NOW CLOSED – New Zealand gamers, you don’t want to miss this…

Aotearoa’s ultimate gaming festival, Spark Game Arena Live is coming to Auckland on September 7th, 2024 at Spark Arena.

Watch the live Rise Cup Tournament featuring Fortnite and get hands on play with the latest games on Xbox, jump in to racing sims, go retro with old-school Arcade games, free-play Fortnite and Fall Guys, Just Dance, Street Fighter 6 and more

Thanks to our friends at Spark Game Arena, we are giving away THREE Double Passes for the MORNING session (9am to 2pm) of Spark Game Arena Live, held on 7th September 2024 at Spark Arena.

To enter this Giveaway it’s real easy… there’s no tricky question or quiz, just send us your details and you’re in the draw.

Hit us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / DM / Email in accordance to the above Question (if there is one). Winner(s) will receive a digital Double Pass for the Spark Game Arena Rise Cup Tournament featuring Fortnite from Spark Game Arena directly – and for the morning session only. Competition ends on the 25th of August 2024. Ticket must be secured by the winner before 5pm Monday, 30th of August. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion. Spark Game Arena Live is a ticketed event. Anyone 14 or younger must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/whānau member who is 16 years or older.  

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Spark announced today a gaming festival called ‘Spark Game Arena Live’ coming to Auckland’s Spark Arena on Saturday, 7 September 2024.

‘Spark Game Arena Live (SGAL)’ will bring the best of gaming to Aotearoa with interactive experiences, finals of an esports tournament played live, and guest appearances from globally recognised gaming personalities.

The festival will have capacity for approximately 8,000 attendees across the day, and will be split into two parts – a morning and an afternoon session lasting five hours each.

A key feature of the festival’s morning session will be the second instalment of ‘The Rise Cup featuring Fortnite’, delivered in partnership with LetsPlay.Live – a nationwide online tournament that saw over 1,400 participants play in the inaugural event last year. The winners took home a share of the largest prize pool for a Fortnite tournament played in New Zealand worth $30,000.

This year’s tournament will consist of two qualifier rounds played online later this month with the emerging 50 finalists competing in-person at Spark Game Arena Live on 7 September, and the tournament broadcast live to Fortnite fans across the globe.

Tournament participants will have the chance to win a share of an even larger prize pool than last year worth over $140,000 consisting of Logitech G equipment, cash and more. Registrations for the tournament, restricted to New Zealand residents 13 years and over, will open on Wednesday, 3 July at 11am.

Spark’s Director of Marketing and Data, Matt Bain, says: “We know that New Zealand gamers have been waiting a long time to see a dedicated gaming event in our own backyard that brings together some of the best experiences the industry has to offer.

“This festival is about creating a platform for the New Zealand gaming industry to come together and showcase some of the incredible game developers, animators, and visionaries that are building award-winning experiences.

“Aotearoa’s video game studios earned $434.4 million in the year to 31 March 2023, and 95% of this came from high value digital exports – so we’re excited to celebrate our homegrown gaming expertise while also bringing in inspiration from offshore.

“At Spark we want to leverage the power of technology to unleash an Aotearoa that is full of possibilities. This makes gaming a natural area of focus for us – we are investing in the networks and technology that make gaming possible, and it is one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment not only in New Zealand but globally. Spark Game Arena Live is our way of saying Hello Tomorrow to new opportunities and backing New Zealand gamers of the future.”

The first half of the day will run from 9.00am to 2.00pm giving families the opportunity to explore gaming experiences from 10 New Zealand game studios who are part of the New Zealand Game Developers Association, and activations from some of the most well-known game brands, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

In addition to watching the live action of the tournament, festival goers attending the morning session will also have the chance to play their friends in a game of Fall Guys, a multi-player obstacle game that’s fun for the whole family. These matches will be shown on giant LED screens spanning a total of 653 square metres inside the bowl.

The second part of the day is restricted to 16-year-olds and above and will run from 3.00pm to 8.00pm and feature similar activations to the morning session, with an additional esports tournament to be announced. Attendees will also have the chance to put their own skills to the test with free-play Fortnite available and keynote speaker seminars featuring some of the gaming industry’s brightest minds.

