Fans of live comedy, get ready for a slew of international and local talent bringing the laughs to New Zealand over the next few months.

From the UK comes Kevin Bridges, Bill Bailey and Russell Howard; from the US, Iliza Shlesinger; and from Australia, Carl Barron; and from down the road comes the The 7 Days team.

Time to get your diary out and mark these dates:

7 Days Live

9 centres nationwide from 31 August

Host Jeremy Corbett leads a cast of comedians in an evening of stand-up followed by a no-holds barred version of 7 Days, live and uncut.

7days.co.nz

Carl Barron: Skating Rink for Flies

5 centres nationwide from 5 October

The gentle Aussie larrikin has headlined at every major comedy venue and festival and is one of the most sought-after comedians worldwide. His clean jokes and trademark relaxed delivery have won him legions of fans. In his new show, the master of observational humour asks how ants feel, among other things.

carlbarron.com

Bill Bailey: Thoughtifier

Pretty much everywhere from 5 November

Seamlessly blending his prodigious musical talent with a fresh take on some of our oldest jokes, Bill Bailey has rambled his way into the hearts of many Kiwis over the decades. He brings his new show, Thoughtifier, to 14 New Zealand centres.

billbailey.co.uk

Kevin Bridges: The Overdue Catch-up

Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland from 7 November

There’s a lot of observational comics out there but it’s the little things that lift Kevin Bridges’ comedy to essential status. His eye for detail gives him the edge. This is his fifth live stand-up tour, having previously performed to sold-out audiences in Australia, New Zealand and all over Europe.

www.kevinbridges.co.uk

Russell Howard: Live

9 centres from 1 February, 2024

British stand-up Russell Howard is practically an adopted Kiwi now after he was able to bring his last show, Respite, to sold-out New Zealand audiences in the middle of COVID lockdowns. He will return in what are now happier times although still with plenty of absurdities for him to pick away at as he sets the world to rights.

russell-howard.co.uk

The Cuisine Good Food Awards has announced 18 category winners and 84 Hatted restaurants for 2023.

Those restaurants that took home “hats” – either 3, 2 or 1 – have been judged the best in Aotearoa New Zealand. Similarly, those establishments and industry players who took home category wins are considered the leaders of their craft.

For the second consecutive year, Amisfield, Queenstown, was named the American Express Restaurant of the Year and awarded a 3-hat status, considered to be “extraordinary and approaching perfection”. Dining there is an experience described by the judges as “magical, entertaining and memorable”.

The restaurant is led by former Cuisine Chef of the Year Vaughan Mabee, who, in a further demonstration of his prowess, also took home the Ōra King Salmon Innovation Award this year.

“Mabee remains top of his game, delighting us with his theatre of food delivery and executing a near faultless and daring dance of innovation putting Kiwi food firmly on the global culinary stage," says Kerry Tyack, Lead Judge.

Cuisine Chef of the Year went to Zennon Wijlens from Paris Butter in Auckland for his leadership and ingenuity. This restaurant also joined the coveted 3-hat list.

Another restaurant joining the six top 3-hat establishments is Logan Brown in the Wellington CBD, hailed by the judges for its consistency and quality. “For over 26 years co-owner Steve Logan with long-time head chef and co-owner Shaun Clouston and his team have established a restaurant where diners enjoy world-class food and attentive, knowledgeable service in a calm, stylish atmosphere," says Tyack.

The prestigious 3-hatted group also includes Cocoro, Auckland; Pacifica, Hawke's Bay; and Sid at the French Café, Auckland.

The 2023/2024 edition of the Cuisine Good Food Guide features more than 250 restaurants from across the country and the updated hatted list also recognises the exceptional talent within the industry across both the North and South islands.

Category winners include Central Fire Station Bistro in Hawke's Bay, which won the Leefield Station Regional Restaurant of the Year. Specialist Restaurant of the Year went to Hiakai in Wellington; and The Alchemist’s Table Winery Restaurant of the Year was awarded to Black Estate, Waipara Valley, North Canterbury.

The Cuisine Good Food Awards recognise outstanding individual talent from those who are starting to make a mark on the industry alongside those who have already had long and successful careers.

Individual awards included Rising Talent – One to Watch for Neil Sapitula at Solera & Saltwater, Bay of Plenty; and Peter Gordon at Homeland, Auckland, who was named the Pead Food Legend.

The NIWA – Haku Kingfish Champion for Change for 2023 was given to chef Ben Bayly. Not only does Bayly run several leading establishments – three of which are hatted restaurants – but the judges commended him on his vision.

This year’s awards included several new categories: Hotel Room Service of the Year and Luxury Lodge Chef of the Year, which went to Chef Des Harris and the team at Hilton Auckland and Paul Froggatt, The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Matauri Bay, Northland respectively.

In addition, the Wine Experience of the Year award was renamed to the Sommelier & Wine Experience of the Year to include a greater focus on the important role that sommeliers play. This year’s recipient was Andrea Martinisi from The Grove, Auckland. Drinks List of the Year went to Teresa, Napier, Hawke’s Bay.

Other standout category winners included Greenstone Creek Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year: Culprit, Auckland; Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year: Hello Beasty, Auckland; and Long-Term Player of The Year: Floriditas, Wellington.

