The Spinoff has obtained the email which prompted TOP leader Gareth Morgan to tell one of his candidates to resign for being a ‘pain in the arse’. Don Rowe looks back on another chaotic week for TOP. Illustration by Toby Morris. Gareth Morgan, currently holidaying in Cuba, has still managed to live in the news … Read more
In August, Ngāi Tūhoe invited experts and community leaders to come together in Rūātoki to declare war on drug dependence. Don Rowe was in attendance. You know you’re on a marae by the laughter. Contagious, unreserved laughter, brought up from the belly. Laughter irrespective of circumstance. Laughter in the face of historic tragedy. In the … Read more
Humans susceptibility to group pressure extends to pressure from a group consisting solely of robots, according to new research conducted by Dr Christoph Bartneck. Robots are changing the way we talk, and so the way we think. Don Rowe talks to Dr Bartneck and asks the question on everyone’s lips: is it time to freak … Read more
Radio New Zealand has released a 30-minute documentary on the battle at Ruapekapeka, an incredibly sophisticated pā in the far north where 400 Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine warriors stood against a combined British force of 1600. Don Rowe attends the premiere, and considers what it means for New Zealand’s self-image. There are good guys in this … Read more
Twenty-one seasons in, South Park seems reluctant to die – and the intense licensing of the IP is no different. Don Rowe take the new video game version of everyone’s favourite depraved cartoon for a spin. I’m always nervous when franchises are ported across mediums. Not every show is fit for a game and vice … Read more
Don Rowe dips his toes back in the murky waters of the Upside Down with the Stranger Things mobile game. It’s almost inevitable these days that any somewhat successful media product will be iterated across every platform and medium like some entertainment rat king – “Popular Thing: The Movie, The Boardgame, Now a Book, graphic … Read more
Don Rowe dives back into the borderline-narcotic world of Total War: Warhammer, reviewing the second of three games in the series. Ah McCain, they’ve done it again! Just when you were getting bored of the stupidly huge and successful Total War: Warhammer, strategy game powerhouse Creative Arts has only gone and dropped the second instalment … Read more
After several years of flirting with the bloodsport we call politics, 2014 New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan has entered the fracas, announcing he will run for the Māori Party in 2020. But why? And what does he stand for? Don Rowe finds out. When I profiled Dr Lance O’Sullivan last year he … Read more
Consider this: while you’re at work, slaving away, putting in hours for The Man, your car is sitting at home doing a whole lot of nothing. Like some apathetic teenager it sulks in the garage, taking up space and contributing basically nothing to the household finances. No more! With Yourdrive, a peer-to-peer car rental service, … Read more
Like a rugby dad whose kids have quit the code, Don Rowe’s passion for video games these days is muted, overweight and plain old sad. Why? And what now? The thing about Nioh: Defiant Honour is that…it’s all getting a bit too bloody much eh. I mused when reviewing Dragon of the North that these … Read more
As the most notorious figures in boxing and mixed martial arts collided in The Money Fight this weekend, Don Rowe sat down for a few beers with Israel Adesanya, a multi-sport veteran of almost 100 fights, to talk about fame, defeat and the realities of a sport centred around dishing out brain damage. Supported by Garage … Read more
Not content with plastering billboards and bus stations in the real world, fast food giant Wendy’s are inserting themselves inside virtual worlds too. It’s a trend that makes Don Rowe feel nauseous. Anyone halfway familiar with the term microtransaction is well aware that many of the entities which slither about the swamp we call the … Read more
Climate change is the defining challenge of our times. The Spinoff is devoting a week of coverage to the issue, its advocates, complexities, and solutions. Today Don Rowe talks to departing Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright. Around the same time Al Gore released his first call to arms in the battle against climate … Read more
Election 2017 will see New Zealand’s growing ethnic communities play a greater role than ever in choosing the next government. Ahead of the final leg of the campaign, Don Rowe is speaking to the editors of their leading newspapers. Today he talks with David Soh, editor of the Mandarin Pages. How are you planning to cover … Read more
In the wake of Metiria Turei’s resignation as Greens co-leader there has been much discussion about a perceived tension between the emphasis on social justice or environmental issues. Don Rowe tracked down Greens icon Nándor Tánczos to get his thoughts. Nándor Tánczos is undeniably one of the grooviest cats to ever make their way into the … Read more
