Podcasts about Creative New Zealand

Two multidisciplinary artists who do amazing things on stage, come together - actor, producer and writer Márianne Infante, and dance artist and choreographer Xin Ji. Their conversation moves between new motherhood, migration, making a lifetime of art without burning out, creativity and spirituality. About Márianne:Márianne Infante is a multidisciplinary creative of Kapampángan heritage — a trained actor, producer, writer, director and mover — born and raised in Pampanga, the Philippines, before moving to Aotearoa at 11. She's Executive Director of PAT, co-founder and director of Te & Kuya Collaborative and a board member of Equity NZ. Her mahi centres storytelling that uplifts Indigenous and immigrant voices.➡️ Follow Márianne on Instagram: https://instagram.com/marianne_infante➡️ Márianne on Satellites: https://satellites.co.nz/archive/people/marianne-infanteAbout Xin:Xin Ji is a dance artist, choreographer, performer, filmmaker and educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Trained in Chinese Classical Ballet in Beijing before a professional career in Japan and Aotearoa, he has worked with companies including The New Zealand Dance Company, Footnote and Okareka. His debut solo work Body Story premiered at the Auckland Pride Festival in 2025.➡️ Follow Xin on Instagram: https://instagram.com/xin_with_ji➡️ Xin on Satellites: https://satellites.co.nz/archive/people/xin-jiFollow Asian in Aotearoa on Instagram: https://instagram.com/asianinaotearoaVisit https://asianinaotearoa.comThis episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.

This episode brings choreographer Cindy Yunha Jang and visual artist Tarika Sabherwal together. They chat about Cindy's work building belonging through movement and Tarika's exploration of inherited South Asian mythology and more.About Cindy:Cindy is a 1.5-generation Korean choreographer and community arts advocate based in Aotearoa, creating immersive, multidisciplinary works that centre diaspora narratives. In 2017 she founded Jang Huddle and her practice is an ongoing conversation between her past and future selves.➡️ Follow Cindy on Instagram: https://instagram.com/janghuddle➡️ Cindy on Satellites: satellites.co.nz/archive/people/cindy-jang-barlowAbout Tarika:Tarika Sabherwal is an artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau who narrativises personal relationships and landscapes within a South Asian mythological framework. Working against image saturation and historical revisionism, she unpacks inherited narratives by collating memories, pop culture, mythology and superstition.➡️ Tarika's exhibition, Glyphs: galleryske.com/exhibitions/glyphs➡️ Follow Tarika on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tarikasabFollow Asian in Aotearoa on Instagram: https://instagram.com/asianinaotearoaVisit https://asianinaotearoa.comThis episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.

Weimin and J.Y discuss friendship, community and why the most meaningful creative work often begins with making space for others.About Weimin:Weimin Li is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based tattoo artist and founder of NiceGoblins, an artist platform he launched in 2018 to create community and opportunities for emerging creatives in Auckland. Born in China and raised in Aotearoa from the age of eight, Weimin studied Video Game Design before finding his way into tattooing.➡️ Explore NiceGoblins: https://www.nicegoblins.com➡️ Follow NiceGoblins: https://www.instagram.com/nicegoblins_collective➡️ Follow Weimin: https://www.instagram.com/nicegoblins_weiAbout J.Y:J.Y. is a legendary saxophonist/flautist who has spent more than a decade performing across Aotearoa's music scene. He has shared stages with artists including Tom Scott, CHAII, Sir Dave Dobbyn and Romi Wrights, and performed with groups including Yoko-Zuna, The Circling Sun, DAYBUS Jazz Orchestra and Avantdale Bowling Club.➡️ Follow JY on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jaywhyl33/About the podcast:Asian in Aotearoa is a podcast of conversations with Asian creatives, founded in 2020 by Jenna Wee in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.Follow Asian in Aotearoa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianinaotearoa/Visit asianinaotearoa.comThis episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.

In this episode, Shamin Yazdani and Jefferson Chen chat creativity, community, artistic integrity, and personal growth. They reflect on belonging, the spaces between disciplines, what inspires their work, how they're navigating wellbeing, purpose, spirituality and more!About Shamin:Shamin Yazdani is an Iranian-born creative producer, filmmaker and multidisciplinary creator whose work centres on diaspora, displacement, identity, and belonging. As a first-generation Iranian-New Zealander, she brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by living and working across SWANA and London. Her work across film, television, and creative production has appeared on local and international platforms.➡️ See Sham's work: https://www.linktr.ee/suchashambles➡️ Follow Shamin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suchashamblesAbout Jefferson:Jefferson Chen is the Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist behind the solo music project Goodspace. His work moves fluidly between music, installation, film, theatre and television, exploring the spaces between genres with a style that's both distinctive and difficult to define.➡️ Check out Jeff's work: https://goodspacemusic.carrd.co/ ➡️ Follow Goodspace on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodspacemusic/About the podcast: Asian in Aotearoa is a podcast of conversations with Asian creatives, founded in 2020 by Jenna Wee in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.Follow Asian in Aotearoa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianinaotearoa/Visit asianinaotearoa.comThis episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.

