CULTURE

IN THE TRENCHES

In World War I, during a Christmas ceasefire, Māori soldiers wanted to play rugby, not football, against some German soldiers – but they assented to football if they got to perform a haka. Putting a twist on this tale, Isaac Lee (who runs a video-production company) made the excellent short film The Haka at his Upper Hutt lifestyle block, where he’d already dug trenches to make a music video. He released The Haka online. Then, secretly, a friend submitted it to film festivals. In October it screens at the Festival des Antipodes in France.

SPELL-BINDING STANDING IN SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE

Boundary-pushing actor, writer, and producer Jean Sergent describes herself as a “hereditary witch. A good witch, of course! I’m a descendant of Cornish Romanichal people, sometimes called gypsies. Also, my great-grandmother was the neighbourhood tea-leaf reader in Naenae, Lower Hutt in the 1950s.” Jean’s witchcraft includes spells, healing rituals, astrology, and tarot. She and long-time friend/collaborator Jonny Potts perform their (separate) tragicomedies in Live Through This, about being in Wellington in times of upheaval. Circa, from 23 October. Wellington's world-touring soul and R’n’B songstress Deva Mahal – daughter of American blues musician Taj Mahal – felt off balance in 2020, between bad health and the pandemic. That experience inspired her new single, Stand In, released on 28 August. Mahal performs a one-off concert with capital band Fat Freddy’s Drop (18 September, Michael Fowler Centre). Fat Freddy’s album Wairunga was released digitally in late August. Every year, longtime Māori theatre company Taki Rua stages its Te Reo Māori season, touring children’s theatre that uses only te reo Māori around schools nationwide. This year’s show, by Toro Pikopiko Puppeteers Jeffrey Addison and Whaitaima Te Whare, is about Pourakahua, a cross between a human and a bird. Kids who don’t know te reo can still follow the story – and enjoy the music and physical humour. There’s a final free whanau showing of Pourakahua on 29 September, at the National Library.

The largest single display of Cherry Blossoms in New Zealand

Tickets on sale now blossomvalley.nz

PRESERVATION

Forty years after the infamous Springbok Tour, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is staging exhibition Tohe|Protest, which shows how the escalating tensions between activists, rugby fans, police, and politicians were captured by broadcasters and filmmakers. See excerpts from Patu!, the late great Merata Mita’s documentary on the demonstrations against apartheid. Learn how Ngā Taonga staff overcame technical challenges to repair and preserve the film, restoring the quality of the images, colour, and sound, and reinstating scenes trimmed for television. Tohe|Protest is showing at the National Library’s Te Puna Gallery.

DON’T LOOK BACK

Growing up in Cannons Creek, Porirua, Neil Ieremia made his own opportunities. The dancer/choreographer set up pioneering contemporary-dance troupe Black Grace 26 years ago, and remains its artistic director. Now he directs Black Grace’s first collaborative work with NZ Opera: (m)Orpheus (6–9 October). The “collision of dance and opera” reimagines Christoph Gluck’s 18th-century masterpiece, Orpheus and Eurydice, about Orpheus’ journey to the underworld to reclaim the woman he loves. Set in a dislocated future, (m)Orpheus represents metamorphosis and transformation. WOW-ING SCIENCE

In 2012, friends Allison MacKay and Gabrielle Edmonds stitched 145 socks into WOW finalist creation Is It Socks? In the show, the “sock monster” lifted its skirts to reveal everyone’s lost socks. This year they’re finalists, so part of the show, for the third time. They can’t say much about their creation. “But as a science teacher,” MacKay says she and Edmonds found inspiration in “phasing out plastic bags and sea litter”. They met as teachers at Lower Hutt’s Sacred Heart College. AN A(D)SSET

“I make work for marae, schools, churches, and hospitals,” says esteemed Māori artist-educator Sandy Adsett, aged 82. “I work as part of my community, not as an individual artist which is why I don’t exhibit my work often.” He’s only doing so because Reuben Friend, Pātaka Art Museum’s Director, is a friend and past student. Pātaka is staging Toi Koru (until 17 November): displaying 60 of Adsett’s paintings from six decades.

Twisted Willow

Florist

Night at the museum

BY FRANCESCA EMMS

In October 1924, the Surrealists set up an office in Paris called the Bureau of Surrealist Research. “People were invited to visit and share their dreams, which were then added to an archive of the unconscious. The Surrealists published dreams in magazines and journals, and they captured dreams in drawings, paintings, films, and sculpture,” says Lizzie Bisley, Te Papa’s Curator Modern Art. “They were fascinated by the unknown, the marvellous, and the imaginary. For them, dreams were one of the most important ways of tapping into the mysterious world of the unconscious.”

Te Papa’s Surrealist Art exhibition has its own Bureau of Surrealist Research. Visitors are invited to write, draw, or record their dreams, and then add them to the archive. A little peek in the drawers of the Bureau reveals hundreds of contributions from the public, all filed away neatly by topic. Under “Animals” someone dreams they are a cow then wakes to find they are still a man. What does this mean? “The Surrealists weren’t really interested in deciphering the meaning of a dream – instead they wanted to use their dreams as a way of diving into the unknown,” says Lizzie.

Salvador Dalí’s dreamy painting Couple with their heads full of clouds is one of Lizzie’s favourites. “Dalí has said that this painting depicts him and his wife Gala – the work is shaped like two figures, one leaning into the other. Instead of painting portraits of the figures’ faces, Dalí gives us the feeling that we’re looking into their inner dream lives. The painting is full of strange magical details, like tiny figures in the distance, and beautifully painted, crumpled table-cloths.”

Te Papa is hosting two special after-dark events that bring to life the Surrealists’ wild ways. Dreaming After Dark (10 September) offers “otherworldly performance, strange stories, experimental games, and activities” and Dinner, Dalí, and Masterpieces (17 September) is an evening of food, drink, live entertainment, and late-night access to Surrealist Art.

GOETHE AND CHILL

Grab your popcorn and get ready for the Goethe-Institut’s German Film Festival, complete with eleven new movies from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Presented in their original languages with English subtitles, these films are part of a hybrid festival of film screenings in seven cities and online throughout September. Wellington screenings will be held at the Lighthouse on Cuba Street, 2–5 September.

SCULPTOR

Wellington artist Turemeke Harrington moves between objects, furniture, and installation. The first recipient of the Collin Post Scholarship in Sculpture, which supports promising students from Massey University’s Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Turemeke describes her aesthetic as bright, playful, serious, irritating, and responsive. She features alongside sculptors Ben Pearce and Hannah Valentine in a new exhibition, Hand-Held, at Page Galleries from 16 September. CLASS ACT

When the Royal New Zealand Ballet performs A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Wellington (28–31 October) they will be accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The score is the work of former RNZB Music Director Nigel Gaynor, who used Felix Mendelssohn’s famous overture to the play, and arrangements of Mendelssohn’s chamber music, piano solos, and other orchestral works, to create a two-act ballet. GLASSY LADY

Dr Kathryn Wightman, winner of the 2019 pattillo Whanganui Arts Review, is exhibiting alongside eight other glass artists in Art Glass 21. “I originally studied glass and ceramics at the National Glass Centre, University of Sunderland, in the United Kingdom,” she says. “From this training I developed a practice that was focused on combining image and blown glass.” The annual exhibition at New Zealand Glassworks in Whanganui showcases her work and that of some of New Zealand’s other best glass artists until October.

Spring at Circa Theatre

Crocodile Fever

Written by Meghan Tyler Directed by Stella Reid Performance Designer: Meg Rollandi $25–$52 4 Sep–2 Oct

Home is the hardest place to hide. Following a stellar Edinburgh run, Crocodile Fever explodes onto Circa Theatre’s main stage. This thrilling dark comedy from Northern Ireland promises action, laughs and a killer finish. Starring award-winning Karin McCracken, Hannah Kelly and Circa luminary Peter Hambleton. “This play is a bloody masterpiece” — britishtheatre.com

Sundays at Ira’s

Created by Jane Keller and Michael Nicholas Williams Directed by K.C. Kelly Musical Direction by Michael Nicholas Williams; Company: Hurst First $25–$38 18 Sep–2 Oct

‘It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely’ Told with humour, charm and interlaced with songs from marvellous early 20th Century composers such as Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Noël Coward and George Gershwin, Sundays at Ira’s is a nostalgic and entertaining night out

Mr Fungus

By Fergus Aitken Directed by Fraser Hooper General Admission $15, under 2’s free, Family pass $50 (4 tickets) 5–16 Oct

‘New Zealand’s Loudest Mime’

A refreshing look at absurdity and adventure! Over the past three decades, Mr Fungus has been one of the capital’s most well-known physical performers. World famous in Wellington, the iconic Mr Fungus presents his new, upbeat physical comedy show, sure to delight KIDS OF ALL AGES. So, bring the whānau, bring the grandies, bring the neighbours and come and join ‘New Zealand’s Loudest Mime’, Mr Fungus.

Hir

By Taylor Mac Directed by Katherine McRae $25-$52

9 Oct–6 Nov

The revolution starts at home. Isaac returns home from a stint in the armed forces to discover his suburban family engaged in a war of their own. His mother, liberated from an abusive marriage, is intent on upending the patriarchy. His younger sibling is transitioning and on a crusade to dismantle the binary. Their dominating father, left speechless and passive after a stroke, is floundering in this new reality. But in this sly, subversive comedy, annihilating the past doesn’t always free you from it.

Family foodies

BY MAGGIE TWEEDIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA BRIGGS

A father and daughter with the need to feed and serve.

It’s 11am and the ice has melted from the frosty car windows. Mt Vic has emerged out of shadow at a now steady nine degrees. A stream of women clomp up Majoribanks Street, past the bright white L’affare sign, and turn hard left into the small black coffee shop that is Tomboy.

If you blink you could miss it. Inside is a boutique cakery with a towering array of sweet treats, freshly baked on the premises daily. Delicious creamy, herbaceous chicken and rocket sandwiches, monstrous chocolate and peanut butter brownies, and, crucially, hot coffee. Tomboy, named after her son Tomislav, says owner Kate Marinkovich, has been open for five years. Kate’s grandparents owned a dairy milk bar up north; Kate’s mum, Lynsey Marinkovich, owned a catering business; and her dad, Zuke Marinkovich, likes to cook using Mediterranean ingredients, celebrating his Croatian heritage. The love of cooking was inherited by all three children, including Kate’s dancer sister Lucy (Cap #60) who loves baking with “picture perfect” finesse.

At the door, Zuke greets customers with a warm smile, offering magazines and filling water glasses. “I’ve been here about three years now. The business was growing and I had retired. So it kept me from mowing the lawns every day, and in here doing dishes.” Zuke enjoys getting to know the locals and calls his contribution “just helping out.” He’s modest – his maître d’ role is fundamental to the tiny café’s friendly vibe, and reflects his years working at Moore Wilson’s before retirement.

Kate has dedicated her career to hospitality and she’s entirely self taught. “I had the eventual goal of owning something but the focus for the majority was always front of house, the systems and the service.” Kate was working at Prefab when Bridget Dunn and Jeff Kennedy offered her the role of Head Baker. “I took it from there. That was the last piece of the puzzle and let me know I could open Tomboy.” Her acknowledgment of her parents’ support and help is tearful and heartfelt. “In the beginning my mum was here, right beside me doing the dishes and would come in the middle of the night when she was worried about me. Both of my parents have been instrumental in the success of Tomboy. They’ve really helped me.”

There’s a lot going on in Kate’s day. Already she has made a baby lemon cake topped with pink and white roses for pick-up, in the kitchen a pile of waffles awaits her, ready to assemble for a photo shoot in a Fix and Fogg campaign, along with a new staff member to train.

Sourcing local produce is important to Kate. She uses Ruth Pretty tomato chilli relish in her ham toasties, Island Bay pork and fennel sausages in Tomboy’s sausage rolls, and ACME & Co’s famous Oli rolls for her sandwiches. She knows these products and namely the people behind them, having worked for Ruth Pretty and the Prefab team. She tells the story of mastering the Oli rolls. At Prefab when the original recipe was devised, Kate customised the size and shape, and suggested brushing the ciabatta with oil before and after baking. The second brushing “straight when it comes out of the oven”, ensures the doughy rolls absorb the oil beautifully.

Five years in small business hasn’t dampened her epicurean enthusiasm. Kate describes her love of Italian shortbread cookies soaked in vermouth, stuffed with Italian pastry cream and rolled in chopped pistachios. “Although every day I’m mentally working,” Tomboy is open for business Wednesday to Saturday and she can close the doors at 2pm each day. “I was a single mum for so long so I didn't want to sacrifice my home life. So the business works for me and not the other way around.”

Zuke has no intention of slowing down either. “I don’t want to retire again. I’ve got to keep doing something,” he says. That means starting with dishes and opening the doors at 7.30am. When I ask what it’s like to work with family, Zuke acknowledges “It’s unique, but honestly we don’t have much time to chat and break during the course of the day. Kate works extremely hard and puts a lot of effort into it, so it’s good to back her up.”

Kate reflects on her relationship with Zuke, and the similar ways they approach life. She plans to cook her dad a nice dinner for Father’s Day and get him an annual bottle of J&B Whiskey. The two mirror one another at work and have established a sense of traditional service at Tomboy that many hospitality institutions lack.

Kate TomBoy

Healthy, wealthy, and wise

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SANNE VAN GINKEL

Many New Zealanders experience barriers to engaging with their finances. Rhiannon McKinnon, the CEO of Kiwi Wealth, wants to change that. And break some glass ceilings while she’s at it. She talks to Claire O’Loughlin.

Iknew before meeting her that Rhiannon McKinnon, the newly appointed Acting CEO of Kiwi Wealth, was not your “average” CEO. At 42 years old, she is one of the youngest people ever appointed to lead a top-10 wealth and investment organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Kiwi Wealth is the largest New Zealandowned KiwiSaver provider, with over 220,000 members, and manages more than $8 billion in funds.

But I didn’t expect her to be the first person I met at the office, appearing out of nowhere as I battled with the virtual receptionist (an iPad). She helped me sign in, and we sat talking on bar stools in a meeting room. There were no intimidating formalities (scary iPad aside), no stuffy suit jackets, no flustered assistants. The atmosphere was relaxed. It was like chatting to a friend.

Originally from the United Kingdom, McKinnon grew up in Watford, just outside of London. Eventually her older brother’s stories lured her into the city. Though she knew she wanted to work in finance, at university she chose the subject that interested her the most: History. It’s a decision she’s always valued.

“I think arts degrees are amazing. You normally have an essay question, and have to make a stance and an argument, and distil your argument. Learning how to communicate effectively and succinctly is important as well. That’s a great skill, and I think it’s helped me a lot.”

Then came a post-graduate finance qualification — she is a Chartered Financial Analyst — and a position in a graduate trainee scheme at an investment bank, followed by more finance jobs. As in any career, there were ups and downs.

“I ended up in a couple of jobs where it was not uncommon for me to be crying before I went to work. The key learning was that not every job suits you. Sometimes you can’t succeed in what you’re doing because you are in the wrong spot. And then in the next place things begin to flow again.”

McKinnon is half Chinese, and after a year in China learning the language, she and her partner moved to Christchurch in 2007, and then Wellington in 2011. She worked in corporate finance and investor relations at NZ Post, before becoming Executive Advisor to the CEO at Kiwibank, and then holding senior roles at Kiwi Wealth. But this recent promotion has been her big “smash the glass ceiling” moment.

“I’m super proud of it. A new job is always scary. You turn up and you’re like, am I the right person for this, how do I do this? But just fake it until you make it. If people think that you can do it and you don’t, just believe that you can and go for it.”

Now at the helm of Kiwi Wealth, she’s focused on reaching their 220,000 members, and all Kiwis, to engage them in their financial futures.

Many people experience barriers to engaging with their finances, she says. The most common ones are knowledge, confidence, and getting started. Even the word “wealth” is a barrier.

“Very few people wake up and think ‘I’m feeling wealthy today’. So even that word means that people kind of go, ‘oh, that’s not me. I’m not that person’.”

Research shows women are less confident than men about financial decisions, and as a result feel more stressed about their financial futures. However, McKinnon is quick to point out that the evidence also shows that, once they take the first step, women are just as good at making financial decisions and investing as men. She believes the difference is more about finding the confidence and headspace.

“I think women are constantly planning for the future, constantly thinking about their children, and logistics. I know I do an enormous amount of thinking about short and medium-term things for my family. And I wonder whether women do so much in that space that we fail to think about ourselves as well.”

Rhiannon

The lack of financial education is also a big issue. Finance and investing isn’t really taught in schools, though that is changing. But mostly, it’s a subject you learn after school and you have to self-start.

Men often feel more confident to self-start, she says. It’s similar to the way women can be more nervous to put their hand up for promotion. Her advice for getting started in investing is just to do it.

“Dip your toe. You don’t have to take an enormous amount of risk, but just get started in some way, shape, or form. And build your confidence from there.”

Managed funds are a great way into investing, she says. In New Zealand there is a focus on property as if it were the only kind of investment, when actually there are many options. You can use a managed fund to save for a house or invest for a deposit. While it’s important to think about timeframes and the risks, investing options are not mutually exclusive, McKinnon says.

Share trading platforms have risen in popularity in recent years, when traditionally their high fees and complicated processes restricted them to the already-wealthy. McKinnon says the change has been a democratisation of owning and investing.

She believes investment should always come back to your goal – be it a house, a wedding, or an amazing holiday. “Goals make investing more real.”

Understanding and engaging with your money and investing can make an enormous difference to wellbeing. According to research, those who feel they have enough money are three times as likely to define themselves as happy, and people with assets often feel a lot more confident about their future than those who don’t.

While Kiwi Wealth’s customers are her focus during the day, as a mother to three kids under seven years old, it’s a big gear-shift into family life at the end of the day. “You come home and you are being called into the bathroom by your three-yearold son to help him.”

McKinnon regularly works from home, does the school pick-up, and makes up time working in the evenings. Kiwi Wealth’s flexible working practices help, and she believes making equal and fair workplaces means realising that people have other commitments.

“If you look at the traditional old-fashioned workplace where men show up and they’re 100% dedicated to their jobs, it probably means there is somebody in the background, most likely their wife, looking after the kids and making sure they never interrupt their working life. Well, that’s not real life.”

Engaging with real life, what’s really going on for people, meeting them where they are at, and helping them get to where they want to go is what McKinnon is all about.

“What we’re really trying to do is say, right, if you’re here now, and you want to go over there, we can help you make some decisions to achieve that. We’ll partner with you along the way.”

Heart of arts

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA BRIGGS

Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy is a tireless supporter of and advocate for New Zealand art. She talks to Sarah Lang about the paintings on the walls of Government House, and what she’ll be leaving behind.

Aparticular favourite is Government House Gardens, hanging in the Blundell Room, by Karl Maughan, who paints full-bloom flowers and foliage in vibrant colours. “David and I were having dinner with Karl and his wife Emily Perkins,” Dame Patsy recalls. “He said ‘I’ve always wanted to paint your garden’, so he did. This painting looks like summer. That’s a pohutukawa in the background, but it’s mainly hydrangeas.” The couple will gift it to the house when they leave. “I think it probably belongs here.”

During her five-year term, which ends this September, Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and her husband Sir David Gascoigne have championed the arts in New Zealand however and whenever they can, an opportunity she describes as “a great luxury” of the role. “David and I have had the opportunity to showcase arts talent, and to support the performing arts, visual artists, and writers.” says Dame Patsy, who was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts and business.

“The more I’ve learned about the visual arts,” Dame Patsy says, “the broader my tastes have become. David and I have a modest collection of art of our own. I particularly love art unique to our country, and contemporary Māori art is very exciting.” She also likes works with strong historical links.

In 2016, the Office of the Governor-General formed a partnership with Massey University to foster the development of Māori and Pasifika visual arts and creative practices. Each year, they choose an annual Mātairangi Mahi Toi Māori Artist in Residence. The latest, musician Troy Kingi, spent three months in a cottage at Government House to write and record a new album.

Dame Patsy believes New Zealand should have a place on the international art stage. In 2017, she was New Zealand’s first GovernorGeneral to attend the opening of the Venice Biennale. It featured Lisa Reihana’s Emissaries, a panoramic cinematic video work that reimagines the French scenic wallpaper Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique, depicting early French explorers.

Dame Patsy and Lisa arrived in style. Wearing ceremonial Māori cloaks, they boarded Venice’s largest gondola (which Dame Patsy calls “the Italian form of a waka”) and were rowed by 18 oarsmen to a historic maritime building in the biennale's central exhibition area. “That was a wonderful occasion, and probably one of the highlights of my term.”

Another highlight has been curating the art in Government House. “We had a big changeout of the art about a year into my term,” Patsy says. “I think Government House should have art that reflects, if not every major artist, then every major art movement.”

Certain artworks are there permanently (some having been donated), and some have been borrowed. Museums, other institutions, and friends loaned Dame Patsy major works including a Shane Cotton, a Gretchen Albrecht, a Don Binney, and a Colin McCahon.

And what happens once their term ends? “David and I will continue to be strong supporters of the arts in our personal capacity, as we did previously.” They’ll be leaving the house, but not the arts community.

Simply the best

BY FRANCESCA EMMS AND CALLUM TURNBULL

Voting has closed, the results have been collated, and we now know who is, officially, the best. Capital’s Best Of Awards have made a triumphant return after a short covid-related hiatus. The competition was tough and there were some very close calls. Thank you to everyone who got on board – nominees, campaigners, supporters, and voters, you make sure we have the best of the best right here at Wellington’s front door.

Best Pizza

Pizza Pomodoro

Neapolitan pizza is quite different from anything that was available in Wellington back in 2000 when Massimo Tolve began Pizza Pomodoro. His pizzas are wood fired and handcrafted in the traditional way to ensure a soft but crisp crust. “I’ve worked hard to get it as close to the authentic product as you can outside of Italy. In fact, we have been awarded certification from Italy, from the governing body who oversee the production of pizza around the world,” says Massimo.

Runner-Up: Scopa Pizzeria

Best Burger Gorilla Burger

Opening one week before New Zealand went into the 2020 nation-wide lockdown was “an interesting time to start,” says Gorilla Burger’s general manager Reddyn Wallace. But the “juicy, messy burgers” have been a hit with the locals, and the team has big plans to take over the capital and then the country. Reddyn tells us there are new stores opening in Wellington soon, with “exciting limited-time burgers being released every couple of months”.

Runner-Up: Burgerfuel

Best Cheese Scone

Frank’s

The team at Frank’s (Frank’s Terrace, Frank’s Newtown, and Frank’s Roastery) are a small bunch of “passionate, all-around professionals excited about making delicious drinks, baking scones, creating an inviting space, cleaning up after ourselves, saying please and thank you, and delivering memorable experiences,” says owner/operator Frank Hsu. We asked him the secret behind his fabulous cheese scones and he wouldn’t tell us! You’ll just have to go try one.

Runner-Up: Bellbird Eatery

Best Sweet Treat

Kaffee Eis

Kaffee Eis (coffee and ice cream in German) make great coffee, but they’re definitely best known for their gelato. “We have over 30 flavours that have won awards over the years,” says Karl Tiefenbacher, including Black Doris Plum sorbet which scored a perfect 100 out of 100 at the New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers Association Awards last year. Awards are cool, but Karl just loves spending time in the production kitchen making gelato. “It’s physically demanding and immensely satisfying,” he says.

Runner-Up: Lashings

Best Fish & Chips

The Chippery

There’s a bit of competition between The Chippery’s two gourmet fish and chip shops. Every month the chefs at the Mt Vic and Thorndon stores create a new Burger of the Month, with an in-house competition to see which store sells the most burgers. They offer fresh fish cooked in a variety of ways and several chips options. “We pride ourselves on good fish and chips. The staff have all been trained to make both stores consistent,” says owner Komal Parbhu.

Runner-Up: Wellington Seamarket

Best Barista

Frank Hsu

Frank Hsu started Frank’s on the Terrace in 2015 in “the coffee capital of New Zealand”. The best part of his day is “talking to people about the story behind the coffee they really enjoy.” He says Wellingtonians know their coffee well and are open to tasting unique and exquisite coffee. “By providing carefully crafted and delicious single origin coffee, we can add further value for coffee drinkers in Wellington.”

Runner-Up: Willy at Swimsuit Coffee

Best Bakery

Arobake

Master Baker Maximilian Fuhrer founded Arobake in 1989. When asked why Wellington, he simply says, “Where else?” Arobake has gone from strength to strength over the years; expansions in Aro St, a new bakery and shop in Petone, and plans for more shops and a roastery are in the works. If the fine selection of breads and treats has you struggling to choose, we recommend the rhubarb and custard tart or the lemon sour cake.

Runner-Up: Shelly Bay

Best Asian Little Penang

What makes Little Penang stand out from the dozens of Malaysian restaurants in Wellington? Tee Chiew Phie and her husband Keith decided to focus on Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine, which has Chinese, Indian, and ethnic Malay influences. From small beginnings on Dixon St, Tee and Keith have now moved to bigger premises on Victoria St and a second restaurant on the Terrace.

Runner-Up: Mr Go’s

Best Artisan Food & Drink

House of Dumplings

When Vicky Ha invited her friends over for dinner she would make her mum’s dumplings. Vicky’s friends convinced her she should start making them commercially so she went to Australia to work on a prawn trawler in the Gulf of Carpentaria. “I got $20K and used that money to start House of Dumplings.” Vicky says that when it comes to her business, she always tries to do the right thing and create the type of food her grandmother would’ve “using the best ingredients.”

Runner-Up: Six Barrel Soda

Best Cheap Eat

Mr Go’s

Mr Go’s is known for “quality, quick and tasty offerings with good service,” says Dean White. He’s particularly proud of their Regional Menu Series. Every month or so they pick a region in wider-Asia and serve up a few dishes and drinks representative of the region. “While it’s mostly snack and street food items to keep in line with Mr Go’s, we keep quite traditional with the recipes – it’s really all about that region. It’s teaching us and our guests.”

Runner-Up: Winner Winner

Best Mexican

Viva Mexico Newtown

Viva Mexico serves homemade, traditional Mexican meals and drinks made with love and spice. Luis Guerrero tells us their philosophy is “to make our customers feel homesick even if they’ve never been to Mexico.” This means showcasing the culture of Mexico and authentic Mexican food “beyond the typical stereotype”. If you’re not sure what to order, Luis says the enchiladas represent “the best of what we want to give as a restaurant: a fiesta in the mouth.”

Runner-Up: Taco Queen

Best Coffee

Good Fortune Coffee Co

Freya Atkinson and Matt Wilson create Wellington’s best coffee at their roastery on Petone’s esplanade, Good Fortune Coffee Co. The pair have worked in the Wellington coffee scene for more than a decade, and are local favourites. For Matt, the support is clear when you look at who’s succeeding in Wellington. “Local coffee roasters have all been supported by the locals, rather than the big guys coming in and having a monopoly on everything.”

Runner-Up: L’affare

Best Café Seashore Cabaret

Any Wellingtonian worth their weight in table salt will tell you that a seat at Seashore Cabaret is a coveted one. This is the second time Seashore Cabaret has won our Best Café award, signalling a bright future for their new Fitzherbert Street location, the House of Good Fortune café. Owners Freya Atkinson and Matt Wilson are grateful that locals have connected so well with the brand. “People do really love that brand, the artwork, and obviously the coffee,” says Freya.

Runner-Up: Swimsuit Coffee

Freya Atkinson and Matt Wilson from Good Fortune Coffee Co and Seashore Cabaret

Best Fine Dining Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus is known for its spectacular harbour views, sumptuous dining experience, and delicious dishes designed with Executive Chef Jiwon Do’s signature quirky flair. “We really hang our hat on our lavish high tea service and degustation menus,” he says. One of the best things about Jiwon’s job is visiting local producers. “I love weaving ethically sourced ingredients into unexpected and experimental flavour combinations, all while using classic French cooking techniques.”

Runner-Up: Atlas

Best Brewery Fork & Brewer

Walk up the stairs at Fork and Brewer and the first thing you’ll see is their brewery bubbling away. Designed in New Zealand and constructed in China, the custom brewery allows the team to brew around 1,000 litres of fresh beer at a time. Visitors can rely on a large selection of regular Fork and Brewer beers as well as special collaboration brews with visiting brewers, seasonal beers, and special occasion offerings.