Awards

American Express Restaurant of the Year: Amisfield – Lake Hayes, Queenstown

Cuisine Chef of the Year: Zennon Wijlens – Paris Butter – Auckland

Pead Food Legend: Peter Gordon – Homeland – Auckland

NIWA-Haku Kingfish Champion for Change: Ben Bayly – Ahi, Origine, The Grounds – Auckland, Aosta, Little Aosta, Blue Door Bar, The Bathhouse – Queenstown

Specialist Restaurant of the Year: Hiakai – Mount Cook, Wellington

Greenstone Creek Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year: Culprit – Auckland

Leefield Station Regional Restaurant of the Year: Central Fire Station Bistro – Napier, Hawke’s Bay

Ōra King Salmon Innovation Award: Vaughan Mabee – Amisfield – Queenstown

Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year: Hello Beasty – Auckland

The Alchemist’s Table Winery Restaurant of the Year: Black Estate – Waipara Valley, North Canterbury

Kenwood Restaurant Personality of the Year: Poi Eruera – Odettes Eatery & Hugo’s Bistro – Auckland

Hotel Room Service of the Year: Hilton – Auckland

Pastry Chef of the Year: Lisa Crowe – Skycity – Auckland

Rising Talent – One to Watch: Neil Sapitula – Solera – Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty

Luxury Lodge Chef of the Year: Paul Froggatt – The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs – Matauri Bay, Northland

Sommelier & Wine Experience of the Year: Andrea Martinisi – The Grove – Auckland

Drinks List of the Year: Teresa – Napier, Hawke’s Bay

cuisine.co.nz

After six weeks with the renovators in, the wraps come off the new look at Christchurch's The George and 50 Bistro on Friday 4 August. And three events in the next few months give you plenty of excuses to go and check out the changes.

The new exterior cuts a stylish figure on Park Terrace, and there’s a few upgrades inside for 50 Bistro and the accommodation rooms.

Taking pride of place is a beautifully refinished bar made of recycled rimu. The timber came from buildings destroyed in the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.  

The George’s accommodation rooms now have walk-in tiled showers. A new corridor carpet has a design reminiscent of a Colin McCahon painting and represents the braided rivers, plains and crop fields of Canterbury. 

EVENTS

• In collaboration with WORD Christchurch, enjoy high tea with chef and food writer Sam Mannering. The menu will feature some of Sam's own recipes from his books Food Worth Making, along with some of The George’s specialities. Sun 27 Aug, 10.30am. Tickets: wordchristchurch.co.nz
• Come September, Hagley Park will be swathed in pink cherry blossom. To celebrate, the cuisine team at The George will present five courses of new-season fare matched with sake from Zenkuro in Queenstown. Zenkuro brewer David Joll will be on hand to talk about the process and flavours of each sake. Sat 9 Sep, 6.30pm.
• After sellout events last year, The Winemakers Series returns. Enjoy wines from Windrush Organic Winery matched with cuisine from the team at The George. Sat 4 Nov, 6.30pm

After a three-year hiatus, New Zealand Fashion Week is back in August as big and bold as ever to again champion local and international designers and showcase their collections.

Leading the charge from New Zealand designers is Kharl WiRepa. The haute couture wunderkind from Rotorua has already taken on London and Paris fashion weeks and was the first Māori designer to be featured in Vogue.

Kharl will present two shows during New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria, as it is now named. His luxurious designs reflect his cultural heritage while also pushing boundaries. His affluent and fashionable clients seek elegance and style, often with a bit of shock factor. All New Zealand-made, each garment will showcase the designer’s vision.

There are plenty of opportunities for the public to be part of the action as Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre is transformed into an immersive fashion hub from 29 August – 2 September.

More than 30 trade runway shows are planned across two rooms at the Viaduct Events Centre: The Runway and The Studio. Showcasing a diverse range of designers, including more than 10 Māori and Pasifika designers, these shows provide a platform for local and international buyers to discover exceptional talent.

Selected runway shows will be live-streamed on the NZFW website, allowing fashion enthusiasts worldwide to join the excitement.

In addition to trade shows, the public programme offers a wide range of events for all audiences. Across the week, the public can snap up tickets to enjoy consumer runway shows, events and industry panel discussions. These events will take place at the venue, satellite spaces and various locations across Auckland. The programme offers both ticketed and free options, ensuring accessibility for all fashion enthusiasts.

Kicking off on day one, award-winning designer Kiri Nathan will look at Māori fashion through the ages. Kiri’s show will be followed by Rory William Docherty, Jacqueline-Anne, Campbell Luke, Juliette Hogan, and NOM*d all taking to the runway for what promises to be a spectacular start to the week.

Day two opens with a Graduate Show featuring emerging designer talent from Whitecliffe, Otago Polytechnic and Massey University, followed by Kathryn Wilson celebrating 20 years and Kharl WiRepa’s couture collection.

Thursday’s programme sees Viva Next Gen designers, Jockey and a Miromoda Group Show take to the runway before Kate Sylvester’s 30^th anniversary show in the evening.

On Friday, a high-energy curation of in-season collections from the week’s scheduled designers will take the runway. As part of the NZFW Discussion Series the Ministry of Social Development will present Moving the Dial on Diversity, which aims to highlight the significance of diversity in the workplace.

Friday night is Fashion Night, a new addition to the programme. This event focuses on promoting emerging talent, fostering an inclusive and diverse environment and celebrating creativity and individuality.

