Art and about with Naomi McCleary

The Going West Writers Festival can reasonably be described as a cultural icon of the west. Twenty five years of serving up a smorgasbord of Aotearoa’s literary delights embraced in Westie hospitality has created an annual event loved and welcomed by book lovers from across the region.

Welcome to the world of podcasts. Visit www. goingwestfest.co.nz to download the best of 24 years of the Going West festival.

The success of the festival ran the risk of becoming a barrier to change; why reinvent something that everyone loved? How to preserve the magic of being entranced by wordsmiths from all over the country while being open to new ways to access that magic? The Going West Trust has battered at that door for years. Always hard when one person (Murray Gray) had created a style and tone so individual; and imprinted his personality, and his capriciousness, all over it! But slow change was coming and more youthful faces were bringing a new look to the festival.

Then came Covid-19!

Bang in the middle of planning a 25th anniversary event, the world, our world, ground to a halt; and the rest of 2020 is now history. In no way to diminish the pain and suffering that Covid-19 has wrought on our lives, there have been wins, not the least the culture of kindness and empathy that has so contributed to our current success (yes, fingers crossed!)

For Going West it was the seismic shock that was needed. We had to join the world online; and what a busy world it rapidly became; one in which you had to be smart and inventive to grab attention. Our other blessing and good fortune was that we had already put younger, tech-savvy word-lovers in charge.

First, we looked back into the 24 years of broadcast quality recordings of previous Going West festival presentations and discussions. It had always been a frustration that this treasure trove was sitting in our library's research centre – available on request but not widely known. Neither time nor resources had ever allowed us to take these remarkable recordings and make them truly accessible.

Welcome to the world of podcasts!

A team of producer, researcher, editor, designer, and technician threw themselves into this generously funded project (blessings on CNZ!) and for most of last year podcasts poured out at the rate of three per week. This has slowed now to a more sustainable rate, but there is an ongoing source of supply and many a quirky conversation yet to come.

You can find them on www.goingwestfest.co.nz or on all major audio platforms.

Part of looking back has been a dream to publish an anniversary book of the 24 years of keynote speakers at Going West. Every year a notable writer has been invited to address a particular theme; to wax eloquent over 30 to 40 minutes and explore some aspect of our culture, history, identity and future. Some remarkable people have taken the stage to do this. Michael King for example, four days after 9/11. Again, with time and resources to hand, and in partnership with our local book publisher, Oratia Media, Voices of Aotearoa: 25 Years of Going West Oratory will hit the presses this year and be launched at Going West in September.

The next great and ongoing discussion has been about commissioning new work. Going West always wanted to break new writing, poetry, theatre – and we knew how costly in time and money that would be – and what long lead-in times are necessary. Much of that conversation was around theatre. We had always featured New Zealand theatre but were responding to what was out there.

Under Producer James Littlewood the focus has shifted to poetry videos and literary documentaries. Collaborative teams of videographers and poets are spinning new work to be released online this year and documentary film makers have been invited to submit proposals for 'literary narratives'. This takes us into uncharted territory.

None of this precludes a live festival (Covid-19 willing) in September, but what will that look like? How do we keep the warmth, intimacy, generosity and depth of discourse that has so characterised Going West? Where are the new voices? How do we weave conversation, content, oratory, and performance in challenging ways to create full-bodied and diverse sessions?

Continued on page 21 >>

www.susannahbridges.co.nz Give yourself a break ...

Lithophane Landscapes

Porcelain and acrylic wall mounted lightboxes On exhibit in Portage 20/20 - Te Uru, Titirangi, until Feb 28 Please enquire for commissions

A Beach House at Piha

After having to cancel TFM 2020 due to a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, the organisers are very happy to announce that the festival is back in 2021. With a slightly streamlined event, the festival will again feature a concert programme, music in the village and, in association with Te Uru gallery, free family art activities. Here are some festival highlights:

Hollie Smith in concert with Arjuna Oakes

Friday March 26, Titirangi War Memorial Hall. Doors open 7pm.