Runner-Up: Double Vision Brewing

Best Middle Eastern

Babylon Kebab

Faris Yago and his family make up the tight team behind the best Middle Eastern in Wellington: Babylon Kebab. The business has not been without sacrifice, Faris explains. “My wife Kladis and I worked many long hours to get to where we are today.” It would seem that the hours have paid off. At this year’s CupaDupa, their Middle Eastern dessert table sold out on both days. “We never knew Wellingtonians had such a sweet tooth,” says Faris.

Runner-Up: Camel Grill

Best Bar

Little Beer Quarter

Four women saw a gap in the craft beer market, for a place that was fun but also where solo drinkers would feel comfortable. So in 2011 they opened Little Beer Quarter. Tucked away in the Edward St Precinct, LBQ offers exciting beers and tasty food. “It’s a massive thing for us to celebrate a decade,” says Stacey Walsh, “There have been so many wonderful memories and great people.”

Runner-Up: Choice Bros Ghuznee St

Best Restaurant

Ombra

The best part of Dean White’s day is “walking into a busy restaurant that’s operating well.” Ombra, which Dean purchased from founder Russell Scott in January 2018, is a “bacaro” – the Venetian version of an Italian osteria. Ombra serves traditional and modern Italian sharing plates, offering a warm and lively environment with excellent food. There are plans for a small kitchen renovation this month “which will give us scope for different dishes,” says Dean.

Runner-Up: El Matador

Best Bookshop

Unity Books

When asked what he loves most about Wellington, Unity Books manager Adrian Hardingham says, “The strong tradition of writing and of books. For years Wellington had a great range of bookshops and, although that faded for a while, it’s great to see new bookshops opening and being supported by readers.” And the best thing about working at Unity Books? “Recommending books we love to readers keen to try new things.”

Runner-Up: Arty Bees Books

Best Homewares

Cranfields

Cranfields offers enduring, quality collections that you don’t find elsewhere in New Zealand. “We get told all the time we should be in Auckland but Wellington is our home,” says Nicola Cranfield. Cranfields were an early proponent of New Zealand made and responsibly-sourced home goods, a strategy they have stuck with over the decades. They are marking their 30th anniversary this year and will celebrate with some special collaborations with local makers.

Runner-Up: Vessel

Best Fashion Good As Gold

Ruben Bryant wanted to create “a new type of shopping experience and scene that sold all the best bits from New Zealand and around the globe in a warm and friendly environment.” In 2004 he began Good as Gold. “It was and still is a small boutique run by a small team of passionate friendly staff,” he says. Check out the new digs on Bond St, which are designed and built by Ruben and staffer Oscar Mavropoulos.

Runner-Up: Superette

Best Arts & Crafts

Miss Maude

Emma Smith opened Miss Maude in Greytown in 2019. Amongst the great range of high-quality fabrics, patterns, and sewing supplies, Emma says that many customers feel the store evokes “fond memories of childhood trips with their mother or grandmother to their local and long since closed haberdashery.” Emma encourages people to take time to enjoy creating, and not worry whether the end result is stitch perfect. “A sharp and well balanced pair of scissors, or a fine pin with a glass-blown head is sure to bring a smile.”

Runner-Up: Wellington Sewing Centre

Best Shoes & Accessories

I Love Paris

Samara Collins opened Wellington’s I Love Paris in the Old Bank Arcade in 2004, following in the footsteps of her mum Ava who began the first store in Dunedin in 1988. “Wellington has always felt like a larger Dunedin to me. Everyone has their own style and quirkiness is celebrated. I knew that the eclectic, beautifully made footwear which has been so popular in our Dunedin store for decades would be very well received by Wellingtonians.”

Runner-Up: Gubb’s

Best Attraction or Activity

Old St Paul’s

A timber Gothic Revival building, Old St Paul’s opened in 1866 on the site of what was once Pipitea Pā. It’s been a visitor site since the 1970s and is administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. “Watching visitors experience Old St Paul’s delights me,” says Tamara Patten, Property Lead. “When I share a piece of the building’s history with someone and see that it has resonated with them, or when someone walks into the building and goes ‘Wow!’ – I just love that.”

Runner-Up: Katherine Mansfield House

Best Florist

Flowers Manuela

When Manuela Lipsham started Flowers Manuela in 1998 she said it was her “dream job” and 23 years later that’s still true. She particularly loves “getting it just right – the marrying up of the foliages, colour, balance, design, and technical floristry. Every bouquet and every flower is different.” At the end of every week she gives flowers to Te Whare O Matairangi, the mental health ward in Wellington Hospital. “We get so much joy – the nurses are awesome!” says Manuela.

Runner-Up: The Flower Studio

Jason Hurrier from The French Barber

Best Barber

The French Barber

Jason Hurier began hairdressing when he was just 15 years old, in his hometown of Cambrai, France. He met his Kiwi wife Kajal on the second day of her OE, and they moved to New Zealand in 2015. Jason now owns and operates the Best Barbershop in Wellington, where he is the eponymous French Barber, on Lambton Quay. Quality cuts and beard services come with a “professional, old-school barbering flair.” Extra attention to detail is what Jason says turns customers into regular patrons.

Runner-Up: Cuba Street Social

Tommy’s Real Estate’s Best Beach

Oriental Bay

Almost 20 years ago, 22,000 tonnes of sand was shipped from Golden Bay to expand Oriental and Freyberg beaches. Back then, the project won a Supreme Award from the New Zealand Institute of Landscape and Architects. This year it’s been awarded the coveted title of Tommy’s Real Estate’s Best Beach. Fun fact: the area was once called Duppa after its sole resident, Mr George Duppa. He renamed it Oriental Bay after the ship upon which he arrived in Wellington, the Oriental.

Runner up: Scorching Bay

Acme & Co’s Best Suburb Mt Victoria

Our best ‘burb, as voted by you the public, is Mt Victoria. The suburb got its English name from New Zealand Company colonists who settled there in the early 1840s and named it in honour of their young queen, Victoria. We must admit we’re not surprised it took the title, sponsored by Acme & Co. Mt Vic boasts spectacular views from Matairangi’s 196-metre summit, a lush town belt, and the HQ of your favourite magazine.

Runner up: Newtown

Radio Active’s Best Street Art The Bowie Mural

Painted by artist Xoë Hall, The Bowie Mural on Ghuznee takes out the award for Best Street Art, sponsored by Radio Active. The mural of three big Ziggy Stardust faces was commissioned by Jam Hairdressing and Xoë says it took “three long days” to paint in December 2016. “The best response has been seeing it become a bit of a selfie spot for Wellington. I love seeing those photos on the gram! It even has its own GIF.”

Runner up: Shark mural by BMD – corner of Cable and Chaffers Sts

Best Wellness & Beauty Wellington Apothecary

Established in 2014, Wellington Apothecary is a botanical factory, herbal dispensary, and natural therapy clinic. “We endeavour to create a tranquil and sensory experience where you are welcome to smell and try each product, see them being made and gather over a hot cup of herbal tea,” says Chantal Cropp. Qualified herbalists and naturopaths are in store to offer professional health advice and to formulate and prescribe remedies.

Runner-Up: Spring Spa

Wellington Airport’s Best Sculpture

The Eagles

Sponsored by Wellington Airport, the Best Sculpture award, fittingly, has been won by the eagles at the airport. Installed in 2013 to promote The Hobbit, the eagles were created by Sir Richard Taylor and Weta Workshop. One of the eagles is Gwaihir the Windlord, the lord of the Great Eagles, and the other carries Gandalf on its back. Gwaihir made international headlines when the sculpture fell during a 6.3 earthquake in 2014.

