Stories

The Arts Centre have recently reinstated their Creative Residencies programme, nearly two decades after it was first launched and have announced that Kiwi songstress Bic Runga is the first participant. There’s no denying that Bic is an authority figure in the New Zealand music scene having a wealth of accolades to her name including being made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 and being inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2016, so it is fitting that she complete a two-part residency in the strengthened and beautifully restored residency apartments. As well as being in residence throughout April and May, she will return for a week in July to host workshops mentioning that “this residency is a wonderful chance for me to reconnect with my Otautahi roots and give back to a community that has been through so much.” She also hopes to share...

There’s no denying that Christchurch is on the rise with a wealth of boutiques, eateries and social hubs opening up shop in recent months, and it just keeps getting better with the announcement that The Welder, the first health and wellbeing centre of such a large scale, will open its doors come October 5. Joining other players on arguably one of the city’s funkiest streets, Welles Street, The Welder is a social space where barriers are removed, balance is welcome and a meaningful experience is created that makes us think, feel, remember and understand. With health and wellness at the forefront of The Welder development, the central city hotspot will be a place where you can celebrate all parts of wellbeing, expanding further than just healthy eating into physical wellbeing, mindfulness and sociability. Ditching all notions of “labels”, at The Welder you can participate in a yoga class and follow it up...

Cityscape caught up with Hannah Smith, a Wellington-based directore, designer and producer ahead of her performance in The Road That Wasn't There. How long does it take to put a show like this together? This show has been in the works for years, and has come to be in its current form after several rounds of development. We first made it for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 with two weeks of rehearsal and a lot of frantic puppet crafting and recording music in a bathroom; and then we have given it two major re-workings for a season in 2015 and another in 2017. Every time we come back to it we tinker with it some more - there is a lot of new stuff in this iteration. So in short, forever! It takes as long as you have got! What comes first - the story or the characters? I think for our shows it...

Cityscape spent five minutes with Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine, whose sixteen-metre tall sculpture VAKA ‘A HINA, will take up residence in Rauora Park by the end of 2019. What was the inspiration behind your sculpture VAKA ‘A HINA? Vaka 'A Hina was inspired by the legend of Hina and her many voyages to the moon. In Moana Nui pantheon, Hina is the goddess of the moon, tapa-making, weaving, and sharks. She is the matriarch of the famous Maui clan and the guardian of night-time navigation. Did you always intend to create a sculpture of this scale, or did it start out as something different? Every new sculpture seems to be slighter bigger than the one before. The last sculpture was 2 metres shorter in height and 1 metre narrower in overall width. For this one, there has been no change in the original size since its inception. How long have you been working on this project? Since March...

Take your pamper game to new heights down at Mods Hair Paris who is welcoming a Perrier Jouët Champagne Bar into their swanky digs. Renowned for their impeccable service and style, Mods has been at the forefront of salons in the city and the new champagne bar addition is the cherry on top – they are also New Zealand’s only salon to offer a fully licenced champagne bar. As well as satiating your thirst with exquisite bubbles, you can also indulge in the finest fare including locally sourced Burrata, Sicilian olives and caviar. Combining both beauty and pleasure, it is an elevated experience to enjoy with a friend, your mother or ring in the weekend. Mods Hair Paris141 Aikmans Road03 355 8639modshair.co.nz

Created by the team behind Antarctic Heritage Trust in partnership with Canterbury Museum, Breaking the Ice: The First Year in Antarctica allows the public to see items such as a fruitcake and a watercolour painting left behind in two Antarctic expeditions: Carsten Borchgrevink’s Southern Cross and Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova. After a lengthy and painstakingly process to conserve the artefacts by a team of international experts from the Antarctic Heritage Trust, the items were held in a Canterbury Museum laboratory. As well as the opportunity to look at objects that were used during the expeditions, the exhibition also has a historical element to it with the chance to learn about those who led them and where they were sailing from. Opening on May 18 at the Canterbury Museum, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to observe a selection of famous artefacts from the first buildings in Antarctica. Breaking the Ice: The...