Nathan Joe returns to the podcast in conversation with Nahyeon Lee. They've been described as “filmmakers, theatre-makers and sometimes collaborators” and here they catch up on where they're at creatively, their hot-takes on community, what they're dreaming of next, spirituality and more.About Nahyeon:Nahyeon is a writer, director and theatre producer of Korean descent based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. She has a Master of Arts in Drama Directing in Screen Production from the University of Auckland (First Class Hons) and has since embedded herself in stage and screen projects that strive to dismantle the hegemony - in narratives about identity through genre and in form.➡️ Nahyeon's work: https://www.punctum.co.nz/ and https://www.nahyeonlee.co.nz/➡️ Follow Nahyeon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nahyeonleeeAbout Nathan:Nathan Joe 周润豪 is an award-winning playwright, dramaturg and performance poet - born and raised in Ōtautahi. He is an incoming MFA playwriting candidate at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, and a 2025 Fulbright grantee.➡️ Nathan's work: https://nathanjoe.com/➡️ Follow Nathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowperilproductions/About the podcast:Asian in Aotearoa is a podcast of conversations of Asian creatives, founded in 2020 by Jenna Wee in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.Follow Asian in Aotearoa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianinaotearoa/Visit asianinaotearoa.comThis episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.

Tanya Barlow and Jenna Wee first had a chat on Asian in Aotearoa way back in 2020. Now, they're reunited to kick off the new (and filmed) Season 4 of the podcast. They reflect on where they're at in terms of creativity, community and a bunch more.About Tanya:Tanya is a nail artist, voiceover artist, former make up artist, podcaster, content creator, and all round creative and multi-disciplinary artist! She is half Singaporean-Chinese, half Pākehā and grew up in Hong Kong.➡️ Watch Tanya's podcast: ⁨@hellotanyapod⁩➡️ Follow Tanya on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellotanya/About Jenna:Jenna founded Asian in Aotearoa in 2020 and has since interviewed well over 50 Asian creatives about their lives and artistic work. Born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, she's Malaysian-Chinese, Japanese, Pākehā and Melanau.Follow Asian in Aotearoa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianinaotearoa/This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.

Creative New Zealand has announced sweeping changes to the way arts funding will be distributed around the country, a move some people are calling the biggest shake-up to the sector in decades. The organisation says their new regional partnerships model will create stronger local arts networks and improve access to funding, particularly outside the main centres. But critics fear the move could make funding less accessible for independent artists and smaller organisations and create uncertainty across an already stretched sector. To help explain the changes, Jesse is joined by arts journalist and commentator Mark Amery.

In this 2014 podcast Jennifer Williams talks to two Hawthornden Fellows: Lynn Davidson and Alyson Hallett about where they come from, loneliness versus aloneness, and their current and upcoming work. Lynn Davidson's fiction and poetry has appeared in journals and her short fiction has been broadcast on national radio. Davidson has received several grants and fellowships to develop her work, including the 2003 Louis Johnson New Writers' Bursary from Creative New Zealand. She has published collections of poetry, and her novel Ghost Net was released in 2003. Davidson also works as an educator and tutors short fiction and poetry both online and in the classroom. Alyson Hallett‘s work spans different continents and art forms. She has a poem carved into Milsom Street pavement in Bath, words etched into glass in a library in Bristol, and she runs the international poetry and public art project The Migration Habits of Stones. She currently works as a Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund. Prior to this, she was a Leverhulme-funded poet-in-residence in the University of Exeter's Geography Department. In 2010, she completed a practice-based PhD in Poetry and Geographical Intimacy. She lives in Falmouth, Cornwall. Suddenly Everything is her second full volume of poetry. The Lynne Davidson photo is by Murray Wilson. The Alyson Hallett photo is by Paul Wilkinson.  

Every year we sniff out some of the freshest new local bands, have them play on Morning Glory, then once a year during New Zealand Music Month (NZMM) we bring a bunch of them together for an epic showcase! 95bFM is well known for breaking the next big thing, so if you missed it live whakarongo mai nei to hear the wicked sounds from:  Midnight Green Lipstick Cherry Lucian Rice CCTV Community Treatment Order As always, a massive thank you to The Tuning Fork and NZ On Air Music for bringing you live-and-direct sets from Aotearoa's most talented, every Friday on Morning Glory! Special thank you to Creative New Zealand for supporting the gig this year.  

