Southam Apps · Aotearoa New Zealand

Apps that respect your privacy.

Independent software by Daniel Southam. No accounts, no analytics and no tracking code of our own: just tools that do their job and stay out of the way.

See the apps Read the privacy policy
  • No accounts
  • No analytics of our own
  • Your data stays on your device

The apps

Three apps, built end to end

Two Android apps on Google Play and one free web app, each made by one developer in New Zealand.

Compass World News app icon

Compass World News

AndroidFreeOptional Pro

See how every side covers the same story.

A private news reader for New Zealand and the world. Compass World News shows how outlets across the political spectrum cover the same stories: a dial marks each headline’s lean, and blindspot mode surfaces the stories one side has barely covered. Articles open in a clean, built-in reader that strips ads, scripts and tracking code, so you never leave the app.

It shows no ads, has no trackers and needs no account. And for when you’ve read enough, three games are built in: Compass Flap, Bearing Guess and Compass 2048.

  • Built-in clean reader
  • Lean dial & blindspot mode
  • Custom feeds & topics
  • Offline reading
  • Daily digest
  • Three built-in games
Get it on Google Play How Compass World News handles your data
Findaroo app icon

Findaroo

AndroidFree with adsOptional Pro

Colourful word search puzzles for curious minds.

Drag a colourful trail across the grid to find every hidden word, then level up through bigger grids and trickier words as you go. With 38 categories, three game modes and settings for font, text size and timer, it suits a wide range of ages and reading levels.

The free version shows a small, child-safe banner ad, limited to non-personalised, G-rated content. The optional one-time Pro upgrade removes it and adds extra categories, more levels and timer controls.

  • 38 categories
  • Traditional · Timed · Expert
  • 6 world languages
  • Adjustable font & text size
  • Levels & star ratings
  • Child-safe ad settings
Get it on Google Play How Findaroo handles your data
SlashKit app icon

SlashKit

Web appFreeBedrock & Java

Minecraft commands, ready to copy.

A command builder for Minecraft: Bedrock and Java Edition. Pick from 92 command templates in eight categories, fill in the options, and copy a working command for chat or a command block, with kits and rich-text, selector and coordinate builders for people who run worlds and servers.

It runs in any web browser, on a phone or a computer, with nothing to install. Every feature is free, and ads help keep it that way.

  • 92 command templates
  • Bedrock & Java
  • Chat or command block
  • Kits & builders
  • Nothing to install
  • Works offline
Open SlashKit How SlashKit handles your data

Principles

Why these apps are different

Privacy isn’t a setting you have to find. It’s how each app is built from the start.

Your data stays on your device

Your feeds, saved stories, progress and preferences live on your device and nowhere else. Any optional one-time Pro upgrade is processed by Google Play. Findaroo’s free version and SlashKit show ads from Google, and the privacy policy sets out exactly what those ad services collect.

A reader that strips trackers

Tap a headline in Compass World News and the article is rebuilt as clean text, with no ad slots, no scripts and no tracking code running. Article images load from the outlet; nothing else does.

Built to be genuinely useful

Every app starts from a real, specific problem: reading the news without bias-blindness, building a Minecraft command fast, or making a word search that’s actually fun. Not attention or engagement for its own sake.

Made in New Zealand, for anyone

Designed and built end to end by one independent developer in Aotearoa, and published to a worldwide audience under the nz.southam namespace. Southam Apps is a registered New Zealand business, NZBN 9429053988713.

Also by Daniel Southam

Tools for New Zealand teachers

Daniel is a primary school teacher, and also builds these classroom tools.

PlanlineTeacher’s planner

Weekly, unit and lesson plans for New Zealand primary and intermediate classrooms, with Penline and Chalkline built in. Free 30-day trial.

planline.co.nz PenlineStructured literacy, Years 0–8

A structured literacy sequence with year plans, daily lessons and handwriting sheets. Free for every New Zealand teacher, with no sign-up.

