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A musical celebration of 100 years of Forest and Bird in Wānaka and Christchurch will mark the beginning of the organisation’s centennial year in 2023.
The performance will make its South Island debut at the Wānaka Festival of Colour, a week-long celebration of the arts, from March 26.
… View moreA musical celebration of 100 years of Forest and Bird in Wānaka and Christchurch will mark the beginning of the organisation’s centennial year in 2023.
The performance will make its South Island debut at the Wānaka Festival of Colour, a week-long celebration of the arts, from March 26.
The Force of Nature is an acoustic chamber music performance featuring eight world premieres, with visual designs capturing native species and environments unique to Aotearoa.
Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said she was excited to hear how the eight Kiwi composers expressed their feelings about flora and fauna through their music.
“Some are expressing they joy they feel when in the wilderness, some are demanding action to save endangered species, all are deeply personal,” she said.
Conservationist Captain Ernest “Val” Sanderson established the Native Bird Protection Society in 1923 after seeing the destruction of native bush, extensive soil erosion and the implications for native flora and fauna in New Zealand after World War I.
That organisation became the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, which has fought for environmental causes for more than 100 years.
Notable campaigns have included cleaner water-ways, more sustainable fishing, the protection and expansion of wetlands and a solution to kauri die-back.
The performance is on April 2 in Wānaka, followed by a Christchurch performance on April 3.
It will be one of 45 events during the Wānaka festival which will feature music, dance, comedy, drama and topical conversations.
Artistic director Sophie Kelly said in 2023 the festival was about reconnecting communities after a very fractured few years under Covid-19 restrictions.
She was looking forward to welcoming back international artists after a long absence and the return of local favourites.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet will perform the world premiere of a piece co-commissioned by the festival to mark the centenary of Katherine Mansfield’s death.
Woman of Words is based on moments remembered in Mansfield’s letters to friends and family.
Internationally renowned and Grammy award-winning tenor Simon O’Neill is joining the NZTrio - Amalia Hall, Ashley Brown and Somi Kim - for an intimate concert featuring works of Mahler and Strauss.
Australian Jonny Hawkins will perform his one-man show Maureen: Harbinger of Death to Wānaka, telling the poignantly funny tale of razor-tongued doyenne of Kings Cross in its heyday.
Celebrated choreographer Michael Parmenter, Balfolk Dunedin director Kate Grace and Southern musicians Catgut and Steel will present participatory dance events including the Bannockburn Ball.
“Comfortable shoes are a must,” organisers say.
Musicians who will perform during the festival include Reb Fountain, Adam Page, Whirimako Black, Jenny Mitchell and The Phoenix Foundation who will close the festival with a performance blending pop, rock, and psychedelic prog rock.
Comedians include The Modern Māori Quartet Ngā 80s and dysfunctional German siblings Otto & Astrid from the cult band Die Roten Punkte.
Conversations include Chris Finlayson on treaty settlements, Chloe Swarbrick and Rod Oram on global heating, Carmen Parahi on media and race, Dame Valerie Adams on women in sport and Charlotte Grimshaw on family dynamics.
The Wānaka Festival of Colour runs from March 26 to April 2, 2023 and includes free events.
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New Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.
We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery … View moreNew Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.
We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery driver, or a coffee order that’s ready before we arrive. These are the business owners who remind us we're home.
Give your favourite local business owner the recognition they deserve by nominating them in the 2023 Prospa Local Business Hero awards.
Meet a family with four boys (almost) that's up for adventure - and they don't mind roughing it in the process.
He iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the … View moreHe iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the Waitangi National Trust. He, and all of those all of those at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, invite you to come and feel the stories that shaped Aotearoa.
Pressure is mounting on the city council to come out against Christchurch Airport’s “senseless” plans to build a new airport in Central Otago.
Eleven academics from across New Zealand have formed a group to oppose the airport’s proposal to build a “world-class sustainable airport” in… View morePressure is mounting on the city council to come out against Christchurch Airport’s “senseless” plans to build a new airport in Central Otago.
Eleven academics from across New Zealand have formed a group to oppose the airport’s proposal to build a “world-class sustainable airport” in Tarras – about 90km from Queenstown.
The council owns a 75% stake in the airport, with the other 25% owned by the Government.
Three of those academics spoke at Wednesday’s Christchurch City Council meeting and urged the council not to continue supporting the project. The Tarras development was a vanity project that would cripple Christchurch’s economy, they said.
