At Large with Toby Manhire Archiv

Spinoff staff writer Shanti Mathias sat down to record a test pilot episode of Behind the Story two months ago, about her recent feature “Staring down the ‘silent epidemic’ of myopia in children”. Just last week, Shanti was awarded Best Emerging Journalist at the inaugural science journalism awards, for this particular story. The judges were impressed with how ‘on-the-scene’ the reporting was, including the voices of school students and the team running the vision-checking bus. A hugely deserving win and the perfect excuse to release the tapes. Shanti joins Madeleine Chapman on Behind the Story to talk about what she learned, the surprising lack of data available in New Zealand around our eyes, and some practical tips to keep your eyes stronger for longer. Stories discussed: Staring down the ‘silent epidemic’ of myopia in children Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spinoff staff writer Tara Ward has loved and examined local TV for longer than any other Spinoff writer. As the longest consistent contributor to The Spinoff outside of its founder, Tara has long been the go-to voice for local matters on screen. A master of the power ranking format, Tara’s ability to both genuinely love and critique New Zealand’s most iconic (and obscure) shows is unique among journalists. More recently, she’s become the editor of pop culture newsletter Rec Room (subscribe here) and interviewer for The Spinoff’s weekend format My Life in TV. Tara joins Madeleine Chapman to talk a year of My Life in TV, getting to know her favourite screen talent, and what our local shows tell us about ourselves as a nation. Click here to read about the best things Tara and Alex have learnt after a year of My Life in TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spinoff’s new Ātea editor Liam Rātana started in his role on Monday. On Thursday 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wellington editor Joel MacManus appreciates that those we might not agree with can still make for an interesting and worthy story. Last weekend, he attended an anti-trans conference to hear speakers like Brian Tamaki, Posie Parker and NZ First MP Tanya Unkovich speak about the “dangers” of gender ideology. Joel’s feature was a chance to report on a culture war, rather than react to it, and prompted an intense response from the speakers themselves. Joel joins Madeleine Chapman on Behind the Story to talk about reporting in hostile environments and how to deal with feedback when it becomes abusive and personal. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spinoff staff writer Shanti Mathias loves to go deep on topics, in a way few people would ever consider. This week, we published her data work on food imports and exports in Aotearoa, finding out where exactly we get such everyday items as wheat, rice and bananas. Who knew Australia grew so much of our food? Shanti joins Madeleine Chapman on Behind the Story to talk about the extensive process of parsing massive datasets and research in order to make these stories accessible. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices