As promised:
NEWS RELEASE
26 February 2008Wellingtonians encouraged to turn off the lights for Earth Hour
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast is encouraging Wellingtonians to turn off their lights in support of Earth Hour on Saturday 29 March.
Earth Hour, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative aimed at fighting climate change, was launched last week in Christchurch. While Christchurch is this year’s official host city for New Zealand, Wellington is eager to participate.
“Earth Hour is a fantastic way for Wellingtonians to show their commitment to fighting climate change. Every little bit helps and if we all turn off the lights for just one hour we all can make a difference. Wellington’s vision is to become the first carbon-neutral Capital in the world, we must do everything we can to make that vision a reality,†she says.
“We will be signing up as an official partner of WWF in this initiative next year and put some resource behind it. This year we will be leading by example and turning off our lights,†Mayor Prendergast says.
Earth Hour will begin at 8pm on Saturday, 29 March. It started in Sydney last year and was a resounding success with the city’s energy usage dropping by 10 percent. Lights on famous landmarks – the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge – were turned off for an hour and businesses and residents joined in. This year cities across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand are joining in.
Wellington City Council will register as a participant of Earth Hour and will look at what lights it can turn off. This could include the external lighting at swimming pools, libraries, recreation centres and other Council-owned buildings and the lights in the trees in Oriental Bay and Civic Square.
Climate Change Portfolio leader Cr Ray Ahipene-Mercer says Earth Hour is a great way of showing how much we care about the planet.
There’s a lot on in the cultural capital tonight but my completely biased pick for the evening’s entertainment has to be Loudon Wainwright III at the SFBH.
Supported and accompanied by one of his daughters, Lucy Wainwright Roche (half sister to the more famous Rufus and Martha), Wainwright is bringing his singer-songwriter folk-rockin’ guitar to our shores on the back of last year’s album Strange Weirdos: music from and inspired by the film Knocked Up. Yep, not only did Loudon III supply the music for the movie’s creator, Judd Apatow (who made Freaks and Geeks, so he must be cool), but he also acted in the movie – playing a gynecologist.
Wainwright’s most famous for songs like ‘Dead Skunk'(1972) but alongside his musical career his acting has been ticking along for some time; the two strands successfully marrying when LWIII played singing surgeon Capt. Spaulding in M*A*S*H.
Intrigued? I am. And in the interests of full disclosure: my band, the Wrongdoings, will open for Loudon tonight, on the eve of our Auckland debut at Ladyfest ’08.
Doors open at 9, tickets available from Ticketek, Real Groovy or on the door at San Francisco Bathhouse.
CUNNING LINGUISTS: if you can tell me what it’s called when you add a “III” to your name I’ll be dead impressed either at your linguistic knowledge or your mad google skillz – the closest I could get to it is that it’s some form of pronominal suffix. And it’s driving me crazy.
In the fifth of their Malty Media Chillout Sessions, homebred Wellington electronica gurus Jet Jaguar (home after a long spell o’seas) and Aquaboogie will be playing delectable tunes and delightful compositions this Wednesday night, at Katipo Café.
Be there to score some great food and rides and crowds and good times and bargains at a truly cool, old skool fair.
Jackson St, Petone. Today.
Um, that is all.
Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day again. There may be some of you out there in need of last minute inspiration to “score brownie points”. Don’t you hate those bill boards trying to get men to buy flowers around town? They are almost as limited in their conception of masculinity as this little beauty
[contributed by Robyn of the Aucklandista.]
Those of us holed up in the Molesworth precinct earnestly “leveraging” this, getting “traction on” that and generally “actioning” the hell out stuff all day long, hardly need Valentine’s Day as an excuse to have a wee -tipple. Fortunately Cellar-vate on Molesworth are having free wine tasting from 4:30 till 6:30 this afternoon, and they are promising bubbly no less! So grab your office-bound honey and head on down.
I am going to avoid any cliched suggestions involving flowers or chocolate but spare a thought for all the Japanese office ladies who suffer through the Japanese version of Valentine’s Day where the onus falls on the woman to buy men chocolate and flowers. One month later, on White Day the men reciprocate three-fold, read into that what you will.