Attendees will get a glimpse into cutting-edge trends and unique designs from up-and-coming underground labels One of None, Nineteen99 and The House of VA, who will be showcasing their collections in The Runway. Audiences can also look forward to a variety of captivating entertainment, including performances from The Dance Plant Collective, ANDYHEARTTROB, MaeSteal Collective, and more.

The final day of the event, on Saturday 2 September, will feature Walk the Line, New Zealand’s biggest fashion show for young designers, featuring I Love Ponsonby, Tangaroa Te Ihi Moana – The Sea is Rising and many more.

Viaduct Events Centre, Tue 29 August – Sat 2 September 2023
nzfashionweek.com/schedule

For Kiran Dass, programme lead for WORD Christchurch 2023, the future is bright for writing and publishing in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kiran is part of a new team behind Ōtautahi’s premier literary festival, which features over 130 writers, thinkers, poets and performers and over 80 events from 23 – 27 August. Venues include The Piano, Tūranga, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, and Little Andromeda.

Kiran sees the literary talent in Aotearoa going from strength to strength. Small, independent publishing houses are on the rise, and the bigger publishers are catching on to fresh and exciting voices that tap into the things New Zealanders care about. The voices and stories being championed and published are also increasingly diverse.

Capturing all that in the WORD Christchurch programme has been a steep learning curve for the new crew. The result is a programme that strikes a balance between tried-and-true gems and fresh and dynamic special events, bringing in different community voices and interest areas. 

Kiran has worked alongside guest programmers-at-large Catarina de Peters Leitão, Melanie Dixon and Audrey Baldwin to elevate Māori writers and storytellers, as well as creatives across the country.

Commemorating the 100^th anniversary of Katherine Mansfield’s death, Kiran acknowledges that Mansfield’s quote ‘Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on Earth for you! Act for yourself. Face the truth!’ informed some programming decisions.

“The idea of ‘risk’ provides so many opportunities to reflect on and speak to while opening up many themes,” she says. “Whether it is introducing audiences to new writers, performers and thinkers that they may not have heard of or illuminating new, possibly challenging, ideas.”

RISK! The WORD Gala brings together featured international guests with poet Tusiata Avia to discuss moments when they have taken a risk and lived to tell the tale. 

Regarded as one of the most thrilling new Caribbean voices, Kevin Jared Hosein’s novel Hungry Ghosts explores the impact of colonisation on his home, Trinidad and Tobago.

British writer Gabriel Krauze made waves with his autobiographical novel Who They Was, long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize, which tells the story of a young man who straddles two worlds: studying English literature at university yet remaining embedded in a London underworld of gangs, drugs and violent crime.

Fellow Brit, writer and translator Polly Barton’s work includes translations of contemporary women’s fiction by Japanese writers, a memoir about her encounters with the Japanese language and an oral history of pornography based on 19 interviews with people across ages, genders and sexualities.

Australian-based New Zealand-born writer Meg Mason is in conservation with Noelle McCarthy, talking about her book Sorrow and Bliss, which was shortlisted for last year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction.

In-depth musical knowledge combined with nostalgia for small-town life powered Scottish writer David Keenan’s debut novel This is Memorial Device and is shot through his subsequent works. Keenan will speak about how music informs his writing, and also appears alongside cult local musician Bruce Russell for a reading accompanied by improvised music.

“One of the things that I am most excited about is having our international guests in sessions with local thinkers, writers and performers and hearing the conversations and discussions which result,” Kiran says.

2023 is a blockbuster year for Aotearoa publishing. Acclaimed New Zealand contributors include Emily Perkins, Pip Adam, Catherine Chidgey, Fiona Farrell and Carl Nixon, who have all published new novels this year, as well as emerging talents such as Josie Shapiro, Ruby Solly (Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe), Khadro Mohamed and Airana Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahine).

Chinese-New Zealand playwright Nathan Joe brings his sell-out show Dirty Passports to his home town, with some of the finest local indigenous and minority storytellers and spoken-word artists joining forces with Kevin Jared Hosein to shatter stereotypes as they riff on themes of decolonisation, queerness and feminism.

Poet and performance powerhouse Tusiata Avia joins John Campbell to discuss her provocative award-winning poetry collection The Savage Coloniser Book, while WORD also commemorates Witi Ihimaera’s contribution to local literature. It is 50 years since the release of his debut novel, Tangi , the first to be published by a Māori author. He will be in conversation about his lengthy career and most recent work co-editing anthologies of Māori writing.

Southbridge born and raised All Black legend Dan Carter launches new book The Art of Winning to his home crowd as a WORD curtain-raiser on 22 August, converting sporting lessons into life lessons for all. 

While the core of WORD is renowned authors discussing their work, showcases of poetry and song, expert panels debating local and global issues, there are also more novel events. These include Fungi: A Curious Hikoi with Liv Sisson, whose book Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager’s Field Guide is revealing new and magical tales about the role of fungi in the world. Sisson will lead a walking tour along the Avon/Ōtākaro River to discover what food can be foraged from its banks.

In Cabinet of Curiosities, Emily Perkins, Gabriel Krauze, Andrew Paul Wood, Melody Thomas and Juanita Hepi (Kāi Tahu) reveal their “weird and wonderful deep obsessions” while The Lost Art of Letter Writing is a chance to send and receive letters that will be delivered by WORD posties across various festival sites.

Librarians from Tūranga, Christchurch’s main public library, go up against AI to gauge whether their combined years of wisdom and experience wins when it comes to devising personalised reading lists. AI vs Librarians could well influence the future of reading.

