Maungatapu - live Play on Burgess Kelly Gang Murders TONIGHT
7.30pm Tonight, Hokitika Regent Theatre
In 1866, the ‘Burgess/Kelly Gang’ murdered five men on the Maungatapu track, near Nelson, in New Zealand’s most infamous case of bush-ranging. The gang’s subsequent arrest, trial and hangings set the whole colony aflame with a mixture of morbid curiosity and righteous indignation.
This play examines the relationships between gang members Burgess, Kelly, Levy and Sullivan as they plot and carry out the murders, are arrested, tried, then executed. From Burgess’ remarkable death row ‘confession’, to Sullivan’s betrayal of the others in return for a pardon, to Levy’s possible innocence, and Kelly’s emotional histrionics, everything about this remarkable tale was inherently dramatic. Murder, mayhem, love, loyalty, betrayal, honour, comradeship, justice and injustice… this story has it all.
'That dark episode [the Maungatapu murders] is the one large event in the history of Nelson. The fame of it travelled far. Burgess made a confession. It is a remarkable paper. For brevity, succinctness, and concentration, it is perhaps without its peer in the literature of murder. There are no waste words in it; there is no obtrusion of matter not pertinent to the occasion, nor any departure from the dispassionate tone proper to a formal business statement—for that is what it is: a business statement of a murder, by the chief engineer of it, or superintendent, or foreman, or whatever one may prefer to call him..." Mark Twain
Coming off sold out shows at the Nelson Arts Festival and a successful regional tour, 'Maungatapu' now has one show only in Hokitika at the Regent Theatre
Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?
The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.
Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.
We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?
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9.4% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
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43.6% I want to be able to choose.
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47.1% Against. I want to deal with people.
Time to Tickle Your Thinker 🧠
If a zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo, and two pairs of babies are born for each one of the original animals, then (sadly) 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?
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Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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