Christchurch Airport project director Michael Singleton said New Zealand was geographically isolated and high-quality air connectivity would always be an important driver of social and economic wellbeing.
“Doing nothing in the face of a well-documented and fast-approaching infrastructure deficit and changing climate jeopardises the long-term ability of communities to maintain or improve their standard of living," he said.
Read the full story here and tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Queenstown and Wānaka developers have signalled overwhelming opposition to a plan which would force them to contribute to community housing.
The Queenstown Lakes District is in the midst of a housing crisis with desperately-needed workers and families leaving … View moreFrom reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Queenstown and Wānaka developers have signalled overwhelming opposition to a plan which would force them to contribute to community housing.
The Queenstown Lakes District is in the midst of a housing crisis with desperately-needed workers and families leaving town because they cannot find suitable accommodation.
To increase the supply of affordable housing the Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing to require most new residential subdivisions and developments to pay a financial contribution of 5%.
It would be collected by the council and provided to Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) or another community housing provider.
Known as “inclusionary zoning”, it has already been used on a voluntary basis by the council with developments such as Jacks Point and Shotover Country contributing.
Under the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act developers were required to pay contributions of up to 12.5% in the district. The Act has since been repealed.
About half of the 181 submissions received on the district plan change proposal were from developers opposing the rules.
Many of the submissions are duplicates from law firms or planners, representing the likes of Wānaka developers Infinity Investment Group and film developers Silverlight Studios, Glendhu Station Properties Ltd, Henley Downs Land Holdings, and the Jacks Point developers.
They argue the plan is unlawful and unreasonable and will not increase affordability.
Centuria Property Holdco Ltd, the group behind the $1 billion fast-tracked Lakeview/Taumata development in central Queenstown, is also opposed.
Developers Winton want it to be rejected claiming the proposal is outside the scope of the council’s role under the Resource Management Act and that council evidence is flawed.
Many individuals stood alongside the developers, concerned the proposal would lead to the cost of land rising.
“We struggled to afford our current property and with the continuing cost of living crisis cannot afford an additional levy to now pay for someone else's property too,” Robert Haydon, of Wānaka, wrote.
Christoffel Beukman, of Wānaka, said the proposal would result in a downgrading of housing stock and value and lead to an increase in antisocial and criminal behaviour.
It would make the area attractive to people who would otherwise not be able to afford housing in the district, she said.
Many saw it as another tax, or disagreed on principle.
Queenstown man Tony Strain said it was the worst of all the “dumb ideas” the council had come up with.
“Why should landowners and developers subsidise the tourist industry which has been built on low wages and will benefit the most from cheap housing?” he said
Some were concerned that small landowners would have to contribute also.
However, the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust has submitted that exemptions be put in place for already existing lots where only one residential unit was to be erected, or less than three lots created.
The trust had more than 800 households on the trust’s waiting list, in an area where the median house price in September was 15.6 times the median household income, compared to 8.1 times nationally.
Former mayor Jim Boult was among a handful of supporters for the plan.
He said Queenstown could be like other tourism towns around the world where most workers were commuters.
However, it was an inclusive community where the children of billionaires attended school alongside the children of supermarket workers, he said.
The inclusionary zoning tool was vital if the community was to make housing at least reasonably affordable for most, he said.
He acknowledged there was an offset to others buying property, but said it had not proven an inhibiting factor under HAASHA legislation.
The plan was supported by other housing trusts from around New Zealand.
Dear neighbours,
Last year, Jane Horne and partner Simon Bartholomew's Mondrian-inspired cube took the title of Resene Shed of the Year. Now, we're on the hunt for this years winner! Send us photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken … View moreDear neighbours,
Last year, Jane Horne and partner Simon Bartholomew's Mondrian-inspired cube took the title of Resene Shed of the Year. Now, we're on the hunt for this years winner! Send us photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken coops and potty potting sheds to win amazing prizes worth more than $2000. The Resene Shed of the Year 2023 winners will be announced in the April issue of NZ Gardener.
Cyclone Gabrielle has had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Kiwis. As the long clean up begins and support becomes more and more needed, Stuff is calling for readers to support the Red Cross and Mayoral Relief Funds in areas where a local state of emergency has been declared. … View moreCyclone Gabrielle has had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Kiwis. As the long clean up begins and support becomes more and more needed, Stuff is calling for readers to support the Red Cross and Mayoral Relief Funds in areas where a local state of emergency has been declared. We'd love your support. You can donate here.
