CULTURE CLUB

Liam Stretch Culture Editor

Ijust love this place and its resilience. In November, all the great things Canterbury is known for are on show – our deep and historic artistic roots, fashion on the field, and creatives pushing the boundaries. Some of these are on the following page. For this month’s Culture Club reviews, there are exciting options to fill your time, with international stars and locals alike producing some of the best content out there. Also, not on my list this time, but something I must mention is a new Disney Plus series by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building. This is truly like no show I’ve seen before, with its genuinely modern storyline cemented into beautiful, whimsical filming and some expertly eccentric writing. I know I recommend streaming services a lot in my editorials, but if you’re not on board, you’re missing some of the best TV at the moment – most of them are the price of a couple of flat whites for the whole month.

Sir Elton John is a prolific artist and has produced some of the most iconic songs of the last 50 years, and his latest drop, The Lockdown Sessions, has well and truly made waves on the charts. The record is a collection of who’s who right now, featuring tracks with Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, and my favourite, Charlie Puth, with the track After All. This delightfully eclectic mix of music makes this one of his greatest.

The story of Troy has been told by many of the greats from Euripides to Homer (the epic poet, not the nuclear power plant worker from Springfield), and now Stephen Fry retells it in an equally glorious fashion. In Troy, the former QI host shares the bloody passion and conflict of the legend, its context, and the myths surrounding it. Stephen Fry is an excellent storyteller, and the details within this text are impressively complete.

What’s better than a long film? A short film. Recently hitting the internet screens is Someday Stories’ latest A Peek Inside The Chch Internet Troll Agency. The mockumentary style clip centres on a Russian troll office based in Christchurch, tasked with various misinformation roles. After a threat to their existence, they come up with a final plan to knock the Kremlin’s socks off. It’s a fantastic performance of local talent and a perfect interlude to a dreary day. Find it on the Someday Stories Facebook page.

Ravenscar House Museum on 52 Rolleston Avenue is a new home for the cherished art collection of Susan and Jim Wakefield. Designed by leading architects Patterson Associates, Ravenscar House Museum, the couple’s gift to the city, is a reimagining of their stunning Scarborough home, which was damaged beyond repair in the February 2011 earthquake. Paintings, decorative arts, furniture, and antiquities collected over 30 years are on display, including works by Frances Hodgkins, Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere, Rita Angus, and a wide range of other beloved New Zealand artists. Visit to learn about a generous Kiwi couple and share their delight in living with beautiful artworks. Admission charges apply. Opens 8 November, Ravenscar House Museum, ravenscarhouse.com

See the Christchurch Arts Centre come alive with music. The Civic Music Council’s 80th anniversary celebrations will feature our city’s best and brightest musicians and iconic cultural organisations in a concert, with the finale by our much-loved Woolston Brass Band. This free event is on from 10.30am to 4pm. Drop in or stay all day – an event not to be missed!

7 November, The Great Hall, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, musiccanterbury.co.nz

Spring is here in Canterbury, and that can only mean one thing – Riccarton Park Race Week is right around the corner! This year, attendance may be limited, but the Cup Meeting at Riccarton Park Racecourse will still be full of excitement, glamour, and outstanding racing on each of the three days. If you can’t be here, make your own party to celebrate this great Christchurch institution. 6, 10, 13 November, Riccarton Park racing.riccartonpark.nz

Social Woes is a solo exhibition by Wellington-based urban artist Chimp examining the social policing facilitated by the internet. Opening on 5 November at Ōtautahi’s Fiksate Gallery, you expect to see 10 new, large-scale works and a selection of prints in his signature style, which combines portraiture, bird realism, and abstraction in mixed-media.

5–27 November, Fiksate Gallery and Studio fiksate.com

Book & Lyrics by HOWARD ASHMAN Music by ALAN MENKEN

Based on the film by ROGER CORMAN, Screenplay by CHARLES GRIFFITH Originally produced by WPA THEATRE (KYLE RENICK, PRODUCING DIRECTOR)

By arrangement with Music Theatre International (Australasia)

COURTTHEATRE.ORG.NZ

In November, the city’s home of art will become host to a world of unique, surprising, and inspired threedimensional artworks. Selected by curator Koji Miyazaki, the two-week-long festival of sculpture at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora will showcase around 40 well-known New Zealand artists, and over 200 feature works – everything from ceramics to jewellery – will be on show or for sale to the public. Opening weekend (12–14 November) will be a hive of activity where you can hear artist talks or watch artist demonstrations and try your hand at a creative workshop. Entry to the festival is free, but the workshops and demonstrations are ticketed. The festival runs from 12 to 26 November; open daily 10am to 5pm (except 12 November when it closes at 4pm).

artscentre.org.nz/whats-on/sculpture-festival

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With the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine well underway, the question as to whether employers can require employees to be vaccinated is a hot topic in the news.

If you are a border or managed isolation worker, the answer is simple – yes, your employer can require that you are vaccinated. Employees in these roles are covered by a government health order making it a legal requirement that this work is performed by vaccinated employees. This order has also recently been extended to high-risk workers in the health and disability sector and school and early learning workers who have contact with children and students. These employees will need to have their first dose of the vaccine by mid-November.

This new legal requirement has already been tested in the courts. Last month, the Employment Relations Authority held that a border worker who refused the vaccine was justifiability dismissed. The High Court also dismissed an attempt by the same employee to challenge the new law for being too heavy-handed. We expect both decisions to be appealed.

It is more complicated for workers not covered by the health order. Employers cannot require employees to be vaccinated unless they occupy a “high risk” role. To determine whether a role is high-risk, employers must carry out a risk assessment. This assessment includes considering, for example, the amount of exposure a worker has to others, how easy it is to identify persons the worker has contact with, and whether the worker interacts with persons at risk of severe illness from Covid-19. The higher the risk, the higher likelihood the work should be performed by a vaccinated employee.

Nonetheless, mandatory vaccination outside of a government order remains risky and is untested by the courts. Employers may prefer to encourage employees to get the vaccine rather than making their role dependent on it. For example, we are seeing staff incentives used to encourage employees. Employers should also consider what other steps they can take to ensure health and safety.

This remains a developing space, and we await further decisions with anticipation.