Capital 90

CAPITAL Grow job

Couples propagating all over the region MATARIKI 2023 $11.90

Ten years Gateau of tales blaster

A look at some of our favourite stories

Seven cakes that’ll blow you away

The birthday issue

Hāngī, I’m home

CJ brings the hāngī to your whare

9 772324 483036 THE STORIES OF WELLINGTON

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Hīnaki

Contemplation of a Form Ko te hīnaki, ko ōna ahunga whakairo me ōna tauira manganga, he mahinga toi nui whakaharahara o te ahurea Māori.

Ko tōna whakamahinga hei mauhere tuna, ko tōna tikanga mahi, tae atu ki āna rauemi waihanga, he kōrero i ahu mai i te mātauranga ā-iwi me te taiao.

He tirohanga whānui tēnei whakaaturanga ki tēnei mea te hīnaki.

Atu i te whakaatu i ēnei taonga, ka aro anō tēnei whakaaturanga ki ngā pahī e rua a ētahi whare taonga i mua, waihoki ki te hononga a te Māori ki ngā awa whakahirahira e rua me ngā urupare toi hou e pā ana ki te hīnaki.

E TUWHERA NEI OPEN NOW Matt Pine, Trap Work 1, realised 2022 by Bryan James, aluminium and wire. Commissioned by Te Papa

Hīnaki, with their sculptural dimensions and intricate designs, are a distinctive Māori art form of great cultural significance. In their function as eel traps, their form, and their materials, they express mātauranga-ā-iwi (tribal knowledge) of te taiao (the natural world).

This exhibition provides a broad experience of hīnaki. As well as displaying these taonga (cultural treasures), it focuses on two early museum expeditions, Māori relationships with two significant rivers, and contemporary artworks related or responding to hīnaki.

IM 2

E ERS 3 S R M 02 E M 2 M M2 3 I R S E 20 ME IM

IMMERSE WELLINGTON NZSO welcomes conductor André de Ridder for three days of groundbreaking music, featuring John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean, Marsalis’ Blues Symphony, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and more.

28–30 July Michael Fowler Centre Principal Partners

Tickets from $23 Book at nzso.co.nz

CAPITAL CAPITAL Grow job

Couples propagating all over the region

Ten years Gateau of tales blaster

A look at some of our favourite stories

Seven cakes that’ll blow you away

The stories of Wellington

The birthday issue

Hāngī, I’m home

CJ brings the hāngī to your whare

THE STORIES OF WELLINGTON

SPRING 2023 $11.90

W

elcome to our birthday issue. We are delighted to be publishing our 90th issue and celebrating our 10th year of producing Capital magazine.

This is our Kai issue, with a particular focus on food.

Hannah Zwartz has talked to food growers in Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Jackie Lee Morrison talked celebratory food with the sole remaining pig oven cook in the Manawatū, and Sophie Carter asked CJ Collier about his business offering hāngī food in takeout portions. Dean White, restaurateur about town, talks to John Bristed about setting up his business empire. And after an office vote, we have included the recipe for the chocolate chilli biscuits Gus Bristed, our distribution assistant, brings to office morning tea.

So as not to pig out entirely, we also have our regular features including Re-verse by poet laureate Chris Tse, cultural news compiled by Sarah Lang. Satisfied skaters in Raumati told Charlotte Weston of their delight in a fresh activity on offer on the Kāpiti coast.

We began our first Capital with a list of C words to define our aims for the mag: coffee capital, creative capital, chic, crisp, charming, curious, cool, and many others. We hope that we’ve delivered on most of them. And we’re still trying.

We added cake to the list and asked seven bakers to create the amazing cakes you see in this issue. Our thanks to them for helping us celebrate.

The 10 years have been fun, a lot of work, and lots of inbetweens. We’ve won awards, developed our website, and created events such as the Capital Photographer of the Year award. Francesca Emms has compiled updates on stories and happenings that reflect the progress of the magazine.

You will find them throughout. We began with 10 issues per year; covid and lockdowns have altered our timetable and we moved to six.

It takes a lot of people hours to put this magazine together and I am grateful to all of those who have contributed. Two of them have been involved with every issue we have produced.

Melody Thomas wrote her first columns in issue #1 and has met every deadline since. Shalee Fitzimmons has been art director and project manager throughout the 90 issues and has made a huge contribution. Thank you all for all the talent and effort that has been channelled into producing Capital.

And a very large thank you to all our advertisers, buyers and readers. We wouldn’t survive without you.

Subscriptions $89 for 6 issues $149 for 12 issues New Zealand only

To subscribe, please email accounts@capitalmag.co.nz or visit capitalmag.co.nz/shop

Stockists Pick up your Capital in New World, Countdown, and Pak‘n’Save supermarkets, Moore Wilson's, Unity Books, Commonsense Organics, Magnetix, City Cards & Mags, Take Note, Whitcoulls, Wellington Airport, Interislander, and other discerning nation-wide outlets.

Distribution: john@capitalmag.co.nz.

Contact Us Phone Email Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Post Deliveries ISSN

+64 4 385 1426 editor@capitalmag.co.nz capitalmag.co.nz facebook.com/CapitalMagazineWellington @CapitalMagWelly @capitalmag Box 9202, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 31–41 Pirie St, Mt Victoria, Wellington, 6011 2324-4836

Produced by Capital Publishing Ltd

The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Although all material is checked for accuracy, no liability is assumed by the publisher for any losses due to the use of material in this magazine.

Copyright ©. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of Capital Publishing Ltd.

Alison Franks Editor

8

Staff

Featured contributors

Managing editor Alison Franks editor@capitalmag.co.nz Sales manager Milly Brunel milly@capitalmag.co.nz Campaign coordinators Haleigh Trower haleigh@capitalmag.co.nz Esmond Paterson esmond@capitalmag.co.nz Factotum John Bristed john@capitalmag.co.nz Project manager Shalee Fitzsimmons shalee@capitalmag.co.nz Art director Rachel Salazar artd@capitalmag.co.nz Designer Elaine Loh design@capitalmag.co.nz

FRANCESCA EMMS Writer

E S M O N D PAT E R S O N C amp ai g n c o ordi n ator

Francesca is a Wellington-born, Wairarapa-raised writer. The things she writes vary in content and length. Sometimes people say the things she writes aloud and other times they read them silently. She enjoys tap dancing, avoids the sun and gets carsick really easily.

Esmond is a new addition to the sales team at Capital. Having moved around often, he has recently moved to Pōneke Wellington from Ōtepoti Dunedin after completing his Bachelor of Visual Arts. Esmond enjoys all things arts and culture.

HELEN AND KARLI Ph oto g r aph ers

H A N N A H Z WA R T Z Writer

We’re Helen and Karli founders of @getcontent.nz! Levin based, story loving, traveling content ninjas.

Always in our element with a camera in one hand and a coffee in the other.

If it shows your magic online, we’re into it!

Hannah Zwartz is a professional gardener, garden writer, designer and teacher living on the Kāpiti Coast.

Since her first job as an office potplant waterer she has been a longtime garden columnist, Botanic Gardens herb specialist, urban farm manager, and educator in schools, community gardens, and prisons across the region.

Content manager / writer Sophie Carter content@capitalmag.co.nz Publishing coordinator Hannah Mahon hello@capitalmag.co.nz Accounts Tod Harfield accounts@capitalmag.co.nz

Contributors Melody Thomas, Janet Hughes, Anna Briggs, Sarah Lang, Deirdre Tarrant, Francesca Emms, Dan Poynton, Chris Tse, Claire Orchard, Harriet Palmer, Jess Scott, Griff Bristed, Claire O’Loughlin, Chev Hassett, Joram Adams, Sanne Van Ginkel, Rachel Helyer Donaldson, Matthew Plummer, Fairooz Samy, Adrian Vercoe, Sasha Borissenko, Courteney Moore, Monica Winder, Craig Beardsworth, Olivia Lamb, Charlotte Barnes, Bex McGill, Charlotte Fielding, Jackie Lee Morrison, Andy Hansen, Alice Soper, Helen Lea Wall, Karli Mitchell, Andrew Morris, Hannah Swartz, Gus Bristed, Fergus McClellan

Submissions We welcome freelance art, photo, and story submissions. However we cannot reply personally to unsuccessful pitches.

10

ICONIC ARTWORK FOR YOUR HOME TEPAPASTORE.CO.NZ

Rutu by Rita Angus available exclusively in the Mātātuhi mai i Kohinga o Te Papa | Museum Collection Prints series Rutu, 1951, Christchurch, by Rita Angus. Purchased 1992 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. © Reproduced courtesy of the Estate of Rita Angus. Te Papa (1992-0025-1).

C O N T E N T S

14 16 19 20

CHATTER NOTEWORTHY

BY THE NUMBERS NEW PRODUCTS

29

Ten out of ten

We catch up with some familiar faces and ask: where are they now?

22 From the ground up CJ cooks up a hāngī enterprise

25

CULTURE

34

Meet the growers

The reality of a clean green machine

WE’RE RELOCATING

TO 3 EVA STREET (HANNAH’S LANEWAY)

C O N T E N T S

54

BUG ME

69

KAI TO TRY

75 76

BY THE BOOK REVERSE

66 56

Take a bao Mr. White fills us in on Mr. Go's

62

Noughts and crosses Chilli chocolate biscuits

EDIBLES

82 Skaters gonna skate Skating has no age limit in the Raumati Rollers

70 64 Cake my day Seven birthday masterpieces from local cakers

OUR LAST DAY IN TARANAKI STREET IS 14 JULY

Pig Master of Palmerston North Rodney Wong is the last of his kind

86 90 93 94 96

GOOD SPORT WELLY ANGEL WĀHINE CALENDAR PUZZLED

bookings available in eva street from 28 july www.mrgos.co.nz

C H AT T E R

CPotY Snapshots

Title: Matariki bursts Photographer: Bastiaan van Druten Category: Movement Behind the camera: A sense of adventure, his dad’s stories about owning a Lyttleton burger bar in the 70s, and family he had never met brought Bastiaan (or Bas), from the Netherlands to Aotearoa seven years ago. Since then, Bas and his partner have been working hard establishing themselves as artists and designers.

They love what they get out of it and feel that the last couple of years, during and after lockdown, helped them to let go of their other home and really be present in New Zealand.

One

Flying high Recovery from the effects of covid continues for Wellington Airport. Financial results for the 12 months to 31 March 2023 show an after-tax profit of $25.2 million, up from $3 million last year. Passenger numbers are climbing back to pre-covid levels, with domestic passengers recovering to around 90% of previous levels and international back to 76% by the end of the financial year. Chief executive Matt Clarke says, “New Zealand’s location and geography make air travel central to our way of life and our team is thrilled to be helping so many Kiwis get on their way again.”

Why photography? Photography was part of Bas’s first degree. His teacher was “a super cool dude” who taught him to see, not just to look.

This was in the early years of digital photography and he didn't jump on the bandwagon. He bought an expensive analogue Canon EOS 300 and kept shooting with it until two years ago, when he dropped it one time too many. He now uses an even older Canon. He takes his camera everywhere he goes, especially when travelling.

The snap: Fireworks are notoriously hard to capture, especially on a 50-year-old camera, using black and white film. This didn’t stop Bas trying his luck, and liking the resulting image. “The huge contrast, the reflection in the water and the stillness of the explosion are just really interesting to me.” This image and a shortage of colour film made him appreciate black and white photography more. He didn’t have the Capital Photographer of the Year contest in mind when making the image, but it fits the category nicely.

Two

M a ke a w i s h Keen for some Matariki celebrations? They’re not limited to the public holiday on Friday 14 July. Wellington City Council’s Matariki Ahi Kā celebration runs 13—16 July, with whānau-friendly waterfront events from 6pm to 9pm. Light projections on landmarks will include a fluoro-coloured, star-speckled light-work on Te Papa’s exterior. Write something on paper for 8pm ceremonies “Hiwa-i-te-rangi: the Wishing Star” and “Pōhutukawa: Honouring those who have passed”, when singersongwriter Toni Huata will burn the notes in a brazier to “send them to the heavens”. Expect live performances and a kai court.

Judges’ thoughts: CPotY judge Shalee Fitzsimmons said, “You can just hear the noise of the fireworks in this picture. A dynamic moment captured on film that successfully highlights texture, tone, and light.”

14

C H AT T E R

New in town

Three

Drawing the line Think drawing, and you probably think of pencils, pens, and paintbrushes. But drawing takes myriad forms in the national Parkin Drawing Prize. Wellingtonian Kirsty Lillico’s winning installation of carpet in 2017 (pictured) qualified because, when you cut carpet, you “draw a line”. From 500 artworks entered this year, the winner to be announced on 1 August) gets $25,000. A further 10 highly commended prizes are worth $500. The exhibition of finalists’ works runs at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts from 2 August to 3 September.

Th e F it t i n g Ro o m Specialist lingerie and swimwear store The Fitting Room has arrived in Wellington. The store offers personalised fittings and specialises in D-K cup sized lingerie, post-mastectomy products and swimwear in all sizes. Situated on the corner of Featherston and Grey Streets in a handy central city location.

For appointments see thefittingroom.co.nz

It's cool to kōrero Rā whānau nama 10 ki a mātou! E te iwi, he whakanui tēnei! Karawhiua!

Happy 10th birthday to us! Everybody, this is a celebration! Go hard!

Four

F i ve

Counting sheep

O n e fo r t h e b i r d s

A sheep uprising is becoming less of a concern as the ratio of sheep to people dropped to 5:1. This is the lowest ratio since farming records began in the 1850s, and a huge fall from the early 1980s when there were 22 sheep for every person. Stats NZ’s latest farming survey found there were 25.3 million farmed sheep in Aotearoa last year – 400,000 fewer than the year before. Possible reasons are the shrinking wool industry, and farms being sold for forestry.

Rock quarried from Golden Bay near Nelson will be used to make two islands for birds in Wellington Harbour. The project is part of the $312 million shared pathway Waka Kotahi is building between Ngauranga and Petone. In total, 13,000 tonnes of rock will be used for the island habitats, one 33 metres in diameter, the other 24 metres.

