Culture 101
Episodes
Bernie Harfleet and Turtle Sarten: art through acts of community kindness
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Henderson artists Bernie Harfleet and Turtle Sarten make visible the things we often find uncomfortable to talk about. Urgent social issues all around...
Cat Lovett’s weaving adventures in Mexico's colourful textile capital, Oaxaca
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cat Lovett is a New Zealand textile designer with a passion for the sustainable. Her interest in design has led her to live in Mexico's textile capita...
Regional wrap: Waitati pirate queen turned councillor Mandy Mayhem
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Self declared pirate queen Mandy Mayhem gives Maggie Tweedie a slice of life in Waitati. The celebrant, MC and Dunedin City Councillor gives the regio...
Tokomaru Bay’s Māori clay art pioneer Baye Riddell
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It took until the 1970s for Toi Māori (Māori art) to develop a tradition in clay (uku). One that in part looks back to an ancestral Lapita pottery...
Jo Ann Firestone: the art of storytelling on a Nelson couch
21 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jo Ann Firestone is a teller of tales, a producer, host, and co-founder of Couch Stories. A sold out storytelling series that has taken the Nels...
Fast Favourites: Michael Galvin aka Dr Chris Warner shares on boy bands
21 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rather than Boys II Men, it’s Boys II Middle Age: playwright and actor Michael Galvin has written a play about boy bands, with a difference.
Dr Maia Nuku: taking Pacific power back at The Met
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Museums are really theatres of political power, says Maia Nuku, curator of Oceania at one of the biggest: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. ...
Can sculpture help you sleep at night?
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wellington artist Bailee Lobb has had a "combative" relationship with sleep her whole life. In the upcoming performance-installation How do you sle...
The enduring legacy of visionary architect Rewi Thompson
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016 Aotearoa lost architect and teacher Rewi Thompson too young. But as an innovative new book reveals - Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere - Thompson’...
Regional Wrap: Balmy in Palmy with Spankie Jackzon
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Award winning drag queen Spankie Jackzon joins Maggie Tweedie for Culture 101’s regional wrap to spill the tea on what makes Palmy so bloody balmy....
Sounds of the underground: Dunedin’s Lines of Flight Festival
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Porteous is a musician based in Dunedin who organises an experimental music festival called Lines of Flight. The idea was bred from a friendship...
John ‘Happy Feet’ Vaifale: Aotearoa’s world-beating hip hop dancer
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Samoan New Zealand dancer John Vaifale (Lalovaea and Solosolo) is packing his bags to head to Germany and represent Aotearoa at the Red Bull Dance You...
Fast Favourites with Raised by Refugees creator Pax Assadi
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the opening scenes of the second series of Raised by Refugees - the comedy sitcom created by award winning comedian Pax Assadi - monocultural vie...
Jamie McCaskill: recovering te reo and tikanga with two guitars
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An award-winning playwright, actor, musician and founder of the Maori Sidesteps, Jamie McCaskill’s latest play Two Guitars is a musical journey exam...
Carcass: picking over the bones of our political parties' cultural policy
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a 2023 election countdown special ‘Carcass’ brings you lively banter on where culture and politics is and isn’t meeting on the hustings.
Making photographs with mud and glowworms
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Madison Emond from Rhode Island has been building pinhole cameras from clay in Wellington’s Kaiwharawhara stream. Her photographic work is a vessel...
NZ’s role in the peace and culture of Bougainville
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Artist Taloi Havini began life in Bougainville but fled with her family to Australia aged 9 due to a civil war which claimed 15,000 lives.
Regional Wrap: in Hastings with Pitsch Leiser
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every week on Culture 101 we check the pulse of a different area of Aotearoa. This week, we’re off to Hastings, ahead of the Hawkes Bay Arts Festiva...
Why Polynesia remains still there, still strong in inner city Tamaki Makaurau
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Still Here director Litia Tuiburelevu takes us inside the homes, centres and churches that carry forward the different island community's stories...
Tokyo's Techno Kiwi: George Nelson
07 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
George Nelson is a New Zealander living in Japan with a passion for haiku, techno and fashion. The pages of, The Techno Kiwi reveal a delightful fu...
Taking cinema back to Dunedin’s ‘81 tour with Uproar
07 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Uproar, a new movie inspired by the Springbok Tour of the 1980s comes with a star-studded cast - Julian Dennison, James Rolleston, Minnie Driver, Rhys...
Fast favourites with vampire turned goth Jonny Brugh
07 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Best known as a vampire, and lately, a goth, actor and comedian Johnny Brugh has been leaving us well amused since his time as one half of comedy duo ...