Presale tickets for Spark customers are available from 11am today (Monday 1 July 2024) with general public tickets on sale starting 11am, Wednesday, 3 July 2024.

100 Spark Game Arena Live tickets will also be provided to students around the motu to help budding gamers and game developers who may not otherwise be able to, attend the event.

To be the first to hear more information about ‘The Rise Cup featuring Fortnite’ at Spark Game Arena Live when registrations open on 3 July, as well as many more announcements about the festival, register your interest at spark.co.nz/gaming.

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It has just been revealed the 2024 Recorded Music NZ Music Hall of Fame inductee is Dame Hinewehi Mohi.

Dame Hinewehi Mohi’s remarkable story and ongoing contributions highlight her as a trailblazer in the revitalisation of te reo Māori and Māori music in Aotearoa.

Dame Hinewehi’s journey began with a deeply personal connection to her cultural roots, inspired by her father’s decision to reclaim his birthright and connect with his cultural identity at the age of 30. Immersed in te reo Māori through daily lessons with her father and exposure to Māori waiata, Hinewehi became an advocate for the everyday use of te reo Māori in New Zealand.

Her advocacy took a significant turn when she sang ‘God Defend New Zealand’ in te reo Māori at a Rugby World Cup match in 1999, sparking renewed debate and ultimately normalising the singing of the national anthem in both Māori and English.

Dame Hinewehi’s impact extends beyond her groundbreaking performance. As the Manukura Puoro Māori at APRA AMCOS NZ, she champions the growth of Māori music and the development of a bilingual music industry. She initiated the Waiata Anthems project, which supports artists in recording their hit songs in Māori, resulting in a chart-topping album that spent 27 weeks in the Top40.

In addition to her musical endeavours, Dame Hinewehi is the founder of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, providing music therapy to those with special needs. Led by Dame Hinewehi, the Trust will be celebrating this anniversary by reclaiming the record for world’s largest haka (4028 people) from France, at an event at Eden Park on 29 September 2024.

Dame Hinewehi Mohi will be celebrated at the Aotearoa Music Awards on Thursday 30 May at the Viaduct Events Centre. The event will be livestreamed by Official Media Partner RNZ via rnz.co.nz and across its social media channels.

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New Zealand’s favourite flavoured snack, Arnott’s Shapes, is joining forces with Xbox ANZ for a third year in a row with a powered-up promotion to level-up your gaming experience.

As the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever, the Xbox Series X has been taking Kiwi gamers to the next level since it hit our shores. Now, Arnott’s Shapes and Xbox are giving Kiwis the chance to win the fastest, most powerful Xbox ever, every single day.

From 25th March to 9th June 2024, Shapes enthusiasts across New Zealand will have the opportunity to win an Xbox Series X console 512GB every day. There are also 10,000 Xbox 1-month Game Pass prizes to be won instantly. Simply purchase any Shapes product and upload your receipt to the official website to be in the draw. Each Shapes pack purchased provides one entry to the daily draw, terms and conditions apply.

New World, Pak N Save and Four Square customers, have an additional opportunity to win on top of the epic ‘win an Xbox a Day’ promotion.  If you’re a true Shapes fanatic, look no further than this exclusive opportunity to enter the draw to win one of only four custom-wrapped Shapes Barbecue Xbox Series X consoles exclusive to New World, Pak N Save and 4 Square.

“Arnott’s are excited to once again be teaming up with Xbox ANZ on this epic collaboration to bring joy to our loyal Shapes fans,” said Keryn Bloor, Head of Marketing at Arnott’s NZ. “In addition to providing Kiwis with the opportunity to win an Xbox Series X every day, we’re also excited to offer true Shapes fanatics a one-of-a-kind custom-wrapped console through our exclusive Foodstuffs campaign, offering something truly unique and exciting for gamers and snack enthusiasts alike.”

The partnership between Arnott’s Shapes and Xbox ANZ continues to demonstrate a commitment to innovation, creativity, and delivering unique experiences to consumers.

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Hosted by none other than Mike Minogue (Office Minogue) and Karen O’Leary (Officer O’Leary), with Maaka Pohatu (Sarge) and Tom Sainsbury (Officer Parker) as recurring guests, the podcast will feature actors, writers, directors and more, delving into the making of the Jemaine Clement produced and Taika Waititi executive produced TV series, Wellington Paranormal.