Stephen Wainwright is finishing at Creative New Zealand having led the country's only national arts funding agency through multiple governments, an earthquake, and a pandemic. He talks to Mihi about choosing the arts over cricket.

This episode wraps up season three! Marc Conaco is a Bisaya illustrator, designer, curator and producer of Asian in Aotearoa. Here, we dive into the six-month rollercoaster ride of podcast production, handling the guest lineup, schedule conflicts, and general chaos while also answering some questions sent in from past guests. Follow @marcconacoFill out the season three feedback survey, HERE. ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco.Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

Swap Gomez is a multi-faceted creative - a professional drummer, director, producer, editor and events coordinator. He has toured and recorded around the world with international artists, he runs and curates the annual Drummers Day Out and currently performs with CHAII, Yoko Zuna and The Delivery Boyz. In this episode we hear about Swap's creative projects, his birth chart (very heavy on Aries), leadership and connection to his ancestors.Keep up to date with Swap on IG:@swapgomez@chaiimusic@yokozunabeats⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco.Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

Zed Xu 榛子瞬 is a multidisciplinary artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, originally from China. Zed's artistic practice spans painting, performance art, and filmmaking, driven by their experience as a non-binary, queer, neurodivergent Asian migrant. Zed is yet another guest with a vipassana experience to share (!!) and we also delve into where they're at in their creative evolution. Spoiler: it's exciting! Keep up to date with Zed's mahi:@zedsishun@zishun_studiosFind @zedxufilm on YouTube and TikTok, @zedzishun is also on rednote.__⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco.Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

A former dancer with the prestigious Royal New Zealand Ballet during the 2010s, William started making stage costumes and today he's currently at Whitecliffe studying Sustainable Fashion. Here, William opens up about his creative journey, including having dreams fall apart, ghosting friends and finding his way back to dance. Keep an eye out for his own label Jung-Ying: @__jungying ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠ ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠ Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco. Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand. ⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

Jenny Gao is a documentary maker and writer, deeply immersed in human relationships and spirituality. Here she shares where she's at creatively, along with Vipassana insights, psychic insights, and working outside conventional creative fields to nurture inspiration. We pull some cards, have a laugh and discuss spontaneity, adventure, and playfulness in life and creative pursuits. Follow Jenny on Instagram: @iennygao → Register to attend the live podcast and panel recording happening at Auckland Art Gallery on February 1st: https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/event/asian-in-aotearoa-or-year-of-the-snake-panel-and-podcast-recording ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠ ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠ - READ THE EP.55 NEWSLETTER AFTER LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco. Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand. ⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

Pulkit Arora is a writer-director of Indian origin, now based in Tāmaki Makaurau. His debut short Milk Toffee premiered at Tribeca and travelled through 8 other international festivals in 2021. His follow-up film Anu won the Audience Award at Whānau Mārama: NZIFF 2023, followed by screening in competition at Melbourne International Film Festival and winning at IFFLA, Cornwall and Film Bazaar India. It released globally on the streaming platform MUBI in May 2024. As a screenwriter, he led development for two adaptation projects with Disney+ and Home Stories, a Netflix anthology. In this episode, Pulkit talks about how he's feeling about summer, a rabies scare, the projects he's working on, vipassana trips and loads more. Follow Pulkit on Instagram: @pulzkit ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠ ⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠ Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco. Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand. ⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

Fazerdaze, otherwise known as Amelia Murray, is an Indonesian-Pākehā artist, musician, and creative force - currently based in Ōtautahi. Her new album ‘Soft Power' marks an evolution in her artistry and here we touch on Amelia's creative process, spirituality, courage and so much more. This episode gives listeners insight into how Amelia sees the world, and the way she chooses to move through it. Enjoy!Listen to the album, Soft Power.fazerdaze.comFazerdaze Instagram⁠Asian in Aotearoa Instagram⁠⁠Asian in Aotearoa Substack⁠Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco.Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand.⁠asianinaotearoa.com⁠

Jennifer Cheuk is a mixed Hong Kong Chinese / Welsh indie publisher, researcher and curator. She's the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Rat World Magazine - an independent print magazine and collective that's all about showcasing underground and underrepresented voices from all over the world. In this episode, Jennifer reflects on the last 12 months including her landmark anthology (see below!) plus personal growth, anger, arts and more! Rat World's Instagram Jennifer's Instagram Book: Everything That Moves, Moves Through Another Asian in Aotearoa Instagram Asian in Aotearoa Substack Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco. Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand. asianinaotearoa.com

Originally from Korea, Sung Hwan moved to Aotearoa at the age of ten. His artistic journey explores themes of identity, protection, and queer identity. In this episode, he reflects on the courage needed to create amidst uncertainty and how serving in Korea's military has influenced his life and art. From navigating challenges and critiques to resilience and insights on self-compassion - learn more about where Sung Hwan is at as he prepares for international residencies in Los Angeles and Korea. Sung Hwan's Instagram Asian in Aotearoa Instagram Asian in Aotearoa Substack Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco. Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand. asianinaotearoa.com

