Don Rowe

Staff Writer

Don Rowe (Ngāi Tahu) is a staff writer at The Spinoff. He was the 2015 Canon Media Awards student journalist of the year and the 2017 junior long form feature writer of the year. Email him on don@thespinoff.co.nz

Gaming

May 24, 2019

This is your brain on Pokémon: Researchers confirm Pikachu changes the way you think

Mum was right: heavy exposure to pocket monsters fundamentally rewires your brain. But researchers from Stanford say it’s an exciting opportunity to study how we learn to see.

Society

May 22, 2019

SkyCity ignores government, signs deal to open online casino

SkyCity has entered the online gambling fray, announcing a deal to open an online casino later this year.

Politics

May 16, 2019

The paradoxes of drug testing

As the referendum approaches and the road toll rises, the government is under pressure to solve the paradox of drug testing, writes Don Rowe.

Politics

May 9, 2019

Our MPs’ pecuniary interests in 10 numbers

The annual list of which MP owns what, and who's greasing their palms is out. We break it down in 10 easy numbers.

Science

May 9, 2019

Does the Canterbury Panther exist? Six experts weigh in

Recent sightings of a large and potentially dangerous cat demand a social and political response, so we gathered a panel of experts to do just that.

Auckland Zoo

May 6, 2019

Tuatara survived for millions of years. Now climate change could wipe them out

Don Rowe meets the animals on the frontlines of New Zealand's climate change challenge – and the zookeepers fighting to keep them thriving.

Society

May 3, 2019

Indonesia is moving its capital, so should we – to Hamilton

The oceans are rising and the ground's getting shaky – time to move the capital to Hamilton.

Ātea

May 1, 2019

Stink as: another video game appropriating Māori taonga

Another day, another flagrant rip-off of Māori taonga and intellectual property, this time in a middling video game. Don Rowe reports.

Society

Apr 30, 2019

Buttplug Bandits and the dildo clown thieves: a bizarre true crime story

A wave of theft has hit Peaches and Cream, with rampant clowns and suspected drug addicts pilfering expensive sex toys over the weekend.

Politics

Apr 22, 2019

1000 Words: Peter Meecham and the David Cunliffe log

1000 Words is a new series talking to the photographers behind our most iconic political images. In the first installment, Don Rowe speaks to Peter Meecham, photographer of the David Cunliffe log pictures.

Barkers 1972

Apr 21, 2019

Keep Raglan weird: The battle over a surf town’s soul

Don Rowe on the unsettling boom in his hometown.

Food

Apr 18, 2019

How to get boozed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day this year

Forewarned is forearmed. We present an updated guide to getting (responsibly) shitfaced these public holidays.

Politics

Apr 18, 2019

Capital gains tax is dead and some people are very, very happy about it

True, Jacinda Ardern has faced a few criticisms for ruling out a new capital gains tax now and for as long as she leads. But a lot of people are very, very happy

Society

Apr 12, 2019

Ban announced on TV ads promoting ‘Trojan horse’ gambling websites

A new Gambling Advertising Code has been announced, closing a loophole which saw offshore online casinos preying on vulnerable Kiwi gamblers while local operators were shut out.

Society

Apr 12, 2019

Open letter claims white supremacy and ‘climate of fear’ at University of Auckland

There is a 'climate of fear' and a rising white supremacist movement on campus, say a group of students at the University of Auckland. Don Rowe reports.

Society

Apr 10, 2019

Swastikas and semi-automatics: Auckland gun club neighbours speak out

Residents near NZ's biggest shooting range say they're victims of targeted harassment, including Nazi symbols scrawled on property. Police, they say, have not taken their concerns seriously.

Gaming

Mar 27, 2019

Two infuriating days attempting to master Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The latest game by FromSoftware is out, and it's as difficult as you'd expect. Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Ātea

Mar 25, 2019

Grass Roots: the wāhine of Hikurangi Enterprises

In the latest in the Frame documentary series produced for The Spinoff by Wrestler and funded by NZ on Air, we meet the wāhine behind Hikurangi Enterprises, a cannabis co-op looking to revitalise Ruatoria.

Media

Mar 22, 2019

What it was like to be a NZ moderator on Reddit during the Christchurch shootings

The Christchurch Mosque Shootings saw journalists scrambling the country over to cover the unfolding horror. At the same time, so too were the moderators of r/newzealand.

Media

Mar 19, 2019

The online cesspits where hate found a home

Not for the first time, the darker corners of the internet have spawned real world tragedy. What is 4chan, and how does it foment so much hate?

Media

Mar 14, 2019

Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail outages: what the hell is up with the internet?

Facebook: out. Instagram: out. Whatsapp: Notsapp. And yesterday it was Google. What the hell is happening to our internet?

Music

Feb 21, 2019

UPDATED: How shit will the weather be for gigs this weekend?

There's a cyclone sitting off the coast and we're already feeling its tendrils. From Six60 to Splore, which shows will suffer worst this weekend?

Sports

Feb 10, 2019

Adesanya caps off a flawless night for New Zealand MMA

New Zealand goes three for three at UFC Melbourne, culminating in Israel Adesanya's win over Anderson Silva.

Sports

Feb 10, 2019

WTF just happened in the UFC?

Only in a sport as batshit as cagefighting could the main event fall through just 11 hours before the fight. Don Rowe reports from Melbourne.

Sports

Feb 8, 2019

On the edge of superstardom, NZ’s Adesanya fights the greatest ever

New Zealand martial artist Israel Adesanya will cross the threshold into legitimate worldwide superstardom this weekend when he fights the most dominant mixed martial artist in history this Sunday.

Media

Jan 27, 2019

My YouTube Party of Five: Don Rowe

My YouTube Party of Five is a new series in which we invite people to share their five favourite YouTube videos, the ones hold closest in their heart, the ones they’ll play at 2am while drunk at a party. This week: Don Rowe.

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