The podcast has launched (Thursday 23 November 2023 NZT) with a new episode available weekly every Thursday (NZ) and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major podcast apps.

Shot in New Zealand, the Wellington Paranormal TV series first aired in 2018 on TVNZ with its four seasons available in 109 countries including CW and HBO Max in North America, Sky in UK & Ireland, SBS in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand. The series, which is filmed documentary style like the 2014 film from which it was created from, follows Officers Minogue and O’Leary as they battle a surprising amount of paranormal activity in the small city of Wellington and enjoys a 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Prior to the 2022 debut of the fourth series, Clement said in 2021 that the TV series would take a pause. The podcast will now give the still very engaged audience of the TV series more to delve into, with the natural banter of Minogue and O’Leary no doubt a drawcard.

Mike Minogue expresses his enthusiasm about the podcast, stating, “Karen and I are excited to be bringing this podcast to our fans all around the world. They’ll both be thrilled. We’re looking forward to dissecting each episode as well as talking to both the people who created the show, and celebrity fans who, correctly, think Wellington Paranormal is the greatest thing to ever appear on screen.”

The podcast is produced by Frank Podcasts, a new NZ-based podcast network, headed up by Mike Minogue and Tim Batt which will be celebrating and fostering local creative talent. Their shows will be featuring some of the funniest, smartest and most engaging hosts in the creative arts and will aim to showcase how people from all walks of life can begin a professional life in the industry.

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Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council and Manukau Urban Māori Authority (MUMA) are thrilled to announce the return of Waitangi ki Manukau for 2024 with a stellar line-up including Savage, Che Fu & The Kratez, Annie Crummer, Rei and more!

This Waitangi Day, head to Manukau Sports Bowl for this free whānau-friendly event to hear some great live tunes, experience the Māori cultural heritage of Tāmaki Makaurau and learn more about our national day.

After COVID and extreme weather events interrupted the event for the past three years, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is excited for Waitangi ki Manukau to return.

“It’ll be a great show. Waitangi ki Manukau is a celebration of unity, diversity, cultural exchange and great music. We are proud to support it alongside MUMA, and it stands as testament to the unity and mutual respect fostered by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

MUMA’s CEO Tania Rangiheuea invites the whole whānau along to experience a great summer music celebration to mark Waitangi Day.

“Nau mai ki te rā whakanui i te Tiriti o Waitangi ka tū ki Manukau! Everyone is welcome to join the celebration of our national day”, she said.

“Waitangi ki Manukau is an opportunity to reflect on the Treaty, as well as take time to enjoy a day of music, kai and learning with your loved ones.”

This year, Waitangi ki Manukau makes a welcome return to Manukau Sports Bowl to take advantage of the great outdoor space and to celebrate the role of Manukau in the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi 184 years ago.

Start the day with pōwhiri, enjoy spectacular live music, and take in the culture, te reo Māori, kōrero and kai in the heart of Manukau to learn more about the impact of the Treaty on our everyday lives.

There are plenty of free, fun activities at Waitangi ki Manukau, so be sure to get the whole whānau along!

The full line-up of Waitangi ki Manukau follows:

Savage

Che Fu & The Kratez

Annie Crummer

Lost Tribe Aotearoa

Lomez Brown

Rei

Jamey Ferguson

Waitangi ki Manukau takes place on 6 February at Manukau Sports Bowl, Manukau. The day starts with pōwhiri at 8am, followed by spectacular live music from 10am. Head to the OurAuckland event listing for more details.

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Get excited, Whovians, because Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston is coming to New Zealand for two special events in February 2024.

The Ninth Doctor will be joined by a line-up of Who actors, including the 12th Doctor’s companion Pearl Mackie, to meet fans in Auckland on February 24th, 2024 and Wellington February 25th 2024 .

Organiser William Geradts, who runs the Armageddon Expo, says the aptly-named Lord of Time events coincide perfectly with the show’s 60 year milestone. “Doctor Who is one of those cult classic shows that spans generations,” he says. “Being a huge fan myself, I’m very excited to be a part of the celebrations here in New Zealand. Christopher Eccleston is a massive drawcard for Whovians, so I’m sure we’ll have loads of people joining us to mark 60 years.”

