An Eye for AroVision

Holly Rowsell

Content Warning: Anti-trans Rhetoric, State Violence (ICE),  Epstein.

The state of media ownership is pretty fucking dim right now. Most of the major streamers are owned by mega-rich, MAGA sympathizing white guys who are carefully orchestrating the mass monopolisation of media. These are modern-day super-villians, and each year they’re getting bolder.

For anyone unfamiliar, here's a recap of their greatest hits: 

Warner Bros. Studio, who we can thank for the biggest theatrical releases of 2025 (Sinners, OBAA, Superman), is being acquired by Netflix, whose Co-CEO Ted Sarandos believes watching movies in cinemas “...is an outmoded idea, for most people…” In response to the platforming of anti-trans rhetoric, Sarandos has also stated "...we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm…" And they’ve started using AI for special effects. 

Amazon is constantly being pulled up for egregious worker’s rights violations. They’re also notorious tax evaders; Ethical Consumer estimates Amazon’s systematic avoidance of corporation tax deprived UK citizens of around £575 million in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, owner Jeff Bezos has generated a net worth of nearly $220 billion off the backs of underpaid, overworked employees. And he appeared in the Epstein files 194 times.

In an act of media censorship, Disney-owned ABC briefly cancelled Jimmy Kimmel Live in September of last year after Kimmel made light of Trump’s response to the killing of Charlie Kirk. In 2025, Disney removed two of its DEI programs and didn’t mention DEI in their annual business report for the first time since 2019. And they’ve just invested $1 billion in OpenAI.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has become fast friends with Trump. In Jan 2025, he personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Cook also attended a special White House screening of a new Melania documentary on the same day Alex Pretti—intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen—was executed by ICE agents in the streets of Minneapolis. And he appeared in the Epstein files 152 times. 

Disney+, Prime Video, Netflix, and Apple TV are unequivocal no-gos for those concerned with human rights, censorship, and the future of creative media. It feels like ethical consumers have no way to stream movies without sailing the high seas, if you catch my drift.

Enter: AroVison, a Pōneke-based streaming service run by local small-business AroVideo. 

AroVideo is a DVD rental store in the heart of Aro Valley that has miraculously survived countless cultural shifts. Andrew Armitage first opened the store in 1989, though back then they were renting VHS tapes (which they still do, by the way!). When the Digital Versatile Disc was invented in 95’, AroVideo adapted and began stocking the new tech. They even survived the video-store-plague, a slow-acting disease caused by online streaming services. 

Despite all this resilience, Armitage told Stuff in 2015 that the end was near for his beloved video store. A bright idea helped him hold on; the owner introduced the 'Adopt a Movie' scheme. Movie-lovers were invited to sponsor the purchase of a DVD, helping Aro keep stocking new stuff that they otherwise couldn't afford. The shop is now home to 667 adopted films.

In 2022 Armitage launched The AroVideo Library Preservation Transition Fund. The money raised would help to shift ownership out of his hands and into those of a trust entity that could protect and preserve this important cultural collection. In seven months, he raised nearly $35,000 dollars. 

Today, the AroVideo DVD Library contains over 27,000 titles—around 24,000 of which are rental films—making it the largest collection in Aotearoa. For comparison, Netflix only offers around 5000 movies (cough—pathetic—cough). 

This place is a Wellington institution that would be long gone if not for the support of its loving community. It’s important we keep that support coming. The best way you can help ensure the survival of this store is by choosing AroVision as your film-streaming service.

AroVision boasts a beautifully curated collection of 3500 films. The website describes their catalogue as “festival, cult, classic and unusual titles, the vast majority of which are not currently available on the best-known streaming provider.” 

The platform operates as a digital video store. Membership is free. You pay a rental fee per movie, just as you would for a DVD, which gives you 30 days to start watching the film, and 48 hours to finish it once pressing play. The cost of a movie varies from $5 to $8. Watch it with a friend, and that's maximum $4 each! Two friends, $2.67! And so on!

Browsing such a unique catalog can be a little daunting. Even movie buffs haven't heard about some of the stuff on AroVision. But fear not! I’ll be back bi-weekly to recommend a couple films I think you’ll like—or at the very least haven't seen before. 

Let’s keep loving this local legend. Gather your mates, chuck some popcorn in the microwave, and watch a movie on NZ’s most ethical streamer. No matter the genre, everything on Aro is a feel-good-film, because nothing feels better than supporting a local business.