Also planned are new penguin nesting areas along the coastal edge, restoring dunes along the Petone foreshore, and creating habitats for lizards.

15

N O T E W O R T H Y

GO OD FORTUNE Property developer and philanthropist Mark Dunajtschik is leaving a substantial gift in his will to establish a foundation in his name. One of largest individual bequests in New Zealand’s history will be managed by the Nikau Foundation.

Grants from the Mark Dunajtschik Foundation will help people living with disability in Greater Wellington. Dunajtschik has lived in the region for 60 years, and says, “I made my money in Wellington, and I plan to leave it here when I go”.

The bequest is on top of a $50 million donation to help build the Wellington Children’s Hospital, $50 million for a mental health unit at Hutt Hospital, and $10 million to set up a mechanical engineering department at Victoria University.

IF IT LOCKS LIKE A DOCK

COULDA WOODA SHOULDA

THANKS A MILLION

Theft of your favourite set of wheels at Wellington Airport has become less likely with the installation of 10 new Locky Docks. The app-activated locking system provides free, safe undercover parking for your bicycle.

Created by New Zealand company Big Street Bikers, the docking station is the first at any airport in NZ. The company has 40 sites around the country. A bike fix-it station with tools and a bike pump are also provided.

Devastation of the kind wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle is likely to happen again according to Federated Farmers. A report by the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use makes several recommendations for avoiding flooding caused by forestry slash. Federated Farmers Forestry Spokesperson Toby Williams is calling for the government to act quickly on the report’s findings. “It’s been absolutely devastating to see farm after farm of productive land converted into a blanket landscape of forestry, knowing what that will mean for our community,” he says.

Funding to the tune of $1,000,000 was handed out in the Wellington region by the Nikau Foundation throughout 2022.

The community foundation’s annual report shows it supported almost 200 organisations in the greater Wellington region. The foundation invests donations and bequests, using the interest to achieve local longterm community transformation. Some of the 2022 recipients included ProjectJonah, which seeks to protect marine mammals, Digital Seniors, and the Conch Charitable Trust to assist Pacific Storytelling.

Showing New Zealand art to Wellington since 1882.

Contemporary art, gifts and indulgences or unique venue hire.

Visit our beautiful waterfront galleries, open daily: 10 – 5 pm Free entry.

Te wahi e kitea ai nga mea ataahua – The place where beautiful things are to be found

Visit us : 1 Queens Wharf, Wellington Call us : (04) 499 8807

Find us : www.nzafa.com

Follow us :

nzafa

academygalleries

N O T E W O R T H Y

MIND THE GAP Who knew that New Zealand’s gender pay gap of 9.2% is three times worse in the creative sector? Research by Creative NZ and NZ On Air shows that female creative professionals earn, on average, $16,500 a year from creative income alone – 33% less than male creatives. It’s thought that this is perhaps because more men work in higher-paid fields like video-game development, and more women work in lower-paid fields like object art. Nearly half of creatives supplement their creative work with other work, but there’s still a 32% gender disparity in median total income ($30,000 for women).

OUT DAMNED TRUST

ALL HAIL RAIL

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

The curtain has fallen on four decades of Shakespearean theatre in the city. The Wellington Summer Shakespeare Trust, established in 1983, has announced it would no longer mount yearly productions. Known for its innovative interpretations and use of unique performance spaces, the trust has been a nurturing ground for emerging artists and a cultural highlight for Wellington audiences. The trust expressed gratitude to all the artists, volunteers, sponsors, partners, and audiences who have contributed to its success over the past four decades.

Hybrid-electric passenger trains are on the cards for the Wairarapa Line according to a pre-budget government announcement. The climate-friendly purchase has delighted the Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils. Funding for 18 four-car, tri-mode trains and associated infrastructure will allow efficient, more frequent services on the Wairarapa and Manawatu lines. “We’re thrilled for commuters and the climate. The current fleet of diesel trains is 50 years old and at the end of their working life” says Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter.

Wellington has scored $650,000 towards the Paneke Pōneke bike network plan after winning the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure.

The plan involves increasing the city’s 23km of cycleways to 166km, and part of the prize is technical assistance on project development and design. There were ten other winning cities worldwide, including Lisbon in Portugal, Milan in Italy, and Fortaleza in Brazil, which won top prize of $1.6 million.

Follow us :

Not to be missed Matariki Exhibition 23 June - 23 July 2023 Our Winter exhibition of art of all styles and genres.

Parkin Drawing Prize 2023 1 August - 3 September 2023.

This national art competition is now into its eleventh year. Founded and supported by local arts patron, Chris Parkin, it offers a major cash prize and national recognition for the winner. Over 500 entries were received this year.

Matariki

Visit us : 1 Queens Wharf, Wellington Call us : (04) 499 8807

Find us : www.nzafa.com

Parkin Drawing Prize Follow us :

nzafa

academygalleries

18 + 19 AUGUST | SKY STADIUM

TICKETS ON SALE NOW Enter the mind-bending, palate-expanding beer wonderland of Beervana.

Proudly presented by

beervana.co.nz

B Y

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

STARS ARE ALIGNED distance in light years 440 the of the Matariki star cluster

million – the number of people, at least, who are celebrating their birthday today (and every day)

25

the December date which is the least common birthday (other than 29 February)

33

the height in metres of the world’s tallest cake, made by Hakasima-Nilasari Culinary School in 2008

18

N U M B E R S

from Earth

years it would take 4.8 billion you to reach Matariki if you drove in a car at 100 kph

in the Matariki 500 stars cluster, only 6 or 7 being the estimated number of

14

the century when the first birthday cake was decorated with candles in Greece

the July date that Matariki is celebrated in 2023

BEERVANA

CIRCA THEATRE

47 the age of Circa Theatre

the age of the biggest Beervana fan

Theatre has been 29 Circa located at 1 Taranaki

has been running 22 Beervana (under various guises)

the number of years that

the number of years

Street

1,062

visible without a telescope

81

15

T H E

number of beer lovers 16,000 the who attended Beervana last year

the number of productions held at Circa Theatre

number of litres 20,725 the of beer poured in New

29

the number of founding members still on the Circa Council (it is the theatre with the longest running continuous governance in the country)

Zealand, 2022

CO M P I L E D BY HANNAH MAHON

19

N E W

P R O D U C T S

1.

3.

4.

2.

7.

5.

13.

6.

8.

12.

10.

14.

11.

15.

16.

9.

1. Iced oat flat white 4 pack, $22, Coffee Supreme. 2. Deborah Sweeney bud vase, $49, Small Acorns. 3. Omni brass watering can, $37.99, Palmers Miramar. 4. Society Of Wanderers Sunday floral print duvet cover, $450, Small Acorns. 5. Rocket Boost hot sauce, $7, L’Affare. 6. Chloé medium woody tote, $1,879, Workshop. 7. Ilse Jacobsen detachable hooded coat, $423, Zebrano. 8. Pebble tray, $109, Città. 9. Helen Cherry Keaton chalk stripe trouser, $579, Workshop. 10. Telegram tall flip planter green moss, $89, Auckland Art Gallery Shop. 11. Tuatara with sound, $29.90, Te Papa Store. 12. Cooler bag, $54.90, Città. 13. House of Nunu zig zag candle holder blue, $105, Small Acorns. 14. MoMA mondri vase, $198, City Gallery Wellington Shop. 15. Birkenstock Arizona smooth leather azalea pink, $798, Workshop. 16. Sunbury salad servers, $109, Città.

20

TA L E S

O F

T H E

C I T Y

From the ground up

BY S O P H I E CA RT E R P H OTO G R A P H Y BY A N D R E W M O R R I S

BOOK The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris

WELLINGTON HAUNT Brewtown

MUSIC

HOLIDAY

PET

Sons of Zion

Brisbane

Billy the cat

CJ Collier is a real meat-and-potatoes guy.

T

hree years ago Claude Collier (known as CJ) had an itch that just couldn’t be scratched. Craving a hearty hāngī, he scoured the internet and talked to friends (and friends of friends), but found only a hāngī-shaped hole in the market.

He decided to take matters into his own hands and started CJ’s Hāngī.

Now CJ and his small team make over 400 piping-hot hāngī portions a week. They are packed into cars, which park up at pick-up points for customers to collect.

“I didn't want the risk of owning a shop, with the initial high fitout costs and weekly rent,” says CJ, having started the business when covid lockdowns were an ever-present possibility. “Instead, we did things a little differently and started with deliveries.”

At first deliveries were only in his hometown Upper Hutt, but they’ve since branched out across the Hutt Valley, Wellington, and Porirua. Customers pre-order hāngī online or try their luck on the day.

“Through my teen years I helped with our whānau hāngī,” says CJ. He was taught the traditional Māori method of cooking food in the ground, a process which involves placing baskets of food in a fire pit and covering it with earth for several hours.

However, to get consistently cooked hāngī come rain or shine (and to comply with food safety regulations) CJ’s hāngī is cooked above ground, in specialised hāngī cookers, which use heated wood-chips, or rocks. He spent a year perfecting a method that replicates the “beautiful earthy flavour” hāngī gains when baked in the earth.

With Matariki on the horizon, CJ’s team are preparing for their “busiest time of year,” prepping seasoned meats, kumara, and stuffing, among other goodies, for

a community hāngī as well as catering for large group celebrations.

Before entering the culinary world CJ spent seven years running a social media marketing business. He knew working online would allow him to travel, and endured 18-hour days to get the business off the ground.

The grind paid off, and in 2015 CJ and his wife AmyLee jetted to Australia’s Gold Coast. They spent several months there before heading to Europe, exploring “14 countries in three months.”

Fellow travellers raved about Aotearoa’s beauty, and the pair realised how little they’d seen of their own backyard. “We had never been to Queenstown or many other amazing places that people from all over the world were telling us about.”

With this in mind, four years later they swapped their Upper Hutt home for a compact 2.5m wide x 4.8m long tiny-home-on-wheels and set off around New Zealand.

This time with young daughter Tilly in tow, the couple lived and worked on the road for a year, just before they started the hāngī business – “our last chance to do something like that before Tilly went to school and we settled in one location.”

The family have since relaxed back into Upper Hutt life; moved into a newly-built home; and gained another member – now two-year-old Bodhi.

Weekends are food-focused: spent sipping sour craft beers at Brewtown, sourcing veges for hāngī from the Sunday farmers’ market, and munching on their “whānau fave” BBQ pork buns.

“As a kid I always wanted to live somewhere busy,” says CJ. “But after travelling around the world and coming home I've appreciated the closeness, slower pace and community vibe we have here.”

23

Wellington Thu, 10 Aug, 7.30pm Michael Fowler Centre Presented in partnership with

Bartók

Bluebeard’s Castle The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and New Zealand Opera present a semi-staged contemporary retelling of Bartók’s trailblazing, psychologically penetrating opera Bluebeard’s Castle, originally produced by Theatre of Sound in London.

Lawrence Renes Conductor Stephen Higgins Revival Director Susan Bullock Judith (Soprano) Lester Lynch Bluebeard (Baritone) Principal Partners

Image: Susan Bullock and Gerald Finlay 2021 production, Theatre of Sound (UK)

Tickets from $26 Book at nzso.co.nz

C U L T U R E

PULL UP A PEW Got 45 minutes spare on Thursdays in July? Head to Old St Paul’s, a Heritage New Zealand-managed property, for its Musical Punch Over Lunch concert series. There’s no actual punch provided, but feel free to bring lunch.

The performers are locals. Wellington City Chorus performs its barbershop harmonies (6 July), children’s orchestra Arohanui Strings performs on 13 July, Andrew London and Neil Billington play jazz on 20 July, and Newtown band Klezmer Rebs plays Eastern-European Yiddish folk music (27 July).

GO JO

WHAKAPAPA CHAIN

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Jo Randerson (Cap #54, 2018) is an arts chameleon. She wrote, co-directed and acted in Hey, Brainy Man, a comic short film about a few “evolutionary losers” (non-Homo Sapiens) delivering a message to Homo Sapiens: ‘Don’t fuck up the world’. “We made it like guerilla film-makers – a bit here, bit there, in and out of the pandemic,” Jo says. It’s one of six films selected for the New Zealand’s Best short film competition, which will screen in the New Zealand International Film Festival in July and August.

Wellingtonian Stevei Houkāmau has won the $20,000 Kiingi Tūheitia Portraiture Award, which encourages Māori artists to create portraits of their tūpuna (ancestors) in any medium. “Kia Whakatōmuri te haere whakamua” is a string of “beads” primarily made from uku (clay), held together with wire. An exhibition of 43 finalist works runs at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery until 20 August.

In Indian Ink’s new play Dirty Work (2–11 August), a hapless middle manager must wrangle his staff in an open-plan office. Why do the four main actors have improv training? Because the 22 office workers are played not by actors, but by singers from local choirs. They’ll learn six songs in advance, but won’t read stage directions (e.g. “go to the water cooler”) until they sit at their desks on stage. “People have been desperate to sing since lockdown,” says choirmaster/ collaborator John Rosser.

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C U L T U R E

BE-JEWELLED Like diamonds? At the City Gallery Moniek Schrijer: The Jewel Room (until 3 September) displays the Wellington artist’s new body of work A Hologram of a Diamond, with sculptural necklaces and pendants. Using her lab-created faux diamonds – replicas of 43 famous diamonds – Moniek used reflection holography (a complicated technique involving lasers) so holograms appear on the jewels’ surfaces. The exhibition space draws on the aesthetics of museums’ vault-like jeweldisplay spaces, luxury jewellery stores, and what Moniek calls the “greenlit grid of laser forcefields” that guard jewels in heist movies.

READY TO ROCK

TOPP MARKS

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Award-winning Wellington filmand-television production company Libertine Pictures (Mystic) has been awarded up to $2,250,000 to make a series called Red Rocks for Prime/ Sky, from NZ On Air’s investment of $8.5m in “new content for tamariki”.

Based on a Rachael King novel, Red Rocks will see Jake, 12, drawn into a world of mythical creatures after finding a sealskin on Red Rocks near Owhiro Bay. Libertine’s Richard Fletcher says he’s “looking forward to highlighting Wellington’s amazing south coast”.

In Australian choreographer Alice Topp’s work Logos, the set backdrop is a transparent-foil screen, where reflected lights and smoke evoke the storms that humans weather. It’s one of four works performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in Lightscapes at the St James, from 27 to 29 July, which considers the intersection of light, space and the human body. Alice began her dance career with the RNZB.

After director Lyndee-Jane Rutherford discovered a hip-hop-influenced, glitchy, futuristic track written by composer Briar Prastiti (under the alias HydraBitch), she asked Briar to be composer/ sound designer for Circa play Prima Facie (24 June – 22 July). It’s a local production of a worldwide hit play about a criminal-defence barrister who is sexually assaulted. Getting the music right was tricky, Briar says. “And it’s a topic we need to face head on.” Briar is currently the Lilburn House composerin-residence, living in Douglas Lilburn’s former Thorndon home.

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F E AT U R E

Beervana is a mind-bending, palate expanding Beer wonderland. From outrageous brewery displays to the best culinary bites, from exciting live music to weird street performance, there’s something new to discover around every corner!

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S B E Y C T TI H O EN NH UE M A B D E R S

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AT A GLANCE

ANIMAL KINGDOM

36 What the Flock featured 32 insects in Bug Me

birds featured in

the years Capital has been in production

90 issues published

the number of Capital

in Fishy 21 featured Business

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awards received at the Webstar media awards, including Best Design in 2020 and Best Regional Magazine in 2022

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aquatic creatures

the number of covers our project manager’s daughter has appeared on

HEART THE ARTS

SPECIAL FEATURES

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good boys and girls featured in Top Dogs

houses we've 119 Wellington poked our nose into questions answered 445 burning by our Welly Angel

New Zealand poems introduced in Reverse

in Capital 3,700+ enteries Photographer of the Year stories by 6 short Wellington writers

48 5/5 in Beer Necessities beers that have scored

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14 online at capitalmag.co.nz photo essays available

CO M P I L E D BY F R A N C E S CA E M M S

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opinion pieces about Wellington's public transport system

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Ten out of ten CO M P I L E D BY F R A N C E S CA E M M S

To mark our 10th birthday issue, we looked back at some of our favourite faces and found some completely changed, others just the same. We couldn’t fit them all in, but it was a delight to remember the many generous people who helped make Capital what it is.

So here’s to you. Here’s to the singers, swimmers, and sauce-makers, the potters, priests, and poets, the readers, writers, and countless Wellingtonians who have supported us over the past 10 years.

You will find more ten out of ten's throughout the mag.

All the originial stories can be found on our website.

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LAW AND ORDINATION

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hen triplets Cale, Jackson, and Max Tu’inukuafe (Cap #72) moved to Wellington in 2018 they were split up for the first time, living in different halls of residence. “We’d never really felt alone before,” says Cale. But separation benefitted the brothers. “We had different experiences, we developed a lot more confidence in ourselves and we became way less reliant on each other,” says Max. In May this year they all graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Victoria University.

Although they all studied law, they also branched out on their own. Cale took on Psychology and Film. Max signed up for Finance and Economics, while Jackson enrolled in Development Studies.

“I guess we look the same, but we are still each our own person,” says Jackson.

n early 2020 Murray Edridge was not an ordained priest. That’s changed. “Being ordained was never on the plan,” says the head of the Wellington City Mission. “If you’d asked me three years ago I would have said ‘No, never!’ But being ordained gives me an opportunity to be more effective.”

Murray is proud of what’s been achieved since he last spoke to Capital (Cap #69), and one achievement in particular stands out: in March 2021 a social supermarket, which Murray describes as the jewel in the crown of the City Mission, was opened.

“It underpins the principle of how we engage with our community – with dignity and respect, no judgement. It offers dignity of choice. People can choose what’s right for them and their families.”

Photography by Anna Briggs

Photography by Anna Briggs

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JAKOB ROWLINSON 5 AUG - 3 DEC 2023

dowse.org.nz

Jakob Rowlinson In the Queerdwood (detail) 2023

F E AT U R E

Meet the growers P H OTO G R A P H Y BY H E L E N WA L L & K A R L I M I TC H E L L

Lots of people dream of a life in the country, but then there’s the reality of

being a small-scale farmer. Hannah Zwartz visited three very different growers in the fertile Kāpiti/Horowhenua hinterland, just north of Wellington.

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A vege revolution This area was once the city’s food-basket. And there is growing interest in local food and paddock-to-plate stories. Each of these growers, with a combination of horticultural skill, hard work, luck, and direct selling, is trying to find the sweet spot where their produce is affordable and commercially viable, and to figure out how to make small-scale farming sustainable – financially, environmentally and in terms of human workload.

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ow do you farm without owning land? On the fringes of Ōtaki, in a scene straight from Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood, two young farmers are growing vegetables as an act of revolution.

Crooked Vege’s Tae Luke-Hurley and Jonathan Mines found their patch of land with the help of a group called Village Agrarians, who (among other things) match landowners with landless farmers. “They’re addressing the issue of people who have more land than they need, but want to do something productive with it, and the issue of people who can’t afford to get onto the land but have the energy to do something with it,” says Jon. “We knew there were lots of life stylers out there with more land than they can manage, but how do you connect to those people?”

In the end it was surprisingly easy, and the response was huge. “We thought that we would have to work really hard to make it happen, but I think after our post went up I went and made dinner, and missed about 27 phone calls.”

Choosing the right piece of land was important. “We did a big trip around the country in our van and chose Ōtaki because we met local growers with a collaborative mindset, saying how can we help.” Locals are very open to sharing tools and resources, says Jon; and the huge range of skills needed to run a small farm – from construction to drainage to accounting, sales and distribution logistics – means that cooperation makes a whole lot of sense. The relationship with the landowners (who live on site, across an old pear orchard being converted to a food forest), is also critical. There is a lease agreement, but it’s also a relationship of trust. “It’s kind of a crazy thing to do with people you don't know – move into their back paddock.”

When I visit, the pair have been living on the land for just six weeks, in a caravan without power or running water. But with help from a team of mates, they’ve already established several hundred square metres of beds in cover crops – buckwheat and Burseem clover, and a mixture of linseed, daikon, broad beans, barley, oats, hairy vetch, blue

lupin and rye. The ground is heavy clay with a mat of dense buttercup. It’s fertile, but the structure has been damaged by cattle, creating waterlogging issues.

Crooked Vege are using no-dig techniques to develop beds; first, pasture is mown low, then ‘tarped’ – covered with black plastic for several months to knock back weeds.

Cardboard is then laid down and covered in a layer of compost into which cover crops are sown. Applications of calcium will slowly loosen the soil structure and reduce acidity, helping the microbial life that’s crucial to the soil and plant health.

Cover crops, also called green manures, are a way of building up the soil without having to buy expensive compost (Crooked Vege are a low budget operation – Jon jokes about having to ration duct tape.) A tunnel house already on site is being used to grow mixed greens for the restaurant trade, and winter will be spent building up the soil and developing infrastructure. A water supply, a portacabin, and a wash station will mean they can hit the ground running with vege planting when the ground warms up in spring.

Jon and Tae are experimenting with polycropping, interplanting main crops of celery, kale, and silverbeet with faster-growing side crops of radish, pak choi, parsley, spring onion, and rocket. They have years of experience in this sort of small-scale market gardening, most recently in Taranaki, but, as each piece of land is different, they’re customising software to input exact planting dates and growing times for this particular terroir.

Before returning to New Zealand Jon was working in film, and taking breaks working on organic farms across Europe, and he found that was what he enjoyed more.

“I emailed every interesting-looking farm in the UK and Ireland, and ended up on a permaculture farm in Ireland just as the pandemic started.” Over lockdown, the stay became a crash course in all aspects of organic growing, looking after 600 square metres of market garden, an acre

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of food forest and two acres of woodland. “I also learned a lot about burnout – work on a farm never stops, and many farmers work 60–70 hour weeks.”

Sustaining human energy is an important part of farming, he says. “It’s a creatively and environmentally connected way of engaging with the world, but if you’re stressed all the time you’re not going to be making the best decisions.”

As their name suggests, Crooked Vege are planning an unconventional set up – a “Robin Hood” business model.

Selling herbs and niche vegetables to high-end restaurants will help fund a social enterprise, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) vege boxes. Subscribers signing

up to buy the farm’s produce will get fresh food, with a knowledge of how it’s being produced, and put their money directly into the hands of the farmers, who can then concentrate on growing rather than marketing.

The farm is already certified with Organic Farm NZ; there’s a perception that organic food is expensive, but that’s not always true, says Jon. “Plus it’s better, nicer, fresher, harvested that day, local, all those good things, and far less destructive to the environment.” Direct selling of vege boxes means produce is fresher and there’s less wastage, making it more affordable, he says. Online and social media sales make this distribution model possible.

“It closes the gap, or evens the playing field, to counteract

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the scales of efficiency that gives large scale commercial agriculture an advantage.”

Rather than growing high quality food for people with Teslas, they aim to make fresh food affordable by offering a sliding, pay-what-you-can scale. “If only rich people can afford environmentally friendly food then we’re kinda f****d.”

Crooked Vege also aims to have a social output, and would love to see their farm become a community place, reconnecting people with food systems. A “community carb” project is planned, to grow potatoes, pumpkin and kamokamo in a third of the farm’s total space. “It could be a communal exercise, where everybody comes and plants, turns up a few times over the season for a bit of weeding

and earthing up, then everyone comes and harvests together.” Salads are financially viable to grow for sale on a small scale, he says, because of the high value and quick turnaround, but for slower growing crops like potatoes it’s impossible to compete with a tractor.

But food grown by conventional methods is only cheaper because growers are not paying their environmental bill, says Jon. “It’s way more labour intensive to grow this way, and labour is expensive. We want people to earn close to a respectable wage.” Many small growers are working for below minimum wage, or relying on unpaid labour, he says. “There’s a way larger political and social issue here in making food more equitable for everyone.”

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Through thorns to awards

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now looks awfully close on the Tararua range, and down in Neville Chun’s citrus orchard near Levin, yuzu harvest is in full swing. Though most citrus trees hate the cold, yuzu grow in mountainous parts of Korea and Japan where winter temperatures regularly drop to minus 15 degrees. This year, Neville hopes to harvest two to three tonnes of the fruit, which retail for over $2 each.

The yuzu story is about skill, hard work and perseverance, with a good measure of excellent timing.

When Neville first planted yuzu, nobody in New Zealand knew what it was, he says: “It was like a swear word – up your yuzu.” Now, his harvest is largely pre-sold to specialist food and beverage makers, who use the intensely flavoured juice and rind in oils, beer and spirits.

The idea came from Junko, Neville’s beloved late wife.

From a trip home to see family in Japan, she returned with a few yuzu seeds. In Japan, the fruit are prized for their juice and zest. They are made into condiments, and even floated in a hot bath for fragrant stress relief. Yuzu zest is sprinkled onto salads or noodles, or used in drinks or baking, while whole fruit are made into a syrup, yuzu cha, for desserts or drinks.

The seeds Junko brought back didn’t sprout, but they set Neville (then working in the family business, Zenith Garden Centre) on a hunt for yuzu trees. He found them in the catalogue of a citrus supplier, who didn’t know what they were. “He had them listed in the ornamental section; he was going to dump them, because nobody wanted them, they were so thorny and sour.” Neville bought all 80 plants, which became his mother-stock for propagation.

Horticulture clearly runs in Neville’s veins. The family history, as recounted by Neville’s uncle Stan Chun in his 2020 memoir Newtown Boy, tracks from a Lambton Quay fruit shop in 1895, to market gardens, and eventually the Zenith Garden Centres. Neville still has a large home nursery and a side hustle selling fruit trees (as well as a flourishing sourdough operation – one rule of farming is to never depend on one crop to pay all your bills, he tells me). He grows all types of fruit trees, but has a special love for citrus. “They have it all really – form, fragrance and fruit.”

The citrus family is notoriously promiscuous, he says, cross-fertilising readily to make endless variations

between mandarin, grapefruit, lime, orange, tangelo, pomelo, and lemon. Neville grows many of them, including Australian finger limes (“they’re more of a garnish fruit, really”) and large Ponderosa lemons weighing 2kg each. Yuzu stand out from the crowd, however, as a distinctive species; their flavour has notes of lemon, lime, mandarin and grapefruit, but some of the oils they contain are found nowhere else in nature.

Yuzu fruit have a lumpy, soft rind with big oil glands, like a bad case of acne, and the pith and seeds are large relative to the amount of flesh. Leaves look like the makrut (“kaffir”) lime, and branches are covered with long, sharp thorns.

Having propagated the yuzu trees, Neville and Junko looked for land, and found the one-hectare Levin block about 16 years ago. “We were looking up here because of the high price of land closer to Wellington, but it’s also very good land, a good growing environment and beautiful loamy soil.” Originally a sheep and horse paddock, it’s now planted with rows of yuzu alongside specimens of walnut and chestnut trees, persimmons and cider apples, other citrus, and a few rows of feijoas.

There’s also a secondary crop, in early summer, of ume (a Japanese apricot used as a health food, pickled, or in alcohol.)

In recent years Neville has helped set up three other yuzu orchards, including what he believes to be the country’s southernmost citrus orchard, attached to a hop farm in Murchison.

In Japan, Neville says, yuzu orchards are family operations, with grandparents and children involved in caring for the trees. The fruit’s soft skin is easily damaged by the long thorns. In Japan, families carefully prune thorns away to create space around each fruit, to preserve perfectly unblemished skin; in New Zealand, he says, labour costs make this impossible. Besides, a few lesions on the skin are not such a big deal when the fruit are mainly processed for rind and juice.

One thing he won’t allow on the skins, however, is chemical residue, “because the peel is the part of the fruit you eat.” The orchard has been certified with Organic Farms NZ for four or five years, meaning strict controls on pesticides and weedkillers. “That’s important to us, though it sometimes makes life harder,” says Neville.

They use fish-based liquid fertiliser, interplant trees with

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comfrey and marigolds, and add biological innoculants for a healthy soil biome.

Picking is done in two stages, starting in April for the green fruit (which helps thin out the crop). Green rind is used in yuzu kosho, a specialty Japanese condiment fermented for several months from chillies, salt, and green yuzu peel. Aromatic, spicy, and intensely citrusy, it can be added to soups or mixed with tamari to make Ponzu dipping sauce.

The second pick is in May when fruit are yellow but still with a green tinge. It’s a slow-motion operation, resembling some sort of steady-hand test, or a tai chi move executed wearing elbow-length leather gauntlets. You have to spot the fruit, plan your move, and backtrack the path of your hand exactly to get it out from amongst the thorns, says Neville. “The thorns are long and sharp and if the tip breaks off under your skin, which they tend to do, it will be

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festering for weeks.” Neville, and his son William, have the scars to prove it. Because of this hazard, trees are hardpruned to an open vase shape. Easier picking, without ladders, is a good trade-off for the smaller crop.

With no business plan, but good timing, Neville has created a local market for the fruit. Their best sales connection came about by chance. A customer picking up an online order from Neville’s home nursery noticed the yuzu trees. “‘Give me a call if you ever have any yuzu fruit to sell,’ he said, ‘I brew beer in my garage.’ Yeah right, I thought.”

A few years on, Peter Gillespie of Garage Project brewery bought the entire inaugural yuzu crop and turned it into award-winning WabiSabi Sour beer. Neville continues to supply Garage Project, along with gin maker Dr Beak, and an olive grower who crushes the peel with olives to create another award winner.

Sprig + Fern Tawa

Nestled in the small, outer suburb of Tawa sits a Sprig + Fern Tavern with an enormous heart – and a pretty big beer garden, too!

Sprig + Fern Tawa has a lot on offer in its spacious surrounds, with a warm environment, a friendly team, a sizeable and sheltered beer garden (dog-friendly!), an incredible menu of small and large plates, and – of course – nineteen taps of award-winning craft beer and cider, from just across Cook Strait in Nelson.

Managed by Tawa local, Charlie Aldred, Sprig + Fern Tawa has the community at its core.

Q. We know the locals love it - why should others make the short drive out to Sprig + Fern Tawa?

Sprig + Fern Tawa is a beautiful little gem, conveniently sat right on the main road of one of Wellington’s best suburbs.

It’s located just a hop, skip and a jump from Redwood Station - the second stop on the Kapiti line, coming from the city – so leave the car at home, we’re very convenient to get to. All the better to enjoy a few beers!

Q. What’s your favourite beer on tap right now?

Q. What do you love most about living in Tawa?

A. There’s lots to love about Tawa, but without doubt it’s the strong sense of community. The Tavern is a great hub for conversation and catching up.

to be the Sunday Roast.

A. This might seem cliché, but my favourite beer is Best Bitter.

It’s recently picked up a Gold medal at the Australian International Beer Awards, so it’s not only me that thinks it’s great!

Q. What item off the food menu are you pairing that with?

A. Best Bitter goes well with a few meals on our menu, like the Beef & Porter Pie or the steak. My favourite pairing has

Opening Hours: Tue-Sun: 11:30am-10pm

Facebook: facebook.com/ sprigandferntawa

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An artists' view of the land

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live trees are thriving at Waikōkopu Grove, their roots entwined in the rich alluvial silt and stones of a former riverbed. Grower Huhana Smith also has deep roots in this whenua through whakapapa connections with the Wehipeihana whanau and several hapū of Ngāti Tukorehe, affiliated with Ngāti Raukawa ki Tonga.

The farm is named for the Waikōkopu stream, which winds to join the Tikorangi, Kuku, and Mangananao streams on their way to Kuku beach, between Ōtaki and Levin. Originally forest, dunes, and wetlands, these are some of the best soils in the country. Large orchards and gardens were established in the mid-19th century, feeding whalers and traders as well as hapū. The area became a food basket for Wellington, controlled by hapū with their own clipper ships, flour mills, and cultivations between Ōhau and Ōtaki. Relentless pressure led to alienation of the land from Ngāti Tukorehe. In 2006 however Dr Smith, with her partner Richard Anderson, bought back a six-hectare block once owned by her hapū, intending to grow food again.

“When we bought the land there was nothing but grass and five boxthorn trees,” she says. Their first decision was to stop the annual digger work turning streams into ditches or drains. Instead, the couple embarked on large-scale planting to help heal the land and restore the water quality.

The first 200 olive trees were planted in July 2006, and more followed in 2009, to form a large grove of Frantoio and Leccino trees tucked behind the former Kuku dairy factory, within cooee of SH1. Their oil, winning a gold medal on first pressing in 2021, is crushed in Greytown and bottled in the farmhouse scullery. Here Smith also makes other preserves, such as roasted figs with balsamic vinegar. “The figs are a bit of a superfood, heaps of iron and fibre,” she says.

As well as olives and many types of figs, Waikōkopu Grove has a few sheep and goats, an extensive home garden with abundant red peppers, and trees of pears, apples, nashi and long, oval Chinese quinces. The oil and preserves are direct-sold only, at local markets or online. Smith is looking at adding new seasonal products as the business grows.

The olives are harvested in early winter. Then some trees are heavily pruned to re-invigorate them and make for easier care. Other pruning is done with a pole saw, taking

out dead branches over winter (a backbreaking job in July and August). There’s also regular fertilising with organic trace minerals and biological innoculants and, this year, a spreading of biochar.

Biochar turns the olivewood prunings into superporous charcoal in special kilns, in a smoke-free pyrolitic process. As well as locking up (sequestering) the carbon, the biochar becomes a valuable soil conditioner when inoculated with compost/seaweed tea to make an ideal habitat for beneficial microorganisms. Biochar has the potential to sequester carbon on a huge scale, says Smith, for instance using forestry “slash”.

This is all part of a larger project with artist collective Te Waituhi ā Nuku. Sacks filled with biochar will be sunk into Waikōkopu stream, cleaning the water by sucking up excess nitrogen and phosphorus. A hemp/wool weed mat, for winter plantings of the stream banks, has also been printed with biochar paint.

It’s just one example of how land restoration, kai growing, art, mātauranga Māori, and scientific investigation are entwined here for Smith and Anderson.

In her day job, Dr Smith is Professor and Head of Art at Massey University. A painter, her art and research also takes the form of environmental projects collaborating with iwi, farmers, artists, hydrologists, ecologists, GIS and drone mappers, landscape architects and climate scientists – work that saw her awarded an MNZOM this year for services to the environment.

The couple have been involved in major dune/wetland restoration over the past 21 years with Ngāti Tukorehe, turning a cow-pugged wetland behind the Kuku beach dunes into a coastal forest. Smith is also involved in research projects about processing harakeke into fabric; on solutions to climate change for communities along the coast between Manawatū and Taranaki, combining mātauranga Māori methods with science; and a GIS/drone mapping of iwi-owned Tahamata farm at Kuku beach.

Whether it’s land research, environmental research, whakapapa research, or growing kai, her work has in common that it’s whenua-based, she says. “It’s busy, but I like busy. It’s meaningful and purposeful.”

Rather than just responding to serious, complex issues – environmental degradation and climate change – she’s oriented to accessible solutions for local communities.

Artists have a crucial role, she says, because of their ability to think, and express ideas, visually.

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Ngā Pae Māhutonga Wellington School of Design

Challenge traditional boundaries of textiles and create new surfaces that impact on social, environmental and cultural opportunities.

Create surface solutions using various mediums, established and emerging technologies, and processes including weave, knit, dye, embroidery and print.

Contact us now contact@massey.ac.nz | 0800 Massey

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Study Textile Design

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STATE OF THE ART

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he biggest change for Miriama Grace-Smith since she spoke to Capital in summer 2016 (Cap #29) was closing the Foresight store and label. “ I hadn’t realised how much time I would need to spend in the store every day to help it reach its full potential. This meant I didn’t have much time to put into my other creative work,” she explains. “I learnt a lot. That experience has helped me become the artist I am today.”

And she’s now a muralist. “I never really had planned to be, but love it! And I also get to work with my now best friends, talented wāhine Xoë Hall and Gina Kiel, as a member of our art collective ‘Dream Girls Collective’.” In 2020 Miriama, Gina, and Xoë were asked to create a mural

at a co-working space in Wellington called two/fiftyseven.

“We decided to create a mural together. I didn’t say anything but I was super nervous to collaborate with Gina and Xoë. They are incredibly talented and I didn’t have much mural experience. We created this mural together and just vibed we had so much fun.” The work continued to come, and “we continue to vibe and create.”

Miriama has a bunch of projects coming up. “One with my Nana Patricia Grace, for a Matariki event in Porirua City, and we have a few ‘Dream Girls Collective’ projects coming up too. I hope to continue to grow as an artist as well as learn the art of balance. I love my mahi but think it’s super important to put time aside for rest too!.”

Photography supplied

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he Sealion was built as an army supply vessel in South Australia. It was a family houseboat for about 15 years, then had a short career as a party charter. Then the “fatigued old boat” was moored at Queens Wharf. When Capital came calling in the summer of 2022 (Cap #75), it was home to four creatives in their mid-20s: Simon Van der Zeyden, Dylan Pyle, Ollie Hutton, and GiGi Crayford, and the base for their floating art collective, the Sealion Community. Alas, last winter the Sealion sank in Wellington Harbour. It could not be refloated, and salvage crews have since lifted it from the seabed and disposed of it.

Photography by Harriet Leake

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ougal Dunlop (middle right) (Cap #45) has been teaching people to swim for close to 60 years. “As long as I can walk up and down the pool, and as long as the kids want to keep coming, I’ll keep going.” He’s still “flat out” and has no plans to stop, though he has cut back to five days a week.

Dougal has some special magic for those who need a bit more attention, often working with children with disabilities or children in care. “I let them do it their way. I help them get their confidence first and then they start to figure it out for themselves. They become new kids. Seeing the smile on their face when they swim a length by themself for the first time? I’ll never get sick of it.” Dougal also co-ordinates the early morning swimgroup, Washing Machines.

Photography by Sanne Van Ginkel

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rtist, musician, actor, mum? How do you describe Moana Ete? “Mo from Wellington is how I lead when meeting new people or groups, and trust that it's enough for strangers to really understand my whole vibe and wider context.”

Early in 2017 (Cap #38), we wrote about Mo. Soon afterwards she spotted that very issue on the coffee table while viewing a flat in Newtown. When the Property Manager asked what she did for work, she picked up the magazine and showed them the feature. “I felt so much more legitimate saying I was an artist, even though at the time I was working lots of little day jobs to make ends meet. I signed the lease the next day.” And she’s still there.

Since then? Mo’s changed her music moniker from A Girl Named Mo to Mo Etc, been in Avatar, and had three singles and music videos funded by NZ On Air. In 2019 she wrote the script and the music for Capital’s theatrical fine dining event Te Wheke – “a massive story and beautiful night.” In 2020 she won the Arts Foundation Springboard Award, and also became the voice of the covid campaign. In 2021 she recorded and released an album, Oceanbed. This year she starred in a Piki Films short and released an EP called Buoys. But the biggest high has been watching her son “grow up healthy and whole in a place as diverse and colourful as Newtown.”

hen the Associate Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra spoke to Capital in the spring of 2019 (Cap #66), he wasn’t what you’d expect. Hamish McKeich was an anti-maestro, calling that old behaviour pattern “insulting” and “bullshit”. He was rolling out his party-style Shed Series gigs to very appreciative crowds and leading “new music” group Stroma.

He was about to fly out to some international engagement, but was off to have a beer with his mates first.

Two years later Hamish had a traumatic brain injury. An artery inside his skull burst, and bled into his brain. His speech was affected, though not too badly, and he lost control of his right leg and arm.

Six months later he was conducting again. Now the NZSO's Principal Conductor in Residence, Hamish is busy with concerts and recording, with the ballet and the opera, and proving that he’s still a major player. “It’s hard to sell yourself as a one-armed conductor,” he laughs. “I should be taking it easy, but it's not possible. I want to conduct as well as or better than before. I want to make orchestras more relevant and inclusive.” The Shed Series? “Yes, once the Town Hall reopens, you can expect the Shed Series to be part of that.” He sounds just as busy as before. “I’ve learnt you have to live life, because you don’t know what will happen. Whatever you want to do, do it now.”

Photography by Anna Briggs

Photography by Anna Briggs

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www.craggyrange.com

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TB EY N T O H U E T B O FO KT E N

BIGGER PICTURE

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n 2021, the Capital Photographer of the Year (CPotY) was launched.

Inspired by a suggestion from local Mazz Scannell and designed to address the absence of a photography competition in Wellington, CPotY came into existence.

What developed was a flurry of photos from the public; each a window into the lives of people around the region. From landscapes and portraits, to mobile and triptychs, CPotY has evolved into an outlet for visual storytelling.

From the 3,700 photos submitted to Capital Photographer of the Year, a few have stuck with judging convenor Shalee Fitzsimmons. Including this shot by George Stanilands of a Carterton Dairy, entered into the Structure category in 2021.

CPotY has now become a biennial competition, the next one is set for next year, so keep your eyes peeled for when entries open early 2024.

Photography by George Staniland

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Immerse yourself in a world of natural beauty

Be inspired at kapiticoastnz.com

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B U G

M E

Green shield bug

BY M E LO DY T H O M A S

Name: Australasian Green Shield Bug. Also known as stink bug or New Zealand vegetable bug.

Scientific name: Glaucias amyoti (Family pentatomidae) Status: Native, not threatened.

Description: Glaucias amyoti is a bright apple-green, shield-shaped bug that grows up to 18mm long. Beetles of the family pentatomidae are often called “stink bugs” for the strong smell they emit when handled.

This chemical is likely used as a deterrent to predators, to avoid being eaten.

Habitat: Found throughout the North Island of Aotearoa and the Nelson and Marlborough areas of the South Island, glaucias amyoti use their piercing and sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap and berries. They are considered a pest of vegetable, arable, fruit, and nut crops, feeding on developing seeds and the stems and foliage of fruit trees.

