Dan Taipua

Daniel Taipua (Waikato-Tainui) is a freelance contributor who has worked in Auckland film and television his whole career. He was shortlisted to appear on TV One's 'Wheel of Fortune' in 2009, shortly before the programme was cancelled.

Ātea
Jul 30, 2021

The incredible legacy of Merata Mita's Patu!

Dan Taipua looks at the legacy of Patu!, the landmark documentary about the Springbok tour protests of 1981.

Read on.

Ātea
May 29, 2020

What a video game about a futuristic Tauranga can tell us about our present

A new first-person photography game set in a dystopian Tauranga under lockdown is the best work of Māori science-fiction this decade, writes Dan Taipua.

Read on.

Ātea
May 10, 2020

Empire and rebellion: What Taika Waititi directing Star Wars means for Māori

The appeal of Star Wars is universal, but the central themes have special resonance for indigenous people – which is why having a uniquely Māori spirit at the helm is …

Read on.

Ātea
Sep 30, 2019

Māori versus settlers in the wrestling ring? Hell yes!

TVNZ's new online-only series Colonial Combat pits the the inhabitants of Kauri Bay – Māori, settlers, men, women, and many more besides – against each other in the ring.

Read on.

Ātea
Jul 5, 2018

Futurism Aotearoa: A Māori sci-fi festival touches down in Auckland

Self-identified 'Space Māori' Dan Taipua picks his highlights from this weekend's Māori Futurist events.

Read on.

Ātea
Feb 23, 2018

WWE Superstars go Māori

Finally, the most electrifying sports entertainment programme on earth has come back to Aotearoa. This Saturday marks the first episode of WWE Raw to screen free-to-air in New Zealand in over a decade.

Read on.

Ātea
Dec 25, 2017

Summer reissue: Thor and his magic patu – notes on a very Māori Marvel movie

Dan Taipua explores indigenous ideologies in Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, New Zealand's highest grossing film of 2017.

Read on.

Ātea
Oct 31, 2017

Thor and his magic patu: notes on a very Māori Marvel movie

Dan Taipua explores indigenous ideologies in Thor: Ragnarok, the blockbuster movie from the king of the space Māori, Taika Waititi.

Read on.

Television
Sep 5, 2017

Māori Television is the best movie channel in the country, and it’s free

With a line-up boasting everything from Miyazaki to Spike Lee, Dan Taipua suggests you look no further than Māori Television for the best in free-to-air movies. 

Read on.

Gaming
Jan 24, 2017

IRL EXP: Real world lessons from video games

Find out how a life spent on the controller can gift you with transferable skills IRL

Read on.

Gaming
Dec 7, 2016

Cash Converted: A retro gaming pilgrimage

Dan Taipua visits Auckland's Cash Converters and measures if the chain is still a retro game hunter's mecca

Read on.

Gaming
Jul 26, 2016

The beginner’s guide to arcade culture in Japan

Where to play the sweetest arcade games in Japan

Read on.

Gaming
Jul 20, 2016

The Spinoff guide to shopping for retro games in Japan

Japan's suburbs hide a wonderland of second hand retro video game shops: here's what you need to know

Read on.

Gaming
Mar 29, 2016

The collector’s toolbox: 5 essential elements for any video game collection

The final installment of Save State lays outwhat you need to start video game collecting/hoarding

Read on.

Music
Mar 22, 2016

Bongos and game boy Harlem Shake – the bizarre world of music gaming

Video games and music come together in not always glorious fashion

Read on.

Television
Mar 17, 2016

Will Māori Television’s Game of Bros be the perfect antidote to The Bachelor NZ?

Maori Television debuts Game of Bros tonight, a reality series about the quest for the perfect man. But what kind of man can we expect to find? The Brown Bachelor or The Nesian Ninja? Dan Taipua investigates.

Read on.

Gaming
Mar 15, 2016

Killing time, unobtrusively – a ranking of portable video game machines

Dan Taipua ranks his favourite, must-have historic hand-held gaming machines

Read on.

Gaming
Mar 8, 2016

Cartridges on cartridges: exploring the many weird accessories of the Sega Mega Drive

Save State turns its eye to the mighty Sega Mega Drive and the best/worst of the console's many add-ons.

Read on.

Gaming
Mar 1, 2016

Save State 001 – essential treasures for your NES collection

Save State #1 focuses on the NES and lists the must-have accessories any serious collector needs in their collection

Read on.

Television
Jul 24, 2015

TV Eye: A Brief Visual Voyage Through TradeMe’s Weirdest Television Offerings

"For the past five years I've been trawling through TradeMe and saving photos of televisions to my hard drive" – Dan Taipua shares some exquisite finds from his vault of TradeMe's TV auctions.

Read on.

The Spinoff is made possible by the generous support of the following organisations.
Please help us by supporting them.