Latest news with #TaraWard
The Spinoff
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Review: Netball docuseries Game On is a heartwarming gem
Tara Ward watches Three's new sports series about a group of New Zealand netball legends who return for one last game. The nerves are obvious from the opening moments of Game On. Former Silver Fern Temepara Bailey zips up her suitcase before she realises she's forgotten to pack her netball shoes. Adine Wilson wonders aloud why she agreed to come on a TV show, while Silver Fern centurion Casey Kopua limps into an indoor netball stadium to warmly greet her former netball teammates. They all look as concerned as she does. 'What have I signed myself up for?' she wonders. What Kopua and her fellow netball legends have committed to is a daunting physical and mental challenge, with every second captured on camera. Game On is Three's inspiring new sports docuseries that sees a team of former Silver Ferns come out of retirement to play for a high-stakes netball tournament. They've been called back to the court by coaches Yvonne Willering and Yvette McClausland-Durie, who will guide them through the tough process of returning to top-level sport. 'We're here to provide the challenge of transforming the former Ferns into the elite athletes that you were in the past,' Willering tells the ex-Silver Ferns. 'Good luck,' Kopua replies. It won't be easy – Daneka Tuineau hasn't touched a netball since she retired 14 years ago, Wilson broke her neck in 2016, while Kopua is awaiting a double knee replacement. While they may still be as competitive and passionate as they were two decades ago, their bodies tell a different story. 'I did try playing social netball, but man, they just want to show you that you're not as good as you were 10 years ago,' Irene van Dyk laughs. 'No shit Sherlock, I know that.' Game On is similar in warmth and spirit to another local sports docuseries, Match Fit, but it comes with a new twist: not only are these players preparing to compete against teams of other ex-internationals, they're also mentoring a group of promising young netballers. These rangatahi have been nominated by members of their community, and after the first fitness test with the Ferns, they immediately rise to the challenge. 'I don't want to get outschooled by people double my age,' 16-year-old Brooklyn says. It would be easy for the former world champions to stay on the sidelines and let their achievements do the talking. Instead, they share moments of vulnerability and bravery as they're confronted with how their bodies have changed over the years, and reflect on what happens when an international sporting career ends ('netball is my life… when I retired, I realised, who am I? I'm no-one,' a tearful van Dyk says in episode two). This honesty and emotion makes their return to the sport all the more powerful. Not only do the Ferns want to prove to themselves that they can do it, but they're also relishing the rare opportunity to be back with their mates, playing the game that brought them together all those years ago. Game On isn't about winning; it's about the power of community. It's about women championing other women, no matter what season of life they're in, and it's impossible not to feel inspired and uplifted by their strength and resilience. Game On is a gem of a series, a heartwarming reminder that no matter your age, you can still do hard things – and that maybe, for some of us at home, it's never too late to try and become a Silver Fern.
The Spinoff
09-07-2025
- General
- The Spinoff
Obituary: Goodbye my Jaffas, goodbye my friend
Tara Ward bids an emotional goodbye to a national treasure… or is it? Friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the sudden and unexpected loss of Jaffas, the small but powerful confectionary that delighted New Zealand tastebuds for nearly 100 years. Last week, Levin-based RJ's Confectionary announced that they would no longer make Jaffas due to declining sales. Already, the shelves are clear, the sweeties are gone. Jaffas have flown to the big lolly shop in the sky, where they will rest eternally alongside other murdered snacks like Tangy Fruits, Snifters and proper marshmallow Easter eggs. Since Jaffas were invented in 1931, New Zealanders have treasured those tiny balls like they were the fruit of their own loins. We ate Jaffas in boxes and scoffed them from bags. We threw handfuls at the movies and launched thousands down the street. We sent them to friends overseas and proudly recommended them to visitors to our country as an example of our sophisticated palate. Jaffas represented everything that was good about us. Much like a Jaffa, New Zealanders are also quite nice once you break through the hard shell. I fear this is all my fault. Cut me open and you'll find I am approximately 90% Jaffas, 0% of the Auckland kind. This tasty treat has seen me through the seasons of my life: teenage acne, post-natal acne, perimenopausal acne. They have been a trusted crutch, a sweet release, a reliable friend, but recently, things had changed. Our relationship had soured. One bag of Jaffas started costing upwards of $5.19, and in this economy, I had to draw the line. Indeed, I drew it with the smudgy red stain left on my sweaty palms from my final fistful of Jaffas – and look at what happened next. The sudden demise of Jaffas hit the nation hard. Our national news services dedicated several stories to the cruel passing, with one commentator blaming RJ's for not giving Jaffas the respect they deserved and another wondering if they were even any good in the first place. