the clipboard community's best of 2020

Welcome to this year’s final issue of clipboard, a weekly (except for the next two weeks) newsletter about clothes, hospitality and Tāmaki Makaurau by Reilly Hodson. This week: the best things the coolest, smartest people in the world (clipboard subscribers) have been buying this year.

best of 2020

2020 has been, for the most part, a bad year. We’ve been stuck at home, then stuck in the country, the world might be ending, house prices are more out of reach every day and the government isn’t doing anything, the cannabis referendum failed, and the US has a new president who is probably still not going to solve the problems he needs to.

The clipboard readership, the coolest and smartest people with the best taste in the world, have coped with this rubbish year by spending their money on cool stuff. At the start of this week I asked you to send me the best things you spent your money on this year, and you all delivered in spades! Here are the favourite things of the clipboard readership.

Natalie Guest, Auckland Leader, Coffee Supreme, Spinner of Plates:

1) ‘A Year of Simple Family Food’ by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. This cookbook is so great. The author is Australian, from Maltese descent and she’s married to a Japanese man. Basically my dream combo of amazing recipes. Japanese recipes and Italian mostly with incredible cake/baking recipes too all laid out by the seasons, and all with ingredients available in NZ too.

2) Ceramics from Salad Days. Salad Days is so dreamy. Timeless forms with beautiful glazes and interesting clays. Lucy, the maker, is super talented. I own many of her pieces.

3) A custom bag from Abigail Brodrick. I think I was her first paying customer. This style she’s making herself but she also has a label that’s just started called Dear Prudence, this one I commissioned.

Tess Nichol, Deputy Editor of North and South Magazine, Commissioner of The Tote Bag Piece: This year I've been buying almost exclusively NZ designed, NZ made clothing as investment "forever" pieces, and less clothing overall - a result of both the urge to "support local" post-lockdown and a sudden but deep guilt about all the crap I've bought and discarded over the years. Due to being a childless upwardly mobile Aucklander, Penny Sage, Maggie Marilyn and Måhsa are all favs of mine. I have had particularly great wear out of my Penny Sage Duval slip dress in navy check, and the Mariah wrap top in ivory. This summer I expect to absolutely thrash my Måhsa Bow Blouse in eggshell, an item of clothing I bought literally minutes after seeing an ad for it on Instagram, an embarrassing event I'm hoping will never happen again after suffering the shame of admitting it in public.

Olivia Stewart, Cool Art Gallery Person, gardener and partner of the author of this newsletter: A used dutch oven from Flotsam and Jetsam in Ponsonby. We bought this when we moved into our new flat right after the first lockdown, and we re-seasoned it back to health. It’s become a key part of our kitchen, and it looks beautiful too.

Leonard Powell, Musician and professional caddy: My best purchase this year has been a rice cooker. $15 dollars from the Mangawhai St John op-shop, money well spent. I was raised to boil broccoli for 15 minutes, so you can imagine the state of our rice at home. I’m a slow mover at the best of times, so one less thing to worry about in the kitchen has been a welcome relief. There’s been some doubters, people who swear by their boiling methods. Fair enough, I had never delved into the ego attached to one’s rice cooking skills before. If the path of least resistance is for you, treat yourself, and get a rice cooker. #AD

Mitchell Tan, proprietor of Rubbish Bin and future doctor: To narrow all my frivolous spending down to a single favourite item is difficult, considering that I have spent a lot of money this year. However, this merch from Korean restaurant Ockhee combines my three loves; jawnz, food, and supporting the gdmf homies! This tasteful graphic tee allows me to flex my impeccable culinary taste and spread the good word about the cult Ponsonby spot. Shouts outs Paulee!

Sophie Scott, recent Masters grad and castmate of mine in a youth theatre production of Camp Rock: How do you push a progressive, environmentally friendly, mental-health-minded, queer agenda in your everyday life? I do it by wearing my Checks x Chlöe Swarbrick tee, sold at their Election Voting Drive in October. I’ve never delved into the world of ‘political merch’ before, but I’ve never felt so represented by a political figure. This is my favourite local purchase of the year, because it reminds me of the fun we had at Chlöe’s campaign events, and the pride we felt when she won the Auckland Central electorate (I could cry just thinking about it). Am I virtue signalling? I hope not. Either way, it’s cooler than wearing fast fashion.

Marty Cohen Cubitt, Big-brained clipboard subscriber and user of interrobangs: A real fruit ice cream. How can you not enjoy one of these‽ Particularly the frozen yoghurt ones.

Kingsley Kan, Hospo Patron and future Melbourner: The best purchase of 2020 for me would’ve been the Keystation 63 Note digital keyboard, which allowed me to get back into practicing piano and finding my love for producing music again digitally and analogue!

Natalie Stewart, Educator of the vision-impaired and my mother-out-law: My friend Jen makes these amazing art rails, which are almost a picture frame but only on two sides. They’re made out of recycled rimu and will make any picture you own look great on your wall, a great gift or addition to your home art collection.

Reilly Hodson, author of this newsletter and under-employed person: This year started really poorly for the local media landscape. Since then, it’s flourished and there has been a ton of exciting new development, both of legacy titles and the starting of new ones. The most rewarding money I spent this year was doing my bit to make sure that they all stayed financially viable as businesses. I contributed financially to the Spinoff’s Members programme, Stuff, Metro, North and South and I sold my mum on getting a membership at Ensemble, which I think counts. All of these are good products that you should want to pay for, and they contribute so much to making our city and country that little bit better. No moral consumerism under capitalism and all that, but this came pretty close.

Thanks so much to everyone that contributed to this bumper year end issue, it was great fun to put together and something I’ll definitely look into doing more of in the new year. Thank you also to all of you who read this newsletter every week and click on links and stuff, it fills my heart with warm fuzzies to think that I’m a small part of all of your Sunday routines. I won’t be for the next two weeks, but I’ll be back for the first Sunday of 2021 (3 Jan), with more good stuff. Until then, follow my free-time induced ramblings on Instagram and Twitter, and email me if you want to get in touch or offer me a job. See you next year!