He says this will be the first time fans will have the chance to meet a new generation Doctor in New Zealand.
“Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor, was here in 2015 for an evening speakers event – but this is something completely new because fans will be able to chat with Christopher Eccleston and get an autograph and photo with him.”

Tickets and tokens for the two Lord of Time conventions are on sale via iTicket for Auckland and Ticketmaster for Wellington. Among other Who events in the country will be Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction exhibition in Wellington.

The exhibition will run for five months from June 1 at  Tākina , Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, giving fans of the hit BBC television series 2024 the opportunity to come face to face with the show’s iconic characters, share the Doctor’s adventures, and explore some of the worlds visited on screen.

It is the first time the exhibition has left UK shores.

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Following the spectacular sellout success of this weekend’s Perth Optus Stadium shows – part of the November 2023 Asia leg of Coldplay’s record-breaking Music Of The Spheres World Tour which has also taken them to Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Jakarta – the band have today announced a run of Australia and New Zealand dates for October and November 2024.

The shows will see Coldplay perform in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland for the first time since 2016.

Fans can register now at coldplay.com for access to the ticket presale – which begins at 10am local time on Wednesday, 29th November 2023. The general sale begins on Friday, 1st December 2023 at 10am local time.

Since the first Music Of The Spheres World Tour date in March 2022, the band have sold over 9 million tickets – the most for any tour over the last two years. The tour has also received rave reviews from fans and critics alike, picking up accolades including Favorite Touring Artist at the 2022 AMAs and Tour of The Year at the 2023 iHeartRadio Awards.

The band recently issued an update on the tour’s sustainability initiatives, revealing that, on a show-by-show comparison, their current tour has so far produced 47% less CO2e emissions than their previous stadium tour in 2016/17, and that more than 7 million trees have already been planted around the world (with one being planted for each concert goer).

On Thursday, Coldplay were named in TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Climate, a new list of the world’s most influential leaders driving real climate action.

Coldplay will make a limited number of Infinity Tickets available for the shows at a later date. Infinity Tickets are released for every Coldplay show to make the Music Of The Spheres World Tour accessible to fans for an affordable price. They will cost $32 AUD / $32 NZD per ticket. They are restricted to a maximum of two tickets per purchaser, and must be bought in pairs (which will be located next to each other).

The band have also revealed their support acts for the shows will be PinkPantheress and Emmanuel Kelly.

The post COLDPLAY ANNOUNCE 2024 ANZ TOUR appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

As the first Spring Auckland Armageddon Expo since 2020 set the stage, the scene was set for the return of bigger brands and more variety, a welcome return for those not solely into anime or cosplay.

With still more than an abundance of anime and cosplay to your hearts content if that’s what you’re after, the return of bigger brands like PlayStation, Mighty Ape and Samsung were certainly a highlight to see, making the event start to feel a glimmer of what it used to be years ago.

It was disappointing to still see no return for Xbox and Nintendo though, who were usually a highlight alongside PlayStation of my visit to Auckland Armageddon.

Saying this, PlayStation and Mighty Ape were nowhere near as grand as they used to be. Given the scope of Mighty Ape as a whole online shop, I was surprisingly disappointed by how small their stand was and how little stock they had on display.

PlayStation’s stand was more of a Spider-Man 2 stand, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is a major release after all, but ultimately it didn’t show any of the wide scope that PlayStation as a brand is usually known for.

The slow rise of physical guests continued. Voice actor legend Troy Baker was present at this year’s Springeddon and became one of the reasons I attended the event. It was a lot of fun having the likes of Troy Baker attend, but the second main stage where I watched his panel was incredibly small and had a screen at the back that unfortunately made it no easier to see the voice actor.

The show floor, as expected, was very busy, and popular. On the other hand, a negative term to otherwise use could be cramped. Most of the time you couldn’t see the vendors, especially in artist alley, because so many people were standing and struggling to walk in all directions. With not a lot of ventilation I could tell of, a part from the doors on the outskirts, the space become very hot and suffocating, despite only being in Spring.

The unique and tasty food vendors outside were a breath of fresh air, literally, and it was cool to not only see the generic stalls, but also more unique food and drink options.

