Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily. Today on The Spinoff: Why are festivals so poorly-equipped for periods? The opportunity for penance in privatisation. And highlights from a heated question time.
“It’s a beautiful summer evening in Cornwall Park, with families scattered on the grass and a live band playing a backing track to their laughter. Sprawled on a picnic blanket with her young son, 46-year-old Florence* is trying to soak up the good vibes, but she can’t help feeling a heaviness. She loves doing these fun activities with her boy, but raising him alone is hard work and she craves adult company and longs to be part of a family unit again. Despite being surrounded by people, Florence is feeling lonely. Ironically, she isn’t alone in her loneliness. In 2023, a survey by global analytics firm Gallup revealed that 1 in 5 people worldwide said they felt lonely ‘a lot’ during the previous day. In this study, Aotearoa was doing better than our allies Canada, US and the UK; on par with our neighbours Australia; but feeling lonelier than countries like Japan, Finland and Kazakhstan. But no matter where you go on this planet, loneliness is an issue.”
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 Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they go on a cross-country quest to find love and better understand the dating scene in modern day Aotearoa. In episode one, the pair reflect on the reality of being single in our country’s biggest city, before fleeing Tāmaki Makaurau for a change of scene in Ōtautahi. Down south, a meet and mingle games night and a singles cocktail party force them out of their comfort zones, and reveal that even the most confident among us still feel daunted by walking into a room full of strangers. Will fortune favour the brave? Made with the support of NZ On Air.
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Join us at Bryn & Ku's Singles Club PartyOn the day before Valentine’s, join Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester for a viewing party to celebrate the launch of their new series, Bryn & Ku's Singles Club, on The Spinoff. Bryn & Ku will be live on stage at Q Theatre on February 13, with Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman, to talk about discovering new ways of living and loving and maybe even finding The One. Open to anyone who has ever been single.
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Are New Zealanders getting lonelier?
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