What started as a look at the worldwide appropriation, exploitation and debasement of Native American culture, turned into a study of its rich influence on fashion, sports, politics and environmentalism. Or as Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond cheekily asks in 2024 Canadian documentary Red Fever, "Why do they love us so much?!"
Each week Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of the country for our regional wrap. This week we're in the Thames-Coromandel area at Mercury Bay. There's a vibrant hub of artists and a thriving community. Mercury Bay Art Escape started in 2006 as a cultural weekend, but has now developed into a larger event with 57 artists participating this year. Locals volunteer and it's a chance for people to visit the region and artists studios from Tairua to Whangapoua. With many well-known b...
It's been almost 40 years of the iconic Dunedin label Nom*d. Launched in 1986, the label has proudly stayed based in Dunedin for the past four decades. To mark the occasion a retrospective exhibition is being held at Dunedin Public Art Gallery opening Saturday 29 March alled This is Nom*d. Known for its dark aesthetic, vintage and avant-garde style, the exhibition will feature 20 archival looks showcasing Nom*d's evolution and its legendary influence on New Zealand fashion. It'll also highlight ...
Every week on RNZ's Culture 101 we ask an artist to share their love of culture and the cultural heroes that inspire them. In actor Ginette McDonald's case they're some of the people closest to her.
Arts News for 16 March 2025
35 years on from the death of a revered and popular New Zealand painter, a biography has been published. Tony Fomison: Life of the Artist, written by Mark Forman has been launched this week by Auckland University Press. Yet something significant is missing: his much celebrated paintings.
A new moving and very personal animated short film Mirumiru looks at the love and bond between two kaumatu, an elderly Maori couple, Shorty and Lena as they deal with Lena's progressing mate wareware or dementia. Inspired by writer and director Allan George's own family story and personal experiences, the film has no dialogue using visuals and music to tell the emotional story. It's been produced alongside Auckland-based Mukpuddy Animation studio and portrays kaumatua in a way audiences don't us...
Every Sunday on Culture 101 we visit a place big or small for our Regional Wrap to check its cultural pulse. And this week it's Te Puna, which is only a quarter of an hour's drive north west of the city of Tauranga. Its a rural community There are four marae, a primary school and some interesting cultural sites. They include Te Puna Quarry Park, a revitalised environmental site which features a sculpture walk, gardens and an outdoor performance space, and a new series of public artworks installe...
This weekend in Wellington the Scottish Ballet and Royal New Zealand Ballet share the same stage with a range of short works. The Scottish Ballet go on to present A Streetcar Named Desire from Thursday at the Auckland Arts Festival. For the Royal New Zealand Ballet it's a big refresh year under a new, younger executive team. Executive Director Tobias Perkins started in 2023 and comes to Aotearoa from the Leeds-based Northern Ballet, while artistic director Ty King-Wall joined last year. Ty is th...
A new social media project d8talk sees a group of young Gen Z New Zealanders taking part in a frank and honest conversation dating. Over the next few months, it's being rolled out across the channels including Instagram, SnapChat, Tik Tok and consists of two parts; Tapes and Diaries. The tapes include 38 interviews from people aged between 18-24 years old and the diaries follows 8 interviewees over several months. Culture 101 spoke to director Joe Canham and producer Georgia-May Russ about the i...
After nearly 30 years, British writer and director Mike Leigh has reunited with actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste for his new drama and comedy film Hard Truths.
Comedian, actor and theatre maker Barnie Duncan, is now in preparation mode ahead of this year's NZ International Comedy Festival.
Arts News for 9 March 2025.
Bringing precolonial history alive in the landscape with storytelling and your mobile phone When you travel around New Zealand our heritage since colonisation is visible in museums, monuments and buildings, in town and marae. Yet the long history of occupation of the land prior to this remains invisible to most of us. Yet retold walking the land, the landscape can light up with connections and stories as the sites of pa, gardens, and trails by land and water are made apparent. Locales are an awa...
Between the coloniser and the colonised: Anglo-Indian culture made visible A small Indian minority community with a fascinating history, Anglo-Indians have been settling in Aotearoa New Zealand since the early colonial days and have a unique blended cultural heritage, including food, dialect and origin stories. Yet Anglo-Indians are near to invisible in public life, often silent due to a double discrimination they have faced. Sitting in their origin and culture between a coloniser and the previo...
About 45 minutes from Queenstown, on the northern shores of Lake Wakatipu and a gateway to hiking trails is Glenorchy. Surrounded by mountain ranges and with Dart River for jet boating and kayaking; the views are breathtaking. At night the stars shine bright and The Milky Way and the Auroras can be seen. In February, Tahuna Glenorchy became the fifth Dark Sky Sanctuary in Aotearoa and the 23rd in the world. With a population of only 10,000 it's a huge achievement and the town are hopeful more pe...
Ration the Queen's Veges: Turning Te Papa activism into a stage show In 2023, a group spray painted over the English Treaty of Waitangi Exhibition at Te Papa sparking controversy. The redacted words read "No. Her Majesty The Queen of England the alien. ration the Queens veges." Some praised the action while others were outraged. 12 people were arrested and four people were charged. But one member - Te Wehi spent 48 hours in Rimutaka Prison following the activism which lead to an unexpected chain...
