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Patrick Gower in a scene from his new documentary, Patrick Gower: On P
Patrick Gower in a scene from his new documentary, Patrick Gower: On P

Pop CultureJune 16, 2021

Review: Patrick Gower: On P takes stock of the devastation wrought by meth in NZ

Patrick Gower in a scene from his new documentary, Patrick Gower: On P
Patrick Gower in a scene from his new documentary, Patrick Gower: On P

Despite moments of trademark Paddy Gower goofiness, the journalist’s new documentary does an impressive job at getting to the heart of the methamphetamine epidemic, writes Don Rowe.

At first glance, “Patrick Gower on P” sounds more like an O-Week costume than a piece of investigative journalism. And as the documentary opens with shots of Gower motoring across the Hauraki Gulf in a slick leather jacket, it almost seems like it could be. But while genuine moments of humour are among the strong points of Gower’s new film, the documentary’s thesis – and the scale of New Zealand’s meth crisis – is starkly stated by Jessie, a former meth user from Moerewa; “If there is something in the world that is stronger than love, then we have a problem.”

Patrick Gower: On P is the follow-up to Patrick Gower: On Weed, a 45-minute exploration of the New Zealand drug scene and its citizenry, geared towards Three’s fairly unversed audience. But while cannabis has a mostly benign reputation in this country, and the tone of that documentary followed suit, methamphetamine’s ghastly nature is well reflected in this new film.

On a NZ Customs boat (supplied)

Criminal organisations from Australia’s Comancheros to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel have identified New Zealand as a crystal El Dorado, Gower learns, where prices are sky high and socioeconomic conditions have created a ready-made class of users susceptible to intense addiction. Jessie, who says she had an idyllic childhood, began using up to $2500 of meth every day to numb the pain of severe domestic abuse. Her children were uplifted, one permanently, in a scene repeated around New Zealand ad nauseum. Others, like Anita, started cooking to fund their own addiction, only to lose everything.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake as entire shipping containers of meth flood into the country, attracting increased violence from international gangs attempting to control the trade. Customs is swamped and can’t come close to stemming the flow of meth. And even the drug itself is uniquely destructive, Gower finds. As one user reflects, “there is no more ‘me’. It eats you up inside.”

This rings true for most people who have dealt with a friend or family member addicted to meth. There is something particularly insidious and vampiric about methamphetamine. It’s a kind of paint stripper for the soul, erasing or contorting the user’s capacity for honesty or joy. There are fuck-all happy endings when it comes to meth addiction. And as Gower learns, the road back from that addiction is measured in years, not months. For some users, nothing – not sex, food or love – will ever feel as good as that first hit of P.

Testing wastewater in Christchurch

Yet somehow, despite the subject matter, Gower is strongest when he’s having fun. At an Auckland Customs’ warehouse, he gleefully witnesses the inspection of a handbag suspected of concealing meth. “I’m actually quite pumped,” he tells the officers. “It’s chocka!”. If Patrick Gower really is on P, it may well stand for “passion”. At a Christchurch water treatment plant, while learning about wastewater testing, Gower scoops effluent into a beaker, saying “thank you Christchurch, it’s good stuff!” (According to the testing, New Zealand’s 140,000 users are going through over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine a week). In Westport, Gower joins a community watch patrol, assuring a cop on the night beat that he has things under control.

There are moments of Patrick Gower: on P that fall flat and others that are just kind of goofy. Watching Gower Zoom call a group of Sinaloa meth cooks could have been an intense and eerie peek behind the curtain, but instead felt more like that video of the judge who is definitely not a cat. His interview with prisoner Stevie Cullen, who was arrested and sentenced to 27 years following a 500kg meth bust off 90 Mile Beach, is a strange, scolding bit of telly. And no documentary on meth would be complete without a shot of a wide-eyed Antonie Dixon, the sword-wielding shorthand for meth addiction who would ultimately kill himself in an Auckland prison cell.

Later, while inspecting a suspected clandestine meth lab, Gower straps on a hazmat suit and breathing apparatus the equal of any Covid get-up, insisting “I really do not want any meth coming up through here.” It’s a strange note after Gower earlier interviews a user in the process of smoking from a glass pipe. The excessive gear and the dramatic inspection of what looks like a normal state house calls to mind the other entrepreneurs who cashed in big on New Zealand’s meth crisis: the testers.

In full meth testing get up

The meth-testing industry has in the past been criticised as a racket of cowboys, costing homeowners hundreds of thousands of dollars and getting innocent tenants thrown into the streets over the alleged contamination of rental properties. This “contamination” was often based on arbitrary levels dreamed up by an industry with zero barrier to entry, and gormlessly instituted by the government. No politicians are made to answer for this or any other policy failings in Patrick Gower: on P. The documentary goes broad, and is generally heavier on the what than the why or how.