Recognising that many WORD visitors are also creators, there is a stimulating lineup of masterclasses and workshops designed to provide new inspiration and skills. This year’s schedule includes investigative journalist Bryon C. Clark on investigative research; Melody Thomas, host of Stuff’s new series The Good Sex Project, on podcasting; Catherine Chidgey on “unusual narrators”; and Pip Adam on whether elements of and the structures of jokes can be used in fiction.

Youth and school events designed to foster a love of reading and writing round out the programme. These include the Ōtautahi Zinefest and award-winning young flash fiction writers Hannah Daniell and Chloe Morrison-Clarke in 100 Words to Save the Universe, sharing ideas for writing cracking short, short fiction.

WORD 2023 opens with Tīmataka, an evening of poignant and uplifting storytelling, poetry and waiata presented by Ben Brown (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa), Ruby Solly (Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe) and Ariana Tikao (Kāi Tahu).

wordchristchurch.co.nz

As Aotearoa gears up for its second Matariki holiday, plans are well under way at Christchurch’s Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre for nearly three weeks of celebration from 3 – 20 July.

Top billing goes to Maisey Rika, the award-winning singer-songwriter and Arts Foundation Laureate from Te Moana-a-Toi Bay of Plenty. Maisey rarely tours south of Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and The Arts Centre is bringing her to Ōtautahi for one performance in the majestic setting of the Great Hall.

For those unfamiliar with Maisey, her voice is sometimes compared to Tracey Chapman or Sade, although accompanied by taonga pūoru as well as western instruments.

From Christchurch musicians, there’s a new show called Ka Noho, Ka Mate, created with the kaupapa of Matariki in mind. The performers are Lyttelton music legend Delaney Davidson; university lecturer, reo teacher and hip hopper Kommi Tamiti-Elliffe; theatre and orchestra veteran Heather Webb; singer-songwriter and producer Mark Perkins; and Taipua Adams, stalwart of the Wellington underground scene.

Arts on Tour NZ presents the bilingual duo Aro showing He Rākau, He Pepeke (Tales of our Trees), inspired by the natural heritage of Aotearoa. Aro are Charles and Emily Looker. Their music includes elements of folk, soul, haka and a touch of jazz.

Back on stage again this year will be th’Orchard. Get ready as they share their stories through song and spoken word, led by Mark Vanilau (musician, songwriter) and Solomon Smith (spoken word, vocalist, musician).

Visual Arts

An exhibition of selected works by well-established and earlier-career Māori artists in Pūmanawa gallery was sparked by contemplation of the traditional relationship between an older person (tuakana) and a younger person (teina). It is curated by Ngahina-Belton Bodsworth, who has put together a layered exploration of intergenerational influence, support and challenge.

Artist Maxine Burney is offering a series of Navigating Your Arty Self workshops in her studio for anyone wishing to begin or extend their exploration of sketching, drawing and colour.

Family-friendly

On Sunday 9 July, more Māori artists and craftspeople will join regular stallholders to show and sell their art and crafts at The Arts Centre’s Matariki Mākete. Meet the makers and explore what Ōtautahi craftspeople have to offer.

For tamariki, Matariki favourites Lisa Harding and Corabelle Summerton from Kahu Collective are back with drop-in whetū harakeke (star-making) workshops in the Great Hall. These hands-on sessions are ideal for ages 8-12. For adults, Kahu Collective will do a Putiputi harakeke (flower) making workshop.

Other Matariki holiday workshops will guide tamariki in making kites (manu tukutuku), Melanesian stick-charts for navigation, and purerehua (bullroarer) instruments. Numbers are limited and bookings required.

Unique to The Arts Centre this Matariki is heritage stargazing from the rebuilt Observatory Tower. By joining a 30-minute small group tour, you and your whānau can climb up the tower at night like generations of students past. On a clear night, you can view the Southern Sky through the Victorian-era Townsend Teece Telescope, under the guidance of Townsend Observers from the University of Canterbury, reviving a pre-quake tradition. 

The Townsend Teece Telescope dates from 1864. It was donated by English settler James Townsend to Canterbury College (now the university) in 1891. The College received a £420 donation from The Astronomical Society of Christchurch and used that money plus funds originally earmarked for a medical school to build the Observatory Tower, completed in 1896. After the University of Canterbury had moved to Ilam and the site became The Arts Centre, the university continued to operate the observatory with regular Friday night public viewings.

Then came the February 2011 earthquake. The tower collapsed and the telescope was damaged. Both have been meticulously restored. The adjacent buildings have been converted into the boutique Observatory Hotel, and the tower is only open to the public for people booked on heritage stargazing tours or other registration-only special events.

Learn more

If you want to learn more about the Matariki star cluster, who better to explain than University of Canterbury Senior Lecturer Dr Clare Worley? Dr Worley’s field of expertise is formally termed “galactic archaeology” – unravelling the evolutionary history of Te Ikaroa The Milky Way. She will give a free lecture in the Great Hall on how astronomers are studying Matariki to further this work, such as via the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, which is mapping more than a thousand million stars in three dimensions.

Much closer to home, people can join taonga maker and Oxford Gallery toi o Waimakariri Artist in Residence Neke Moa and tohunga Paula Conroy in conversation. They will discuss Neke Moa's recent work and how collaboration informs and shapes their mahi toi.