On Banks Peninsula in Canterbury fingers of lava have created a landscape of many deep bays and rugged hills. This is the distinctive setting of our next story and one that has made a deep impression on artists. Artist Louise Menzies' latest exhibition Purple Cliffs, Blue Hills is to be found at the restored Stoddart Cottage in Diamond Harbour, birthplace of a leading 19th and 20th century impressionist painter Margaret Stoddart. It is now a living gallery and museum The cottage is a short ferry...
Six is 80 minutes of high-energy, girl power pop songs and a rewriting of 500 years of history. Or herstory rather. The show title refers to the six wives of Henry the VIII who come together to battle it out in a singing competition; spilling secrets about their shared ex-husband to decide which Queen takes the lead. The hit musical is currently on at The Civic as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. It first debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, West End in 2019 and Broadway in 2020....
Have you ever considered how green that TV show or movie you're watching is? Non-profit organisation, Greenlit is now working alongside Aotearoa productions leading the screen industry towards a greener and more sustainable future. The organisation and method is also grounded in te ao Maori principles; Raupī, (to protect), Raupā, (to work with care), and Rauora (to conserve well-being). Since starting 18 months ago, Greenlit has worked with more than 50 productions ranging from small shoots and ...
This weekend marks the beginning of Pride Christchurch, with events across the month. In a week's time Poneke Wellington joins in the festivities. As part of Pride, Sunday 2 March saw the third birthday celebrations for a unique organisation, Moana Va. It was founded to uplift and empower Pacific Rainbow+ communities in Canterbury and beyond. Joining Culture 101's Mark Amery to discuss his Pride journey and work is a local hero to many: the founder of Moana Va, Vui Suli Tuitaupe. Suli is dedicat...
Kohukohu, a village on the Hokianga Harbour was according to Te Tai Tokerau tradition so named by legendary Polynesian explorer Kupe. Angry at food from a hangi being insufficiently cooked, Kupe swore at those responsible. Kohukohu can be translated as swearword. Here to this day you will find at least six marae, and the first stone bridge in the country - the oldest bridge we have. This was also one of the first European settlements in New Zealand. For a population of 180, Kohukohu packs quite ...
A new report by AUT's Te Ipukarea Research Institute shows 12-year-olds who participate in arts and culture through extra-curricular and free-time activities experience better wellbeing, peer relationships, a stronger sense of identity and higher engagement in a school environment. Free-time activities could include reading, arts and crafts or listening to music, while extra-curricular refers to organised activities like sports, arts or music classes. There is also a focus on Nga Toi Maori activ...
Aotearoa Queer indigenous arts collective FAFSWAG is in Melbourne showcasing their latest work at the Asia Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts. The three-week festival lights up the city bringing together creatives from across the region. The new piece Sauniga is still in early development but will give the artists a chance to gauge feedback. The Tamaki Makaurau-based arts collective was established in 2013 and has since performed and exhibited around the world, held various residencies and bec...
Next weekend is one of Aoteaora New Zealand's cornerstone summer festivals - Auckland's Pasifika, celebrated across eight Island stages at Western Springs in Auckland. As it heads towards dark, however, another festival takes over. It celebrates one of the Pacific's most distinctive performance traditions: Siva Afi or Samoan fire knife dancing. Now in its sixth year, the Siva Afi Festival is running as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. Fire knife dancers from Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa, H...
From political reporter, Europe correspondent for Newshub, to hosting a morning and drive show, broadcaster Lloyd Burr has done it all. In what has been a tumultuous few years for the media industry in Aotearoa, Burr says it's about enjoying and appreciating everyday. Currently he's the Explainer Editor at Stuff delving into various issues including politics, science and technology. Lloyd Burr joins Culture 101 as the Fast Favourites guest recommending comedian Dai Henwood's memoir Life of Dai, ...
Picture this: it's 2030, in the seaside suburb of Sumner in Otautahi Christchurch. That's only five years' time, but the sea is already to quote novelist and science writer Jane Shearer, tearing off mouthfuls of the land. Sirens regularly warn of flooding. Saltwater plays havoc with the gardening. Power can be intermittent, and the council is letting infrastructure fall apart. Subject to energy quotas, citizens are keeping close to home. Then to add to it community bonds are tested when some loc...
The Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts has kicked off in Melbourne returning after a five-year hiatus. For the next three weeks, the city will be celebrating diverse and dynamic creatives and innovators from across the region including Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. This year, there are three streams; performance, nightlife and knowledge which will feature 33 performances, 18 of which are world premieres. Culture 101 speaks to Creative Director Jeff Khan about what audiences can expect from...
Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of Aotearoa for our Regional Week. This week, we're heading north of Auckland Tamaki Makaurau to the Matakana region. A 45-minute drive from Auckland, it's a foodie haven with its farmers market, local artisinal producers, vineyards and boutique shops and galleries. It's surrounded by rolling hills and valleys with stunning beaches nearby including Omaha and Tawharanui Regional Park. Food and wine writer for more than two decades, aut...
Nadia Freeman's show The Girmit takes us back to the time between 1879 and 1916 when more than 60,000 people were transferred from India to Fiji by the British to work on sugar-cane plantations as indentured labourers. They came to be known as Girmitiyas and today make up over 32 percent of the Fijian population. 15,000 of their descendants live in New Zealand, Nadia Freeman is one of those descendants. A poet, performer, musician, and theatre producer she is about to restage The Girmit in which...