Renowned singer Hollie Smith is a prolific performer who has always maintained a respected reputation of creating music with the utmost integrity and passion. Her incredible live performances and powerhouse vocals have made her one of the most sought-after acts in New Zealand music. Hollie has performed with, among others, Don McGlashen, Fat Freddys Drop, Fly My Pretties and Trinity Roots. She is supported by Arjuna Oakes, a local success story with his four-piece band coming up from Wellington, who will perform songs from his recently released EP The Watcher.

Anika Moa: Songs for Bubbas on Saturday morning.

Anika Moa: Songs for Bubbas

Saturday March 27, Titirangi War Memorial Hall. 11.15am.

Special ticket prices apply: very limited tickets available.

Where witches eat tamariki, monsters hide in cupboards and spook you and things go from slow to wild in the blink of an eye. Te reo Māori waiata will teach child and parent! It's too good to be true, folks! Nau mai, haere mai to this amazing, crazy show!

Continued on page 10 >> Hollie Smith will perform on Friday March 26.

Diva Anita Wigl’it will host this year’s Jungle Boogie. >> Titirangi Festival returns, continued from page 9

‘Jungle Boogie’ – a night of DJs, Electronica and House

Saturday March 27, Titirangi War Memorial Hall. Doors open 7pm.

Titirangi Festival of Music invites you to get some friends together and enjoy a night of dance music. The doors will open at 7pm and you’ll be welcomed by your host for the night, Diva Anita Wigl’it. Then grab your specially designed Jungle Boogie cocktail and get set for a night on the dance floor, surrounded by themed décor and a light-show.

Jungle Boogie will feature sets by Flamingo Pier (responsible for some of the finest dance parties in East London and New Zealand), the legendary DJ Frank Booker (bringing a worldwide reputation), the wonderfully multi-talented Sandy Mill and house-funk outfit Samson-Live featuring guitar powerhouse Dixon Nacey (Nathan Haines/Sola Rosa).

Book a night on the dance floor with TFM! (Note: refunds from the Jungle Boogie 2020 event will be available from February 1 until February 7.)

DJ Frank Booker (above), Flamingo Pier (below left) and Samson-Live (below) will be sure to get you dancing at Saturday night’s Jungle Boogie.

Proudly Supporting our Local Community

The merged practices of Thomas & Co Lawyers Ltd and Titirangi Law Centre are proud to continue their sponsorship of the Titirangi Festival of Music.

Ray Ganda and Don Thomas have years of experience working in the Titirangi and New Lynn areas and are committed to the community. We can help you with: PROPERTY: Residential Property, Commercial Property, Leases, Subdivisions BUSINESS: Business Sales, Purchase, Company Incorporation, Partnerships, Leases, Employment PERSONAL: Trusts, Wills, Matrimonial, Relationship Property, Family, Parenting, Custody, Powers of Attorney

2nd Floor, 3 Totara Avenue, New Lynn (09) 827 5907 www.thomas.co.nz

Te Uru Family Activity trail and Junior Jungle Boogie kids disco from 12 noon, Saturday

Free workshops ranging from drumming and percussion workshops, jungle-inspired mask making and luminous face/body painting.

Then head down to the Titirangi War Memorial hall for a free kids disco, 4-5pm, hosted by DJ Sandy Mill (pictured left)

There’ll be spot prizes for the best dressed and best dancers.

Around the Village

Free music will kick off from 12 noon on Saturday with festival favourites Mhara Marimbas and run until evening at various locations around the Village all afternoon with DJs, young bands and street performers.

Fraser Bruce and his Mhara Marimbas will kick off the free music programme in the Village on Saturday afternoon.

Proud to be part of the Titirangi community and support the Titirangi Festival of Music 2021

406 Titirangi Road • 09 816 8837

Event organisers:

Do you have an upcoming event you’d like listed in The Fringe? Send the details, including a contact person and number, to info@ fringemedia.co.nz.

