Darby Hudson’s “little word boxes,” as he calls them, have gathered a devoted following on social media – among them Hollywood actors Juliette Lewis and Demi Moore, Breaking Bad writer and co-producer Moira Walley-Beckett, and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto.
Hudson, whose books include Darby, Love: Alive Things Mum Said To Me Before She Died and You’re Going to be OK (Because You’re F’d No Matter What), is part literary mutineer, part self-professed cynic. Yet, as Sarah Daniell discovers, the Melbourne writer is paradoxically whimsical, watchful, and very funny.
Typed analogue-style, on a machine gifted by an ex, Hudson delivers a mix of brutal honesty and tender sweetness. His words, her words – raw, bright fragments – are a salve in the doomscroll, as startling and restorative as staring into bright sunshine. Known just as ‘mum’ she died in 2019.
Sport documentaries are prolific – and done well (and with epic global streaming platform budgets) are an artform. By Greg Bruce
In an edited extract from The Spirit of a Place, A New History of The Elms Te Papa Tauranga, journalist and social historian Sarah Ell reveals a powerful history spanning 600 years, from the arrival of the first Polynesian waka at Tauranga Moana to the era of the European missionaries.
How to feel comfortable about punching someone in the face in Kaikohe Human frailty and friendship is explored in Kaikohe Blood and Fire, a heartfelt, compelling mix of physical strength, personal transformation and MMA fighting By Steve Braunias 20th August 2025 Dave and “Dee” (Dchamad). Photo: Simon Ogston Just about…
THE DR RENEE LIANG COLUMN Screens: are they good or bad? Actually, both. 20th August 2025 A look at digital equity, youth bans and the digital determinants of health. By Dr Renee LiangWhat’s your relationship with your phone and computer? I don’t like to admit this, but I’m lost without…
Exclusive offer for wine lovers with North & South 14th August, 2025 North & South's new column, By the Bottle, with wine writer Timothy Giles, is an edgy, funny and insightful glimpse examining wine labels (Why do they look like that? Why do they say that? What is this I'm…
BOOKS: Ninety-five-year-old Waiheke novelist and adventurer, Margaret Mills, has had a rich life. She threw snowballs at Ed Hillary, danced in the streets on VJ day, raised four children, crewed on the Rainbow Warrior (and escaped from the bomb with minutes to spare), and sailed to Greenland. Her life has…
DAMIEN WILKINS: ‘Most of us are in the army of the bereaved’
IN COVERSATION WITH... DAMIEN WILKINS: ‘Most of us are in the army of the bereaved’ 14th August, 2025 Delirious is the dazzling 14th novel by Damien Wilkins. Dedicated to his late sister, Miriam, it’s an achingly beautiful - and often very funny - exploration of love and loss. The central…
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Exclusive offer for wine lovers with North & South
Lynnette Hudson, Tongue in Groove Wines Exclusive offer for wine lovers with North & South 14th August, 2025 North & South's new column, By the Bottle, with wine writer Timothy Giles, is an edgy, funny and insightful glimpse examining wine labels (Why do they look like that? Why do they…
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Ross McCormack: ‘I always feel like an impostor in the arts’
John McDermott. NZDC. Work: Matter. IN COVERSATION WITH... Ross McCormack: ‘I always feel like an impostor in the arts’ 14th August, 2025 As coach and choreographer for MARY: The Birth of Frankenstein, arts laureate Ross McCormack is tasked with crafting the physical life of a ‘creature’. With death a constant…
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Culture Compass
Consuming culture is as much about seeing and connecting with others and their experiences as it is about feeding our insatiable appetite for stimulation. It’s an intimate act that allows us to see inside the hearts and minds of artists. Doing that – consuming arts and culture – is a…
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Consuming culture is as much about seeing and connecting with others and their experiences as it is about feeding our insatiable appetite for stimulation. It’s an intimate act that allows us to see inside the hearts and minds of artists. Doing that – consuming arts and culture – is a…
The Culture Compass 24th July 2025If 2025 is teaching us anything, it’s that while chaos and turmoil run rampant, art in all its forms will remain. But still, like air, I’ll rise. Over the coming weeks, there are some spectacular examples of art and culture rising, including three unique festivals…
The Culture Compass 26th June 2025We may be on the precipice of the July school holidays, but this week's Culture Compass will not be defined by them. Iconoclastic as always, here lies a selection of thought-provoking, cerebral, creative and entertaining arts and cultural events taking place across the motu. Most…
As New Zealand’s largest metropolis braces for unprecedented growth, the race is on to transform the city and its infrastructure into a liveable, sustainable urban paradise. By Sasha Borissenko.
See Auckland like never before with Auckland Sea Kayaks’ City Lights Night Tour! Newly launched, this is New Zealand’s first inner-city kayaking experience.
Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders with Innovative Master of Environment and Agriculture.
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