Wasted in a War Zone. After leaving the army, a Kiwi soldier’s life becomes a restless search for meaning, lived under the illusion of control through highly functional addictions — to risk, conflict, and substances. His journey spans the globe: humanitarian work in war zones of the 1990s, treasure diving, documentary filmmaking, surviving a tsunami, business ventures, and an unrelenting pursuit of adrenaline. This is not an endorsement of addiction, but a testament to how surviving decades of chaos can ultimately forge purpose, identity, and hard-won wisdom from unforgettable experiences. Written by Gavin Hooper-Newton. Available on Amazon soon. ISBN 978-0-473-76485-2 (paperback)

Naki Nik Naks. Our catalogued curated collection of Reimagined Restorations. Everything is 99% recycled upcycled and made by hand.

Health Network Collective. Our project for Gavins Master of Technological Futures (MTF) degree to provide equitable access to HCV testing and links to treatment enabling and empowering our communities in providing health access by friendly faces from familiar places. Integrating online training and mobile technologies with real world practical application in Hepatitis Point of Care Testing – enabling population wide antibody testing by non-regulated workforce and kaiawhina, efficient allocation and use of RNA PCR resources while supporting health systems and people.

“The General Grant: Where It Isn’t” won Best Documentary at the inaugural Hollywood DV Festival, Hollywood USA, in 2003. In 1866 the General Grant sank off the remote subantarctic Auckland Islands, with 2576 ounces of gold on board. In 2000 two kina divers and a one-legged tractor driver headed south on a quixotic quest for the buried treasure. The unlikely lads reckon they know where the booty is (despite it eluding 15+ previous search efforts). Their mission turns out to be rugged, illegal, and possibly clueless (as their homespun theories are tested), but that doesn’t deter the spirit of the adventurers. First time filmmaker Samuel Richards and co-conspirator Gavin came along for the fool’s gold ride.

The Samoa 2009  8.1 earthquake and tsunami we experienced while making a commercial there. We regretfully sold footage to TVNZ – we didnt like their doom gloom portrayal and effect on tourism with cancellations. We made this video, donating to Reuters for a  donation to the Samoan Red Cross.

The Portal Project.Turalei, South Sudan, 2015. Samuel Richards invited me to join him back packing across South Sudan in a random act of kindness for a group of impoverished orphans in the North of South Sudan. Not wanting to express our journey as a ‘white priviledge’ story of us, Samuel created this short video as representative of our trip.