Readers:

While we take care to ensure listings are correct, errors may occur. Check with the contact person wherever possible. w January 29 – February 1, The 48th Auckland Folk Festival;

Kumeu Showgrounds. For guest performers, prices and all other information visit www.aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz. w January 31, Titirangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Titirangi War Memorial Hall; 10am-2pm. Contact Tess on tvm. manager@gmail.com or phone 022 631 9436. w – 7, Andy Mardell, local Piha wood artist presents Back to Nature; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha Phone 812-8029 www.westcoastgallery.co.nz. w – 14, Unthought: Shelley Simpson’s works in copper; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455. w – 14, Plastic Age by John Guy Johnston, a visually festive show drawing attention to plastic debris; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455. w – 14, Bruce Connew: A Vocabulary, an abstract, narrative selection of images by photographer and artist Bruce Connew related to the many memorials and gravestones of Aotearoa’s colonial wars; Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 14, Finn Ferrier: Soft garniture, Finn Ferrier uses materiality to reveal the tension between the maker and the nature of the object and explores the qualities and limitations of working with rope; Small Space, Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 14, Star Waka, acknowledging past, present and future voyages to and from Aotearoa in all directions; Learning Centre Gallery, Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 21, Rob McLeod: Jimmi gets nostalgic, painter Rob McLeod pushes the traditional boundaries of painting as he challenges his nostalgia for Scotland; Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 21, Louie Bretaña: Tumingala sa Tinitingala na mga Tala, Auckland-based Filipino artist Louie Bretaña expands on the role of stars as guides to both navigation and to life with a series of new suspended sculptures; Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 28, Portage 2020 ceramic awards, 20th anniversary exhibition; Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 28, NUku, an exhibition of Maori ceramics; Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w – 28, Peter Selwyn Memorial Window; Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road. Phone 817 8070. w 7, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732. w 9, West Auckland Historical Society Family History Group meeting; Henderson Central Library West Auckland Research Centre; 10-11.30am. Phone Gary Snow 832 5098, 021 618 434 or email gary@ snofam.co.nz. w 12, Ladies’ Probus Club, fellowship, fun, speakers, and a monthly day trip; St John’s Hall, Te Atatū South; 9.45am-Noon. Phone Betty 09 832 0484. w 12, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker and morning tea; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Laurie 820 2234. w 12, Flicks presents Bellbird (M), a New Zealand film. “A powerful, touching film, portrayed in the gentlest of ways ... an absolute gem.”; Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Titirangi Road, Titirangi; 1.30pm, 6pm, 8.15pm; Tickets $15/$12/$10 from eventfinda.co.nz and on door. Text bookings to 0210 222 5558. Trailers and info at www.flickscinema. weebly.com. w 13 – March 14, Sang Sool Shim and Keum Sun Lee present Forever in the Wind, a ceramic exhibition; West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha Phone 812-8029 www.westcoastgallery.co.nz. w 13, Titirangi Folk Music Club presents Lothlorien, floor singers in the first half; Titirangi Beach Hall, bottom of Titirangi Beach Road; 8pm; $12, $8 for members, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic. co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289. w 15, Henderson Falls Combined Friendship Club – fun, friendship and fellowship with monthly speakers and frequent outings; Henderson Bowling Club, 2/20 Alderman Drive, Henderson; 10am-noon. Contact Fern 416 0004 or 027 472 0378. w 16, SeniorNet West Auckland, speaker, morning tea and chatting about computers; Kelston Community Centre; 10am. Phone June 021 179 3635. w 17, Flicks presents A Mindful Choice (E), two modern-day monks meet a diverse range of people making a choice for a better life through meditation; Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Titirangi Road; 7.30pm; Tickets $10 from eventfinda.co.nz and on door. Text bookings to 0210 222 5558. Trailers and info at www.flickscinema.weebly.com. w 19 – April 4, Edith and George: in our sea of islands: Initially shown at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington (2019), this exhibition by Edith Amituanai and George Crummer (two photographers 100 years apart) is recontextualised in the Homestead Galleries; Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson. Phone 838 4455. w 23, Titirangi U3A – meet interesting people 60-years and older; West Lynn Garden, 73 Parker Avenue, New Lynn; 1.30pm. Contact 818 8890, 027 699 5480 or heathertanguay@slingshot.co.nz. w 26, Glen Eden Combined Probus Club welcomes retirees for fellowship and guest speakers; Ceramco Park Function Centre, 120 Glendale Road, Kaurilands; 9.45am. Phone Brian Holt 838 5857. w 26, Flicks presents The Painter and the Thief (M). A documentary that feels like a thriller – a heist, villains who are not what they seem, scenes of striking intimacy and some fabulous twists; Lopdell House Theatre, 418 Titirangi Road, Titirangi; 1.30pm, 6pm, 8.15pm; Tickets $15/$12/$10 from eventfinda.co.nz and on door. Text bookings to 0210 222 5558. Trailers and info at www.flickscinema.weebly.com. w 26, Titirangi Folk Music Club presents Friday Folk, an informal gathering of musicians and singers; Titirangi Beach Hall, bottom of Titirangi Beach Road; 8pm; $5. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289. w 28, Titirangi Village Market: art, craft, produce and music; Titirangi War Memorial Hall; 10am-2pm. Contact Tess on tvm. manager@gmail.com or phone 022 631 9436.