Julie Zhu is an award-winning director, producer, and storyteller born in Xian, China, and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau. Committed to championing marginalised voices and stories, Julie co-directed the podcast and docu-series Conversations With My Immigrant Parents for RNZ. She also directed observational documentary series Takeout Kids for The Spinoff, winning Best Director at NZ WebFest 2022. Here, Julie reflects on the last few years and discusses the challenges of promoting one's work, the balance between humility and self-promotion, and the importance of self-compassion. Watch Takeout Kids on The Spinoff Julie's Instagram Julie's Website Asian in Aotearoa Instagram Asian in Aotearoa Substack Hosted by Jenna Wee & Produced by Marc Conaco Recorded at Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland This episode was made possible thanks to Foundation North and Creative New Zealand. asianinaotearoa.com

The viability of a successful charity that provides kids in low socio-economic areas with music lessons hangs in the balance after it failed to secure funding from Creative New Zealand. 

Creative New Zealand has launched resources to support arts and creative practitioners make sustainable careers and businesses from their work, and to provide them with the skills and tools to do so. The resources aim to support practitioners and arts organisations to implement Creative New Zealand's Remuneration Policy, which sets out principles and practice guidelines aimed at supporting fair remuneration for artists and arts practitioners (from Creative NZ). Introductory workshops will be hosted in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin across May and June, as well as an online one for those who missed out.  Beth had a kōrero with the producer of Creative New Zealand's Sustainable Careers, Adrianne Roberts, about new resources to support arts and creative practitioners to make sustainable careers.

E whai ake nei, coming up on the show today, Frances' last Various Artists!  Liam chats to Damien Levi, Mary Catherine, and Tate Fountain about The Showcase, an up coming poetry event taking place as part of Auckland Pride, as well as Krishna Istha about First Trimester, also taking place as a part of Auckland Pride.  Frances speaks to AD Schierning and James Gatt, the director and curator of Te Uru Waitakere about an upcoming auction to boost their funding. She also speak with Amanda Hereaka from Creative New Zealand about our selections fo the 2024 Venice Biennale, and Ruth Buchanan, director of Artspace to hear about their 2024 theme and new show Priorities opening this evening And, of course, we have your art guide for Tamaki Makarau this week.

E whai ake nei, coming up on the show today! Liam has a chat with Isabella Dampney about her exhibition opening at the ArtPaper HQ next Friday. They also have a chat with Lance Fepulea'i about the Skypirates and friends exhibition opening tonight at their space in orningside. Frances speaks to Creative New Zealand's Tracey Monastra and Dr James Wenley about New Mirrors: strengthening arts and culture media for Aotearoa New Zealand, a qualitative study based on insights from 52 interviews with arts and media professionals.

E whai ake nei, coming up on the show today! Firstly, we have Cameron McCurdy in the studio to chat about neglect comics, their new archive of Aotearoa comics.  Liam also speaks to Creative New Zealand's Gretchen La Roche about their new funding programmes.  Frances speaks to curator Felixe Laing about Food Futures, a pop-up art restaurant, exploring the future of our food at Te Tuhi's Parnell Project Space, as well as talking with with Ruth Buchanan and Prairie Hartchard-McGill about Sunlighting opening at Artspace.  And, to round off the show, we will take you through the art guide for Tāmaki Makarau this week.

The Rodger Fox Big Band has been invited to represent New Zealand at the 2024 Jazz Educational Network Conference in New Orleans early next year. However he says his application to Creative New Zealand to fund the trip was declined. It comes as Creative New Zealand looks to completely overhaul its funding model from March next year to try and alleviate competition.  It's left Rodger and his band short of $89,000, with the tour costing a total $182,000. They're now appealing to the public for help Rodger Fox joins Nick Mills on Wellington Mornings. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aotearoa @ SXSW Sydney -  Presented by Creative New Zealand, Te Māngai Pāho & New Zealand Music Commission, the official showcases for 30+ New Zealand artists will also be paired with networking events, panel presentations & more. This episode I chat with Jujulipps, 0800, WHO SHOT SCOTT & Soaked Oats about their recent releases, playing SXSW Sydney, their live performaces & heaps more!!Jujulipps Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Jujulipps has been making waves in the Aotearoa rap scene. With roots stretching across the African continent, Jujulipps was born in Cape Town, South Africa, with ancestral ties to Burundi and the Congo. drawing inspiration from the soulful sounds of Africa, the upbeat rhythms of Amapiano, and the powerful energy of hip-hop and afrobeat. 0800Aucklands multidisciplinary rap collective 0800 consisting of five producers, rappers, and singer-songwriters are here to create as much noise as possible. Their new EP ‘SAY LESS' leans deeper into the diverse identities and soundscapes that tie together the groups and these tracks were created to play live.WHO SHOT SCOTTWHO SHOT SCOTT is the alternative music project by Iraqi born, New Zealand bred artist/producer Zaidoon Nasir. His genre crossing production combined with fearlessly vulnerable songwriting has carved him out an international cult-like following. With each explosive new release it is becoming clear that it is not a question of if, but when...Soaked Oats Soaked Oats percolated into existence in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2017. Catapulted by their fast-evolving song-writing chops, the band's profile and fanbase are on the rise. The group have become known for endearing performances and live shows that have granted them access to tours and festival appearances throughout the UK, America and AustralasiaSupport the show