Time to get your fiesta on because the cool cats down at Mexico are ringing in Cinco de Mayo with epic celebrations that will be happening all weekend! Kicking off on May 3 (Friday), head on down and indulge in their seriously tasty (trust us, they’re amazing) Frida’s Margaritas with a Jose Cuervo happy hour from 3 – 5 pm. Take your tequila knowledge to the next level at their Margarita Class which will take place May 4 (Saturday) and where you’ll be treated to a 90-minute class and get to feast on your favourite dishes from the Mexico kitchen. Get your craft on and wrap up the festivities on May 5 (Sunday) with face painting and colouring comps – bonus, the kids get to eat for free! As well as the awesome trifecta of weekend festivities, Mexico will also have delicious food and liquor specials all weekend long. Cinco de...

In what will be a first for New Zealand, American artist William Wegman’s Being Human exhibition will take up an autumn residence at the Christchurch Art Gallery (April 6 – July 28). Primarily known for his art and photographic work that is centred on his canine friends, Being Human is a curation of three decades of relationships between himself and his four-legged muses. Incorporating various artistic styles such as cubism, colour field painting and abstract expressionism, Wegman’s work is a fascinating insight into his life and makes for great viewing. Image credits: William Wegman Constructivism 2014. Pigment print photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman William Wegman Tamino with Magic Flute 1996. Colour Polaroid photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman William Wegman White Out 2014. Pigment print photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman William Wegman Casual 2002. Colour Polaroid photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman  

After months of anticipation and speculation, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū welcomes Ron Mueck’s spectacular work chicken / man 2019 which will take up a permanent residence in the premises of the Gallery. Renowned as one of the world’s top sculptors and for his hyper-realistic depictions of people, Mueck’s bespoke sculpture undertook many hours of painstaking work and was created specifically for Christchurch after successful fundraising campaigns and crowd-funding made this possible – the sculpture even travelled all the way from London and was encased in its own, unique and custom-built crate. Mueck’s last stint in the city was during his 2010/11 exhibition at the Gallery which attracted an impressive 135,000 visitors and amassed queues that circled around on the block on its final weekend. christchurchartgallery.org.nz Image credit: Ron Mueck chicken / man 2019. Mixed media. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2019 by Christchurch...

Hailing from the shores of Canada, Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra have set their sights on Christchurch and will call into Lyttelton Records. With a repetoire that spans ballads and singalongs to high energy dance parties, the lads behind TMO are a live act that is not to be missed! Representing the mulitcultural tapestry of Canada, TMO incorporates a range of diverse music genres into their own music; listeners will get a taste of roots, jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, gospel and Latin - plus many more - and they even sing in French. Catch these guys and their wild talents on April 5. Tequila Mockingbird OrchestraLyttelton Records, April 5undertheradar.co.nz

Auckland-based Tongan artist Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine’s striking, totem-esque sculpture VAKA ‘A HINA will take up residence in Rauora Park before the end of 2019. The sixteen-metre tall (the equivalent of a five storey building) artwork will be a symbol of solidarity and unity and adds both Tongan and New Zealand culture to the occupied space. Described as a beacon and meeting point in a refreshed part of the city, the artwork will have a lighting feature to further enhance the sculpture’s stature come night time and will possess a spectrum of colours which will allow for customisation on special occasions for example pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. A joint collaborative project between SCAPE Public Art, Christchurch City Council, Otakaro Ltd, John Jones Steel, GHD and Leighs Construction, VAKA ‘A HINA will be the 15th legacy (permanent) artwork in the city. scapepublicart.org.nz

Augustine designer and founder Kelly Coe is in town to celebrate the opening of Kartel Clothing in The Colombo. Before that, however, she’s hosting a fab fashion show for Breast Cancer CURE. Cityscape caught up with the fashion maven to find out how much has changed in the decade or so since the brand began. You’ve been on the fashion scene since 2007. How would you say that fashion has evolved since you first began? Oh wow, it has changed so so much, in every aspect, I believe. It’s not just the styling and the trends that have changed, it is the way we buy, how we shop and the evolution of online buying. It’s an exciting time to be in the fashion industry. Ten years ago when we started Augustine none of our customers would buy online, Facebook was so new to us and Instagram wasn't even a thing. Now I...

