one of our favourites from 2024:
The Spinoff’s new Ātea editor Liam Rātana started in his role on Monday May 27. On the Thursday of that week, there were nationwide protests against government policies affecting Māori, as well as the release of the coalition government’s first budget. Rātana jumped straight in, writing a number of stories including a feature on the protests that looked more broadly at Māori activism and asked: Is protesting still the most effective way to bring about lasting change?
It’s a compelling read, presenting the views of those who favour different methods of lobbying, and is a strong indication of how Liam approaches his work – with a curious mind and an interest in hearing out all perspectives. Liam joins Madeleine Chapman on Behind the Story to talk te ao Māori reporting and his quest to develop more Māori print journalists.
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22:15
The Year in Review - Live in Auckland!
Senior writer at The Spinoff Anna Rawhiti-Connell rounds out the year with special guests Emma Wehipeihana and Hayden Donnell, live on stage at Q Theatre in Auckland. They jumped backwards into the year’s headlines, political dramas, and some of the best Spinoff yarns.
Listen to the recording of this Spinoff Live event for a smattering of karaoke, a Ray Gun retrospective, a vote on whether Hayden is "brat", predictions for next year, and some spicy takes about the year's big moments.
To find out more about The Spinoff's series of live events visit https://thespinoff.co.nz/events.
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Join The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman as she sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the week.
Alongside getting the inside info, Behind the Story goes beyond the byline – enabling listeners to learn more about the amazing writers that make The Spinoff such a unique and important platform in the digital media landscape.
For The Spinoff editor’s thoughts on the week that was, as well as a handpicked collection of the week’s best reads, subscribe to The Weekend with Madeleine Chapman newsletter at thespinoff.co.nz/newsletters
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