Stories

We round up three great films, reads, shows to bingewatch, new albums to treat your ears to and a couple of decent podcasts to enlighten. Watching Cityscape reviews some of the best from the current crop of cinema releases. Dune A gifted young man and his family must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to protect the most precious resource in existence, entering into a war with malevolent forces and ensuring his people’s future in the process. No biggie. This long-awaited adaption covers the first half of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel, with a second film possibly (hopefully) to follow. The French Dispatch Wes Anderson’s latest cinematic beauty is a love letter to journalists, following three different storylines from the French branch of a fictional American newspaper as it prepares its final issue. Inspired by Anderson’s love for The New Yorker, some characters and events are even...

The day of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is finally here. The opening ceremony for Ōtautahi's new convention centre will be held on December 17, with the first big events to take place in 2022. The centre has changed the layout and skyline of the central city, and those behind it hope its completion marks another upgrade to life and business in the CBD. The convention centre is designed with many versatile spaces to handle different event requirements, including 2800 square metres of exhibition space, which can accommodate up to 200 exhibition booths. There are also 24 meeting rooms, seating for up to 1800 diners, and the delegate auditorium can be divided to host two events at the same time. The developers say it is a world-class facility in a prime riverside position in the heart of Christchurch's centre. Ōtākaro Limited general manager of development John O’Hagan is responsible for delivering...

Looking for the ideal spot to host your dream function? Look no further. We've rounded up function spaces to suit any event and any demographic, from hop-heads to wine lovers to go-kart enthusiasts. Consigned to the vines As if fabulous, award-winning wine wasn’t enough, Pegasus Bay Winery is also a tasteful, rustic functions venue backed up by incredible dining and gorgeous scenery. Walking out into the stunning gardens is like stepping Mary Poppins-style straight into a Monet painting, and modern interior touches like wine bottle chandeliers and contemporary art add an irresistible charm for an event with a difference that’ll have you and your guests reminiscing for years to come. pegasusbay.com Read more: 8 steps to planning the perfect event Celebrations with soul The beautiful heritage home and colourful gardens of The Old Vicarage make for the perfect place to hold your next function, whether it’s a Christmas do, baby shower,...

As the country reopens and we exercise our refound freedoms, we’re thinking about how to make good on all those postponed events and parties. You can and absolutely should be planning functions this summer. There’s no sense in sitting around waiting while life passes you by. Birthdays need parties, weddings need receptions, Christmas needs feasts, the end of the year needs work dos, and the start of the year needs all kinds of summer celebrations. Plan early You can always change a plan, but you can’t magic one up out of nowhere on the eve of the event. Book your venue and caterers now, and let your guests know before they make other plans. Write it down If it’s not written down, it’s not really a plan. Some extremists say if the plan’s not in a spreadsheet it doesn’t exist. Take down budget and prices, assign responsibilities, set deadlines, and share...

We've got the lowdown on the latest and greatest happening around Christchurch this summer. A hot new restaurant on one of the hottest hospitality strips in Christchurch, Tony Astle’s Zodiac bar boasts a delectable Asian fusion menu in swish surrounds. The award-winning King of Snake has a new home in The Terrace, so fans of fusion have plenty of reasons to salivate. New bar and restaurant by the sea Sumner Social is set to be your favourite destination this summer, with a sunny courtyard-with-a-view and an ah-maze-ing gin menu. Other additions to the hospo scene include Miro at the Manor at the ornate Eliza’s Manor House, and The Lane with a menu designed by 5th Street's Chefs Max Perry and Samson Stewart. New on the cultural map is Ravenscar House Museum, displaying an incredible collection of New Zealand artworks. The boots, heels and sandals are made for walking at Nicole Rebstock,...

Sun's out, fun's out - we've got your go-to list for activities around Christchurch this summer. 1.   Treat yourself to one of the gorgeous seasonal desserts at Sweet Soul Patisserie. The summer flavours are fresh and zingy and so very photogenic. 2.   Go secondhand shopping! Read up on some of Christchurch's best treasure troves and make a day of it. 3.   Get crafty. Whether it’s for a gift or just for fun, classes at Clae and The Craft Room offer plenty of chances to tap into your creativity. 4.   Hit the beach! It’s a summer essential, and from New Brighton to Akaroa, there are tons of gorgeous spots for a dip. Check out our list of Christchurch's top beaches here. 5.   Go see some live music. We should be in for a few wicked festivals and gigs this summer – just make sure you’ve got your jabs!

