AhureaCulture

Australian singer Paul Kelly served up an early Gravy Day gift this year with 'Rita Wrote a Letter', the surprise sequel to his beloved classic 'How to Make Gravy'. Here are some more examples of sequels to classics.

From crystal set to valve, portable transistor to app, radio has always been present for Hokianga writer Susy Pointon.

Some songs just like to get to the point. The 10 here are mini masterpieces in brevity.

It's not just people over 50 who prefer finding their way with an old-school physical map, says Murray Jones, owner of The Chart & Map Shop in Hamilton.

Robert Sullivan (Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu) of Ōamaru has been announced as Poet Laureate for the next three years.

Shane Walker, Aaradhna and Sam V were among artists adding prizes to their trophy cabinets.

Comedy with no words is how George Fenn describes his awkward new show.

It’s commonly assumed that Māori women don’t carve, but one group of wāhine are creating an environment to support others who want to learn the craft.

Young Hawke's Bay tenor Taylor Wallbank will soon be following in the footsteps of his operatic heroes.

Auckland artist Simon Lewis Wards creates Jetplanes, Candymen and Milk Bottles using practical skills he learnt as a tradesperson.

On a wintry Wellington Sunday night an insect themed classical concert for children was just the ticket.

Six years ago, Jen Cloher was touring Aotearoa when they stepped onto the sometimes "scary" but enriching path of rediscovering their Māori identity.

When two dames of the arts met for the first time in 2021 at a Rita Angus retrospective the idea for Grace: A Prayer for Peace was born.

Brad Pitt is part of a well-established pattern of powerful men in Hollywood who rebound from scandal quickly, and with seemingly little repercussion, writes Jamilla Rosdahl.

When a bus carrying the Mailefihi Siu'ilikutapu College Brass Band crashed in Gisborne killing four band members in 2016, Wellington Brass musical director and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra trombonist Dave Bremner, decided to help.

The anonymous artist Banksy is a visual genius whose "Robin Hood" reputation isn't always backed up by his business decisions, says a London art curator.

Opinion: Imagining yourself interviewed on the radio is one of life's great joys, says author Ashleigh Young. The hard part is when you have to do it for real.

A Nelson-based photographer, originally from Belarus, has won an international photography award for her documentation of people living in Te Urewera, Tūhoe’s ancestral land.

In a world of fear, creativity can be our guiding light, says Wellington artist Jo Randerson, author of the new book Secret Art Powers.

The economist and philanthropist will be inviting the public to wander through his private sculpture park on the western hills north of Pāuatahanui.

Wellington is New Zealand's cultural hub. Christchurch is a magnet for young people. Auckland is sprawling and slumpy.

The last time Aucklander Alma Proença did a tattoo for the pop star, she ended up with a collection of red lines on her own leg just to perfect it.

To the modern nose ancient Rome would have been an olfactory assault, an archaeologist says.

In her debut feature documentaryTOITŪ Visual Sovereignty, award-winning film producer Chelsea Winstanley goes behind the scenes of a landmark Māori art exhibition.

Elton John's 50th birthday suit, Janelle Monáe's "vagina pants" and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's "Millennium Coat" are among the hundreds of splendid costumes on display at Auckland Museum's new DIVA exhibition.

The Uganda-based musician is back in Aotearoa touring an all-French recital for Chamber Music New Zealand.

This collection, called ‘Cosmic Carpark Paintings’, was painted in an abandoned carpark in London last year in-between the international leg of his Mathematics Tour.

The Tim Bray Theatre Company produced over 100 productions and performed for King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The Victoria & Albert’s brand-new East London storage facility is being dubbed the ‘Museum of Absolutely Everything’.

New Zealanders who've served jail time share their stories in Harry Walker's new book A Voice for the Silenced.

Later this month, attendees in Auckland and Wellington will revisit "the shimmering and VHS-heavy age of the early 1980s".

Although his father once threatened to break his legs for dancing, Ahmad Joudeh fought for a life where he could perform in peace.

If Richard O’Brien had landed the role of Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar his smash cult musical The Rocky Horror Show might never have happened, he says.

Lorde’s Virgin explores the nature and meaning of value in a pop culture where vulnerability, realness and being ‘raw’ are all part of the brand.

The global rise of a small subset of K-dramas is impacting the entire Korean TV landscape – and it’s not all for the best.

"I stripped down and got into the freezing cold water, just trying to keep my camera above the waterline and managed to get that photo of it after about 300 others."