As always, check out our Substack for a full list of show notes, ramblings and recommendationsThis week we delve into the the tricky subject of when you feel like you want to throw in the towel, and give up trying to make ‘ends meet' as an artist…First, Julie chats about why she's feeling peppy and shares her enthusiasm over her newest cloudscapes. Phoebe shares how the winter school holidays are going, how she survived a long car journey and her plans for a local kids art workshop.This brings them onto the topic, as Phoebe reveals she's been finding it challenging running an art business lately. They chat about the pitfalls of being self employed during a time when the economy is struggling, and what other options there are out there for artists. Julie boulsters Phoebe's moral and reminds her of all the ways she's diversified her income stream, and they discuss how feeling like ‘quitting' can really just be a motivator to explore new directions or just to press pause on full time arting, and perhaps supplement your income another way - and how none of these makes you a failure.We have never had so many people DM us about a topic before, so next week we'll be dedicating a whole episode to answering your listener questions around quitting. If you have any more questions please drop us a line and let us know.Mentioned in this episodePhoebe's kids podcast suggestion list: Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, Smash Boom Best, Who When Wow!Stereophonic song - One Thousand TreesCreative NZ article Creative New Zealand and NZ On Air creative professionals research releasedGlennon Doyle ‘We can do hard things"‘ episode on quittingFind Julie here: www.juliebattisti.com , @juliebattisti & Julie's newsletterFind Phoebe here: www.phoebegander.com , @phoebeganderart & Phoebe's newsletter:Podcast Website:Submit a question or fail hereBuy us a Ko-fi! Please don't forget to rate and review! And take a screenshot and tag us in your stories to help spread the word…Keep Failing!Julie & Phoebe xx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new report says the arts and culture get just half of the space in our media that's devoted to sport. Mediawatch asks a leading local culture critic if the arts are just a 'nice to have' for our media now - and why he's warned cultural criticism could disappear with the older Pākehā blokes like him.

A new report says the arts and culture get just half of the space in our media that's devoted to sport. Mediawatch asks a leading local culture critic if the arts are just a 'nice to have' for our media now - and why he's warned cultural criticism could disappear with the older Pākehā blokes like him.

Culture, music & climate change from a Kiribati lens captures the musical journey of one of Kiribati's well-known artist, Betaia Nehemiah, from the moment music entered his world, the status and desire for music growth within/for Kiribati, as well as the impacts of the climate on the island.Join award-winning host Tau'ili'ili Alpha Maiava over this three-part series.Host: Tau'ili'ili Alpha MaiavaGuests: Betaia NehemiahBrought to you by SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand MusicProduction team:Producers: Tau'ili'ili Alpha MaiavaSound Engineer: Phil BrownleeMarketing: Leoné VenterAdministration: Jonathan EngleExecutive Producer: Diana MarshThis podcast is supported by funding from The Stout Trust and Creative New Zealand.--The SOUNZ Podcasts is a collection of podcast episodes that covers a range of topics that relate to the music of Aotearoa New Zealand. Join our hosts as they explore issues and interests that are pertinent to our music today including classical music, Māori music, jazz, sonic art and the music of the Moana Pacific peoples.If you have enjoyed listening to this episode, please help us by leaving a review.© Centre for New Zealand Music Trust Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are calls for the Government to pull funding for creative works in the lead-up to Tusiata Avia's latest project. Tusiata Avia's 'The Savage Coloniser Book' is being adapted into a stage show for the Auckland Arts Festival. The play's premise of murdering James Cook and other white colonisers has generated controversy and criticism. Creative New Zealand CEO Stephen Wainwright has defended funding this project, saying the use of violent language and themes isn't meant to be a manifesto. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bard-gate; on the sidelines of big news in China; chaotic politics sparks crude comebacks - and decency dilemmas.

