The Champion of the Regions versus the Corporate Taniwha. The CEO versus the Minister. Susie Ferguson versus a Straight Answer. Who will come out on top? Early this month, national flight carrier Air New Zealand announced it would be suspending its service between Auckland and Paraparaumu. Mayor K Gurunathan, given less than 24 hours notice, … Read more
Through clever manipulation of scale and mythos, the latest iteration of God of War makes the most of Immanuel Kant’s theory of the sublime to deliver a truly beautiful game. Don Rowe travelled to Sydney to gets his hands on a preview. German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s theory of the sublime, devised in what I’d imagine … Read more
With scandals, obfuscation and increasing pressure from both opposition and party faithful, this has been Jacinda Ardern’s worst week yet. On Monday it was revealed four young Labour supporters were sexually assaulted at a boozy party at their annual youth camp. Labour General Secretary Andrew Kirton proceeded to stuff both feet into his mouth, claiming … Read more
International students caught out by the closure of the New Zealand National College have had their lives here put on hold, and may be unable ever to return. Don Rowe reports. The closure of the failing New Zealand National College in Auckland has left at least two international students stranded in their home countries after their student … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe asks a space scientist if we’re all dead courtesy of a Chinese space station set to hit Earth this month. What’s all this then? An out of control Chinese space station is expected to smash into … Read more
Rent Week 2018: Riding into office at least partly on the inability of the National government to solve – or acknowledge – the housing crisis in New Zealand, Labour now faces the titanic task of actually making something happen. Don Rowe speaks to Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford about just how Labour … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe takes a look at Vero, the so-called Instagram-killer. Vero? That’s an insurance company right? Yes! No! Both! Vero is the self-proclaimed ‘Instagram-killer’, a ‘new kind of social network’, or as I call it, ‘yet another fucking … Read more
Rent Week 2018: A new Wellington-based service is looking to match rooms with roommates with as little pain as possible. Don Rowe talks to co-founder Brayden Gosse about Flat Candy, the so-called ‘Tinder of flatting’. Finding a flatmate is almost universally a total pain in the arse. From listing the ads, through filtering the applicants, … Read more
Ten Brits run around the countryside being chased down by investigators (and also a camera crew) in order to win £100,000. Don Rowe watches the show and finds the hunting bizarre and, quite frankly, lacking in actual hunting. Self-improvement is often a matter of asking yourself better questions: where do I want to be in … Read more
A new documentary released by VICE today reveals an underreported public health crisis. Don Rowe talks to assistant producer James Borrowdale about Syn City, an in-depth look at New Zealand’s synthetic cannabinoid epidemic. In a shitty flat somewhere in West Auckland, 20-year-old Tammara is getting high. Between her legs is a resin-stained bottle of L&P, … Read more
Police and council are trying to throttle the life out of Dunedin’s student culture. We sent a reporter down to experience its exhilarating chaos before it gets too boring. This story first appeared in the winter 2015 edition of 1972 Magazine by Barkers. When a party is really cranking, you can hear it long before … Read more
Don Rowe talks to Auckland rapper Ryan Hendriks about music, travel and performative confrontation in the wake of his first solo album, Old Zealand. Old Zealand, the first solo release by Auckland rapper Ryan Hendriks, is a testament to the quality and diversity of Auckland’s evolving hip-hop scene, and the extended flora and fauna which … Read more
An overly faithful reproduction of the tacky aesthetics of modern mixed martial arts holds back what is easily the best UFC game yet, writes Don Rowe. Few sports change as much year-on-year as mixed martial arts, and thus the release schedule of the bi-annual EA UFC video game reflects the current state of the sport … Read more
After almost a decade of combat sports experience, New Zealand’s Israel Adesanya made a highly anticipated and violent entrance to the UFC on Sunday afternoon. Don Rowe reports. When Australian wrestler Rob Wilkinson crumpled to the floor at Sunday’s UFC event in Perth, his nose plastered across his face and bleeding profusely from cuts around … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe uncovers an icy scandal that reaches the heights of our primary industries. It should have been obvious. We should have seen the trends. All across the country, in the freezers of our dairies and stores, something … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe on claims that ratepayers are funding a sex party at the Pride Festival. What’s all this then? The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance is well and truly pissed off because, it says, ratepayer money will fund next week’s … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe explains why shutting down Hamilton’s most notorious bar isn’t automatically a good idea. What’s going on? The most notorious bar in Hamilton – and thus the country – has had its liquor license canned by police. … Read more
As we drag ourselves through the final stretch of January, Don Rowe asks one sleep expert how can we get some desperately needed shut-eye. This post was first published in January 2018 Last night I dreamed I was back in high school, lacing up my boots to run out for the first XV in a … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ about the news of the moment – all the info you need to hold your own in a two-minute watercooler chat. Today, Don Rowe outlines the latest from NZ’s marijuana farming scene. What’s going on? The New Zealand Herald is reporting that a “bumper growing … Read more
As students flock back to Wellington in the lead-up to the academic year, landlords are cashing in with innovations which encourage bidding wars amongst applicants. The nightmare that is renting in this country continues to bring new horrors, with reports from Wellington that landlords are explicitly operating tender processes on their rentals in a bid … Read more
The Art of Banksy at the Aotea Centre in Auckland is replete with contradictions, writes Don Rowe. “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” – Banksy, exhibition entrance “Walls painted in Resene Alabaster and Resene All Black.” – Resene, exhibition entrance The Art of Banksy at the Aotea Centre in Auckland is so … Read more
Having analysed the spate of uplifting stories about millennial strugglers buying homes, Don Rowe reveals how you, too, can lift your foot above your head and on to the lowest rung of the property ladder. It’s not impossible, it just takes a few little tricks – like not paying rent. First published on 16 March … Read more
They’re on your Instagram feed and your yoga teacher’s floor – foam mats covered in thousands of sharp points, a modern take on an ancient method of healing and relaxation. But what do they do, and where did they come from? Don Rowe talks to the two Kiwi guys behind the Shakti mat craze. Right … Read more
What is it with fights and the Logan Campbell Centre? Don Rowe attends Yelawolf and narrowly avoids a hiding. The jungles of South East Asia have nothing on the humidity inside the Logan Campbell Centre in early summer. Truly the place must be seasoned like an old wok with the accumulation of thousands of punters’ … Read more
A New Zealand man was charged this week with drink driving after a chicken nugget-inspired rampage in a Sydney McDonald’s. As a quick Google reveals, he wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last to lose his shit at the Golden Arches. McDonald’s is truly the great equaliser: no matter what car you take … Read more
Shoot, print, steal: it’s a motto which has taken renegade photo exhibition Paper Pirates across the globe. Ahead of their first New Zealand show in four years, Don Rowe speaks to co-founder Tim Lambourne. Ever felt such a connection to a piece of art, saw some essential truth in a body of work, loved a … Read more
Don Rowe’s car has no warrant and no rego. But with the power of the sharing economy he went for a roadtrip to Raglan in a performance car, and northern exploration in a drop top classic. Fast cars seem like a ridiculous and ostentatious display of wealth – until you drive them. Then it starts … Read more
Unlicensed course materials and substandard teaching at a private tertiary institution connected to New Zealand’s education royalty have left students indebted and fuming. Don Rowe investigates. Take a look up any side street in any main city in New Zealand and you’ll find one: the ‘International College of This’, the ‘New Zealand National Academy of … Read more
Does your house earn more than you do? For almost every Aucklander the answer is yes. So, asks Don Rowe, what sort of job would you need to do if you wanted to earn as much as the home you live in? With the new property valuation figures released today by Auckland Council, we now … Read more