w March 7, Pony Rides, Huia Road Horse Club; 436B Huia Road, Laingholm; 3-4pm; $5 per child per ride. Phone 027 499 1732. w March 9, West Auckland Historical Society Family History Group meeting; Henderson Central Library West Auckland Research Centre; 10-11.30am. Phone Gary Snow 832 5098, 021 618 434 or email gary@ snofam.co.nz. w March 12, Ladies’ Probus Club, fellowship, fun, speakers, and a monthly day trip; St John’s Hall, Te Atatū South; 9.45am-Noon. Phone Betty 09 832 0484. w March 12, West Auckland Men’s Rebus Club, guest speaker and morning tea; Friendship Hall, 3063 Great North Road, New Lynn; 10am-12noon. Phone Laurie 820 2234. w March 13, Titirangi Folk Music Club presents High, Wide and Handsome, floor singers in the first half; Titirangi Beach Hall, bottom of Titirangi Beach Road; 8pm; $12, $8 for members, under 18 free. www.titirangilivemusic.co.nz or text Cathy on 021 207 7289.

march

l WHERE IT’S AT:

• Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson; 10am-4.30pm daily. 838 4455, www.ceac.org.nz. • EcoMatters Environment Trust, 1 Olympic Place, New Lynn; Wednesday – Sunday 10am-2pm. 826 4276, info@ecomatters.org.nz. • Flicks cinema, Titirangi Theatre, Lopdell House. 818 2489, www.flickscinema.weebly.com. • Kelston Community Centre, corner of Awaroa and Great North Roads, Kelston. • McCahon House Museum, 67 Otitori Bay Road, Titirangi; Wednesday – Sunday 1-4pm, except public holidays. 817 6148, mccahon@mccahonhouse.org.nz. • Playhouse Theatre, 15 Glendale Road, Glen Eden. 818 5751. • Te Toi Uku – Clay Works, 8 Ambrico Place, New Lynn; Tuesday –Friday 10am-4pm,

Saturday 10am-3pm. Phone 827 7349, www.portageceramicstrust.org.nz. • Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi; Tuesday –

Sunday 10am-4.30pm daily. 817 8087, info@teuru.org.nz. • Titirangi Theatre, Titirangi Theatre, Lopdell House; Titirangi. 817 5812, infoline 817 5951, www.titirangitheatre.co.nz. • Upstairs Gallery, Level 1, Lopdell House, 418 Titirangi Road; 10am-3pm daily. 817 4278, www.upstairs.org.nz. • West Coast Gallery, Seaview Road, Piha; 11am-3pm Thursday/Friday, 10am-4pm

Saturday/Sunday. 812 8029, www.westcoastgallery.co.nz.

There is so much happening in and around our community, including many weekly events, that we can’t fit everything into these listings. To find out more about whatever you are interested in, visit: www.fringemedia.co.nz/ourplace

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Piha RSA presents: Summer Chill-Out Sessions at the “RA” Every weekend during Summer

Sunday, January 31, 4pm: John Goudge

Monday, February 1, 3pm: Cat Tunks & Kara Gordon

Sunday, February 7, 3pm: Hello Nastiez & Hey Honey

Saturday, February 13, 4pm: Evy

Saturday, February 20, 4pm: DJ Saul & Macrooze

Saturday, February 27, 4.30pm: San Detroit Band

3 Beach Valley Road, Piha | Ph: 09 812 8138 / Mobile: 0277 170 963 | Email: piharsa@xtra.co.nz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsa.piha.9 | Website: https://rsapiha.co.nz/