Creative New Zealand having been stung badly for their behaviour this week. Having been embarrassed by an embarrassed Prime Minister who went and usurped them for easy political points, they have "spoken out." This is Shakespeare and the funding they rejected because of the "cannon of imperialism." First point, who speaks like that? The "cannon of imperialism?" What condescending tosh. So the application is in and it gets rejected for the first time in over a decade. It's not Māori or Polynesian, it's some white pom we are no longer interested in. It doesn't fit the agenda of the day. Ah, the agenda of the day. As dictated by the Government in increasing areas of our lives whether we like it or not. From Māori names for everything from agencies, to reports, to news bulletin phraseology, to appointments, to rules, to democracy itself. As Willie Jackson keeps telling us "democracy has changed." But despite the fact they have engineered this new New Zealand, as we draw ever closer to the election, they sniff the wind and read the polls, the politician in the Prime Minister takes over. Sensing an easy victory, she abandons her agenda to get a few dollars out of another department to fix the problem. Now, to be fair to Creative New Zealand, I don't know whether they embraced this new agenda, and hence their issues with Shakespeare, or if they were dragged kicking and screaming, but they are the ones with egg on their faces. They bleat now that they don't hate Shakespeare in victim mode. It's just they don't have enough money to fund everything. Everyone wants money and they have to make decisions. Yes they do, but that is, in fact, the model they have always followed. And their general dilemma of too many applications not enough money is not new and the plight of virtually everyone that hands out money. But, as well as pleading poor, they also had a crack at the commentary and feedback they got. In that, they sadly fell into that other new fad we have going these days, saying everything is racist. If you bagged them you are racist, they didn't like it. I don't blame them, but in arguing that what they did was wrong does not make you a racist. Taking them to task as yet another agency becomes immersed in the new obsession does not make you a racist. Too many debates are shut down these days with the old racism call. You haven't swallowed this hook, line, and sinker? What a racist. No, we are not racist. In this case we simply called out stupidity and a blind version of it. What they did was woke, pompous nonsense. Good news is, for once, the pushback worked.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top stories for Wednesday 19th October 2022 We'll speak to the Finance Minister, Grant Robertson, about the latest inflation figures Ex-Labour MP Gaurav Sharma has resigned, forcing a Hamilton West by-election that his former party probably doesn't want. We speak to Creative New Zealand about the controversy over the funding of the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare competition

Creative New Zealand insists it doesn't "hate Shakespeare" as the Prime Minister steps in to save a secondary-school Shakespeare programme. The funding agency's received fiery backlash for not renewing its funding of the Sheilah Winn festival. One reason cited was the playwright's work not being relevant to contemporary Aotearoa. The Ministry of Education will now pick up the tab for the Shakespeare Globe Centre to continue running the programme. Creative New Zealand's governing body - the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa chair Caren Rangi spoke to Corin Dann.

The government says it wants the Shakespeare in schools programme to continue, after its funding was cut by Creative New Zealand. RNZ political reporter Katie Scotcher talks to Kathryn with the latest.

Creative New Zealand's decision to not to approve a funding application from a popular secondary-school Shakespeare festival is becoming a bit of a Shakespearean tragedy in its own right. From left to right, few people have much good to say about the agency's decision to nix its support for the Bard. Creative New Zealand says it has been "inundated" with requests for comment, but has refused offers to appear on Morning Report. It says it will be issuing a statement some time today. Mahanga Mitchell, a student actor whose life was transformed, first, by discovering Shakespeare as a Year 13 student and then later performing in King Lear at the Globe in London, has also been following. He spoke to Corin Dann.

A concern the Bard of Avon has been unfairly slandered. Creative New Zealand has declined a funding proposal for $31,000 towards the Sheila Winn Shakespeare Festival. It's also called William Shakespeare's work part of a 'canon of Imperialism'. Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ CEO, Dawn Sanders, says that's completely untrue. She says the British Empire didn't exist in Shakespeare's time, so the description makes no sense. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"To be or not to be?", that is the question, and as far as Shakespeare is concerned, Creative New Zealand says the answer is "not". The arts funding body has pulled its support from a popular Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, which has been running for the past few decades for high-school students, who perform extracts from Shakespeare's plays. Creative New Zealand ruled the Bard is "located within a canon of imperialism" and simply isn't relevant for a "decolonising Aotearoa".  Tania Roxborogh is an author and high school teacher who says the decision is misguided. Morning Report invited Creative New Zealand to come on the programme but they were not available until 10am.

A plantation of ancient tītoki trees used for perfume is among the secrets unveiled by historian and writer Mere Whaanga who has researched the story of Taipōrutu - her ancestral land on Māhia Peninisula.

