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: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
Do you think this ban is reasonable?
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77.4% Yes
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22% No
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0.6% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
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