But still, while there are a few moments of ‘Just Say No’ silliness in Patrick Gower: on P, Gower ultimately draws the right conclusions. The evidence is beyond debate: the War on Drugs has failed, criminalisation of drug users has not and never will work. Addiction is a health issue and it is through initiatives like Te Ara Oranga, where Jessie found help, that users can achieve meaningful change. It’s a powerful summary of the situation and demonstrates that Gower really does appreciate the magnitude of New Zealand’s meth problem, and cares about its victims. For a documentary aimed at middle New Zealand, Patrick Gower: on P shows remarkable restraint and empathy, and is an important and worthwhile piece of media.

Because against cartels armed with submarines and submachine guns, treating the root causes of addiction may prove as important as curtailing the supply of the drug. While Jessie from Moerewa identified the problem, she may have found one solution, too.

Paddy Gower: On P is currently streaming on Three Now.

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Pop CultureJune 14, 2021

Review: The Block NZ is back – and the same as it ever was

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After a two year break, The Block NZ is back. Tara Ward watches the first episode of the new season to find out what drama lies ahead. 

The Block NZ returns to Three tonight, and host Mark Richardson is promising big things. Season nine will be “bigger and tougher than ever”, the houses are “the biggest and most demanding ever”, and the teams are the fiercest competitors we’ve ever seen. “We’re taking it back to what it was all about in the first five seasons: good quality, contemporary family homes,” Richardson tells us. These are big and tough promises, especially when the biggest and toughest twist is one no producer could ever have anticipated: Covid-19. 

A global lockdown beats the tension of building a wooden platform across a swimming pool, but this season, we’ll get to see both. The Block NZ premieres with footage filmed sometime in summer 2019/20, well before the Covid-19 lockdown stopped the builds. Four new teams arrive in Auckland’s Point Chevalier, ready to unleash their creativity on four partially built and enormous new homes. 

The teams meet for the first time (Photo: Three).

There’s married couple Meg and Dan, brothers Dylan and Keegan, Bay of Plenty friends Janah and Rach, and Auckland mates Tim and Arty. They’re enthusiastic and friendly, but the lack of cultural diversity is disappointing, especially when this has been a problem for The Block NZ previously. Several of the teams have building and renovation experience, which bodes well for the weeks ahead, even if Keegan admits to never having seen the show before. 

The season kicks off with a design challenge where teams pair up to create guest bedrooms in two of the four Block houses. The combined winners will choose which house they want for the rest of the season, meaning they can select one of the higher value street front houses. It’s one of The Block NZ’s typically over-complicated ideas, but it gets the teams talking and strategising on how best to win. Should they work together to create a continuous feel in the house, or will each team stick to their own design ideas? 

It’s only day one of a three month project, so there are few signs of the drama promised in the opening preview. We see the teams find their feet on The Block – learning what a scotia is, stuffing insulation into the walls, choosing the perfect shade of green. There’s barely a whiff of gameplay, although Janah and Rach decide to do a separate design to housemates Dylan and Keegan, and Meg realises she might not want the house with the highest reserve, given the team with the most profit wins. Nobody mentions Covid-19, which makes The Block NZ feel like it’s in a bubble of its own, before being in a bubble was even a thing.

The Block NZ host Mark Richardson and contestants (Photo: Three).

So far, this could be any season of The Block, on any Auckland building site. Richardson’s commentary is as droll as ever, The Wolf is still committed to high standards of insulation, and there’s plenty of random product placement. Subway footlong, anyone? It may feel like this until we reach the lockdown episodes, which will likely define this season of The Block NZ in a way that nothing else could.

What’s missing from episode one is a sense of urgency, which feels out of sync with the stifling heat of the current housing market. There are also three new judgesChris Stevens, Ann-Louise Hyde and Lauren Mirabito – and it would have been great to meet them before the teams set to work. What do the judges want to see? Do people who can afford to buy a new 250m2 home in Point Chevalier like “jungle luxe” decor, and what did “style” even mean in the cursed year of 2020? These influential experts play a crucial role on The Block NZ, and the sooner we meet them, the better.

Tonight’s premiere confirms we already know what to expect from The Block NZ: bonkers challenges, stressed contestants doing their best, and four highly auctionable homes at the end. The series sticks to the same format and wanders along at its own pace, which isn’t always a bad thing, because sometimes we need to watch a show where the biggest drama is what time Resene closes. The Block NZ has all the materials to build a great TV show, but is it big and tough enough to keep us watching four nights a week? Like The Wolf inspecting a ceiling of Pink Batts, we’ll have to wait and see.

The Block NZ screens on Three, Monday-Wednesday night (and Sunday-Wednesday night from next week) and streams from 12pm on Three Now.


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