Runner up: Gollum, by Masayuk Ohashi for Weta Workshop

Fix & Fogg’s Best Pool

Freyberg Pool

Located on Oriental Parade, the 33-metre heated indoor pool at Freyberg Pool & Fitness Centre has won Best Pool, sponsored by Fix & Fogg. The 58-year-old pool is named for Bernard Freyberg, a World War I Victoria Cross recipient, and Governor General of New Zealand. The building that houses the pool (plus a gym, sauna, steam room, and spa pools) is classified as a Category I historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

Runner up: Thorndon Pool

Broken down

In 2019 public transport advocate Tony Randle looked at Let's Get Wellington Moving, laying out the good, the bad, and the ugly. Two years later we ask him, has anything moved?

Among the good things about Wellington are our easy access to political leaders, planners, and specialist expertise. But our city also has serious problems in the same areas. They are apparent in the biggest, most important, Wellington city projects, such as Let’s Get Wellington Moving.

It is not news that Wellington has a problem with transport and access to our city centre. It is rated one of the most pressing problems by residents in all the surveys for over a decade, up there with housing affordability.

On a normal weekday morning about 80,000 people travelled into central Wellington by various modes: 47% by car, 21% by rail, 16% by bus, 14% on foot, and 2% cycling, according to a 2019 regional council survey. It is expected that by 2036, Wellington’s roads, tracks, and footpaths will need to take 100,000 people into and through town each day.

Now let’s be clear, improving access into and through any major CBD is hard work. It takes lots of public money, which means it must be led by politicians and guided by planning and transport experts.

Where are we?

Fixing Wellington City’s transport is a saga that started in 2006 with the Ngauranga to Airport Study. Then in 2013, the Spine Study recommended Bus Rapid Transit, and NZTA proposed the Basin Reserve Bridge; but both were blocked by politicians who wanted light rail rather than cars and buses. In 2016, Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) was announced, with central government support for a $6.4 billion package of transport investments. Central government offered to fund 60% with WCC and GWRC funding 20% each through rates.

The best advice I have ever heard on ensuring that large projects succeed is to keep focused on “the main thing”.

In the case of Let’s Get Wellington Moving, that is to maintain and improve access for the growing number of Wellingtonians.

In the beginning LGWM seemed to understand this. In 2017 when 10,000 of us signalled the same priorities again, the then LGWM Director said:

“People told us that they love that Wellington is a compact, vibrant city and that it’s easy to get around. They also love the harbour, our natural environment and diversity. But traffic congestion, slow and unpredictable journeys, and parking are significant causes of frustration.” People wanted more choice, reliability and frequency in public transport for lower fares, but also more and better parking.

The LGWM Vision of 2019 pointed to challenges caused by the city’s cramped geography, population growth, and a transport system approaching capacity. And it warned that the city’s valued liveability and culture were therefore threatened.

Their 2019 LGWM Programme Business Case set out the relative importance of “providing more efficient and reliable access for users” in its Investment Objectives, rating liveability 40%, access at 30%, safety 10%, and resilience 20%.

Where are we going?

In 2020 it was exciting to finally see two real transport proposals progressing, one for the Golden Mile and another for Hutt Road/Thorndon Quay.

LGWM

Almost all our peak-time bus services get stuck on the Golden Mile, so I was keen to see how our bus service could improve with real investment. I was reassured to see fixing the buses to improve travel time, reliability, and comfort along the Golden Mile given the highest priority in the project Investment Objectives.

Now we can see the reality of their recommendations and it is very disappointing. The first problem is that no option increases bus capacity in the Golden Mile, mainly because the road width at four central bus stops on Lambton/Willis/Manners streets is too narrow for buses to pass each other (other parts of the Golden Mile could take many more peak time buses). I asked a LGWM expert why they did not consider spending more to fix these four bottlenecked bus stops, and he said it was “out of scope” as this would exceed the $40 million project budget.

Next, if you read their report closely, it becomes clear that Golden Mile Option 2 costing $32 million does a better job at improving the public transport service compared to Option 3 costing $72 million. But this begs the question, why does LGWM think it is okay to recommend Option 3 that exceeds the project budget to pay for walking, cycling and “place improvements” but it is not okay for Option 2 to exceed the budget to fix the four bottleneck bus stops and transform our bus performance and capacity?

Why would a transport project whose main purpose is to fix the bus service choose an option costing nearly twice the expected budget which does not actually fix the bus service? I think our political leaders and professional planners have already decided what is important for the city, and that is not more roads or more buses. LGWM allocated a pitiful $40 million, or 0.06% of LGWM’s funding to permanently improve accessibility along our most important corridor for pedestrians and public transport commuters. And just look at the spin implied by the Golden Mile Option names: Option 2 (the best bus option) is called “Prioritise”; while Option 3 (twice as expensive, but only improves walking, cycling, and “place”) is called “Transform”.

The same approach is implicit in the Hutt Road/ Thorndon Quay project; I’ve heard LGWM’s next project is to justify building a $2 billion light rail line because not enough buses can travel along the Golden Mile.

Are we there yet?

The latest LGWM move amounts to abandoning access as an Investment Objective. Papers presented to the Wellington City and Regional councils set out its revised objectives. LGWM cites feedback that safety and carbon reduction via mode shift, are now higher priorities; and they need to “clarify” liveability with an emphasis on “housing intensification, urban development and amenity”, as well as equity of access.

As a result, the LWGM Investment Objectives are now carbon emissions and mode shift (40%), liveability (20%), access (15%), safety (15%), and resilience (10%). This downgrading of the importance of access has been voted on and approved by both our councils.

LGWM itself says that 20,000 more people will need to come to the CBD daily by 2036 yet it won’t provide capacity for more cars or buses, which will be the only real options for most commuters from most suburbs. Yes, we may get light rail south to Island Bay at a cost of $2 billion, but most new Wellington residents are to live in the suburbs to the north and west of the CBD. How will they get to work?

LGWM remains a multi-billion-dollar investment programme, which will get Wellington City things such as: slower and safer streets; high-density housing, congestion charging for cars, light rail, more cycleways, and climate change measures. These will be, depending on what you think makes a great city, good things or a complete waste of money. But the one thing LGWM is clearly no longer trying to get is improved movement into and through our great little city.

The LGWM saga so reminds me of John Clarke’s satirical series The Games or an episode of Yes Minister. It would be a hilarious story if it was about any other city, but it is about our city. After spending so much time and money, it frustrates me that our most important problem, access to and from Central Wellington, simply will not be fixed.

Let’s Get Wellington Moving, you people have one job and it’s right there in the title.

Tony Randle is a resident of Wellington and has used public transport in the city for nearly three decades. He is a long-term public transport advocate and is a member of the Wellington Public Transport Reference Group. He works in IT and lives with his family in the suburb of Johnsonville.

The shipping news

BY JOHN BRISTED PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON HOYLE

Ika Rere, Wellington’s fast new fully electric harbour ferry, is a Southern Hemisphere first, and it was built right here in Wellington.

East by West, the pioneer Wellington Harbour commuter ferry company, has a new boat: a zippy electricity-powered passenger ferry, built by its own boat-building company.

The new catamaran (Ika Rere/Flying Fish) is bright green, and, fully loaded with 135 passengers, cruises at an impressive 20 knots between Queen’s Wharf and Day’s Bay in less than 20 minutes.

East by West’s managing director Jeremy Ward says before the new ferry was even in the water, he’d already had inquiries about it from Dubai, Sydney, Indonesia, and Auckland.

“Everyone’s talking about it,” he enthuses, “Lots are saying they’re about to build ferries. Portugal says they’re building seven, people in Auckland say they’re going to build them, but we’ve done it!”

“East by West needed another boat. Our Wellington Harbour operation’s diesel and engine maintenance costs are large, and I could see them increasing. I thought there must be a better way.” “There are wind and solar power assisted hybrid/electric ferries in Hong Kong so we went over to investigate them, but they didn’t fill me with confidence. There are electric ferries in the Northern Hemisphere, but none felt exactly right for us. We talked to a few boatyards while we were overseas, and eventually thought ‘Why don’t we do it ourselves!’”

Five years ago Ward sold a majority shareholding of East by West to a Chinese couple who he says are pretty much silent partners, and wonderful to work with. They run a travel agency in Shanghai. East by West’s Chinese owners partnered with Ward, and they chose former Whangarei boatbuilder Fraser Foote, who built East by West’s current flagship Cobar Cat, as a third partner. Together they’ve formed the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company (WEBBCo) especially to build carbon fibre electric vessels.

Ward says, “I got confidence from making a presentation in 2019 at an Electric and Hybrid Marine World Conference in Amsterdam where I was among around 200 shipping operators. A Greek shipping magnate stood up and said ‘Why should I build electric boats for my operation? My company has 200 big vessels.’”

“The Norwegian Maritime Transport Director stood up and asked ‘Can you tell me how much your boats will be worth in 2030 when you’re not allowed to operate them because they’re diesel?’ The shipowner was just stunned, and that was it, because the world’s changing to the sustainable.”

“All the major boat operators in New Zealand have been to see us (and even an airline). None of them are building new diesel boats. Why would you?” Jeremy asks rhetorically.

Support to build the new vessel came from East by West’s power supplier, Meridian Energy, Callaghan Innovation, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, and the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

“It’s sustainable travel, and battery performance is improving while we watch. We bought the batteries for our new boat less than a year ago. Since then the battery cost has decreased by 20%.”

Ward expects that when everything’s properly set up, they’ll be able to charge the batteries in the new

boat in only 15 minutes, between turnarounds. The charger will use an astonishing 1.25 megawatts of electric power. “The electricity providers joke that we’ll dim the lights of Wellington.”

“New Zealand’s aiming to be carbon free by 2050. We’re seeing people beginning to buy electric cars now, and I think that within ten years all the new ferries are going to be electric, or perhaps hydrogen-electric. I’ve got a few concerns about hydrogen, but it’s definitely going to be electricity.”

With its first vessel already under its belt, WEBBCo’s open for business.

“We’re full of great ideas for Wellington. We’d like to set up an under-20-minute ferry and shuttle ride from our Queen’s Wharf base right to the airport via the Miramar wharf, if we can get support to repair the Miramar wharf.”

Ward is confident that plenty of airport passengers and commuters from the eastern suburbs will take the ferry to the city each day – “Maybe a couple of hundred thousand a year to begin with – all people and vehicles that won’t need to use the Mt Victoria tunnel, and it could be done for only $20 million.” With Wellington Regional Council, which owns Centreport, supporting the enterprise, they are now seeking backing from NZTA.

“We are lucky that our new vessel will be right here in Wellington as a working demonstrator for possible new ferry buyers to check out. We are also eyeing the possibility of building new ferries when the prospective Miramar/Airport service gets going.

East by West Ferries began 32 years ago when Jeremy began work as a lawyer and quickly decided the law didn’t suit him. Having always liked playing about in boats, an opening for a revived Wellington Harbour ferry meant only a small jump.

Ferries have transported people across Wellington Harbour to Day’s Bay, Eastbourne, Karaka Bay, Seatoun, and Miramar since 1897. Cobar, a 900-passenger steam-powered vessel ran between Eastbourne, Day’s Bay, and the city from 1906 to 1948. After a 40 year gap, Ward began East by West Ferries in 1989 with the help of a few friends, a home loan, and an old steel catamaran bought from Auckland. Some readers will know the vessel, which now sits by the road in Pauatahanui.

Wellingtonians may remember those early ferries, decked out in colours of the local media companies, both early supporters of the harbour ferry venture.

“But it was hard going. I used to just about cry every time the weather was too rough to sail,” says Ward. “It was before mobile phones were common. Our commuters would all arrive in the terminal saying ‘Where’s our ride home?’” These days a cancellation can be notified swiftly. Then it meant $600 in bus hire to take 50 homegoing passengers back to Day’s Bay at short notice. “It was tough. My wife Annie has been a huge support, more so once she was reminded that the operation was guaranteed by our house.”

It took ten years before East by West could buy another boat from Fullers in Auckland. With a faster ride it allowed them to put the price up, and passenger numbers increased by 25%. Ward could at last look at Annie and say, “This might work!”

With the new electric ferry in the water, East by West is doing much more than surviving. Jeremy loves the possibilities for WEBBCo, and for Wellington. He thinks his clever ferry-building company has the potential to be a big employer, and much larger than his thriving ferry business.

Snap happy

BY FRANCESCA EMMS

Capital Photographer of the Year celebrates the Wellington region, its beauty, creativity, and people. From more than 1,200 entries, just 18 were selected for the finalists exhibition at Te Auaha Gallery. The 2021 CPotY judging panel, made up of twenty of New Zealand’s leading creatives, had the difficult job of choosing the winners of the various categories and the supreme winner. If you’d like one of these on your wall, all of our winner’s and finalist’s photographs are available for purchase. Prints come professionally framed and sales support the artist. Order online at capitalmag.co.nz/cpoty Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry, voted in People’s Choice, or visited the exhibition. It’s not too early to start thinking about your entry for next year’s Capital Photographer of the Year. Keep an eye out for details – coming soon!

Yin Hsien Fung Cabbage Consultation

Winner of the Mobile category

Brooklyn photographer Yin Hsien Fung is drawn to street photography and hopes that his images provide “a snapshot on how people live every day and how society operates.”

He spotted an older couple while grocery shopping in Lower Hutt. “They were not in a hurry and showed a lot of respect and patience with each other, which I thought was a very lovely interaction between human beings. For each item in the trolley, the gentleman would hold it up and patiently ask her opinion before placing it in the trolley. When they came to the cabbage, the gentleman asked ‘How about cabbage for tea?’, she responded ‘Yes’, so he picked a good cabbage and asked her ‘Does this cabbage look okay?’ This is when I captured Cabbage Consultation.”

Competition judges noted the strong narrative of the image, saying it “sparked emotion”. Matariki Williams, former Senior Curator Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa, says “Of all the images, this one felt the most candid and human. There is a certain air of mystery about this image that was really compelling, against the backdrop of such a quotidian scene. It took me a while to decipher what the couple were doing and how the woman was sitting in the trolley (I haven’t seen a trolley of this type before). It is great to see accessibility represented in this everyday setting.”

Rob Vanderpoel Aon Centre

Winner of the Structure category

Rob Vanderpoel’s photo of the Aon Centre was taken for a local camera club challenge to photograph in the style of Andreas Gursky. The Lower Hutt resident says, “It was taken from the end of the overseas passenger terminal early evening in winter. I was drawn to the strong lines, the symmetry, and the vignettes visible through the windows.” Rob aims for “an interesting and unique perspective or story that causes people to take a longer look. I look for light and composition to convey this, and ‘work the scene’ to achieve it.”

Astro-photographer and CPotY judge Mark Gee says Rob’s image instantly gains your interest and draws you in to explore the office spaces amongst the structure. “The use of a longer lens for shooting this image adds to the graphic nature of the piece, giving it an illustrative feel and adds to the appeal of the image." Judge Rebecca Kempton, photographer and President of the Wairarapa Camera Club, also enjoyed the graphic nature of Rob’s image saying, “the various colours and lines of lights grab your attention and the square crop works really well – I could see this as a piece of art on a wall.” She also noted the “overall conceptual and technical qualities are very high and well seen view by the author.”

Paul Hamer Bridge Street

Winner of the Whenua category

Ngaio’s Paul Hamer photographed this Bridge Street scene partly because of the dramatic effect and partly to record a part of Wellington before it disappears – he was aware the airport was buying up houses in Rongotai, boarding them up, and then demolishing or moving them. He set himself up across from the house and waited for a plane. “Suddenly there it was lifting off in front of me. I had the camera set to take multiple shots rapidly at the fastest shutter speed available, and I took about ten in total as the plane passed over the house. This one was the first in the sequence, and I chose it because the trajectory of the plane matched the slope of the roof.”

Judge and photographer Grant Maiden says Paul’s image “manages to tell an interesting story with two elements. The sad-looking boarded-up house, with its best days behind it – and the shiny jet taking off, full with promise of the future.” Judge Janet Bayly, Director Curator of Mahara Gallery, says Bridge Street is “a striking image using simple elements to deliver a powerful narrative suggesting our complex relationship to the natural environment and wider world on which humanity perches, both vulnerable and exploitive. Notions of home, safety, and permanence are impacted by external pressures and ongoing change.”

Monica Winder Kayden & Xena

Winner of the Society category

When Monica Winder, of Wainuiomata, first started taking photos she found a quotation from Henry David Thoreau that really stuck in her mind: “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” Monica says, “I try to look at and document what is happening in front of me with this concept in mind. This photo of Kayden and Xena to a lot of people is just a boy with a poo bag on his head, and it very much is, but there is also a story of his little life behind it.”

Photographic artist Virginia Woods-Jack says the image was a “stand-out winner” during the judging process. “The composition of this image is fabulous – it creates an engagement between the viewer and the subject. I feel like I have had a glimpse into a wonderful adventure between this young boy and his dog – the green bag creates so many possibilities of what this adventure could be!” Judge Russ Flatt, last year’s Wallace Arts Trust Paramount Award winner, says the image is an interesting take on a traditional portrait. “The young boy stands facing the camera while his trusty dog stands alert with his ears pricked upwards. His expression is cheeky and what made me fall in love with this image is the green plastic bag on the young boy’s head. There is humour in this tender moment.”

Lorenzo Buhne Clothesline & Flowerbush

Winner of the Youth category

At 12 years old, Owhiro Bay’s Lorenzo Buhne is the youngest of the Capital Photographer of the Year winners. His mother, artist and photographer Kedron Parker, lets him use her camera. “I’m very grateful. Taking photos is fun, and I enjoy it,” says Lorenzo. He particularly likes shooting with film. “There is more room for mistakes with film, but mistakes can be good.”

Lorenzo won the Youth category with Clothesline & Flowerbush, a photograph he took while visiting a friend’s farm in Te Horo, on the Kāpiti Coast. “I took many pictures of bushes and trees that day and I was inspired.” Four of these images made it into the CPotY semi-finals. “I’m really thankful that they had an orange towel on their clothesline that day.”

Judge Russ Flatt says Lorenzo’s image is “beautifully framed and has cleverly made the mundane landscape layered through the domestic/landscaped scene. The colours and tones work well together. It almost seems like a staged image.” Capital’s Art Director and convenor of the CPotY judges, Shalee Fitzsimmons, describes Lorenzo’s image as experimental and energetic. “This photograph perfectly encapsulates the youth category, where boundaries are pushed and trial and error is key. There’s a charm to its frenetic nature, the colour, the subject, and the framing.”

Jiaqi Tang Untitled

Winner of the Triptych category and supreme winner of Capital Photographer of the Year

Jiaqi Tang’s father bought him a Ricoh XR7 when he was 10. “I took that camera with me on many adventures, and I would take photos from portraits to landscapes. From the first time I picked up the camera, I have never stopped taking photos. I guess my skills got better through practice, but the thing that kept me going was being able to capture moments happening in my own life.”

The Karori resident says he’s “honoured and humbled” to have won the Triptych category and the Capital Photographer of the Year supreme award for Untitled. “This gives me great motivation and confidence moving forward. I will continue to pursue art and truth, and I hope to share more of my works with you all in the near future.”

Judge Neil Pardington, a photographer who works in the space between documentary photography and conceptual photography, says Jiaqi’s winning triptych conveys “a strong sense of narrative with beautiful light, colour, and composition.” Professor of Fine Arts (Photography) at Massey University Wellington and competition judge Anne Noble calls Jiaqi’s work “a marvellous example of imaginative photographic storytelling. The captured moments, angles of view, lighting, and careful arrangement demonstrate photographic skill, thoughtfulness, and strong editing skills. This is a very strong three-image narrative evoking a life lived, with subtly and empathy.”

Still wild

BY FRANCESCA EMMS PORTRAIT BY JOHNNY HENDRIKUS, WELLINGTONNZ

From her Shelly Bay studio, The Sick Bay, taxidermy artist Antoinette Ratcliffe creates artworks. The former veterinary nurse sources animals ethically from the trapping community, vet clinics, and friends and family who have window-strike birds or pest species that need to be collected. Antoinette loves the whole taxidermy process. “In the skinning process I get to see what happened to the animal, and sometimes I also get to see how they lived from observing the condition of their body. I get to care for their fur or feathers, and recreate a form which becomes their new insides.”

Antoinette’s passion for bringing animals “back to life” is on display at Katherine Mansfield House and Garden in Still Life | Wild Places (until 31 Oct) , a group exhibition and event series inspired by the life and works of Mansfield. Antoinette’s contribution is an installation of 28 animals called The Hours Slip Quickly By, after a line from Mansfield’s poem This Is My World. “I was inspired by her journal, specifically the entries where she reflected on her writing process. The more I read, the more I became interested in her anthropomorphic use of animals in her poems and short stories. I decided to make an installation that included some of the characters she wrote about, while also looking at some aspects of her personal life.”

KMHG Director Cherie Jacobson says all seven of the artists have engaged with Mansfield’s life and work and responded in totally different ways. “Antoinette’s exploration of inside the writer’s mind is full of surprises with some beautiful and unnerving imagery. We’ve had some visitors say, ‘Oh, I’m not sure about taxidermy’, but then they’ve become fascinated with a work like the cat on the chair, and can’t believe how alive it looks. That’s testament to Antoinette’s skill, her work draws people close and makes them curious.”