Finally, Lumière Cinemas at The Arts Centre is presenting Waru, a story of a boy killed by his caregiver. A sisterhood of Māori female directors bravely share their insights into the complexity of child abuse in a sequence of eight short films that seamlessly become one.

In the words of Lumière Director Nick Paris: “We see a single death through the differing lenses of the extended family, community, and in one sharp sequence, national media … The subject could hardly be heavier, but this is a hugely important film. It’s a film everyone should see and talk about.”

Matariki Festival at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, Christchurch 3 – 20 July.
artscentre.org.nz

Rotorua’s newly transformed lakefront marks another milestone with the opening after six years of development of Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa.

The luxury wellness spa, which is grounded in te ao Māori, offers two exclusive areas: Wai Whakaora (Restorative Journey), a cultural thermal wellness experience; and Te Āhuru Mōwai (The Sanctuary), a premium space for bathing and spa treatments.

Both have been designed to deliver maximum wellbeing benefits, building on local iwi Ngāti Whakaue’s centuries-old healing practices.

Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa General Manager Rania Sears says reaching the opening date milestone is “hugely exciting”.

The timing is particularly auspicious coming when the Pleiades star cluster first starts rising in the early morning sky for Matariki, symbolising a new year and new beginnings.

 “While Wai Ariki’s Hot Springs and Spa development was impacted by inevitable COVID delays, the collective team involved have made the most of the extra time to refine and enhance every element to ensure it genuinely contributes to health and wellbeing,” Rania says.

 “Wai Ariki is genuinely beautiful – and it is like nothing else in the world.”

Every aspect of Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa draws on the legacy of Ngāti Whakaue culture, practices and manaakitanga to offer an authentic wellness and spa experience for manuhiri, or visitors.

“This includes everything from the natural, geothermally heated water drawn directly from the Rachel Spring, which contains numerous beneficial minerals, to the interchange of hot and cold experiences to support body and mind, through to the healthy options available in our cafe.

“In doing so, we have created a truly unique luxury experience that is literally like nothing else on the planet. We are proud to put Rotorua and Aotearoa back on the global wellness stage.

“We can’t wait for manuhiri to come and see what we have to offer in Rotorua – we promise it will be everything you’ve been waiting for,” says Ms Sears.

Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa takes manuhiri on a unique healing and relaxation journey, with every perfectly designed element contributing to a total wellbeing experience – the essence of which is a connection to the Ngāti Whakaue people, and the places and practices that have defined them through the centuries.

wai-ariki.co.nz

One of the great joys of a film festival is uncovering a hidden gem among the big hitters on the programme, a film you had never heard of before the festival and can’t stop talking about after.

We asked festival director Fergus Grady for his list of under-the-radar gems at this year’s French Film Festival Aotearoa. The list is a mix – comedy, cabaret, family feel-good, conflagration and coming-of-age. Something for everyone.

The French Film Festival Aotearoa features 23 of the best films to come out of France in the past year. The festival opens in Christchurch and runs till Sunday 11 June before visiting 16 other centres around the motu, from Kerikeri to Dunedin. The Auckland season runs from 31 May to 21 June; the Wellington season from 7 to 28 June.

DIRECTOR’S CUT

Jack Mimoun & The Secrets of Val Verde

Indiana Jones meets Monty Python in this hilarious comedy adventure. Having found fame as a modern-day Robinson Crusoe by seemingly surviving alone on the desolate tropical island of Val Verde, French action adventurer Jack Mimoun, (Malik Bentalha, Employee of the Month) has made a name for himself as an adventure star. With a best-selling book, television show and stellar reputation, Jack appears to be the man of the moment. Unfortunately, his on-screen persona, the Survivor of Hell, is all a giant fabrication.

Country Cabaret

Sometimes hard work and big ideas aren’t enough. David’s dairy farm is on the brink of liquidation. When he chances upon a dazzling nightclub performance by Bonnie Starlight, inspiration strikes. What if he turned his big old barn into a country cabaret? Not just for entertainment but to promote local food producers, including his mother’s delicious cheese. A crazy plan, for sure, which is exactly why he loves it! Everything seems on track for the big opening night, until David’s traditionalist grandpa steps in, hell-bent on putting an end to their follies. Can they save the show and save the farm? Based on a fabulous true story.

Belle & Sebastien: Next Generation

10-year-old Sebastien reluctantly spends his holidays in the mountains with his grandmother and aunt. He is to help them with the sheep, hardly an exciting prospect for a city boy like him ... but that is without considering his encounter with Belle, a huge dog mistreated by her owner. Ready to do anything to fight injustice and to protect his new-found friend, Sebastien will spend the craziest summer of his life.

Lie with Me

Upon agreeing to be the brand ambassador for a famous cognac celebrating their bicentennial, novelist Stéphane Belcourt returns to his hometown for the first time in many years. Once there, he meets his first love’s son, Lucas. Memories come rushing back to him: irrepressible attraction, bodies becoming one in the heat of desire, a passion that can never be revealed ... His first love’s name was Thomas. They were 17.

Notre Dame on Fire

A blow-by-blow recreation of the gripping events that took place on April 15, 2019, when Notre Dame Cathedral suffered the biggest blaze in its history. The film shows heroic men and women putting their lives on the line to accomplish an awe-inspiring rescue. From Jean-Jacques Annaud, director of Seven Years in Tibet and Enemy at the Gates.