Look/listen: During winter, adults will hunker down against the cold under foliage and bark. But they will sometimes come out to bask in the sun, when it appears. Keep an eye out on warmer winter days, and take a cue yourself: when the clouds part and the sun appears, get outside and get some Vitamin D. Tell me a story: While the Australasian Green Shield Bug poses no threat to New Zealand, its relative the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) certainly does. This bug is at the top of MPI’s list of potential biosecurity risks, for its potential to decimate our fruit and vegetable industries, should it become established. The BMSB looks very similar to a number of harmless New Zealand stink bugs, so check out the MPI website for a handy sheet on how to tell the difference, and what to do if you ever think you’ve found one.

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E D I B L E S

S O C I A L

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Take a bao

BY J O H N B R I ST E D P H OTO G R A P H Y BY JACO B P I E T R A S

Modern Asian “street food” sharing-plate restaurants are appearing all over Wellington. Dean White was in early.

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hen I first met Dean White he was a student at Otago University. Then, he was the very young manager of Plato, a smart waterside seafood restaurant in Dunedin. Not too many years later he owns three Wellington restaurants and a charity space. His flagship, Mr Go’s, is re-opening soon in the city’s foody area, in Hannah’s Lane.

How did you do it? asks John Bristed.

I’ve always worked. My parents gave me pocket money, for things like stacking firewood, cleaning the deck or the cars, mowing the lawns. When I was seven, I started building a treehouse. A lot of my earnings went into materials for it. By the time I was 12 it had two platforms over three trees.

Who influenced your attitude to money?

Probably my dad. My parents are careful spenders. As an adult I’ve also decided that “you get what you pay for’’.

As a kid, what did you think you might become?

Like many five-to ten-year-olds, I imagined I’d be in the police.

Is that police mentality part of being a restaurant owner?

You could probably say counsellor. Or mentor. But a policeman? Yes, in a way.

Where did you start?

I was 12 and at Wellesley College. We lived in Korokoro so I got part-time work at the Dowse Museum Café which wasn’t too far away. Then I moved on to Chocolate Dayz in Days Bay. By the time I was in the sixth form at Wellington College I was working part time at Maranui Cafe as a kitchen hand. I was full time there after I left school. Then I had a spell at Parliament as a catering events supervisor. It was a very good gap year and I blew quite a lot of my savings having a good time. I left to go to university.

I did commerce at Otago. In my second year in Dunedin I picked up a part time waiting job at Plato. I was promoted to maître d’, then restaurant manager, and during my third year

there I spent six months working full time as well as studying full time. That was too hard. I had to leave the job so I could finish my degree in the three years.

Plato had a famously difficult pair of customers?

Even though they came in at least once a week they’d still want all the same specials read out to them. They’d ask endless questions about the food, and every single time they’d ask for a couple of items that weren’t on the menu.

Are awkward customers like that worth the trouble?

Yes, we need regular customers. As long as they’re fair and reasonable. I think those kinds of characters make hospitality.

I hear you met your wife at Plato?

It was serendipity. We met at a party outside Plato. We discovered that we both worked there as wait staff, but on different days. We’ve been solid partners ever since. She’s my favourite critic. We were married two years ago.

So what brought you back to Wellington?

Home. After university I did four years selling for a smallgoods manufacturer, then I moved to Auckland, and worked with Bird on a Wire. They asked me to run one of their chicken restaurants in Wellington on a franchise deal.

But I realised then that I’d rather have my own business. I had a bit of a concept in the back of my head, and leased the space in Taranaki Street where in 2016 I started Mr Go’s.

Where did you get the money to set up Mr Go’s?

I remortgaged my house. I bought a house quite young; then, I needed only a 5% deposit. If it wasn’t for that I don’t think I’d be where I am today. Every dollar went into the restaurant. But it worked. We were open for only 10 weeks before the Kaikoura earthquake hit. Luckily, we had business interruption insurance, which gave us a very large financial boost. We were closed for about four months. It was not something you could plan for, and to be honest, it was the lump sum that really meant we were properly set up.

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E D I B L E S

How did you pick Mr Go, the Haining Street gardener you’ve made into a tiny legend, for your business name?

I was doing up my house in Newtown, and found all kinds of relics under the floorboards, bottles, old newspapers and so on. I came across old articles about people in the area around Mt Cook and the war memorial, and there was the story of Ah Go. He was one of the market gardeners who were pushed out by Western settlers. I decided he deserved a bit of respect and so he’s Mr Go.

How do you determine the optimal price for menu items?

What would I be willing to pay?

What’s the most important quality in a restaurateur?

In the end it’s financial discipline. Otherwise you’re not going to keep the doors open.

How do you deal with suppliers?

Pay people on time, pay your suppliers on time. That always gives you a level of respect, because not everyone does. And they listen to you more. And, you’ve just got to shop around.

Why do you like restaurants? Is it the food, or the people, or the money?

I’d say it’s the food, but I love the energy. When you see an empty restaurant it’s just another room. Fill it with staff and customers from all walks of life, and they bring that energy. So, probably, people.

How do you handle customer complaints and ensure they leave satisfied?

Customer complaints in house are the easiest ones to solve.

You figure out whether it’s a personal preference or a muck up and that’s quite easy to resolve in house. When friends ask “Should I do a restaurant review?” I say, “If you loved it, absolutely”. It’s great feedback. If you didn’t love it, contact the restaurant and say why; give them the chance to make amends. If that response isn’t good, then go ahead and do a review.

How do you manage a large staff?

Since Mr Go’s opened we’ve bought Ombra which is a tapas style restaurant, but Italian, and started Kisa, which is Middle Eastern. There’s also LTD, sublet five days a week as a pay-asyou-feel charity restaurant. We’ve now got 115 staff, and an HR Manager. Before that I struggled along with them all, but now it’s a different relationship. Probably about 40 of our staff I haven’t interviewed.

Have you got any concerns about the future of the hospitality scene in Wellington?

Yes, we’re different from many cities. If you compare us to Auckland, a lot of our hospitality is in the CBD. And when I say CBD, I include Te Aro. Rents we pay here are substantially more than say, Ponsonby Road; the cost to build is high, rates are high, so what we have to pay in rent to compensate a landlord is high, and that’s a key concern.

Do you know all their names?

I do. There are probably five that I haven’t met yet, but I think I’d know their name if I saw them. To know them all by name is a goal of mine.

Have you borrowed more money or taken on partners?

Both. I borrowed more money and I’ve two silent partners in Mr Go’s.

What does and doesn’t work with Wellington on a Plate I believe that you need a reason to dine out, an event, an anniversary or birthday, and that aspect of Wellington on a Plate works. There’s discord regarding the quite large fees (up to $1,500) restaurants pay to take part in Wellington on a Plate and the cost of running it. There’s ongoing friction and it doesn’t work. I think that the restaurants feel they do more than enough for the city for those fees to be lower or insignificant.

How or where do you find an outstanding head chef?

You hope the new head chef already works for you and so you promote him or her. You just have to hope you’ve chosen well.

Restaurants have brands and identity, but people’s preferences change. How do you deal with that?

During covid people learnt to cook more and they learnt more about different flavours and tastes. You really have to just keep up with the movement. What was cool or hot five years ago may not be any more. You’ve got to do a fair amount of travel.

What advice would you give to somebody who started out in the restaurant industry?

It’s probably as hard to run a small business as it as a big business. There are still the same difficulties. I’d say go bigger. If you can finance it. Focus on what you’re good at.

Do you have investments other than restaurants?

Any plans to expand?

Only Kiwisaver, and no.

Where do you get your interesting Eastern and Asian influences?

There are good sharp restaurants in Australia, also Los Angeles and London. Our chefs’ concepts have to be distinctive. You’ve got to research.

Vaibhav Vishen (former head chef at Mr Go’s), and now the man behind Indian street food restaurant Chaat Street, says, “Dean has been a great mentor: He took four of us to Sydney for a couple of days to research the restaurant scene there. I thought we might manage six restaurants. We visited about 30! In each one we ordered every dish on the menu; everything was tasted.’’

What has been your greatest day in a restaurant?

After Mr Go’s had been open for about two years, we decided to renovate it and make it larger. We were closed for exactly one week. It was a big ask. We were up to our eyeballs doing it. I didn’t sleep for 120 hours.

And because we were trying to finish the paintwork we weren’t able to open until very late, at 5pm. Sometimes you wonder if it’s worth it. But we opened the doors and half an hour later the whole place was full of customers.

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GET A TASTE OF TARANAKI Discover chic restaurants, cosy wine bars, award-winning breweries, and laid-back coastal eats. Don’t miss Feastival, with five days of decadent experiences that uncover the rich seasonal bounty found right around the maunga. Now is the perfect time to plan your epicurean escape to Taranaki.

WHAT’S ON TSB Festival of Lights Winter Pop Up - 13 - 16 Jul NIGHTLIGHT Festival - 13 - 15 Jul Feastival - 2 - 6 Aug

Taranaki Garden Festival – 27 Oct – 5 Nov NZ Tattoo & Art Festival - 25 - 26 Nov

Make a weekend of it! taranaki.co.nz/visit AN INITIATIVE OF VENTURE TARANAKI

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H T E T EB NY OT U

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B O O F OT KE N

FOOD PAIRINGS

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ndrea and Roman first spoke to Capital way back in 2013 (Cap #8). Moore Wilson’s had just started stocking their Fix & Fogg peanut butter and they were producing 400 jars a week. Things have certainly changed. “Now, jars of Fix & Fogg can be found across the world on shelves in Australia, the United States, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Samoa, and even Tahiti,” says Andrea.

One of their proudest achievements was becoming the first B-Corporationcertified food brand in New Zealand.

“It shows we care about what we do.”

Photography by Benjamin & Elise

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Photography supplied

Photography by Ashley Alexander

laire and Troy of Tora Collective were generous hosts when Capital visited them on the Wairarapa’s wild south coast in 2020 (Cap #73). Since then the couple have expanded their business and now supply sustainable harvested kaimoana nationwide.

They won gold medals at the Food Producers awards in 2021 and 2023, and have been recognised for their commitment to sustainability. They’ve also taken the plunge into hosting events at Tora. “Groups can harvest their own kai and savour some fresh hand-caught kaimoana in stunning, private locations,” says Claire.

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ydia and Mat started their hot sauce business, Apostle, “with a love of food and design, but not really any other experience in business,” says Lydia. The pair were just starting their journey when they spoke to Capital in 2020 (Cap #73) and “it’s been a huge learning curve”.

They recently secured an Australian distributor and this year finally moved out of a shared kitchen to a new space. “We no longer have to make sauce over the weekend, which has been a real game changer for our personal lives.” They’re working on new recipes, so watch this space.

E D I B L E S

KAI SUPPORT A biannual survey by the New Zealand Food Network has reported a 165% increase in the number of people using foodbanks since the start the pandemic. Currently the network is providing kai relief to 480,104 people each month through its partner food hubs, but they are struggling to meet demand. The rising cost of living was the main reason people gave for needing support. Food prices have risen by 12.1% in the last year.

SALAD DAYS

ONE FISH, TWO FISH

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

A slice of the Lyall Bay icon Queen Sally’s Diamond Deli is now available in the city centre. Queen Sally’s Salads is the latest food truck to set up shop in Moore Wilson’s College Street carpark. The former chook wagon has been given a pink and gold makeover. It has a weekly changing menu offering vegan and vegetarian salads, their popular spelt pie and muffins.

New Zealand's largest fishing company, Sanford, has announced it will sell most of its North Island inshore fishing rights to Moana New Zealand if approval is given by the New Zealand Commerce Commission.

The long-term arrangement has come after an unprofitable year for Sanford’s North Island inshore operations (inshore fisheries cover out to 12 nautical miles from the coast). Moana has a track record of successful inshore operations.

Kate Necklen has left her 20-year career in marketing to become a chocolate maker. She has launched Wonderland Chocolate, handmaking bean-to-bar, plant-based, cashew milk chocolate and caramels in a small factory in Lyall Bay. The name and whimsical packaging pays homage to the Wonderland Adventure Park – a Miramar amusement park that operated in the early 1900’s, known for its thrilling rides and firework displays.

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W E L LY I N A GLASS Boozy Welly on a Plate goodness is coming thick and fast.

Garage Project have teamed up with last year’s Burger Wellington champions, Chaat Street, to create a new brew.

Spiced hazy All India Permit was inspired by Chaat Street’s 2022 Dabeli burger and features a vibrant can design by truck artist Akhlaq Ahmad. It’ll be available alongside WOAP burgers in August (11–27). Also in August is the beer lovers’ event of the year – Beervana, bringing together dozens of local and international breweries, food vendors and performers in the Sky Stadium for a weird and wonderful weekend (18–19 August).

GOOD WINE

ACROSS THE DITCH

GOING UNDERGROUND

Hawkes Bay winery Craggy Range has taken the title of Top Winery of New Zealand for 2023 in the Real Review's wine awards. Craggy Range has ranked in the top four of the Real Review’s Top Wineries list since the awards inception in 2018. This year their 2020 vintage boosted them to the number one spot. A bunch of Martinborough wineries also featured high on the list, including Palliser Estate, Dry River Wines, Ata Rangi, Escarpment, and Margrain Vineyard.

Kiwi breweries cleaned up at the Australian International Beer Awards 2023. Sprig and Fern took home four awards, getting a gold medal for their Best Bitter, a silver for their Norty Porter (a chocolate porter), and bronze medals for their Broken Axe Scotch Ale and The G.O.A.T Doppelbock. Garage Project Brewery was named Champion Large International Brewery, while Auckland’s Behemoth won the mediumsized brewery award, and Taranaki’s Three Sisters Brewery was awarded Champion Small International Brewery.

Below the hustle and bustle of Willis Street is a brand-new food and entertainment precinct. Willis Lane (opening at the end of July) occupies the winding network of historic tunnels under Willis Street, where there was once a mall. The 4,000sqm space will house bars, eateries and restaurants, such as Foo Du dumplings, and Crack Chicken, as well as a mini-golf course, bowling alley and arcade. Auckland brewery Behemoth will be opening their first Wellington bar, Churly's.

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Carmen, a tribute to a Wellington icon Cake It Forward

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Why have one birthday cake when you E Dcan I B L E S

have seven? We asked clever local bakers to

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whisk up a special cake for our big day.