The top tip for Valentines Day, in this office lady’s opinion, is the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. They are having an adults-only night at the Sanctuary (oh la la) tonight with free boat rides on the lake, birdsong at dusk and most importantly, no children. They are open until 8.00pm so get a babysitter and get back to nature.
(Ed note: we take no responsibility for anyone caught getting really “back to nature”)
So, we didn’t post in advance to tell you about Webstock, because it’s sold out.
We do think you should know though that if you’re seeing a large number of people around the Town Hall this week carrying these sexy-ass satchels, they’re Webstockites, and they’re all about the peace, love and internet. You may also be able to recognise them by the shiny gadgets they carry that feature pictures of apples prominently, the coffees they’ll be knocking back at an alarming rate, and the excited, enthusiastic and emphatic conversations they’ll be carrying out with people who were complete strangers an hour earlier.
So, if you’re not a Browncoat brownbag carrier, we suggest that you lock up your sons and daughters, unleash your networks and put some more beer in the fridge for us. Cheers!
BREAKING NEWS!
This just in from those fine folk at Arovideo:
It is our pleasure (and absolute thrill) to announce that Arovideo will be playing host to the hottest act in New Zealand (and possibly the world) right now, “Flight of the Conchords”.
In support of the local release of their widely-acclaimed HBO TV show on DVD, Bret and Jemaine will be performing a short set live in store from 10am, Wednesday the 13th of February, at 97 Aro Street in Wellington.
Then from 10.30am until 12pm, they will be signing copies of the DVD, which will be available to buy on site at $39.95 for the 2-disc set.
Space limitations on the ground floor of our store mean this will be a very intimate, exclusive event indeed, and entry will be on a “first come, first served” basis. While we cannot guarantee you will gain entry for the performance itself, their should be ample opportunity to meet the guys, especially if you are armed with a copy of their fantastic DVD! There will be eftpos facilities available, though cash is recommended.
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What more do you need to know people!
Explosions in the Sky!
The latest instalment in a semi-regular Wellingtonista series on the thriving local touring circuit for international bands sees the instrumental rock goodness of Explosions in the Sky hitting Wellington for the first time tomorrow night, bringing their firecracker of a live set to the San Fran Bathhouse.
Praised for the cinematic grandeur of their albums and the intensity of their live shows, the Texans have come a long way since their inception as a post-rock four-piece in 1999. The band has also been appointed as the curators for the 2008 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival line-up.
Fusing bittersweet guitar melodies with crashing bouts of noise, Explosions in the Sky have garnered a strong following among fans and critics alike, with Tiny Mix Tapes labelling them “the only instrumental post-rock band that mattersâ€. Rolling Stone compared their most recent album, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, to the music of the Kronos Quartet, but with “big amps and John Bonham in the backâ€, and internet giant Pitchfork Media touted 2003’s The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place as “the perfect testament to art-rock mastery.â€
Show details after the jump…
I’ve long thought that we should all (hospitality, police, emergency services & health workers not withstanding) have Wednesdays off to break the week into easily digestable chunks.
But if the thought of sleeping in, sleeping in even longer & enjoying a hearty holiday brunch, followed by more lolling around & maybe even a trip down to a cafe or pub… leaves you feeling slightly guilty, then I suggest you get into the spirit of the day & check out the official Waitangi Day Celebrations down at, where else, Waitangi Park:
Wellington will be celebrating New Zealand’s national day in style, thanks to Meridian Energy Summer City.
Wellington City Council in partnership with the Wellington Tenths Trust has organised a Waitangi Day Celebration — Te Ra o Waitangi at Waitangi Park from 9.45am to 4.00pm. Featuring kapa haka, drumming, dance, multicultural acts, food and stalls, it promises to be a great day out for the whole family.
Much, much more info is here.
Wholly schmolly, has it really been 10 years … yes, it has!
In my early days in Wellington it was a goal of my ex-wife and I to at least stay in Wellington for the opening of Te Papa .. and now, here we both are able to celebrate its 10th Birthday.
Who remembers the mural-ed fence around the building site with the wee holes to check out progress?
I love Te Papa and it is just awesome to be able to take my son and daughter along to it as well (of course they adore the place). Mind you those coloured panels facing Cable Street are still a bit crap in my mind.
Te Papa (that’s “(y)our place”) celebrates its first decade on Saturday 16th February with a host of events including:
(after the break)