Other People’s Children

Featuring a career-best Virginie Efira, award-winning writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski’s enchanting and profoundly moving new romantic drama follows a woman whose outlook on life is up-ended when she starts a passionate relationship with a single father-of-one. 40-year-old Parisian high school teacher Rachel (a radiant Efira) loves her life: she’s inspired by her work and is close to her friends, sister and widowed father. When she meets a man in her community guitar class, the charming and recently separated Ali (Roschdy Zem), Rachel commences a relationship not only with him but also his four-year-old daughter, Leila. Gradually, she’s drawn into their world, helping Ali by collecting Leila after school and looking after her on the nights she stays with them; the three start to share holidays together. But there can be no denying Leila already has a mother (Chiara Mastroianni), and Rachel’s yearning for a family of her own is only growing stronger. Utterly involving and insightful, Other People’s Children thoughtfully revolves around questions of belonging, connection and emotional risk to depict not only one woman’s search for fulfilment but what constitutes a rewarding and meaningful life.

This One Summer

Every summer, 10-year-old Dune goes with her parents to the south-west coast of France, where she meets her best friend, Mathilde. Together they explore pine forests, contemplate the shape of clouds, follow teenagers and crash their parties, and secretly watch horror films. But this one summer is special for Dune – last year, the family skipped their usual holiday without her knowing why. She feels that something has changed. As childhood becomes a little more distant, she begins to see adults and teenagers differently and understand their secrets.

Ride Above

Literally born and raised with horses, Zoe leads a happy life at her parents’ racehorse stables, driven by the dream of someday becoming a jockey like her father. To Zoe, nothing beats being with horses, especially her best friend, Beautiful Intrigue, the stable’s prize mare, who taught the child how to walk. When Beautiful Intrigue gives birth to a foal, Zoe is the first to see in him the champion her parents have been waiting and working for all their lives. But Zoe’s dreams are shattered when the panicked foal accidentally injures her, leaving her permanently disabled

frenchfilmfestival.co.nz

It all began on 30 June, 1953. At the Playhouse Theatre on Auckland’s Karangahape Road, Danish dancer Poul Gnatt, the founding father of ballet in New Zealand, assembled a small group of young dancers to present two evenings of short ballets and excerpts from the classics.

70 years and more than 300 national, regional and international tours later, the Royal New Zealand Ballet will celebrate its platinum anniversary with a special programme, Lightscapes. The programme premieres in Wellington on 27 July. It then travels to Christchurch (5 – 6 August) and Auckland (10 – 12 August).

Lightscapes includes the world premiere of a work created specially for this moment, Whenua, by Moss Te Ururangi Patterson. Inspired by haka and powered by the strength of the men of the company, this striking new ballet will be a lasting addition to the RNZB’s repertoire.

Serenade (1934) was staged for the then-New Zealand Ballet by former Artistic Director, the late Una Kai, in 1975. It holds a special place in the hearts of generations of dancers and audiences, both in Aotearoa and around the world. George Balanchine's first full-length ballet in America, it is plotless yet laden with meaning and fills the stage with exquisite movement and deep emotion.

The second half of the programme features two New Zealand premieres by choreographers making waves across the globe.

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa will stage her Requiem for a Rose, created for Pennsylvania Ballet in 2009 as an exploration of love, romantic and idealised, versus lasting and real.

Closing the programme is Logos by company alumna Alice Topp (Aurum, Absence of Light), created for The Australian Ballet in 2020 and inspired by the storms we all weather – fears, fights, darkness and demons.

Topp says, “Logos is the story of internal conflict and of navigating a world of storms. Since its premiere in 2020, the world has been in and out of turbulence and conflict, and revisiting this work now I feel is the perfect time to look at how far we’ve come, and where we can go.”

RNZB Interim Artistic Director David McAllister says, “For 70 years, the Royal New Zealand Ballet has reflected our place in the world, presenting unique works that tell our stories while also staging the most exciting works from around the world to delight our New Zealand audiences.

“Lightscapes celebrates this rich heritage of innovation. From Moss Patterson's powerful new work drawn from his Māori cultural heritage through to George Balanchine's modern classic Serenade. This programme also celebrates the work of creative women: Alice Topp, an RNZB alumna, with her moving Logos, and internationally recognised choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's romantic Requiem for a Rose.

“This programme honours the company’s seven decades of dance excellence and also points boldly to the boundless future that lies ahead for the RNZB,” McAllister says.

Lightscapes, Royal New Zealand Ballet; Wellington (27 – 29 July), Christchurch (5 – 6 August) and Auckland (10 – 12 August)

rnzb.org.nz

One of Christchurch Art Gallery’s best-loved paintings, Petrus van der Velden’s 1872 work Burial in the Winter on the Island of Marken, also known as The Dutch Funeral, features alongside works by Aotearoa artists Rita Angus, Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon, Séraphine Pick, Shane Cotton and Bill Hammond in the gallery’s new exhibition, Absence.

Running till Sunday 20 August, Absence brings together works from artists using diverse mediums and from different eras. All connect with the exhibition’s central theme – that sometimes the most compelling thing is what isn’t there. From the mournful, the mischievous, the monumental and the hardly-there-at-all, Absence invites viewers to fill in the gaps.

“Artists have always been fascinated by the power of people and things not shown,” says Lead Curator Felicity Milburn.