Cityscape is amped for next week’s masterclass on non-alcoholic cocktails at Ballantynes with Seedlip founder Ben Branson, who’s coming all the way from his dreamy farm in the English countryside. We wanted to know more about the idyllic life of the creator, so we had a quick catch up before he heads our way. It’s been a crazy few years for you and Seeplip - did you ever anticipate that it would be so successful? When I was hand labelling bottles in my kitchen, packing them into boxes, putting them in the back of my car, delivering them, then standing in Selfridges in London for four hours each day and then serving Seedlip cocktails at events in the evening, never did I dream that just three years later we would be available in over 25 countries, working with over 250 Michelin * restaurants & have our cocktails served in eight of the...

Time to get your groove on, Christchurch’s hottest and newest music festival Urban Jungle is tapped to take over Vanguard Square in the CBD on April 13. A collaboration between Christchurch-based promoters Sub180 Entertainment, Dux Central, SIMBA Canterbury, The Slate Room and The Edge Canterbury, Urban Jungle will have you swaying to chill tunes and solid bangers thanks to the muso line-up which consists of Kiwi legend Savage, local lads Nomad, Whanganui rap crew Machete Clan and Dunedin rockers Hot Donnas as well as up and comers Run77 and hip hop crew The Joint. With talks that Urban Jungle will become the city’s equivalent to other urban festivals such as Auckland’s Laneway and Wellington’s Homegrown, you’ll want to snap up tickets stat. Urban JungleApril 13, Vanguard Squarefacebook.com

Cityscape chats with Mark Kneebone, one of the founders of You Are Us / Aroha Nui, an event that sees a selection of New Zealand musicians take to the stage in Auckland (April 13) and Christchurch (April 17) to raise funds for Our People, Our City.  How much sleep haven’t you had over the last week? Haha - it’s been a busy week. How difficult was it to pull this together on such short notice? On one hand incredibly difficult because of the short timelines, on the other hand really easy because everyone wants to help and be involved. Who called who? Brent (Eccles) and I both started getting a bunch of calls from artists that we work with, and after that it was people in the industry and an overwhelming sense of people wanting to help and be involved and contribute … from there it was just a snowball.  It has been universal: artists from...

Heavy hitters from the New Zealand music scene are coming together for two epic performances in Auckland (April 13) and Christchurch (April 17) to support those affected by the Christchurch terror attacks. Hosted by New Zealander of the Year, Mike King and with other performers and cultural speakers set to take to the stage, these concerts will be a great way to get behind this cause and rally together. The full Christchurch line-up has been announced and sees The Adults, Anika Moa, Bailey Wiley, BENE, Bic and Boh Runga, Chaii, Christchurch Combined Choir, Dave Dobbyn, Diggy Dupe, The Exponents, Fat Freddy's Drop, Hollie Smith, Illbaz, Marlon Williams, Melodownz, MC Mike King, Mitch James, Seth Haapu, Shapeshifter, Shihad, Six60, Stan Walker, Soraya Lapread, Teeks and Lorde take to the stage with many more performers still to come! Spark Arena, AucklandChristchurch Stadium, Christchurch youareus.co.nz

Coastal tones and cool hues are the signature look of the season for style savvy lads. Embrace the elements with the newest AW19 drop from New Zealand designers Untouched World, Cutler & Co and Indigo & Provisions. Keep things dapper with the striped flannel blazer from Cutler & Co (1) or for an off-duty weekend look, pair a tee with a comfy jacket in the likes of the Dstrezzed tee (2) and Dstrezzed shell jacket (4). Accessorise with some sunnies, a belt and a rad satchel - we love the latest from Indigo & Provisions (6, 7 & 8) and top it all off with a spritz of cologne - Alien Man EDT (3) has been a fave. 1. Dstrezzed brand melange stripe flannel blazer from Cutler & Co2. Dstrezzed brand tattoo design tee from Cutler & Co3. Alien Man EDT 100ml4. Dstrezzed brand tech shell jacket from Cutler & Co5....

The last week has taught us, among a great many other things, the value of looking up and away from our screens. Social media platforms have (rightly) become the target of frustration and anger – particularly Facebook. The global giant has been called out by our Prime Minister for doing far too little, far too late to stop the spread of that hateful video of the Mosque shootings. There is a call for a Facebook blackout for 50 hours this weekend, starting at 1.40pm tomorrow and observing an hour for every victim killed in the incident. There is a stronger call to get off the platform for good. My challenge to you, Cityscapers, is to adopt the 50 hours and see how it goes. See if you can do it. Put your phone in your pocket or leave it on the table, face down, when you go out with friends. Order...