Local Bird Elections are on. Do your avian duty and vote for the Kākā. Just joking. Vote for whoever you like. But the Kākā really is best. Voting closes today. My Stuff #cartoon today #BirdOfTheYear

Perhaps the real Rapture was the hot takes we made along the way

Is Tylenol safe? What New Zealand says about Trump's latest claims on vaccines, autism and paracetamol

New by me over at RNZ today - why are some top New Zealand musicians leaving Spotify? www.rnz.co.nz/life/music/w...

New on my website: How did the Evil Dead’s Ash go from the guy in the backseat of the car to a horror movie icon by the third film? nikdirga.com/2025/09/14/t...

Sure, I could be watching sports … or I could be watching a marathon of 4+ hours of Evil Dead movies starring Bruce Campbell at the legendary Hollywood Avondale. #joinus #swallowyoursoul

The perfect headline to describe life in 2025 doesn’t exi—

I've lived in Auckland long enough now (nearly 20 years!) to remember when there were multiple book and record stores along Queen Street. At least there's plenty of vape stores and cheap Temu-style tat shops to keep us culturally satisfied. :( www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...

An extraordinarily good deep dive into the algorithms running our digital lives by Kate Newton today over at RNZ: www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/i...

My latest explainer over at RNZ looks at what the US means by saying it will do "continuous vetting" of foreign visa holders - read here: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

It's been six months since I put out "Clippings," a big old 350-page collection of the best of my journalism over the years. It's been really fab to see the great response from friends, family and even total strangers. Get it here! www.amazon.com/dp/B0DW4D9KR...

Journalists: The AI phone call is coming from inside the house. 🤬

This was a fun one to put together for RNZ about the massive repair works all around my neighbourhood following Cyclone Gabrielle - featuring excellent video and my soothing deadpan voice making an appearance on Morning Report! www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

The Hit and The Limey are two of my all time favourite existential crime movies. Toss in his unforgettable Zod, and you have a legend. R.I.P. Terence Stamp.

Slightly diminish a band: R-meh-M Blandie Pearl Jelly The Socks Pistols Rick Cave and the Seeds

Lots of different versions of this started doing the rounds on Facebook and instagram yesterday. I’m sure you know not to click on those links .. it’s a financial scam. Am worried though that some might fall for it. (Not to mention pissed off.)

New on my website: A look at The Creature Walks Among Us, the very last of the Universal classic monster movies and a movie that's ALMOST a good end to the Gill Man franchise: nikdirga.com/2025/08/11/u...

I know Facebook is pretty useless now but the fact that on August 10 it’s showing me someone’s old post from June 21 at the top of my “news” feed is just dire. #algorithmssuck

New on the blog: Why the over-the-top satire Eddington is the movie America deserves in 2025: nikdirga.com/2025/08/04/w...

Remembering my father-in-law Sir Peter Siddell (1935-2011), who would have turned 90 years old today. A great artist and a great man.

Here's my latest explainer for RNZ on what the Electoral Amendment Bill proposes for voting enrolment changes and more: www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Wahoo! The latest issue of my insanely long-running small press comic Amoeba Adventures is available for a FREE PDF download. I've been doodling the adventures of Prometheus for literal decades now and this one's a fun one! nikdirga.com/2025/07/28/l...

My latest explainer over at RNZ: A deep dive into how and why artificial intelligence is being used to process your submissions to politicians — www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

My very first exposure to Ozzy Osbourne was when someone smuggled this album into my church youth group and the cover scared the living hell out of me. I like to think that freaking out the naive Presbyterian youth is how Ozzy would like to be remembered. #ozzyosbourne 🦇

There are so many less problematic ways this headline could have gone. 😳

Doing the meme thing - Ten writers of whom I’ve read five-plus books: Paul Auster George Orwell Harlan Ellison John Updike Percival Everett China Miéville Kurt Vonnegut Patricia Highsmith Charles Bukowski Stephen King …just for starters 😳

Here’s my Superman review over at RNZ! The superpower of a little sincerity - www.rnz.co.nz/life/screens...

My latest factcheck for the Australian Associated Press delves deep into the increasingly surreal world of AI slop served up on Facebook. The repeated "conjoined twins" celebrity yarn spewed up multiple times is the one that finally broke my brain for good. www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ju...

I got to write about Superman for my job, which basically is all that 13-year-old comic book fanboy Nik ever wanted out of life. 😏 www.rnz.co.nz/life/screens...

holy shit Hi and Lois since when do you have a viewpoint

BBC live blog of the Oasis reunion concert is bringing back gonzo journalism:

Picked up this nifty 1988 book of Radio New Zealand archives in Wellington today and I really think RNZ should adopt “intrigue, comment, drama, actuality, humour” as our new slogan.

New by me at RNZ today: www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...

When I am master of the universe I will ban all hot takes and outrage bait unless they've marinated for at least a week first

Random acts of unkindness, New Lynn Warehouse 😑

Ethiopian jazz remains the best morning work soundtrack music, FYI.

All right all right all right. (Roughly tied for #11: American Splendor, Anchorman, Captain America: Civil War, Grizzly Man, Mulholland Drive, Oppenheimer, Perfect Days, Spotlight, There Will Be Blood, The Wolf Of Wall Street) * Choices may change entirely on any given day TBH

My latest explainer over at RNZ is an excuse just to use this image of Godzilla attacking Auckland: How to tell if an image or video has been created by AI - and if we still can - www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

“There’s always sunshine somewhere.” My tribute to Brian Wilson and 10 of his finest songs, now at RNZ: www.rnz.co.nz/life/music/h...

I’m an agnostic, but I like to think that somewhere out there in the cosmos right now Brian Wilson and Sly Stone are sitting there hanging out together writing the best song of all time, and maybe, just maybe it’s the one we’ll all hear one day at the moment our own time comes.

New on the website: I do love Neal Adams' comic book art, god bless him, but wish he could've stopped endlessly tinkering with it - nikdirga.com/2025/06/10/n...

Absolutely devastating news for Auckland bibliophiles. Someone ring the pope! newsroom.co.nz/2025/06/09/c...

New on the website: How Pee-wee Herman became the patron saint for anyone who felt like a misfit growing up in the 1980s.

How a knock on the head can kill - my latest for RNZ on Run It and brain injuries: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

As a presidential history nerd, I was long fascinated that the US President who left office in 1845 - and was born in frickin 1790!!! - had, until this week, a living grandson. History is shorter than we think.

Sure, life's a drag, but driving along doing your errands to a banging soundtrack of nothing but Cheap Trick and The Cars while the sun shines is still pretty nice.

RIP to the great comics writer Peter David, of Hulk, Spider-Man, Star Trek and X-Factor fame. He was only 68 but had been cruelly dogged by ill health for several years. David brought humour back to comics - truly funny humour, which is harder than it looks. He made funny look easy.

Hey, there’s going to be a loud noise in your phone tonight — Don’t panic, just read my emergency alert explainer at RNZ instead: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

We’re in for a dark weird ride before the Terminators come, I think. slate.com/technology/2...