Briar Grace Smith’s stories of skin, screen and stage
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Touring to five regional centres across the North Island from 6 to 25 October Upu sees performances by seven leading actors of almost 40 texts by Māo...
Gordon Walters and our changing taste for abstraction
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new, sumptuous Auckland University Press book Gordon Walters reveals the diversity of the painter’s exploration of form beyond the koru, and the r...
91-year-old indigenous Canadian filmmaker reflects on career
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a career spanning almost six decades, Alanis Obomsawin is still busy working on her 56th and 57th film aged 91.
Regional Wrap: Waikato turns pink for Cherry Blossom festival
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every week on Culture 101 we check the pulse of a different area of Aotearoa. This week it's Waikato.
The phenomenon of ‘Girl Dinner’
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most trends on social media, have their moment in the spotlight, then the next one comes along. But some trends catch on and stick around. One of tho...
Reclaiming Crip Culture
30 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just released, Henrietta Bollinger’s debut essay collection, Articulations published by Tender Press speaks to their experiences as queer, disabled ...
31,872 bottles mark Aotearoa's suffrage anniversary
30 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Liberty - Herekoretanga by artist Wendy Hannah is a camellia chandelier made from 31 thousand 872 recycled plastic bottles - each one representing the...
Fast Favourites with country & rock 'n' roll’s most creative dresser Tami Neilson
30 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every week on Culture 101 we invite a guest to share their love of culture and shout out to other artists. This week it’s - Tami Neilson - a beloved...
Does this year’s World of Wearable Arts have the wow factor?
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Described by Sam Brooks in The Spinoff as the largest catwalk show in the world, an art exhibition blown up to epic proportions, and the closest New Z...
Introducing Pōneke poets The Meow Gurrrls
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re joined on Culture 101 by three poets and artists from Pōneke and Kāpiti Coast who are part of a collective known as the Meow Gurrls.
Regional Wrap: wai and words from the Wairarapa
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every week on Culture 101 we check the pulse of a different area of Aotearoa. This week it’s between the Tararua ranges and the Pacific: the Wairara...
Carcass: picking over 2023 cultural policy with Jason (Political Cutz) Muir and Jane Yonge
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a 2023 election campaign special, panel series ‘Carcass’ brings you lively banter on where culture and politics did and didn’t meet on the ...
Rising NZ music producer EDY on ‘hustle culture’
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rising Tamaki Makaurau music producer EDY’s debut single ‘Help Myself’ reflects on working and striving in a hustle culture.
Switzerland: Finding yourself in a psychological thriller
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Following seasons in Australia and Poneke at Circa, Celebrated Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith’s Switzerland has landed in Tamaki Makaurau...
Looking after contemporary art history - curator Christina Barton
23 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After 35 years working in public galleries and as an art historian, for Christina Barton’s last show as director of Wellington’s Adam Art Gallery,...
Could AI change music culture for the better?
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A PR manager passionate about helping get Indie artist cut-through, the UK’s Debbie Ball has developed an expertise in how best to work with digital...
Drumming for a healthy mind and body
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Could the tapping, beating and bashing of drums be your path towards better mental health?
At the movies for 17 September 2023
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Morris is confronted with several movies that come with a pre-booked audience, you'd think - a popular ethnic comedy, one for anyone who's been ...
Regional Wrap: remote but creative Karamea
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the last census 714 people were living in Karamea, but resident Jessie Creedmore has counted 54 artists, and 21 different nationalities. People spa...
Steamed Hams! Internet memes turned art
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Steamed Hams shows artists using humour and popular digital storytelling devices to explore how our worldview is being filtered through everything f...
Is there life after Lego?
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For 2022 LEGO master NZ winner Jake Roos, Lego life continues.
How to sing opera with soprano Deborah Wai Kapohe
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Deborah Wai Kapohe is both a singing teacher and one of Aotearoa’s most respected sopranos. So who better to teach Culture 101 to sing opera?
Culture meets rugby with All Black George Bower in France
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All Black prop George Bower was ruled out of the Rugby World Cup due to a knee injury, but ended up in France with the team in a cultural role.
Carcass: picking over the bones of cultural policy over 2023 election year
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a 2023 election campaign special, panel series ‘Carcass’ provides you lively banter on where arts and politics did and didn’t meet on the hus...
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra CEO reflects on 17 years
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After 17 years as CEO of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Barbara Glaser has stepped down.
Regional Wrap: Rotorua with Mercia Dawn-Yates
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each week Culture 101 shines the spotlight on a different region. This week we’re in Rotorua with Mercia Dawn-Yates.
A Yum Cha feast for Aotearoa history
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While we were all busy learning to make sourdough in lockdown or finally caving in and downloading TikTok, Bev Moon was busy knitting.
