Madeleine Chapman

Auckland

Editor at The Spinoff

Editor at The Spinoff. Author – 'Jacinda Ardern: A New Kind of Leader' and 'Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight'

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Articles

The Weekend: My nephew keeps calling me nana

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. There is no adult in the world who can cut you to the core as cleanly as a small child. My unwitting assassin is my lovely not-quite-two-year-old nephew, who with a single, repeated word has forced me to reevaluate my hair, my clothes and my life. The word? Nana. My sister (and therefore nephew) lives 10 minutes from me and I see them approximately once a week.
Sad news for Samoans: Cheehoo is dead

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

No good thing ever lasts and this week, the Samoan call was lost to the corporate world forever. Everybody’s heard a cheehoo before. Certainly if you’ve ever been in the vicinity of two or more Samoans, you’ll have heard one whether you wanted to or not. It soundtracks every sports event and school gathering, and Dwayne Johnson let out a few slightly cringe ones as Maui in Moana. A cheehoo is undefinable.
Sad news for Samoans: Cheehoo is dead

2 weeks ago | shorturl.at | Madeleine Chapman

No good thing ever lasts and this week, the Samoan call was lost to the corporate world forever. Everybody’s heard a cheehoo before. Certainly if you’ve ever been in the vicinity of two or more Samoans, you’ll have heard one whether you wanted to or not. It soundtracks every sports event and school gathering, and Dwayne Johnson let out a few slightly cringe ones as Maui in Moana. A cheehoo is undefinable.
The Weekend: The sound of silence

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. I’ve been re-watching Girls lately, the HBO classic that perfectly captures millennial women in the most painful way. I highly recommend it especially if you haven’t watched it before. Every character on the show is deeply flawed and frustrating in their own unique ways, but one of my favourites is Ray, the grouchy complainer who reminds me of a young Larry David.
There’s a new best hot cross bun in Auckland

4 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

Breaking news for those who just want a really good, classic hot cross bun. “This is the best hot cross bun I’ve ever had.”“I don’t usually like hot cross buns but fuck that was good.”Just two of the many overhead comments in The Spinoff office this morning after I announced that there were hot cross buns in the kitchen but didn’t specify where they were from.
A deeply frustrating line-by-line reading of Casey Costello’s letter to Health NZ

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

OPINIONPoliticsabout 12 hours agoDoes the associate minister of health know that sex and gender are two different things? Her letter suggests no. On March 27, associate minister of health Casey Costello sent the interim CEO of Health NZ a letter (via email) raising a serious health concern. The concern required four paragraphs of text that, on the surface, read like a fairly boring update from Costello but on a closer read, reveal a woman of the female sex deeply confused by basic medical concepts.
A deeply frustrating line-by-line reading of Casey Costello’s letter to Health NZ

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

OPINIONPoliticsabout 9 hours agoDoes the associate minister of health know that sex and gender are two different things? Her letter suggests no. On March 27, associate minister of health Casey Costello sent the interim CEO of Health NZ a letter (via email) raising a serious health concern. The concern required four paragraphs of text that, on the surface, read like a fairly boring update from Costello but on a closer read, reveal a woman of the female sex deeply confused by basic medical concepts.
The Weekend: The lone wolf rarely triumphs

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. This week I found myself surrounded by collective action in all its forms. I watched the Auckland Philharmonia perform Hans Zimmer’s greatest hits to a packed out Aotea Centre for Art of the Score last weekend. It was incredible and rare to see such a large, diverse crowd brave a miserable wet evening for the orchestra. Film composers like Hans Zimmer have proven to be a gateway drug for classical music.
Lorde is about to release her best album

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

It may only be a 15-second teaser but there’s plenty to suggest album four will be Lorde’s greatest. Art is subjective and can be multiple things at once but sometimes you just know. You just know when someone is cooking. Not since 2021 – a genuine lifetime ago when you think about it – have we heard new music from Lorde.
The Weekend: My free ride was great while it lasted

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Madeleine Chapman

Madeleine Chapman reflects on a week of bleak reading. Nothing in life is free. Everyone knows that. But for a blissful eight months, my commute was. After closing Mount Eden station nearly a decade ago to redevelop it, Auckland Transport eventually opened a new, frequent bus route (64) to connect the stations on either side through Mount Eden. Because it was technically replacing the train, it didn’t have a charge..