Review: He reo aroha

Do Tawata have a hot-line to beautiful? This is the second production I’ve seen from them in as many weeks that has opened my heart and lifted my mood. He reo aroha has been around for a few years now, touring New Zealand and the world. It keeps to a minimal aesthetic – a couple […]

Theatre: the REAL NZ Festival

The next round of theatre and performance courtesy of the REAL NZ Festival starts this week. BATS Theatre has two shows starting – Death by cheerleader on Tuesday, and The first Asian AB on Thursday. Both have a good buzz from their Auckland seasons. Until 24 September and 1 October respectively. Circa Theatre hosts He […]

Hands around the Basin – a protest

A guest post from Alex Braae The Basin Reserve is for many Wellingtonians a special place, and for many different reasons. The Basin is a place where memories are created, and I know from experience what an amazing spot it is for kids to play. It’s part of our heritage, and part of the life […]

Review: Te Radar’s Eating the dog

Te Radar has a passion for history. This show has developed over a number of years from an original commission by the Christchurch Arts Festival, in conjunction with Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, in 2005. There he explored South Island history. Here, he explores some of New Zealand’s history. Explorers, highwaymen, inventors, and entertainers are […]

Review: Four flat whites in Italy

There’s no doubt that Circa puts on a great Roger Hall and this iteration of Four flat whites in Italy is no exception. It crackles with energy and fair zips through the action. Here’s the story – Adrian (Stuart Devenie) and Alison (Darien Takle) – art gallery attending, book reading, Labour voters – are about […]

Parking Day update

After getting in touch with appropriate people from Wellington City Council to discuss plans and get permission, it has become obvious that participating in Park(ing) Day is going to be difficult. Bylaws govern the use of vehicles in parking spaces within Wellington. However, I cannot find the specific bylaw implied by the officer I contacted: You […]

Our Hearts Will Go On

I was alerted to a music video of a long-haired fellow performing an emotional rendition of “Titanic” theme song “My Heart Will Go On”. I started watching it, and it was all going well when suddenly at the 19-second mark I realised something very important: the video was filmed in Wellington. This makes it even […]

Review: I, George Nepia

 I, George Nepia is a beautifully written, beautifully realised play. The script by Hone Kouka draws inspiration from many sources including Nepia’s autobiography. You don’t have to have read the book to appreciate the play. (I’m not even sure you have to appreciate rugby.) The narrative is about a man finding his place in a […]

The Rugby World Cup and You, Too

Despite Hadyn’s earlier post we know there’s a reasonable proportion of you out there (just as among the Wellingtonista itself) that are relatively meh about this whole World Cup thing. But whatever your opinions about the event, it has to be acknowledged that a lot of effort has gone into the associated off-field activities, many […]

Sharing spaces

Following Auckland’s lead, Wellington has opened Lower Cuba Street as a shared space. There wasn’t much celebration or fanfare beyond an article in the Dominion Post about letting cars back in. Technically, I’m not sure if the “shared space” has been officially opened, and I’m not really in the mood for celebrating. The idea of […]