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E D I B L E S

Noughts and crosses spiced chocolate biscuits

BY G U S B R I ST E D

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hese bikkies are famous at Capital HQ as an absolute top-tier addition to morning tea. As a birthday present to us, we asked Gus Bristed, our distribution specialist, to share this secret recipe so our readers can enjoy it as much as we do. Soft-

textured cookies, packed with chocolate chunks, and rounded off with a warming chilli kick, these biscuits are ideal for sweet and savoury palates alike. While a game of noughts and crosses gets boring after three rounds, these certainly won’t.

Makes about 34 Helpful items:

Method: 1. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla, beating until well combined.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and chilli powder. Add to the creamed mixture and combine.

3. Mix in the chocolate bits, and chill the mixture for 1 hour. (If you have strong-smelling things in your fridge, cover the mixture.)

4. Preheat your oven to 175°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

5. Sift the icing sugar and dusting cinnamon into a bowl and set aside.

6. Place tablespoon-sized balls of mixture on the lined trays, allowing room for spreading. On alternating rows, carve a broad cross or a circle on each biscuit. Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until the biscuits are just starting to brown on the base.

7. Carefully remove from the oven and let them cool till safe to move. Wire racks are not recommended unless the paper is placed entirely upon them. Gently place the warm biscuits in the icing sugar mixture, one at a time, then on another wire rack to cool completely.

- a silicone scraper - a small implement for cutting the cross - a small-mouthed glass to create the nought 200g butter, softened 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1¾ cups flour 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger 1⁄4 teaspoon chilli powder – be very precise or it will overwhelm 200g chocolate bits, or small chunks of chopped dark chocolate, ideally softened a little.

To outline the shapes and for dusting: 1⁄2 cup icing sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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IT SEEMS THE JUDGES WERE STUNNED. GolD aT THE BREWERS GUIlD of NEW ZEalaND aWaRDS.

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S P O N S O R E D

Kai to try The answer may not lie at the bottom of a can, but it can’t hurt to check.

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The Last Grand Pig Master of Palmerston North P H OTO G R PA H Y BY GW E N L I N

Food brings together communities to eat and reconnect. Jackie Lee Morrison investigates the Chinese tradition of pig roasting and goes to Manawatū to meet the man keeping it alive.

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odney Wong has held many titles in his life, from Director of Palmerston North International Airport to Trustee of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, Rodney is no stranger to leadership. But a title he’s especially proud of is Grand Pig Master of Palmerston North.

The first recorded Chinese immigrants to New Zealand during the gold rush came from what was then called Canton province (today’s Guangdong). Originally settling around Otago, they were subjected to fierce racial discrimination — at the 1867 Lawrence Chinese Camp they were banned from living within or even entering the borders of the town.

Traditionally, celebrations were marked by roasting whole pigs. Seeking to feed and connect with their whole community, immigrant Chinese communities built traditional brick pig ovens, shaped like a well.

Some of them would have been in constant use, but in the Manawatū, the immigrant families were from the Jeungseng or Poonyu regions, where meat was a luxury.

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Their roasts were reserved for weddings, Chinese New Year, special local family events, Christmas, and Easter.

At one time, there were roughly 100 pig ovens all around the country. Today, thanks to older masters dying, market garden land being sold, and fire zoning regulations, only a handful remain. In Palmerston North there were once 12 ovens. Now, there are three, and only one is usable. In Wellington, it is thought that there were three, two in Lower Hutt, and one in Te Aro. They are no longer in use.

Rodney learned to roast pigs in Napier when he began dating his wife, from her father, Yick Gee. “I think it was a rite of passage, for me to keep seeing his daughter.” Years later when they moved to Palmerston North, Rodney learned of the local pig ovens through involvement in the Manawatū Chinese Association. Although he was in his forties, he and two others decided to apprentice themselves to the Grand Pig Master of the time, JJ Chew, to preserve the legacy.

There are three steps to becoming a Pig Master. The

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first is to become a Fire Master, learning to tend the fire. Traditionally, this is the apprentice’s job, beginning at 5.30am. Next, you learn to butcher and marinade the pig — typically, they weigh around 40kg dressed. Finally, you learn to roast the pig. The roasting process takes two days.

Years ago, the pigs would have been raised on your land; these days Rodney gets them from the supermarket. This is not the only thing that has changed.

“The original recipe was equal parts salt, sugar, and Chinese five spice. Over the last 10 years we’ve changed and added to it. We had to do it slowly so that the local community wouldn’t notice.”

And the local community are the people they need to please. They know the flavour well, thanks to fundraising efforts by the Manawatū Chinese Association in the 1960s. Their monthly dinners back then would attract 200–300 people from all over the country — Chinese and Pākehā, many from Wellington — and they’d roast three pigs: a couple to serve at the dinner, and the remainder to raffle or auction off, the most prized parts being the bones and head. People would also order roast pigs for family events, driving from Wellington to Palmerston North and back.

Roasting this way takes a huge amount of effort

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and time, and not every roast is successful. “At some stage, you will have a failure — you lift it out of the oven and the meat falls off the bones. There’s nothing you can do. But we don’t talk about those.”

When JJ Chew died 10 years ago, Rodney became the Grand Pig Master. But since then, nobody has been apprenticed to him — not for lack of inclination, but for lack of ovens. Private ownership of the land where ovens are built will mean that they’re eventually destroyed, and the tradition will be carried on only if those with the know-how build and maintain new ovens.

Once the pig comes out of the oven, Rodney’s final task as the Grand Pig Master is to take a knife, slice off a piece, and taste it. Then he passes the knife to the next person in line. “It’s not like we only have one knife — we’ve got plenty — but it’s those little things that build up the community. It shows respect, restraint: all those things of value and effort.”

It may be a dying art, but it’s a very special one, for the community. “When you roast a pig, you get a crowd — about 20–30 people. And when you have that number of people who come just to see the old traditional way of cooking, they talk, and they remember.”

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There’s No Such Thing As An Easy Job

15 APRIL - 16 JULY

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here have been some big changes since Felicity Donaldson aka Wundaire graced Capital pages in early 2017 (Cap #39). Then the ceramicist was pregnant with her first child and living in Wellington. Now she’s moved over the hill to Greytown, with her husband and two young boys. “I have a studio at home where I can escape and potter away.” Children mean adapting, but “pottery is so flexible. I can pop out to the studio, turn on the kiln and tend to things, without leaving home.”

For 18 months Wundaire has been exploring a “fun new medium”, kiln glass. “There have been some epic failures and some glimmers of hope,” says Felicity. Her new glass work will be available in Spring.

Photography by Olivia Lamb

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icola Willis chatted to Capital in 2018 (Cap #54). At the time, she was a newly inducted National Party list MP and spokesperson on Early Childhood Education. Today she’s Deputy Leader of the National Party and Finance Spokesperson. Looking back, Nicola says, “I was full of excitement and the promise of what I would be able to do and I can genuinely say that I have loved every day since.” She didn’t anticipate this responsibility at this stage of her life. “I’m more determined than ever to be part of a government that can make changes for the better for the country. I’m just as excited.” Nicola’s four kids are a bit older now, but they still keep her grounded.

“I’m grateful for the reality of school dramas, and family struggles, and Lego!” she laughs.

Photography by Rosa Woods

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G O T TA TYPE? Serving as tributes to the city, permanent typographical sculptures featuring quotations from 23 authors are placed along the waterfront to form the Wellington Writers Walk. Eleven are from poems; others read like poems. In a competition for National Poetry Day, 25 August, the Writers Walk and NZ Society of Authors’ Wellington branch invite you to write some lines responding to one of five poetic prompts from the quotations. The comp closes August; authors.org.nz/wellington-branch.

On Poetry Day, drop by a “reading salon” where prizes will be awarded, and poets will read.

FATHER AND DAUGHTER

BESIDE THE SEA

PAGES FOR ALL AGES

The Cuba Press book Dad, You’ve Got Dementia by Wellington poet Kristen Phillips is heartwarming, and even humorous at times. Short, lyrical chapters offer snapshots of Kristen’s relationship with her late father Don as he dealt with mid and end-stage dementia. Much of the text comes from their conversations, by phone and in person. In one conversation, Don suggests the book’s title.

When James Renwick walks along the beach near his home in Raumati South, he can see sections that will be swallowed by the sea as climate change progresses.

The Victoria University professor and climate researcher has written the very readable (and not at all pointy-headed) book Under The Weather (HarperCollins).

He addresses the ways changes in the weather will affect our lives – and how to help effect change. “I’m excited about the book coming out,” he says. “It’s like having a child – well, not quite!”

Kāpiti Coaster Arlo Kelly, 16, is vying for NZSA Best First Book Award at August’s 2023 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Echo, his 150-page novel for ages nine-plus, is about a partially sighted boy befriending a whale on an East Coast beach. “I walked past a rock-pool on an East Coast beach, heard my voice echoing from the cliffs – then started writing that day,” Arlo says.

His mother, book designer Vida Kelly, did the illustration and design.

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About the poet: Hone Tūwhare (1922–2008) was one of New Zealand’s best-known and best-loved writers. His first book No Ordinary Sun (1964) has been reprinted many times and is considered one of the most widely read poetry collections in Aotearoa. Throughout his decades-long career, he received many awards and honours, including the Robert Burns Fellowship, two Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and the inaugural Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry, and was named Poet Laureate in 1999.

Re-verse I N T R O D U C E D BY C H R I S T S E N E W Z E A L A N D P O E T L A U R E AT E

DEAR COUSIN

In brief: This poem is framed by the gentle power of sharing a meal to establish and sustain human connection. Two cousins (their exact connection is never explained, although one could assume the use of “cousin” could be loose here) meet to share a meal and revisit the past. There are hints that their relationship hasn’t always been smooth, but the simple invitation – “come” – suggests an openness to healing old wounds before it’s too late. As the pair reconnect over food and song, the flame of mischief rekindles between them.

Some day soon old friend, before either of us can throw our hand in, I'll say to you: come.

Then, I'd roll out my threadbare whaariki —to help you remember to take your boots off—spread an old newspaper on the floor and on it place a steaming pot of puha, kamokamo, rīwai, brisket-on-the-bone and dumplings what we call: doughboys.

Why I like it: Even at its most lyrical or sparse, Tūwhare’s poetry is imbued with a conversational tone, addressing the natural world or the elements as directly as he would a person (see, for example, his classic poem Rain or Time out). Dear Cousin is an invitation and an evocation of something that has yet to happen, but the something is described in such detail that the speaker knows exactly how their meeting will play out – it’s a relationship of small efforts and familiarity. The poem’s playful demeanour (“we're both brainy buggers”) mirrors its two subjects, and although the final stanza contains a moment of tension, there’s something hopeful about the final question – “What do you reckon, cous?” – a gentle plea to make one more shared memory.

For sweeteners, I'll produce another pot of boiled fish-heads with onions, cracking open the heads afterwards for the succulent eyes and the brains: that will be a special treat, because we’re both brainy buggers.

Then—because I know that you are also a devout man—deeper than any prayer can grab you—I will simply say: go for it.

And we'd crack a bottle or three together you and me, swap lies and sing: happy days are here again.

We would never hurt ourselves because we wouldn’t have far to bump our heads sitting on the floor where only a small effort is needed to roll over, rise on one knee stand up—go out and wring your best friend’s neck. What do you reckon, cous?

By Hone Tūwhare First published in Mihi: Collected Poems (Penguin, 1987)

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WORDSMITH

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hris Tse made his Capital debut in December 2016, when he donned a winter sweater, decorated his house, and cooked us a Christmas ham (Cap #37). His willingness to get into the spirit of Capital meant that we kept coming back to him – for book recommendations, for poetry critiques, and then to lead our regular Reverse poetry column. “It opens the door to poetry. At school we’re taught to read poetry a certain way, but Reverse is an opportunity to demystify it and gives people permission to approach a poem however they want. With guidance from the columnist.”

Chris became New Zealand’s Poet Laureate in August 2022 and will hold the position for two years. “It’s a massive role and there’s so much status attached to it. But I’m still just Chris who lives in Thorndon and does a bit of

poetry.” He notes that he’s “the first queer, first Asian, and a considerably younger” poet laureate. “I think there’s a shift in what the role can be and what it can represent. I’m stoked that people are excited about it.”

Needing to make time for the role and for his own poetry, he’s reduced his comms job to part time. He says he simply can’t afford to be Poet Laureate full time, citing a recent Creative New Zealand research project which found New Zealand’s creative professionals’ median income is $37,000. “The arts are so important. I love it and I love what I do, but it’s so sad and bleak to see how little people make from it, so they can’t survive without another income.”

What does he hope for the future? “I’d love to get to a place where the future is hopeful, and I hope that art and poetry have a place in the shift”

Photography supplied by Chris Tse

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OPEN HOMES Everyone loves a little nosey around an interesting home and we’ve been lucky enough to explore some of the most interesting homes in the city. Here’s a peek inside two of our favourites.

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hen we first spoke to Colleen Scott (Cap #54) she had just hosted her 90th birthday party, celebrating with an evening of cocktails and music with 100 guests present. She told us how she’d returned her Victorian villa in Kelburn to its former glory, and decorated it in soft greens and greys. Still the life of the party, Colleen has just celebrated her 95th birthday in exactly the same manner, surrounded by numerous friends and family and still lives in her house of 70 years.

Photography by Anna Briggs

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e’ve always been fascinated by shared houses and in the last decade they’ve really taken off. In 2019 we chatted to two couples – Tim Gittos and Caro Robertson, and Mat Lee and Charlotte Key, who pooled their money and built neighbouring homes.

Still there today, Tim says that life’s good. “The kids have grown up and can come and go between both houses now. This was a great test case for the benefits of knowing your neighbours and some form of cooperative living.”

The native plants have grown too, becoming a wonderful little habitat for wildlife. The founders of Space Craft Architects Tim and Caro, have put their shared home expertise to good use, recently completing the Buckley Road Project (Cap #88), a series of connecting houses, which are home to six friends.

