Alex Casey

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alex Casey

For the last four years, one artist has been rebuilding the lost icons of the city in miniature form. It’s a Friday morning and Mike Beer, aka Ghostcat, is flitting about Pūmanawa Gallery in Ōtautahi making last-minute adjustments. “These are actually from the Canterbury sale yards,” he says, gesturing to some graffiti’d concrete blocks sitting on a window sill. He tilts his head. “Does it look too much up there?

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alex Casey

Alex Casey dons a hard hat and high vis to snoop around the biggest and most controversial new building in Ōtautahi. I know I’m not the only one who feels absurdly moved by the spectacle of One NZ stadium at Te Kaha. Drive anywhere in the Christchurch CBD and you’ll see its white skeleton peeking around every corner. Head up the Port Hills and it’s plonked on the flat landscape like a giant roomba.

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alex Casey

Alex Casey farewells a truly confounding season of the reality television juggernaut. (To be read aloud in traditional Married at First Sight final vows style, aka with the cadence and confidence of an eight-year-old doing a school speech about the invention of the telephone.)Married at First Sight Australia, From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that we were in for a rocky ride together.

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alex Casey

For one day a year, Christchurch pools open for pooches to take the plunge. All week I was hyping up Maggie, our rescue terrier cross, for the big day with her best friend. Ready for the pool party Maggie? With Peachy? Ready to see Peachy? At the pool party? Her absurdly large wispy ears, likely controlled by Jim Henson’s ghost, raised to the heavens, head tilting to one side and then the other.

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alex Casey

Alex Casey unravels a durational mystery on local streaming services. Every now and then, one gets an email that makes the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand on end. “Good morning,” this particular email began. “I have a potential pitch of a story idea.