Dear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are still on the hunt for amazing and inventive taro recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Feb 26, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the April issue of NZ … View moreDear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are still on the hunt for amazing and inventive taro recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Feb 26, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the April issue of NZ Gardener.
It's been a tough few weeks for our communities, including our small businesses. To help small businesses keep connected with their neighbours, we’re offering Neighbourly Premium Business Listings FREE for three months. You’ll feature in the local business directory, plus be able to engage… View moreIt's been a tough few weeks for our communities, including our small businesses. To help small businesses keep connected with their neighbours, we’re offering Neighbourly Premium Business Listings FREE for three months. You’ll feature in the local business directory, plus be able to engage with neighbours to ask for help, share new operating hours, move damaged stock, or simply give thanks for recent support. T&Cs apply.
If your answer is yes (or even a maybe), send us photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken coops and potty potting sheds to win amazing prizes worth more than $2000. The Resene Shed of the Year 2023 winners will be announced in the April issue of … View moreIf your answer is yes (or even a maybe), send us photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken coops and potty potting sheds to win amazing prizes worth more than $2000. The Resene Shed of the Year 2023 winners will be announced in the April issue of NZ Gardener.
The team at NZ Compare hope everyone is keeping safe and snuggled up with their loved ones n this terrible weather. 🥰
We've got the down-low on the best shows to stream on rainy days, take a look!
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
ZZ Top bass guitarist Elwood Francis delighted fans with an unscheduled stop at a Queenstown music shop this week.
Francis and band frontman Billy Gibbons are in Queenstown to perform at the Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert on Saturday.
Maya Music store… View moreFrom reporter Debbie Jamieson:
ZZ Top bass guitarist Elwood Francis delighted fans with an unscheduled stop at a Queenstown music shop this week.
Francis and band frontman Billy Gibbons are in Queenstown to perform at the Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert on Saturday.
Maya Music store owner Deo Bohn, himself a keen guitar and bass player, was surprised to see the distinctive rocker walk into his store early in the week.
“He just walked in the door with a roadie. They were looking at some instruments,” he said.
He had a chat with Francis, who shared some photos of the band’s concert in Taupō from the weekend, and grabbed a few photos.
Francis and Gibbons had stopped in a record store in Taupō and Bohn hoped Gibbons would call by his Queenstown store also.
Bohn had brought his copy of ZZ Top’s First Album into the store, just in case he could get it signed by Gibbons.
Gibbons has been with the band – famous for beards, hot rods and spinning guitars – since it formed in 1969.
Francis, previously the band’s guitar technician and famous in his own right for performing with a 17-string guitar, stepped into his role after the death of original band member Dusty Hill in 2021.
Queenstown man Andrew Wesney was having a guitar lesson when Francis called into the store.
“I was pretty stoked to see him and get to meet him in person. It was cool,” he said.
Bohn said it was not unusual for visiting musicians to call into the store, which was near Queenstown’s airport.
Some Kiwi artists such as The Black Seeds and Kora would book practice space at the shop before a gig.
“You never know who’s going to walk in the door in Queenstown,” he said.
Musicians Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo have also been in Queenstown during the week, posting a photo overlooking Lake Wakatipu, towards Cecil Peak, on their Facebook page on Monday.
Mora Wines and Artisan Kitchen posted a photo of the pair having lunch there on Thursday.
The Greenstone Summer Concert returned this year after being cancelled due to the difficulties of bringing in international artists under Covid-19 border restrictions last year.
ZZ Top is headlining the show, along with 90s grunge legends Stone Temple Pilots, four times Grammy Award winners Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, and Aussie rockers The Angels.
They performed at Taupō on Saturday but the Whitianga Summer Concert scheduled for Sunday was cancelled due to weather conditions.
About 15,000 people are expected at Saturday’s Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert in Queenstown, which starts with Wānaka band Powder Chutes at 11.30am.
Organisers said it was forecast to be a warm and sunny summer’s day, so people should stay hydrated and use sunscreen.
Swap food for a FREE Resene testpot with Hunger for Colour!
Simply bring two cans of food into your local Resene ColorShop and swap them for one Resene testpot (60-80ml). We'll donate all food to The Salvation Army foodbanks.
By adding a little more colour to your life you can also help… View moreSwap food for a FREE Resene testpot with Hunger for Colour!
Simply bring two cans of food into your local Resene ColorShop and swap them for one Resene testpot (60-80ml). We'll donate all food to The Salvation Army foodbanks.
By adding a little more colour to your life you can also help those in need.
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