Photography by Anna Briggs

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Skaters gonna skate P H OTO G R A P H Y BY C H A R LOT T E W E STO N

Lace your skates and get to know the Raumati Rollers, a vibrant community event bringing people of all ages together to roller skate.

Charlotte Weston rolls into the Kāpiti community initiative.

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very Tuesday afternoon, at an ordinary tennis court in Raumati, the kind to be found in suburbs and small towns all over Aotearoa, people of all ages come together to roller skate outdoors. Small children wobble slowly on their first pair of skates, medium-sized children are careening around the courts playing tag and falling over themselves in hysterics. Older children help the little ones, or practise more advanced skills. Adults skate too. Music plays from a large speaker set up at the edge of the court, and there is a lot of excited chatter and laughter.

This is Raumati Rollers, a community event set up by Seaside Skates, New Zealand’s only dedicated roller-skate shop. Seaside Skates in Paraparaumu on the Kāpiti coast was founded by two couples at the end of 2021: Kirsten Slade and Nate McCall, and Georgia Bollinger and Merryn McAulay.

Roller skating boomed in popularity during the pandemic. It’s a socially distanced activity with a low cost of entry that people could do outdoors on an individual basis. And it’s fun. “Friends with skate shops in the States were running through all of their stock,” says Slade. “It was wild here. There was a huge run on skates. You couldn't get roller skates second hand.”

Challenges sprang up on social media, keeping people connected and stimulated during lockdown. “There was 365 Days of Skate, and people were even just doing little moves in their kitchens. You don’t need a big space to skate if you’re doing dance stuff,” Slade says.

Fellow Seaside Skates founders Georgia and Merryn, who skate for Richter City Roller Derby (their roller derby names are Furious George and Tuff Bikkies), wanted to open a roller sports venue. McCall suggested selling skate gear online to raise funds for a venue, and doing pop-up events to create some buzz around the idea. A warehouse space in Paraparaumu which also happened to have retail space at the front was leased. Thus, New Zealand’s first roller-skate shop was opened.

“We thought maybe we’ll just open it a couple days a week for people to come in and try stuff on,” says Slade.

Eighteen months on, and the shop has expanded well beyond expectations. After about six months they hired their first staff member, Chantal Daisy Martin, Seaside Skate’s skate mechanic. Daisy’s daughter Elvira often helps out in the shop, as does Slade and McCall’s son, Dash. It’s a family affair, and that’s the market they set out to serve, too: family and recreational.

When Raumati Rollers first started on Tuesday afternoons at the tennis court, about 20 people attended. These days they regularly see around 80. “The first year or so our friends would come,” Slade says. “And now we have events where we don’t even know the people coming. It feels like there’s a really vibrant skating scene in Wellington.”

For Slade, the focus on community and wellness through skating is personal. In her late 30s, sleep deprived with a colicky preschooler, living in Texas, she says she felt she didn’t know who she was any more. Her older daughter Astrid had joined junior roller derby, and Slade insisted that McCall take Astrid to practices. “I loved skating, and I just thought, if I go to this, it’s going to make me sad. I'm going to want to do it. And I’m too old and I can’t do it,” she says. “So I made sure that I literally had a conflict in my schedule that meant I couldn’t go. Then one day her partner said, “You know, there’s a bunch of women that show up at the end of Astrid’s practice. You’re not too old.”

Slade was sceptical, but learned that there’s a no-contact version of roller derby. She worked up the courage to go along for the exercise, imagining that she might make a few friends who she could skate with occasionally. “Within six months, I was trying out for Texas Rollergirls. It just was such a transformative experience. I felt I had no idea who I was before that. And after roller derby, I felt like I can literally do anything.”

When they started Seaside Skates, years later, Slade was struggling again, and credits the shop and skating itself

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with saving her life for a second time. Disillusioned with her counselling degree, she had dropped out of her course, and was struggling with depression. “It kind of blew my mind.

Like, this is me and my brain, but I am not on my own team.

What is going on? And now it feels like all of my life experiences have braided together into this shop and doing all the community events. They’ve given me a purpose.”

Slade isn’t the only one finding joy and purpose in skating.

One of Seaside Skates’ largest customer groups is women aged 30 and over, many of whom are brand new to the sport.

“There’s nothing like showing up to the skate park with your 40-and 50-year-old mates, and the kids just get out of the way for you.” Part of the appeal is the creativity of skating, as well as the supportive atmosphere and encouragement from fellow skaters.

Skating is great for children, Slade says. “Kids have so many demands on their time, and things like a skate park and even jam skating, which is not the same thing as artistic skating or figure skating where it’s very prescribed and regimented, are great for them,” Slade says. “Kids’ time is structured enough. The skate park gives you a sense of that creative flow, and that flow state is so important. It’s the same type of flow state that video games are good for.” At the skatepark, kids on roller skates, scooters, and skateboards support each other, and this was evident at Raumati Rollers, too, with kids on bikes, scooters, and inline skates as well as roller skates. Slade says kids on their scooters or skateboards will clap their decks if a roller skater has just done something “particularly epic”.

All body types and genders are welcome in skating.

Slade says when she was playing roller derby she went to a nutritionist for advice to bulk up. “I needed to take up more space on the track,” she says. “Build muscle back. And you know, there’s football and there’s women's football and there’s basketball and women’s basketball and then there’s roller derby and men’s roller derby.”

One of Slade’s favourite things about the retail side of the business is the collaboration between the small skater-owned companies. The feedback loop from customers to Seaside Skates to the manufacturers is really quick. She gives the example of WIFA skates, an Austrian company that has been hand-building boots for ice skating and roller skating for over 100 years. The skate park is a relatively new environment, and there was one section on the skates where the stitching would start to come undone when they were used by skaters landing flips at the park. Ivy Bates (known as Ivy

K’nivey in roller derby), a coaching partner of Seaside Skates, is in the New Zealand squad for the next roller derby world cup. Ivy has a textiles degree, and recommended a different thread for more durability. The next batch of boots used the suggested thread. “It feels cool to be part of that innovation, that little loop,” says Slade.

As well as the indoor roller venue, which is still a primary goal, plans are in the works to create the first New Zealand owned and manufactured roller skate.

Advocating for skaters and consulting with the council is also part of what Seaside Skates do. “It’s that overlap of wellness, where you’re exercising but also playing along the way,” Slade says. “It's not just about having great playgrounds or great resources but having people be able to be active in their own neighbourhood, or choosing to skate or ride their bike to the supermarket because it’s a beautiful ride as opposed to just because it’s good exercise.” There’s some overlap with disability access as well, in making paths skatable rather than gravelled. They have found the Kāpiti Coast District Council “really great” and receptive. “They’re redoing the transit hub at Paraparaumu station and they know that that's the type of area that skaters are drawn to,” says Slade. “So instead of asking, ‘How can we keep them away?’ with hostile architecture, the plans include skatable features with reinforced materials.”

Ultimately, for Slade and the other founders of Seaside Skates, its about community and people’s experiences. “You want people to have a positive experience. I’m not interested in just selling skates. I want to make sure it’s something that they’re actually going to enjoy. We get so many people who come in here and say, ‘I tried skating once, I got a pair of skates and I fell over and I must have terrible balance. It's not for me.’ And I ask, ‘Did you take a lesson?’”

Slade says Raumati Rollers is her favourite day of the week. “Skating with friends feels quite dynamic – avoiding obstacles, having an impromptu little race, letting the wind push you around the bays, stopping for a little dance break or to wait for someone who has fallen behind. It’s about showing up at the skatepark (with mates who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond – shout out to 70-something year old Nick, who we run into at Tawa and Maidstone) and getting to just play, to feel the joy of unlocking a new skill or getting to be there when a friend does the same. Sometimes, when I'm cruising along a footpath, creating my own breeze, I hear that regular thunk, thunk, thunk of wheels rolling over the pavement cracks – it's the soundtrack of my life, I've been hearing that for decades now, and it's still thrilling.”

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Winter at Circa Theatre

Prima Facie

By Suzie Miller Directed by Lyndee-Jane Rutherford Starring Mel Dodge Presented by Kavanah Productions & BRAVE Theatre $30–$55

24 June–22 July

Tessa is a criminal defence lawyer at the top of her game and loving it: defending, cross-examining, and playing the rules of the law to win. But when the tables turn she finds herself at the mercy of the very system that she has dedicated her life to. Shadows of doubt are illuminated, making us question, who is our legal system serving? Winner of The Olivier Award for BEST NEW PLAY 2023.

Artwork by Mahani Del Borrello Photography by Michelle Jacobson

The Adventures of Tahi and Ko-whai

By Little Dog Barking Theatre Company Directed by Jacqueline Coats July School Holiday - 4–16 July (Relaxed Performance - Wed 5 July) Term 3 ECE & School Performances - 18–21 July General Admission $15; Under 2s free; Family pass $50 (4 tickets); School Performance prices: Please enquire at circa@circa.co.nz

4–21 July

Follow the adventures of two Hoiho, Tahi and Kōwhai, as they create their first home together. Combining the languages of puppetry, music, English, Te Reo and NZSL, this comic heartwarming tale will thrill and inspire both the young and the young-at-heart.

Image by Hayley Collett

Shows daily Tues–Sun 1 Taranaki St Wellington 04 801 7992 I circa.co.nz

The Sun and the Wind

By Tainui Tukiwaho Presented by Taurima Vibes Proudly supported by Shoreline Partners $30 – $55

28 July–26 Aug

In the midst of a birthday celebration, Rangi and Hūkerikeri are caught off guard when two unexpected guests crash through the door intent on robbing the couple. But things don’t go as planned when the older couple mistake the would-be thieves for their deceased son and his wife. Come with us as we explore the dangers of love and secrets. Of loving someone too much, not enough and being starved of it.

Image by Le-Toya Fernandez

Public Service Announcements – Election 2023

By Thom Adams, Jamie McCaskill and Johanna Cosgrove Directed by Gavin Rutherford $30 – $55

29 July–26 Aug

Public Service Announcements – Aotearoa’s longest running political satire – returns with a brand-new production just in time for the election, bringing together a collection of ferociously talented theatre artists.

PSA promises a great night of irreverent, ridiculous and up-to-theminute political satire with lots of laughs.

Image by Jon Coddington

Also in July… An Honest Conversation Series! Talk, dance and be honest Concept: Sacha Copland; Company: Java Dance Theatre - Sun 30 Jul 7pm; $16–$25.

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WOM E N S BASK E T BA L L A SURE BET Court time continues for the Tokomanawa Queens thanks to a partnership agreement with the TAB. The substantial funding ensures the local women’s basketball team can continue supporting its players and compete on a national level. The team boasts elite female basketball players from Taranaki, Manawatū, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington. They compete in New Zealand’s semi-pro Tauihi league. The players have pay parity with their male counterparts, and televised games on Sky Sport, and 90% of the team — including the board chair, head coach and game officiator — are women.

PLAY FOR ALL

FIELD FEUD

DOWNHILL SLOPE

A Kāpiti Coast playground has been named Playground of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Parks Awards. This year Lorna Irene Drive Reserve playground in Raumati South was made fully accessible for children with disabilities. Wheelchair-accessible equipment includes a roundabout, a tower, and a seesaw – the first of its kind in New Zealand. A special swing, with back support for those who cannot sit unassisted, was donated by Kris Dahl and her son Cyrus, who has cerebral palsy. Seven of these swings have been donated by the Dahls and installed in the Wellington region.

College Sport Wellington and Capital Football are withholding facility fees from Wellington City and Hutt City councils until an independent review of the fees is done. Last year these sporting codes along with four others formed an affiliation called Affordable Sports for Greater Wellington. Between them they spend $2.1 million annually hiring council facilities. WCC has agreed to the independent review but HCC will only offer an internal review. The codes say they will not pay fees until all the councils comply with their request.

Things are looking up for downhill mountain biker Erice van Leuven, who has had not one but two World Cup wins this year. The 16-year-old from Lower Hutt has taken titles at both the UCI Enduro World Cup in Tasmania in April and the junior women’s downhill at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Switzerland in May. Downhill rides are against the clock, and participants must avoid natural obstacles during the race. Erice was the only Kiwi to qualify for the downhill finals.

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{Suite} Westra Musuem

Astronomy on Tap

New Zealand Arts Icon photographer Ans Westra was responsible for the most comprehensive documentation of New Zealand culture over the last 60 years. The {Suite} Westra Museum is a dedicated exhibition space for Ans’ photographs. Prints are available for sale.

Join us for an unforgettable night of science, drinks and stargazing! Sip your favourite brew and sit back and relax in our planetarium as we explore the night sky. From Matariki to winter constellations our experts will ignite your curiosity with fascinating talks on the cosmos.

Cheers to the Universe!

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ABOVE BOARD

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ttitudes towards skateboarding have moved a full 360 degrees during the last decade. We’ve been chatting to avid skateboarders since the beginning (Cap #6). Back then they often received abuse from the public, and certainly no funding from councils, who viewed them as damage-causing hooligans.

This has changed. Once energetic installers of “NO SKATING” signs and skate stopping measures (Cap #52), Wellington City Council is now investing money in the sport. Last year they launched the We Skate Pōneke campaign in a bid to change the public’s view of skateboarders; there are council-run skate classes for children; and the council has announced $5.64 million in funding towards the development of a destination skate park in Kilbirnie.

Why the pivot? Bailey Te Maipi, founder and instructor of skate school Waa Hine Skate, says skateboarding’s promotion to an Olympic sport in 2020 has been instrumental.

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“It shows the beauty of skating,” says Bailey. “It can be athletic or just something you do to relax on a Sunday afternoon.” Skateboarding is now perceived as equal to other sports and receives high performance sport funding. “In a few years we’ll have our own New Zealand skateboarders in the Olympics.”

Bailey also says skaters online have heightened people’s understanding and interest, and demonstrated that it’s not a male dominated sport. Bailey notes that all genders participate: “It’s something that girls and the LGBTQI+ community didn’t have growing up before.”

She teaches young and adult wahine and takatāpui to hone their skills on a board and develop confidence.

During her last summer school, she said she “felt safer and less stared at” than she had in the past, and only had one bad interaction with a member of the public. A decade ago skate schools were few and far between, now they’re growing in number.