More than ever, New Zealand’s ethnic communities can play a crucial role in elections. In the first of a Spinoff series, Don Rowe talks to Sandeep Singh, editor of the Indian Weekender. There are now almost 200,000 Kiwi-Indians living in New Zealand, and for 120,000 readers, the Indian Weekender is a newspaper of choice. This year they’re dedicating … Read more
Another death overnight has been attributed to the ‘synthetic cannabis crisis’ tearing through Auckland and New Zealand at large. But the situation isn’t as clear as it seems, the Drug Foundation’s Ross Bell tells Don Rowe, and hard facts are few and far between. New Zealand Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell has slammed the police … Read more
Stuff today released Black Hands, their first podcast series, in which leading David Bain authority and occasionally-terrible column writer Martin van Beynen draws on ten years of experience following the case to outline exactly why he believes Bain is guilty of murdering his family. Don Rowe spoke to van Beynen about the killings, the difficulty of … Read more
Despite the best efforts of opponents, a divisive shooting club was officially opened in the Kaipara this month by deputy prime minister Paula Bennett. But the court battles are far from over, and now Ngāti Rango o Ngāti Whātua have joined the fray. Don Rowe reports. Three weeks ago Makarau Valley residents Chris and Kat Catchpole were … Read more
In an attempt to reclaim their position atop the music industry, MTV are going back to basics and reincarnating their most iconic series. Don Rowe attends the first ever MTV Unplugged in New Zealand. Back in a time when the M in MTV stood for music and not ‘mediocre reality shows for munters’, the channel was … Read more
Slap on your rose-tinted sunnies because Crash Bandicoot is back, and he’s aged like a fine wine. Don Rowe gets stuck into the N.sane trilogy and positively bathes in nostalgia. I never had a Playstation as a child. The only one on my street was shared between three families, commune style, and so my gaming … Read more
Pandora – not the charm bracelets – has officially announced it’s the end of the line for their service in Australia and New Zealand, reports Don Rowe. After five years hard graft in the Australia/New Zealand market, Pandora is calling it quits. “While our experience in these markets reinforces the broader global opportunity long-term, in … Read more
Last night Dr Lance O’Sullivan, 2014 New Zealander of the Year for his work bringing health programmes to disadvantaged rural areas, leapt onto the stage to protest a screening of the controversial anti-vaccination movie Vaxxed. He spoke to Don Rowe about why he did it. Why did you get on stage? Look, I was always intending … Read more
Don Rowe visits the hallowed warrens of Supertrash in Eden Terrace, only to find its owner preparing to close up shop. Supertrash! Or is it ‘No Eft-pos’? Judging by the size of the respective signs outside it’s the latter. Judging from what’s inside it’s most certainly the former: books, a breadbox, golf clubs, blazers, ladders, … Read more
Don Rowe speaks Seth Luisi, co-founder of Impulse Studios and lead developer on Farpoint, the first legitimate AAA title on PSVR. Read Don Rowe’s Farpoint review here. Don Rowe: I’ve played through the game and I was very impressed, particularly around the locomotion. While I understand there are certain things you can’t control around latency and so … Read more
PlayStation have made a major play in the VR department, releasing the first AAA-quality game bundled with an innovative new controller to boot. Don Rowe straps on his goggles and goes alien hunting with Farpoint. Read Don Rowe’s interview with Farpoint head developer Seth Luisi here. As the initial joy of finally – finally – experiencing … Read more
The first of three planned DLC expansions for the critically-acclaimed Nioh has been released, but does it address the game’s noticeable faults? Don Rowe reviews Dragon of the North. In the immediate aftermath of the Nioh – aka Japanese Dark Souls – release in February, it was already being acclaimed as the game of the … Read more
Since opening in October last year, the AR/VR Garage in Uptown has become home to more than 20 companies working across virtual and augmented reality. Don Rowe visits ahead of their ten day programme at Techweek’17. There are few things in pop culture more futuristic than the idea of virtual reality. Slipping on a headset … Read more
2017 is the centennial anniversary of New Zealand’s darkest period in military history. This Anzac Day, Don Rowe looks back on 1917, a time of fleeting hopes and unprecedented human loss. While the Gallipoli campaign is rightfully remembered as both a tragedy and the birth of a national character, it’s easy to forget that almost … Read more