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown called it a 'national tragedy' and despite not knowing where Horowhenua was, ordered local mayor Bernie Wanden to 'sort it out!' One mourner was so struck down with grief that they tried to sell a single packet on TradeMe for $1500 (free shipping). HeraldNow's Ryan Bridge mused that it was all just a conspiracy theory, before asking a question that cut straight through to my choc-orange core: 'Without a national lolly, who are we?' But before we throw ourselves into a bottomless pit of existential doom, I bring breaking news from beyond the grave. Dry your tears, my sweet-toothed fiends, because Jaffas weren't even an uniquely New Zealand treat. Much like Kiwiana icon Frosty Boy actually originating in America, Jaffas were invented in Australia in 1931 by James Stedman-Henderson's Sweets Ltd. They were introduced to both Australia and New Zealand markets and made here by Cadbury until 2018, when the Dunedin factory closed. Jaffas were then made in Australia, before RJ's Confectionary took over as Jaffa's production company in Aotearoa. It said 'Made in Australia' in tiny print on the back of my last ever Jaffa packet. The tangy choc-orange flavour isn't an Antipodean invention, either. The iconic Jaffa flavour was first created in 1927 by McVitie and Price in England, when they invented the Jaffa cake. They named it after a popular variety of orange in Britain at the time, which was grown in the then-Palestinian town of Jaffa. McVitie and Price didn't trademark the Jaffa Cake, which meant that any Tom, Dick or James Stedman-Henderson could pick up the flavour and run with it. Aotearoa, we have been mourning a false idol. Do not stand at Jaffas' grave and weep. They are not there, they were invented in Australia, inspired by the English and named after a town on the other side of the world. The truth about Jaffas may be hard to swallow, but we must never forget that a life full of Jaffas is a life well lived. Jaffas leave behind a grieving family of five million, although some mourners have already begun questionable rebound relationships. Rest in peace, my sweet little Jaffas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be rolled down Baldwin Street.
The Spinoff
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Everything you need to know about Shortland Street's new season
As Shortland Street's mysterious new 'Back in Black' season starts tonight, Tara Ward explains exactly what's going on in Ferndale. What's all this then? Back in Black is the name of Shortland Street's new mini-season, which begins tonight. In 2025, the long-running soap is dividing the year into four 'mini-seasons', each focussing on one or two particular storylines that involve the show's core characters, and each climaxing with a one hour special. So we've already had a mini-season? Yes. Shortland Street kicked 2025 off with 'New Blood', which introduced several new characters to Ferndale and signalled a shift in the show's direction. Shortland Street returned as a fast-paced medical drama, with nearly every scene set in the hospital. Over the last few weeks, characters have dared to venture outside the hospital again with a few scenes set in houses and the local bar, but the drama continues to focus on one or two self-contained medical storylines each week. Last week, viewers watched the New Blood one-hour finale episode, where a storm forced several medical staff out of their comfort zones to save lives, loves, and probably the world. So what else has been happening in Ferndale? The year began with hospital staff grieving the death of Dr Harper Whitely and processing their shock at nurse Nicole being imprisoned for murder. New medical staff Poppy, Cleo and Mana struggled to cope with the pressures of dealing with an endless stream of dying people, as well as putting up with their grumpy colleagues. Most recently, we waved goodbye to nurse Madonna, who moved to the Philippines with her baby daddy Thaddeus. And what's the vibe so far? Now that it's on three nights a week, Shortland Street has stepped up the pace and intensity and a soundtrack of up and coming New Zealand artists has provided a more contemporary feel. The show has never looked better, but as we wrote in March, the focus on medical cases has made Shortland Street feel both slick and bleak. The show looks glossy and modern, but the characters are perpetually stressed and miserable, which makes for a heavier viewing experience than traditional Shortland Street fans might be used to. What do we know about the new mini-season Back in Black? 'Back in Black' might refer to the big storm that ended the last mini-season, where the hospital was put into an emergency 'code black' status. There's also an impressive and slightly terrifying image going around of the surgeons all wearing black, which suggests this season will focus on the surgical expertise (or lack of) of the doctors. Or maybe the black refers to mourning? Perhaps some more All Blacks are going to turn up in Ferndale (it's happened before)? Or maybe Shortland Street is referring to dead receptionist Leanne, whose last name was Black when she first arrived in Ferndale? Is Ghost Leanne about to bless us with her ethereal presence once again?! But seriously, what's going to happen? Gird your loins and grab your tissues, because it sounds like the new mini-season will be just as intense as the first. Shortland Street revealed to The Spinoff that Poppy, Cleo, and Mana will 'grapple with the harsh realities of life at Shortland Street: the failings, the heartbreak, and the relentless death.' Fun! But amid all that misery, it seems Shortland Street staff are going to find….their family? 'As the rest of the staff wrestle with their grief, their fragile bonds start to fracture, and relationships are pushed to their breaking points,' they added. 'In the chaos, our team will learn that their true family isn't always the one they're born into – sometimes it's the one they choose. Sometimes it's the only one they have.'