Hey Cityscapers, let’s make this a summer to remember! Christchurch is the best city in the country to spend the holiday season, and we’ve rounded up the best things to see, do, explore, eat and drink. Culture vulture The brand-spanking-new Ravenscar House Museum is the freshest arrival on the city arts scene, publicly displaying the collection gathered by philanthropists Susan and Jim Wakefield. The museum features paintings by beloved New Zealand artists including Frances Hodgkins, Colin McCahon and Ralph Hotere, and the building itself is a modern architectural masterpiece. For an exhibition that’s very ‘of the moment’ head into Canterbury Museum before March 20 to get interactive with the photography set of Heather Straka’s Isolation Hotel series – an exploration of themes of social concern like Covid lockdowns, #metoo, LGBTQIA+ liberation, the housing shortage, and contested monuments to colonialism. Even a random wander through the streets of Ōtautahi will take you...

Rachael Rakena and Simon Kaan are the artists behind one of Ōtautahi’s most prominent new pieces of art, Te Aika, a huge sculpture which welcomes visitors into Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. Cityscape quizzes the pair on the responsibility of public art and the return of native herons. We hear this is your first public sculpture, is that right? Simon: It’s the first one we’ve done together. Rachael has done a public project or two beforehand. Rachael: I did a work during the Rugby World Cup in 2011. I put 3D video in an installation in the Octagon [in Dunedin] and it was called Haka Peepshow. I’ve collaborated with Brett Graham a couple of times – he’s a sculptor – and my sister who is a ceramicist. Your experience is mostly in video art, Rachael? R: In all these other projects, my contribution has always been video. And you’re generally a...

Barbara George is captain at the helm of The Court Theatre, steering this great theatrical ship through three years’ worth of incredible shows and towards a new home in the central city. Cityscape went backstage with Barbara to find out what goes into running a professional theatre in Ōtautahi. To start with, what led to your position as Chief Executive at The Court Theatre? When this position was advertised my family and I were looking to move to Christchurch so it was good timing. I was finishing my five-year contract as CE of the Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki, and returning to the arts looked compelling. Through the usual process I found myself appointed to this great role, and have now been here for three years. What has the journey been like since then? You’ve hit some big milestones. My role at The Court has encompassed all aspects of running...

Head to Tail is your go-to for dog walkies, training and more – owner Nicole fetched some details for Cityscape. What motivated you to start your pet care business? I always knew I wanted to work with animals. Straight out of school I went into vet nursing training and the following year started work in a vet clinic. I loved my time as a clinic vet nurse but very quickly realised that I wanted more from my career and that working in a corporate environment was not for me. I love being outdoors and I really enjoy helping and working with people so I went to university to study more animal-specific papers, threw it all together, and Head to Tail was born. So you walk dogs and also do group training and private training sessions – are there any other services you offer? We also offer mobile vet nursing. This is...

The Royal New Zealand Ballet production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was unfortunately cancelled in Christchurch due to Covid restrictions, will now be pirouetting into your home for a strictly limited on-screen season. Ballet fans all over New Zealand and the world will have the exclusive opportunity to delight in fairies, lovers, mischief and moonlight conspiring in one of Shakespeare’s most beloved classic tales. Off the back of the sold-out season in Wellington, this specially filmed broadcast will ring in Christmas with a touch of magic. “Filmed over consecutive performances to capture a true experience of the live performance, including close-ups which take viewers into the heart of the action and brilliance onstage, this wonderful production brings as much joy to the dancers as it does to its delighted audiences. It is a special, sparkly pre-Christmas treat,” says RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker. “The nimble pivot to broadcast for our recent production The Firebird, for which the tour was of course also partially cancelled due to Covid, saw the online purchased by over 4,000 dance...

Woods Bagot design principal Bruno Mendes is the design leader of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, in conjunction with Warren and Mahoney. He Zooms in to tell Cityscape the story. Christchurch was the first New Zealand city Melbournian Bruno Mendes ever visited, long before the earthquakes when he was a student. Years later, he would find himself back here presenting a proposal to design the city’s largest new construction project: a convention centre. He has two mementos from that 2016 meeting, to remind him of what he set out to do. The first is an image of a high-budget Californian convention centre. “It’s an image of what every convention centre ends up being: a big box,” Bruno says. “Massive eyesores.” The other keepsake is a photo he took from the aeroplane window as he flew out of Ōtautahi: a classic Cantabrian braided river. Its flowing shapes would inspire the form of...