“In art, absence creates mystery, tension and anticipation – it can imply loss, transformation, exclusion, isolation and much more. It’s the unspoken subject in some of the Gallery’s most interesting works, and we’ve brought many of them together.

“Absence features some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most respected artists but it isn’t the type of exhibition you need to bring a lot of expertise with you to enjoy. It’s full to the brim with stories and is a great way to experience many different styles and types of art-making.

“There’s a rich mix of sculptures, paintings and works on paper and it’s a chance for visitors to see some treasures from our collection, including The Physician, painted in 1653 by Gerrit Dou, a leading figure in the Golden Age of Dutch painting.”

Works also include:

• Saying goodbye to Florence, a sombre and personal suite of 12 prints by Robin White that marked the death of her mother.
• A lithograph depicting death as a cloaked figure that was completed in Berlin in 1934 by Käthe Kollwitz, one of the foremost artists of social protest in the 20th century.
• Katharina Jaeger’s 2008 sculpture Pracht, assembled from discarded furniture parts found in an Ōtautahi Christchurch junk shop.
• A photograph by Tim Veling documenting part of Ōtautahi’s former residential red zone, where the vestiges of domestic gardens recall the lives of those who were forced to leave.
• A stained glass window recovered from the Barbadoes Street Cemetery Chapel, depicting Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James at the empty tomb of Christ.
• An unexpected portrait of the celebrated writer Margaret Mahy taken by Marti Friedlander in 2008.

christchurchartgallery.org.nz

Petrus van der Velden - Burial in the Winter on the Island of Marken [also known as The Dutch Funeral] - 1872. Oil on canvas. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, gift of Henry Charles Drury van Asch, 1932

Ben Cauchi - Hovering Object - 2005. Ambrotype. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2005

Marti Friedlander - Margaret Mahy - 2008. Gelatin silver print toned with gold. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased with the generous assistance of the artist and FHE Galleries, 2016

The battle is back on for the nation’s top toasted sandwich and this year’s Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover has a record number of entrants, with sandwich names ranging from bad puns to the frankly unpublishable.

The annual competition keeps growing, with 185 eateries participating for 2023. Toastie fans are busy sampling the contestants’ wares as they battle it out between now and late June.

Open to all New Zealand eateries, this year’s participants range from sandwich specialists to fine dining restaurants, breweries and food trucks. Competition rules remain the same as previous years. Each toastie must be sandwiched between two slices of bread and be able to be eaten by hand if necessary. The toasted sandwich must contain cheese (or an acceptable vegan substitute) and pickles from the McClure’s Pickles range. Everything else is up to the maker’s imagination.

Originality and innovation are again on show this year, with hero ingredients that include smoked eel, gabagool, crayfish, wagyu steak tartare, pork belly, lamb pastrami, smoked prawns, wild deer, beef short rib, braised ham hock, smoked brisket, apple cider pulled pork and sustainable line-caught fish.

Equally adventurous condiments range from kawakawa aioli to blueberry balsamic jam, pinot noir jelly, banana chips, consommé dipping broth, pickle juice gel and McClure’s pickle caviar. Breads include gold leaf brioche, ramen noodle buns, pickle brine sourdough and beef fat-brushed New York deli roll.

The trend towards vegetarian or plant-based entrants continues, with 10 vegan and five vegetarian entries, with ingredients like crispy tofu schnitzel, roasted ‘duck’ cheese, housemade ‘not salmon’, and ‘faux shore tuna’ made from lemon roasted chickpeas. 

Also notable this year is the multitude of cuisines on offer – everything from Korean to Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Cuban, Jamaican and American and of course Māori and Kiwiana-style entries.

With participating eateries vying for a spot in the competition’s final round, it’s now up to the team of 30 judges to eat their way around all 185 venues and decide which sandwiches make it to the final 12. Finalists will be revealed in late May, and after a second round of judging the supreme winner will be announced on 20 June.

Kiwis also have the power to vote for their favourite toasted sandwich with the return of the People’s Choice Award. Voting is open now, with the winner announced late May.

toastietakeover.com

Fergus Grady is in his third year as director of the French Film Festival Aotearoa and he still can’t quite believe the silver lining to his COVID cloud.

With the programme in place for this year’s festival, which begins in Christchurch on Thursday 25 May, Fergus has flitted off to the Cannes Film Festival to start the process of curating next year’s programme. Don’t worry, he’ll be back for opening night.

The French Film Festival Aotearoa 2023 features 23 of the best films to come out of France in the past year. The Christchurch season runs from Thursday 25 May to Sunday 11 June. The festival then visits 16 other centres around the motu, from Kerikeri to Dunedin.

The Auckland season runs from 31 May to 21 June; the Wellington season from 7 to 28 June.

Until 2021 the French Film Festival Aotearoa was organised by Alliance Française, an international organisation that aims to promote the French language and francophone culture around the world. Come the uncertainty of COVID, Fergus and his film distribution company, Limelight, stepped in to ensure the festival would continue.

It’s his day job anyway. A filmmaker in his own right, with feature documentaries Camino Skies and Gloriavale, Fergus is Limelight Distribution’s acquisitions manager, which means he views and selects for cinema distribution a couple of dozen films a year. This involves visiting the major film festivals, including Cannes, Toronto and Venice.

So he’s no stranger to an early-morning viewing in a cinema far, far away, sharing the space with fellow critics and curators. Being in charge of the nationwide offerings at the French Film Festival Aotearoa is a bigger gig though.