Artist alley remained one of the most popular spots of the event, as mentioned by the bustling crowds. There’s nothing better than finding something exciting and different, perhaps only found by being exposed to an independent artist. A lot of the bigger vendors selling items felt generic and cheap, which was a shame when comparing to the more independent artists who are vying for recognition.

Although continuously rising back to its former grandeur, Auckland Armageddon can’t quite keep up with the momentum required to grab people’s attention long enough to stick around for years to come, unless you fall into a very specific anime or cosplay niche. Saying this, you can’t deny the crowds, so albeit my time attending an Armageddon Expo may need a long deserved break, I’ll still be there admiring from afar.

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Spark announced today it is entering gaming with the launch of Spark Game Arena, kicking off with a nationwide online tournament – The Rise Cup featuring Fortnite – in partnership with New Zealand’s esports tournament organiser, Letsplay.live.

Tournament participants will battle it out over three weekends starting on 28 October for the chance to win a share of $30,000 – the largest ever prize pool on offer for a Fortnite tournament played in Aotearoa.

Prizes will not only be won by podium finishers who progress through to the final round, but also randomly selected registrants will have the chance to win prizes such as an Xbox Series X and Logitech G Aurora gaming headphones.

The ambition for Spark Game Arena is to become the home of gaming at Spark, from partnerships with brands such as Logitech G and Xbox, through to supporting events like Armageddon and the New Zealand Game Developers Conference. Spark Game Arena will offer exciting new products and experiences set to be announced over the coming months.

Spark’s Director of Marketing and Data, Matt Bain, says: “While this will be our first time hosting an esports tournament and there will undoubtedly be learnings as we go, gaming is a natural extension of our entertainment strategy and embodies our guiding kaupapa of Hello Tomorrow.

“We have been getting customers closer to music for nine years now with our money can’t buy VIP music experiences and our partnerships with Spotify and Spark Arena. Just like Spark’s music offering, Spark Game Arena will be all about bringing New Zealanders closer to the things they love, and we know we love to game in this country.”

The gaming industry’s growing popularity in Aotearoa was highlighted by research released last month from the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) which showed 79% of New Zealanders are now playing video games. Additional data from the New Zealand Game Developers Association also indicated the country’s gaming sector grew almost 50% in 2022.

Bain adds: “We’re excited to be trialling something new working alongside Letsplay.live, an organisation that knows New Zealand’s gaming sector well and is well placed to help us deliver The Rise Cup. Whether you game competitively, jam Fortnite with your mates or want to try your luck at something new, you don’t have to be a pro, you just have to be ready to give it a go.”

To ensure The Rise Cup is promoting a safe and supportive online gaming environment and to help guide the future of Spark Game Arena, Spark has been working alongside Netsafe to embed processes into its tournament that allow players to keep themselves safe and report harmful behaviour when needed.

Chief Online Safety Officer at Netsafe, Sean Lyons, says: “At Netsafe, we know that we are all safest online when those around us are keeping an eye out for us, keeping our best interests at heart.

“That’s not only for our whānau (family) and friends, but for the places and spaces we use online. And the best way for those places to help kee­­p us safe, is to plan for safety right from the start.

“The team at Spark have been talking to us at Netsafe since the very earliest days of this work, to make sure that what they are building reflects the principles of safety by design.”

As part of Spark Game Arena, Spark is also expanding its partnership with Digital Natives Academy (DNA), a Spark Foundation partner since 2018 that supports rangatahi who need access to technology to embrace a digital future that respects and reflects te ao Māori. Over the last six years, the partnership has helped more than 30,000 tamariki and rangatahi (young people) attend DNA events, activities and programmes, to increase their digital skills and to provide access to game industry knowledge in esports, game development and design.

Spark has been working closely with DNA co-founder and NZ Esports Federation Board Member, Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule, on the development of its gaming strategy to enhance Aotearoa’s gaming sector and help create more equitable pathways for rangatahi into gaming.

The expansion of the partnership with DNA will enable five more aspiring game development students to join DNA’s Esports Essentials programme for free. Applications for this programme will open later this month.

Registrations for The Rise Cup featuring Fortnite will close at 11pm, 23 October 2023 with the first round played on 28 October 2023 and the finals played on 12 November 2023. For more information about the tournament and how to register in The Rise Cup – visit spark.co.nz/gaming.

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