Covid lockdowns in the world's largest Polynesian city have forced the Auckland Arts Festival to re-schedule much of a year's work in the space of a week.
The festival's Kaihautū Māori, Ataahua Papa, says although supportive of the re-scheduling, some artists are concerned their events might not go ahead.
AAF Kaihautū Māori, Ataahua Papa Photo: supplied / Auckland Council
Everyone realises they're at the mercy of the pandemic and are doing their best to ensure they get to perform, said Papa, but not knowing whether Auckland will return to Level 1 until Friday, the festival is planning for both scenarios.
"You know, we've got shows like Tigilau Ness in the Aotea Square garden just prior to Che Fu and the Krates in the town hall. So, if we don't drop to Level 1 then we have to re-schedule which means a last minute re-scheduling and moving things and, yeah!" said Papa.
"We've had to basically re-schedule a whole festival in a week, that has taken us the better part of a year... moved shows to different venues which means different configurations and different lots of people to talk to. It's quite the challenge."
But a delayed launch is set for Thursday and the city's Pacific heritage is obvious in this year's offering - with the arts community set to dance, sing, paint, vogue and tread the boards of Auckland.
Love to Say Goodbye, from No.3 Roskill Theatre Photo: AAF/supplied
The iconic Mt Roskill state-house pivotal to Toa Fraser's film, No. 2, is getting an encore as an outdoor theatre for works directed by Pacific Underground's Tanya Soliali'i Muagututi'a.
Readings from Oscar Kightley's Dawn Raids feature in the programme, honouring the Polynesian Panthers 50th anniversary and the many Pacific families uprooted during the era.
There's also a focus on ongoing displacement.
The gentrification of the area under the Roskill Development has promised 10,000 new houses. But this means the loss of many homes and histories, like the location for No. 2 which is set for demolition, Muagututi'a said.
"Toa Fraser had actually been through the neighbourhood, and had tweeted about how sad he was because the neighbourhood was changing, and he put a picture of the house up on his tweet, and he was just saying 16 years ago we shot this film and now it's sad to see this neighbourhood changing".
The festival's given the house a brief reprieve from the wrecker's ball. It's been re-named No.3 Roskill Theatre for the festival, as it's located at 3 Roseman Ave, Mt Roskill.
Muagututi'a said local theatre makers will showcase their stories of Mt Roskill and its redevelopment in a work called Love to Say Goodbye.
"So we reached out to the high school, because that's where my kids went, to the performing arts teacher there, Emma Gillies, and she connected us with all these potential participants that would be interested," said Muagututi'a.
"So between my kids and her students, and my kids' mates, we were able to get a group of people."
Integral to Love to Say Goodbye is Ionatana Cowley-Lupo, or Jonjon, who said the play was about bringing life to homes no longer standing, by telling the stories of the families who used to live there.
"We're not only communicating personal stories to us, but also communicating stories that mean something to our community, to Roskill residents, to the residents who lived in those state houses for like 30-plus years, and we're using theatre to bring that to life like a last little hurrah for our, for our 'hood basically."
A state-house Roskill kid himself, Jonjon said the event will have a family feel.
"Expect like you're coming to a massive-as family ko'oga'i [to'ona'i or traditional Sunday lunch] on a Sunday like, it's real chill, real... it's in a backyard. We want people to be as chill and kind of feel like they're part of the story, they're watching their family members arguing, trauma, laughing. We want them to feel like they're part of it."
Love to Say Goodbye plays on Fri 12-Sat 13 March.
Whakaako kia Whakaora - Educate to Liberate Photo: Polynesian Panthers
Another event marking the Polynesian Panthers 50th anniversary is the installation of a street mural depicting some of the social justice issues they have brought to light.
Panther statesman Tigilau Ness said the display will tell a story of struggle.
"Whakaako kia Whakaora is Educate to Liberate and if we can do that through art, it's better than thumping people on the head and getting people to change their minds and attitudes, you know, about racism and exploitation and things like that. So we have a story to tell."
The story is being told on the corner of Gundry St and Karangahape Rd through the duration of the festival.
The US Black Panther artist and mentor, Emory Douglas, inspired the Whakaako kia Whakaora collaboration with Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho, Numa MacKenzie and Toa Sieke Taihia, said Tigilau.
He and Douglas also worked with Chris McBride - who Tigi described as a Pacific Irelander.
"Some of the key components that are depicted also in the mural are the importance of education, you know. So there's young people. We also touch on Ihumatao and we touch on covid. We touch on climate change," said the Irish-New Zealander.
Also turning up the heat is the Siva Afi Festival, bringing together exponents of the Samoan fire-knife dance tradition.
Organiser Amo Ieriko said the Auckland Festival was a great opportunity to take the art to a wider audience.
"It's something that is of Pacific tradition but it's also very exciting because it has changed over time. It's modernised to suit the times and so the interest is now cross-cultural."
The South Auckland event brings together a women's competition for the first time with Wahine Toa Afi this Friday, and schools competing on the Saturday.
Siva Afi at Auckland Arts Festival Photo: AAF/supplied
For more details of each of the festival events click on their title below or visit the