Is ambient music the secret to good mental health?
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pōneke ambient musician George Johnston has described his work as ‘aural ketamine’, driven by a belief in the healing properties of music.
Nothing cheap about this Tart on Tour
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tarts: they’re sweet and Shakespearean but, as New Zealand comedian and writer, Deb Filler says “You want a taste? Careful how you answer that q...
Fast Favourites with Cousins star Tanea Heke
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every week on Culture 101 we welcome a guest to share the love and shout out to some current favourite arts and culture. This week’s guest is tumua...
A Conversation with William Webb Ellis by John Kiley
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the 2023 Rugby World Cup starting soon we thought it might be a good idea to dig into the history of rugby football and examine the “origin sto...
Kiwi YouTubers crowdfund multi-million dollar studio in Auckland
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A “bunch of nerds who play games and make comedy sketches about games” have come a long way. With more than 5.5 million subscribers on YouTube a...
What if artists earned the same as everybody else?
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Creative New Zealand research this year shows artists are still earning considerably less than other wage earners.
New laureate Taiaroa Royal’s life in dance and on the land
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If it wasn’t for disco, Taiaroa Royal might be best known as a farmer. Not one of Aotearoa’s most celebrated dancers and choreographers.
Regional Wrap: Nelson with Judene Edgar
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each week we join a creative correspondent from a different part of Aotearoa New Zealand. This week it’s Judene Edgar from Whakatū aka Nelson.
BDSM back in theatres by popular demand!
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BDSM is hitting the stage in Tāmaki Makaurau. No, not that BDSM - the Bomb Defusal School of Manakau of course.
Drawing to help dementia
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Successful trials in France have shown drawing can improve the well-being and lessen the anxiety of those living with dementia. Now, Massey University...
The art of joysticks - reinventing the spacies parlour
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since he could barely reach the joysticks in his local parlour in Ngongotaha, Lake Rotorua, Preston McNeil (Te Arawa, Tainui) has loved spacies.
Comedy and drama queen Kura Forrester plays Fast Favourites
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian, actor and writer Kura Forrester drops into Culture 101 to talk about what she’s been watching and listening to when she’s not in rehears...
At The Movies for 30 August 2023
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Morris looks at three movies that take certain short cuts to reach their audience.
Word Christchurch with critic Erin Harrington
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can you be a critic in your own backyard? Culture 101 speaks to arts critic and senior lecturer, Erin Harrington, about the latest from the Word fes...
Being a voice for mute global star artist Susan Te Kahurangi King
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By the time she was seven, Susan Te Kahurangi King had stopped talking. Yet, today, she is one of Aotearoa’s most globally sought after artists. Par...
Regional Wrap: Whangarei with Baz Squire
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each week we join a creative correspondent from a different part of Aotearoa New Zealand. This week it’s Baz Squire of Whangārei’s Hangar Gallery...
New Zealand cancels pavilion but confirms a record number of artists at 2024 Venice Biennale
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“New Zealand cancels Venice Biennale pavilion, citing inadequate resources” ran the headline on leading international art news site Artnet this mo...
Classical hits the streets
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From Brahms to Bridgerton and Baroque to Beyonce; classical music is hitting the streets of the capital in early September as Classical on Cuba return...
Fast Favourites: Karen O’Leary
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TV star Karen O'Leary chats to Culture 101 about what she's seeing, consuming and why despite being all over TV, she doesn't watch much of it.
Aotearoa Pan-Asian film celebrates our diversity and confronts concepts of “home”
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The feature film Kainga features Pan-Asian ethnicities including Chinese, Indian, Maori-Chinese, Iranian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian and Tamil Eelam...
Regional Wrap: culture news from Te Tai Poutini
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is there more to Te Tai Poutini than wild foods, pounamu and driftwood?
Will you get to watch your favourite screen actors in 2024?
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hollywood writers and actors strikes continue with no end in sight. The ripple effects are being felt in New Zealand and Culture 101 explores what...
Jemaine Clement’s forgotten Aotearoa podcast
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The epic and lavish comedy podcast, The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium, has remained largely unheard of in Aotearoa. Until now.
Pita Turei: grounding the arts in Tāmaki Makaurau
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pita Turei is an actor, curator, sculptor, comedian and staunch cultural and Iwi advocate. More than anything, Turei tells Culture 101’s Mark Amery,...
A Culture101 party with Bret McKenzie, Suzanne Tamaki and Dr Drama
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Amery and Perlina Lau are joined by composer and actor Bret McKenzie, artist and cultural events organiser extraordinaire Suzanne Tamaki (Maniapo...