Ōtākaro general manager of development John O’Hagan is responsible for delivering all Crown-led Anchor Projects in Christchurch. He takes a minute to give Cityscape his thoughts on Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. When did you get involved in Te Pae? My time on the Anchor Project Delivery Programme started back while employed at the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority when the Blueprint for the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan was approved. The delivery responsibilities for most of the Anchor Projects then transferred to Ōtākaro in 2016. I have been involved in the development of the business case, procurement of the main contractor, and overseeing the construction of Te Pae. What has it been like, turning two flat blocks into one of the city’s biggest buildings? It has been extremely satisfying seeing the building of Te Pae Christchurch coming to fruition. The Blueprint located the convention centre pretty much in the centre of the...

Aroha Novak brings Cityscape up to date on her research into the forgotten flora of Hagley Park, and giving these plants a new life through art. Tell us about your work for SCAPE Season 2021. The work I am making for SCAPE focuses on the site-specific history of Hagley Park pre-settlement, particularly looking at the indigenous plant life that was removed in order to create Hagley Park. While researching I found a list of native plants that botanist JB Armstrong notated in 1864 at the Hagley Park site and got really excited at the prospect of showing these plants. The artwork will be large-scale botanical drawings of these missing, absent, forgotten, lost, eradicated plants and whakataukī related to this research. I am also proposing to create a small publication of the plants, which will look and feel like a botanical field diary, referencing the large scale works, with more of the...

Sione Monū is exploring variations on Tongan art with their installation ‘Ao Kakala Ōtautahi. They bring Cityscape up to speed on floral clouds and storytelling. Tell us about ‘Ao Kakala Ōtautahi. The works are an extension of my experimentations and explorations of nimamea’a tuikakala – the fine art of flower designing – in my practice. I’m really excited about working with the SCAPE team to install and present the floral works in the Cunningham House. It’s such a great opportunity. What does the name mean? ‘Ao means cloud and Kakala means floral in Tongan. How did you come to explore flowers and clouds in your art? It came about quite organically and has become a motif that I respond quite strongly to. A cloud to me is so dreamy; it can be sometimes grand, sometimes quiet and contemplative. It is quite joyful to me. And the art will be in Cunningham...

Ahead of the installation of her artworks in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Olivia Webb tells Cityscape about banners, complexity, and Christchurch’s perfect, nameless bench. Tell us about your work for SCAPE Season 2021. Resilience Training is a voluntary public performance artwork that intends to help us prepare for the seemingly unending series of crises that define our world today. The artwork reconsiders the four cardinal virtues – prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude – to virtues or practices that may provide better support or foundations for resilience in the future: mercy, poverty, humour, and courage. From each virtue stems a simple performance that people can choose to try: walking barefoot; carrying a rock; caring for a worm; or transporting water in a small clay pot. The performance is organised around four banners, stations positioned throughout the Botanic Gardens. Each banner acts as a gathering post for participants to offload, take-up, or change ‘performance’...

Stalwart Christchurch hospo family Julian, Hailey, Richard and Lisa Sinke have a new bar and restaurant by the sea – Sumner Social. Cityscape gets to know husband and wife Julian and Hailey. You’ve been busy on a new project – what can you tell us about Sumner Social?Julian: I was brought up in Sumner, I went to school there, and I’ve always been fond of the place. My father Richard always wanted to have a business there, but we kind of felt it was a bit close to home. It’s dangerous to be able to see work from your balcony. But around the beginning of this year, Richard approached us and said “I’ve found a really good site.” We originally had the idea of a bit of a hole-in-the-wall seafood bar, but once we saw the huge courtyard and the space, we saw it was an opportunity for a proper expression...

Heather Straka is tickled by the irony of being isolated in Auckland and unable to attend her own Isolation Hotel exhibition in Christchurch. She gets on the phone with Cityscape to talk art and life. Tell us about the Isolation Hotel photo series. This is the second series in a storyline. The first was ‘fire’, Dissected Parlour, and I wanted the second series to be the concept of ‘air’. It’s a 1930s-style dishevelled hotel. It’s the same characters from the previous series, looking as if they’ve just stepped off that set and have been sort of inhabiting the hotel and using it as a place of sanctuary. In the time of Covid, hotels have taken on new roles. You know, as well as a place you go on holiday, they are isolation facilities, or accommodation for people in need of housing. What story are you telling? There is an implied plot...