At Cannes, Fergus will view 50 French films in a week. From that, over the next few months he will probably invite 10 films to the 2024 festival. He will be in Paris in January on a buying trip and in between will watch films that premiere at the Venice or Toronto festivals. Despite competition from these in recent years, Fergus says the Cannes Film Festival is still the main showcase of French-language films.

“It’s still got the cachet. The red carpet is a big splash for the studio PR machines.”

Fergus has a clear vision of what the French Film Festival Aotearoa is all about. “The festival is associated with fun comedy, uplifting romance and drama. It’s not as tied to serious material as other festivals.  

“We want people to come out and have a laugh, have a wine and pore over French actors and actresses. We aim for a broad audience.”

frenchfilmfestival.co.nz

For Hōhua Ropate Kurene, one of three artists chosen by Christchurch’s Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre for its winter Creative Residency programme, his home for the next three months is something of a mystery.

That’s despite growing up in Ōtautahi Christchurch. “It was a rebuild project when I was in high school,” says the artist, who specialises in photography, creative writing and multimedia design.

Hōhua Kurene’s experience is a reminder of the interruption that the earthquakes brought to life at Te Matatiki Toi Ora. A reminder also though of the potential realised by the rebuild. The Creative Residence was installed upstairs in the West Lecture building during post-quake restoration and strengthening. The residence has four ensuite bedrooms, shared facilities and rooftop views.

The two artists who will join Hōhua Kurene are musician Lisa Tui Jonathan and visual artist Megan Brady. Lisa Tui has a background in singing, songwriting and musical theatre, has taught singing for 22 years including in prisons, and fell in love with taonga pūoro, or Māori musical instruments, while studying at the University of Otago. Megan Brady is a multidisciplinary artist working across fields of sculpture, installation and sound.

For Lisa Tui, the residency provides “time to focus my ears and body to play and explore taonga pūoro” as well as exploring the connection between sound and wellbeing.

Megan Brady wants to research her ancestral awa, Rakahuri/Ashley River. The residency makes site-specific work possible: “undertaking this next body of research about Rakahuri awa could only happen where Rakahuri awa flows”. She describes getting the residency as “like the world’s biggest hug”.

Chris Archer, Creative Director at Te Matatiki Toi Ora, says time and space are precious currency for creative practitioners. “It’s rare for artists to be able to devote themselves full-time to their craft – most juggle many commitments and do other work to pay the bills. We enable our residents to take time to reflect, to immerse themselves in life here and to connect with the arts scene in the wider city.”

The Arts Centre, in turn, expects creative residents to engage with the public, such as through wānanga, workshops, live performance, exhibitions or talks.

Although each artist submits a proposal when applying for the residency, they are welcome to experiment and deviate from their original ideas. All three plan to strengthen their networks with other creative people in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

artscentre.org.nz

Muso and food entrepreneur Flip Grater is on a mission to popularise plant-based goodies so you can have your pleasures without having to compromise your principles. She calls it ethical hedonism.

You probably first popped up on many people's radar as a musician. Tell us about that part of your life? Yeah I worked in the music industry for many years, touring and recording. It was a great lifestyle and creative outlet. But after my daughter Anais was born I just felt like I needed to do more for the planet than singing sad songs! 

Do you still find time for performing? I haven't played in public for a while but Anais and I play and sing around the house and I still love making music. I will always write and play because it's who I am. I'm just not doing it professionally at this moment in time. 

How did you get started on Grater Goods? As I say I really felt a sense of urgency around climate change when Anais was born so I pivoted into food as a form of delicious activism. I had come back to Christchurch from living in Europe with the habit of having Apero at the end of the day but I couldn't find anything to eat with a nice glass of pinot so I started experimenting with making types of plant-based charcuterie. Eventually I came up with some recipes that were decadent and satisfying and I thought, perhaps others would like these too. Turns out they did! 

What is its kaupapa? We exist to bring truly delicious plant-based options to the world. We provide gourmet antipasti products for customers who love to gather around food, who are hosting a special occasion or are simply wanting to indulge in an excellent deli sandwich. 

Ethical hedonism – it's like having your cake and eating it too, isn't it? Absolutely. It's about not having to compromise your pleasure for your principles. I mean, what's the point of saving the planet if we're all having a terrible time on it and eating horrible food?

You are seeking investors for Grater Goods. What will the injection of funds be used for? We have been growing steadily in Aotearoa and there is still lots of room to grow here. We also want to take these foods to Australia, a market with five times the opportunity and an existing culture of enjoying deli meats and charcuterie. So we're raising funds to upgrade our equipment here in Ōtautahi, retain and grow our team and take the first steps into Australia. 

Are you pleasantly surprised or still impatient at the rate of adoption of plant-based food alternatives? The change in attitude around these foods has taken a long time, with enormous efforts from policymakers, filmmakers, activists and businesses. But the popularity we've seen recently has been rapid and heartening. Consumers are increasingly making more sustainable choices. And with better and better plant-based options coming onto the market, those earth-conscious choices are getting easier and easier to make. 

Does New Zealand have the jump on Australia with plant-based alternatives? Australia is currently the second fastest-growing plant-based market in the world but we're not far behind. According to recent data, 40 – 50 percent of New Zealanders consider themselves to be flexitarian, which just shows how generally open-minded and sustainability-focused we are as a nation.

gratergoods.co.nz