In episode 216 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed reflecting on photographs as memories of lives lived and lost, and reducing the pressure on making work. Plus this week photographer Mickey Smith takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which she answer's the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?' Mickey Smith is an American conceptual artist who now lives in New Zealand who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Photography from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a Diploma in Jewellery Design from Hungry Creek Art & Craft School in New Zealand. As a photographer, her practice over the last twenty years has been engaged with a longstanding inquiry into libraries, books and archives — in particular the social significance of their physical existence or disappearance. Smith has exhibited throughout the United States, in China, Russia and New Zealand and her works are held in numerous public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library, Sheldon Museum of Art and Weisman Art Museum. She has also received awards from the McKnight Foundation, CEC ArtsLink, Americans for the Arts and Creative New Zealand. Her first artist's book, Denudation, was included in the photo book installation, A Different Kind of Order: The ICP Triennial in 2012. In 2018, her second book was published titled As You Will... Carnegie Libraries of the South Pacific, a book focused on the 25 Carnegie libraries erected in New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. Two bodies of her work Matters of Time and New Outlook, have been exhibited at the Sanderson Contemporary, New Zealand. www.mickeysmith.com Dr. Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, a working photographer, documentary filmmaker, BBC Radio contributor and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019). © Grant Scott 2022

The malevolently-benevolent-theatre-eye-of-Sauron also known as thee Alice Canton shares a most hearty theatre roundup! There's some excellent comedy at Basement this Friday, acting classes at Te Pou (Te Pou Awe 2022) from some of the industry's Tuakana, and also some Creative New Zealand funding for their Global Digital New Work Fund. Alice truly sees all. Whakarongo mai! 

There's to be a changing of the guard on concert hall podiums around the country, with a new Maestro preparing to take over as New Zealand's Assistant Conductor-in-Residence. The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra manages the role but it's a collaboration between the country's main orchestras and Creative New Zealand, in an effort to hone the skills of young conductors within Australasia. The current Assistant Conductor-in-Residence Vincent Hardaker has recovered from Covid in time to wield the baton at this Thursday's APO Great Classics concert, starring 14 year-old violin sensation Christian Li. At the concert will be Vincent's successor, Leonard Weiss, two months later than planned, coming over from Australia because of the pandemic. Lynn speaks with both conductors.