Photography by Connor Hill

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What would Deirdre do?

FA K E I T T I L L YOU M A K E I T I don’t really like my eight-month-old baby very much. I think I’m one of the people who shouldn’t really have had babies. I have two children and I thought I might enjoy it better with two rather than one. That hasn’t worked. I don’t want to harm them and I don’t want them to grow up feeling unloved but clearly I lack that fierce maternal instinct I see in my friends. How do I make sure they don’t miss out on what they need by way of love and affection.

Their father loves them very much.

Anxious, Paraparaumu

A DV I C E F RO M D E I R D R E TA R R A N T

M O R A L R E SP O N SI B I L I T Y I am an only child and am now 38. My father disappeared in my childhood and we have had no real contact over the years. I believe he contributed financially until I was about 12. I understand he has a left quite a few problems behind him wherever he has been. By complete chance I now live in the same area and actually saw him in the carpark at a supermarket. I don’t feel I owe him anything and have no affection for him. My partner thinks I should make an effort to get to know him. Do I have a moral responsibility to add him into my life?

Uneasy, Lower Hutt

Oh dear. This cannot have come out of the blue? Two children is never a solution to a wobbly psychology.

You so need to develop the bond – lots of cuddles and special times for you and your children. Focus on the magic and the positives and be grateful your partner is a great father. Maybe find someone you can talk to openly about it. There are many ways to love and many ways to be a mother. Be yourself first. They are your children.

It is your call but maybe you could let him know you are nearby and see how it develops? You are young still so have years ahead to make a relationship. It is your decision.

F U N SE E K E R My partner works very long hours and seems to thrive on it. Our children have left home, I work part time and although I have quite a number of my own activities, walking, tennis, friends etc, I’m lonely because he is always too busy working to take part in other activities, such as long weekends with friends, or travel overseas. Am I unreasonable in wanting him to reduce his workload?

Home alone, Island Bay

I WA N T T O B E A L O N E I have always worked from home and now since covid and lockdowns my partner has decided to also work from home and I am finding that our relationship is badly affected by being in each other’s space or face all day. I want him to go back to the office but he says its my turn. I am self employed so that doesn’t work. How do we resolve this before our 15 year relationship implodes?

Stuck at home, Karori

I think this calls for a chat and some decisions with a plan. Do one thing together each week that you both enjoy and one that you each choose that you do together, three things! Sounds a lot – maybe every second week? You have years of shared times behind you, there must be some common ground for compromise? It is sad that you are lonely.

I suspect that this is probably quite a common situation.

Often retirement is the time when togetherness can be a challenge! Find a way to balance your time and physical presence. Different work hours and certainly different work spaces would be a start. Find “me” time in the day for you both and plan outings after work as you would have before. Good luck.

If you’ve got a burning question for Deirdre, email angel@capitalmag.co.nz with Capital Angel in the subject line.

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WA H I N E

A decade of DIY therapy

BY M E LO DY T H O M A S

Melody Thomas has been with Capital since day one, sharing her thoughts, opinions and very personal stories. She tells us about the secret value in over-sharing.

A

decade ago, I wrote my first column for Capital magazine, typing quietly so as not to disturb the four-month-old baby napping next to me. I wrote about the exhaustion, admitting to feeling like a “sad, strungout version of my former self ”, and then signed off with an objectively bad joke about how I don’t know how the parents of ugly babies do it (I’m sorry! I’d like to blame my age but I was nearly 30, so there’s no excuse.) In the months and years that followed, I detailed the struggles and mundanities of new parenthood, and tried my best to capture that more elusive thing: the beauty. And eventually, after another baby, then another half a decade, I began to write about things other than parenthood: from burnout to self worth, the pandemic, the climate and cost of living crises to halfhearted campaigns to end New Year’s Resolutions in favour of all-in hedonism (a cause I still believe in).

Joan Didion said “I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means”, and that’s exactly what this column and its community of readers has offered me. Through endless writes and rewrites, I came to terms with my miscarriages: with the incorrect (but not invalid) feelings of failure I felt afterwards, and the anger towards my body for refusing to do what I wanted it to. I found a path out of the fatigue and hopelessness of burnout, and worked to build a sense of self-worth that wasn’t reliant on endless productivity or external validation. I chipped away at deeply internalised body hatred, and slowly transformed from somebody who hid my body on the beach, to somebody who stood uncomfortable but determined in my swimsuit, trying to push past the fear to the feeling of the breeze on my skin; to someone who – most of the time – strips down without thinking, takes the plunge without pause, and greets my body with gratitude and compassion rather than disdain.

You don’t need to write a column to access this process.

Through burnout, a book called The Artist’s Way guided me to a daily exercise called morning pages, where you

write three pages of stream of consciousness, without pausing or stopping if you can help it. The first weeks of morning pages offer nothing but nonsense - “I don’t know what to write but I’m going to keep writing so what a nice day it is today” – but eventually, once the nonsense is purged, you begin to hear a new voice coming through.

Your voice. The one that knows who you are, what you need, what you think and how you feel – but which has become muted as you’ve learned to tune in to the cacophony of external sounds instead. The feeling Joan Didion describes, of writing to find out what she’s thinking, is extremely therapeutic – if you’ve ever seen a good therapist you’ll know it’s less about receiving professional advice (though that is very helpful) than about being gently guided to the wisdom you already hold within yourself.

Therapy is expensive. Morning pages will set you back the cost of a journal and a good pen. Maybe give it a try.

I’m aware this column is a bit disjointed, but it’s been a disjointed week so I hope you’ll forgive me. I also know it reads like an acceptance speech for an award I was never given! But I can’t think about ten years (ten years!) of writing here without feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m so grateful to Capital – especially Ali – for saying yes to a 28-year-old with a new baby who wanted to put their experience to paper (when she probably should have been napping herself). Thank you for never censoring me, or telling me I was oversharing (even when I was), and for being patient and supportive through burnout, illness and more. And thank you to Shalee for always making my work look beautiful on the page! You’re an absolute star.

And thank you for reading. For reaching out when you’ve been moved. For sending me pictures of my column taped to your fridge, or placed strategically in a doctor’s waiting room or a fish and chip shop. Thank you for your warmth and love. It’s such an incredible privilege to have this page to fill with the things that move, challenge and amuse me, and I hope it’s offered those things to you, too. Here’s to another decade.

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C A L E N D A R

PRIMA FACIE Award winning legal drama Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki Street, until 11 July

JURASSIC WORLD by BRICKMAN Jaw-dropping six million Lego bricks Tākina, Wellington Convention Centre

MATARIKI EXHIBITION Academy Galleries, 1 Queens Wharf, until 23 July

KURAWAKA – REACHING INTO THE RED CLAY Three women artists’ respond to the creation story National Library, Molesworth Street

MANPOWER: MYTHS OF MASCULINITY A revealing look at the male through the ages Auckland Art Gallery, until 6 August

BRENT HARRIS: THE OTHER SIDE First NZ survey exhibition from 80s to now Auckland Art Gallery

UNHINGED: OPENING THE DOWSE COLLECTION A visual symphony of 1200+ items The Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, until 13 August KIINGI TUHEITIA PORTRAITURE AWARD 2023 Biennial competition by Maori artists NZ Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, Shed 11, Queen’s Wharf, until 20 August SANDY ADSETT: TOI KORU Major survey exhibition from ’60s to now Te Manawa, Palmerston North, until 27 August MONIEK SCHRIJER: THE JEWEL ROOM A contemporary jewellery challenge City Gallery, Te Ngākau Civic Square

FACINGTIME: PORTRAITS OF GEOFF BY EUAN MACLEOD Lockdown friendship portraits NZ Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, Shed 11, Queen’s Wharf REBECCA STEEDMAN: TIME BEDS Ceramic vessels related to Wairarapa waterways Aratoi, Wairarapa Museum of Art & History, Masterton

July

1 MATARIKI IN PORIRUA Celebrations and events for the whole whānau Various locations. Until 16 July NAADOHBII: TO DRAW WATER Indigenous artists’ responses to water Pātaka Art + Museum, Cnr Norrie & Parumoana Streets, Porirua

Bellamys By Logan Brown A unique dining experience in the heart of New Zealand’s Parliament Level 3, The Beehive Molesworth Street Pipitea Open hours: Tuesday- Friday 12pm- 2pm Lunch, 5:30pm- 8:30pm Dinner 04 817 9678 bellamysbyloganbrown.co.nz

10TH ANNIVERSARY PARKRUN PORIRUA Mānawatia a Matariki the darkest parkrun of the year Ara Harakeke pathway – Taupō Swamp, 6pm FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS Tap into the inner child and revel in the vibe Main Street, Greytown, nightly from 5.30pm. Until 30 July EAT DRINK PLAY FESTIVAL Food and drink with a range of events Various locations until 16 July 6 MUSICAL PUNCH OVER LUNCH A range of performances each Thursday Old St Paul’s, Mulgrave Street, 12.30-1.15pm TUATARA OPEN LATE A monthly feast of art, music, film, and talks City Gallery, Te Ngākau Civic Square, 5-10pm 10 GUIDE KAIĀRAHI Reuben Paterson installation Auckland Art Gallery, until 27 July 13 MATARIKI AHI KĀ A spectacular, whānau friendly celebration Wellington Waterfront & Te Papa, 6-9pm. Until 16 July

C A L E N D A R

14 MATARIKI PUBLIC HOLIDAY FAMILY DAY: MATARIKI EDITION Activities for the whole whānau City Gallery, Te Ngākau Civic Square, 11am – 4pm MATARIKI RAMAROA AHI Lighting of the beacon fires Ōtaki beach and Raumati beach, 5.30 – 7pm 22 STAR GAZING Telescopes, astronomers and Matariki stories Mana Cruising Club, Porirua, from 6pm

29 NZSO: MARSALIS BLUES SYMPHONY An extraordinary night of American sound Michael Fowler Centre, 7.30pm PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS – ELECTION 2023 Political satire Circa Theatre, 8pm. Until 26 August

18/19 BEERVANA A mind-bending beer wonderland Sky Stadium, sessions from 11am

August

23

2 INDIAN INK: DIRTY WORK Office comedy with live choir Soundings Theatre, Te Papa, 8pm. Until 11 August

27 RNZB: LIGHTSCAPES Three works celebrating light, space and the human body St James Theatre, 7.30pm. Until 29 July

5 FIFA WOMENS WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16 Wellington Regional Stadium, 8pm

THE SUN AND THE WIND A birthday party from hell Circa Theatre, 7.30pm. Until 26 August

13 VINTAGE VIBES: VALLEY VINTAGE & RETRO FAIR Whirinaki Whare Taonga, Upper Hutt, 10am – 2pm

DIRTY LAUNDRY Group show with artists from a range of disciplines Toi Pōneke, 61 Abel Smith Street until 25 August

25 FIFA WOMENS WORLD CUP: FOOTBALL FERNS v PHILLIPINES Cheer loud for our team Wellington Regional Stadium, 5.30pm

28 SUPREME MEETS Supreme Coffee Meets Good as Gold, Bond Street, 7.30am

FIFA WOMENS WORLD CUP QUARTER FINAL Wellington Regional Stadium, 1pm

10 NEW ZEALAND OPERA: BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE Michael Fowler Centre, 7.30pm 11 WELLINGTON ON A PLATE: Burger time!

Various locations region wide. Until 27 August

WELLINGTON LIONS v TASMAN MAKO Rug up, have a hot toddy then make some noise Sky Stadium, 7.05pm 29 ASTRONOMY ON TAP The wonders of the universe from the comfort of your armchair Space Place, 40 Salamanca Road, 8-10pm

September 1 NZSO: BERNSTEIN & COPLAND Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, piano Joyce Yang Michael Fowler Centre, 6.30pm

䐀椀᧣攀爀 䐀愀琀攀 䤀渀猀瀀椀爀愀琀椀˦ 稀攀戀爀愀渀漀

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Double digits Answers will be published

online at capitalmag.co.nz/ crossword

Answers will be published online at capitalmag.co.nz/crossword

3. Prom venue, dance genre (8) 5. Increase with age (8) 9. Garland (7) 10. Better with money inside (4) 11 & 9 down. Up in the air (6) 12. Too rich or sweet (4) 14. Quick, clever humour (5) 15. Classic birthday party activity (7) 20. Song by Kool & The Gang (11) 22. A long time (4) 23. Turn them up (8) 24. 10 years (6) 26. Decoration made of paper (9) 28. Morepork, te reo (4) 29. Frosting (5) 30. Body part, ____’s apple (4) 31. Bean, sauce (3) 35. Significant age, event or stage (9) 36. The eyes of ___ Tāwhirimātea (5) 38. Near neighbour, the ____ (4) 40. Under 18? (2) 41. Kids party food (5,5) 44. Event, apple (4) 45. Raise a glass (5) 46. Happy birthday, te reo (2, 6)

96 96

Down

1. Yearly (6) 2. Brave, daring (6) 4. Plenty of wine (6) 5. Wellington food festival abbreviation (4) 6. Unexpected (8) 7. Blow out the candles (4) 8. Birthday cake to go (5, 3) 9 & 11 across. Up in the air (8) 12. Good Kiwi attitude (3, 2) 13. Great hiking food (5, 3) 16. Taupo, Tekapo (5) 17. Great with bread and oil (8) 18. Classic animal cake (8) 19. Also increase with age (6) 21. Naked (8, 4) 25. Craft using a hooked needle (7) 27. Face, te reo (4) 30. Advice giving “aunt” (5) 31. Gas or liquid or ____ (5) 32. Rise up (5) 33. Onion te reo (4) 34. A fun person (1, 4) 37. Perfect (5) 39. Throw (4) 42. Make it look pretty (3) 43. Life’s certainties, death and ___ (3)

We are over the moon that our 2021 Single Vineyard Hua Nui Pinot Noir has been awarded Best in Show at the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Widely recognised as the most esteemed international wine competition in the world, this award shines a spotlight on Martinborough’s world class Pinot Noir, and the Palliser Estate team as one of New Zealand’s premier fine wine producers.

Purchase online at palliser.co.nz PalliserEstateWines

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Palliser Estate Best In Show Decanter 2023