Open Penline ChalklineNZ Curriculum maths, Years 1–8

Every maths concept placed in the Mathematics and Statistics learning area, with teaching order, prerequisites and a lesson planner. Free, with no sign-up.

Open Chalkline

danielsoutham.co.nz

Daniel’s home on the web: the teaching tools, his portfolio, and the story behind these apps.

Visit the site

Frequently asked questions

What apps does Southam Apps make?

Three: Compass World News, an Android news reader that shows how outlets across the political spectrum cover the same story; Findaroo, a colourful word search game for Android; and SlashKit, a free Minecraft command builder for Bedrock and Java that runs in your browser.

Do your apps collect my data?

No. There are no accounts, analytics or tracking code of our own, and your feeds, saved stories, progress and preferences stay on your device. Findaroo’s free version and SlashKit show Google ads, and the privacy policy sets out exactly what those ad services collect.

Are the apps free?

Compass World News and Findaroo are free to download, each with an optional one-time Pro upgrade through Google Play. SlashKit is completely free, with nothing to buy.

Are the apps on iPhone?

Compass World News and Findaroo are Android apps on Google Play. SlashKit runs in any web browser, so it works on iPhone, iPad, Android and computers.

Is Compass World News an unbiased news app?

No news app can promise perfect balance, so Compass shows you the spread instead: reports on the same story from outlets across the political spectrum, a dial marking each headline’s lean, and a blindspot mode for stories one side has barely covered. The lean labels are a guide, not a guarantee.

See all 18 questionsShow fewer

Compass World News

Which news outlets does Compass World News use?

Public RSS and Atom feeds from a curated selection of New Zealand and world outlets, such as RNZ, Stuff, The Spinoff, BBC and The Guardian. You choose which sources to follow and can organise them into topics.

Does Compass World News block ads in articles?

Yes. Tap a headline and the built-in reader rebuilds the article as clean text, with the outlet’s ads, scripts and known tracking pixels removed. Only the article’s images load from the outlet.

Can I read the news offline?

Yes. Compass World News includes offline reading, and your saved stories stay on your device.

I bought Compass World News when it was a paid app. Do I need to buy Pro?

No. If you bought it while it was a paid app, Pro is included automatically at no extra charge.

Findaroo

Is Findaroo safe for kids?

It’s designed to be. The free version shows a small banner ad on the puzzle screen, marked as child-directed so Google serves only non-personalised, G-rated ads, and the app doesn’t use the Android Advertising ID. Pro removes the ads, and Google Play’s parental controls can require approval for purchases.

What does Findaroo Pro add?

Extra categories, more levels and timer controls, and no ads. It’s a one-time purchase through Google Play.

What can you play in Findaroo?

Word searches in 38 categories, from animals and mythical creatures to world languages and the periodic table, with three game modes (Traditional, Timed and Expert), levels and star ratings, and settings for font, text size and timer.

SlashKit

What is SlashKit?

A free Minecraft command builder for Bedrock and Java: pick from 92 command templates in eight categories, fill in the options, and copy the finished command for chat or a command block. Open SlashKit.

Is SlashKit an official Minecraft tool?

No. SlashKit is an independent tool, not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft.

Support

How do I restore Pro on a new phone?

Pro is a Google Play purchase tied to your Google account. Install the app while signed in to the same Google account and Findaroo restores it automatically; Compass World News checks Google Play for a Pro upgrade you already own. If it doesn’t come back, get in touch.

How do I get support?

Email apps.southam@gmail.com. Every enquiry gets a reply, usually within 24–48 hours.

Who makes Southam Apps?

Daniel Southam, a primary school teacher and independent developer in the Waikato, New Zealand, who designs and builds every app end to end. NZBN 9429053988713.

What else does Daniel Southam make?

Free teaching tools for New Zealand classrooms: Penline for structured literacy and Chalkline for NZ Curriculum maths, plus Planline, a teacher’s planner with a free 30-day trial. They’re all at danielsoutham.co.nz.