The Magpie House has been shortlisted in the 2022 New York Festivals Radio Awards in the Culture & The Arts podcast category.In the 1970s, Lilburn wrestles with synthesizers and other machines, and comes out victorious, composing some masterpieces of the electroacoustic medium. But then he quits. He never writes another piece. Or does he? Lilburn's collection in the Turnbull Library contains over 1,000 files, including some rare late-life scribblings on manuscript. In the final episode of The Magpie House we speak to some of the people who knew Lilburn best during his last 30 years. We hear about his dying wishes for the Magpie House, and about its revival as a composer's residence.Host: Kirsten JohnstoneGuests: Chris Cochran, Salina Fisher, Ross Harris, Margaret Nielsen, Jenny McLeod, Jill Palmer, Dan Poynton, Gillian WhiteheadFor the show website including information about the music in this podcast, please follow this link.This series is supported with funding from Creative New Zealand.--Podcast Series: The Magpie HouseOff a bustling Wellington city thoroughfare, there's a quaint, narrow lane called Ascot Street, where sits a modernist house whose tar-black weatherboard and stark white trim inspired the name ‘the Magpie House'. Out back, lies an overgrown jungle of a garden where New Zealand's ‘father of classical music composition' Douglas Lilburn, who lived in that house for over forty years, liked to spend time growing vegetables and listening to the calls of the Tūī. In this four-part series, host Kirsten Johnstone delves into the colourful legacy of the Magpie House and its inhabitants, weaving their intriguing—and often surprising—stories into a Forrest-Gump-esque saga of war, music, cold-war espionage, persecution, and the search for identity and a place to call home.© Centre for New Zealand Music Trust See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Magpie House has been shortlisted in the 2022 New York Festivals Radio Awards in the Culture & The Arts podcast category.In 1959, Douglas Lilburn moves into the Magpie House at 22 Ascot Terrace. It's slightly over ‘teacup throwing' distance from the cottage of his longtime friend—and onetime lover—Rita Angus and offers privacy and a generous living room in which to entertain guests. His musical output at the time draws mixed opinions, and eventually, his experiments with portable tape recorders lead him to discover the machines that are destined to fascinate and terrify him for the rest of his career.Douglas Lilburn was a very private man, and in this episode, we invade a little of that privacy. With the help of those who knew him well, we peek into the living room where he held court with aspiring young composers, and into the music room where he had a crisis of confidence. We march up the hill to the University for a squiz at the machines he became obsessed with, and we look over his shoulder as he writes letters to his dear, lifelong friends Rita Angus and Douglas McDiarmid.Host: Kirsten JohnstoneGuests: Chris Cochran, Philip Norman, Jill Trevelyan, Jenny McLeod, Margaret Neilsen, Ross Harris, Noel Sanders, Bruce GreenfieldFor the show website including information about the music in this podcast, please follow this link.This series is supported with funding from Creative New Zealand.--Podcast Series: The Magpie HouseOff a bustling Wellington city thoroughfare, there's a quaint, narrow lane called Ascot Street, where sits a modernist house whose tar-black weatherboard and stark white trim inspired the name ‘the Magpie House'. Out back, lies an overgrown jungle of a garden where New Zealand's ‘father of classical music composition' Douglas Lilburn, who lived in that house for over forty years, liked to spend time growing vegetables and listening to the calls of the Tūī. In this four-part series, host Kirsten Johnstone delves into the colourful legacy of the Magpie House and its inhabitants, weaving their intriguing—and often surprising—stories into a Forrest-Gump-esque saga of war, music, cold-war espionage, persecution, and the search for identity and a place to call home.© Centre for New Zealand Music Trust See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Magpie House has been shortlisted in the 2022 New York Festivals Radio Awards in the Culture & The Arts podcast category.In 1951 a modernist, black and white house is built at 22 Ascot Terrace in Wellington. Meanwhile, in post-war New Zealand there's a stark division between left and right. It's hard to fully comprehend the paranoia of the time against Communism and the Soviets. In this episode, we hear the story of an innocent social club—a vegetable co-op—that comes to be spied on by the Special Branch of the New Zealand Police, and of two talented young diplomats, including the owner of The Magpie House Richard Collins, whose careers and reputations would be damaged as a result.Who was the spy? And what was it like to live under a cloud of suspicion in a city as small as Wellington? Seventy years later, the ‘children of the Vegetable Club' tell their parents' stories.Host: Kirsten JohnstoneGuests: Chris Cochran, Nicola Saker & John Saker, Nick Bollinger, Jacqueline Matthews, Aaron Fox, Sarah LakeFor the show website including information about the music in this podcast, please follow this link.This series is supported with funding from Creative New Zealand.--Podcast Series: The Magpie HouseOff a bustling Wellington city thoroughfare there's a quaint, narrow lane called Ascot Street, where sits a modernist house whose tar black weatherboard and stark white trim inspired the name ‘the Magpie House'. Out back, lies an overgrown jungle of a garden where New Zealand's ‘father of classical music composition' Douglas Lilburn, who lived in that house for over forty years, liked to spend time growing vegetables and listening to the calls of the Tūī. In this four-part series, host Kirsten Johnstone delves into the colourful legacy of the Magpie House and its inhabitants, weaving their intriguing—and often surprising—stories into a Forrest-Gump-esque saga of war, music, cold-war espionage, persecution, and the search for identity and a place to call home.© Centre for New Zealand Music Trust See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Magpie House has been shortlisted in the 2022 New York Festivals Radio Awards in the Culture & The Arts podcast category.1940 marks a period of great change in the cultural landscape of New Zealand. It has been 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and pākehā artists including composer Douglas Lilburn are keen to develop a character in their work that reflects the nation they've grown up in — the landscape, the people, and the history. Meanwhile, New Zealand has been pulled into World War Two, and there is an influx of European refugees, including composers and performers, architects, artists and supporters of the arts, all bringing their own ideas of what home and nationhood should look and sound like. Many of them would go on to face difficulties and, for some, persecution, when trying to establish a life in their new homeland.Host: Kirsten JohnstoneGuests: Chris Cochran, Philip Norman, Ann Beaglehole, Danny Mulheron, Tom McGrath, Nick BollingerFor the show website including information about the music in this podcast, please follow this link.This series is supported with funding from Creative New Zealand.--Podcast Series: The Magpie HouseOff a bustling Wellington city thoroughfare there's a quaint, narrow lane called Ascot Street, where sits a modernist house whose tar black weatherboard and stark white trim inspired the name ‘the Magpie House'. Out back, lies an overgrown jungle of a garden where New Zealand's ‘father of classical music composition' Douglas Lilburn, who lived in that house for over forty years, liked to spend time growing vegetables and listening to the calls of the Tūī. In this four-part series, host Kirsten Johnstone delves into the colourful legacy of the Magpie House and its inhabitants, weaving their intriguing—and often surprising—stories into a Forrest-Gump-esque saga of war, music, cold-war espionage, persecution, and the search for identity and a place to call home.© Centre for New Zealand Music Trust See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Niuean church elder has shared his horrid experience in state care this week with the Royal Comission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care; Australia is encouraging refugees in detention in their country to return to Nauru or remain in detention; Creative New Zealand's latest research shows positive attitudes towards the arts have hit an all-time-high.

When Bauer Media shut down on 1 April, it wiped out just about every documentary photography job in the country. Now concerns are being raised over how New Zealand's visual history will be documented for future generations.