On Saturday 28 June, New Zealand's national museum reopens its two-level gallery space Toi Art.

The multi award-winning composer is known for his large body of film and TV scores, including the Theme from Mission: Impossible, Bullitt and Enter the Dragon and for his collaborations with Clint Eastwood from the late 1960s to the 1980s, particularly the Dirty Harry films.

Seventeen-year-old Sam McGee and his 15-year-old brother wowed the Tūhura Otago Museum judges with their submissions.

A Russian who escaped prison in Siberia is responsible for pioneering beautiful radios - in terms of form and function - in New Zealand.

If you listen to only one old man talking for two hours straight this year, it should be Grainger as the charming Dickie Hart in this ATC production.

Harko Brown, a traditional Māori kite maker, wants to see more kites in the air for Matariki.

Inspired by millennial television shows like Gossip Girl, The Sender, which tackles online abuse is aimed squarely at a Gen Z audience.

The Sampler: Phoebe Rings latest, Ladi6 is as effortlessly cool as ever and Salt Water Criminals impress with powerhouse songwriting.

In her debut book Hello to Everybody, Wellington illustrator Sallie Culy depicts the smiling faces of the people in her life.

An idyllic summer holiday on the Kāpiti coast inspired Wellington writer Jennifer Trevelyan’s debut novel.

About 650 works are back on display in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent Oceania exhibition following a major renovation and reenvisioning.

"It sounds very grown up and really not like me, but hey, I'm going to take it thank you very much."

About 30,000 people flocked to Auckland Showgrounds to meet their favourite stars, mingle with peers and view fan art and costumes.

Hundreds of people in Melbourne will compete to do that on Monday 9 June as part of an international art event.

For the first time, all three finalists for The Fred Award were women, all of whom had bagged the Billy T prize for emerging talent previously.

Don McGlashan plays the fourth in a series of intimate acoustic concerts celebrating 20 years of RNZ's NZ Live music sessions.

Whether a gumboot, carrot, cow or L&P bottle, these kitschy constructions dotting the country serve as landmarks and a nod to what makes the town tick.

The NZ Film Commission says the win shows our film sector's reputation for celebrating indigenous storytelling and exceptional leaders.

Sir Dave plays the second in a series of intimate acoustic concerts celebrating 20 years of RNZ's NZ Live music sessions.

Two choirs, one from a Northland town with a population of 6000, the other from a metropolis of 17 million, are the subject of a new documentary.

The artwork was originally thought to be worth about $200 until it was identified as a possible Colin McCahon on the day of the sale.

After being fired from a corporate job, David Stuart relocated to New Zealand from Scotland and now has a burgeoning comedy career.

The long-awaited new home for Christchurch's Court Theatre has officially opened its doors in the central city, 14 years after the devastating quakes that drove it out of the Arts Centre.

The Met Gala returns to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York this Monday, drawing a phalanx of A-listers to the famous red carpet event.

Shilo Kino’s latest novel All that We Know is about a young woman reclaiming her reo as a disconnected urban Māori.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet's performance of a 115-year story has plenty of spark.

Comedian Oscar Kightley is reuniting with his mates from the legendary group Naked Samoans, which brought us the hit animation bro'Town.

Nikau Grace, 17, says she felt a personal connection to the anthem because her koro was in the same battalion as Sir Bom.

Fabric artist Maungarongo Te Kawa was born shortly after World War II ended. His family name means 'to bring peace'.

Actor Hayden Tee, who hails from Maungaturoto in Te Tai Tokerau, reprises his role in the musical theatre show & Juliet, a modern retelling of the Shakespeare classic.

Interior designer and avid art collector Sonja Hawkins co-founded My Art, a service which offers interest free loans to allow collectors to buy art from leading galleries across New Zealand and Australia.

Libraries in New Zealand are no longer just for books. They are learning hubs, language schools, havens for the homeless and support centres for those who have nowhere else to go for help.

The outgoing chief executive reflects on career highlights like the groundbreaking Oceania exhibition and laments that so many Kiwi creatives are still scraping to get by.

When Sissay was 12, he was given back to social services by his foster family who had taken him in as a baby. He knew from then he wanted to be a poet for life.

One hundred years on from making her mark with botanical artwork, Emily Harris' unseen poetry and diary entries come to light.

The stage show version of the wildly popular Australian TV series is a rollercoaster of emotions - and Georgie Hanafin loved every moment of it.

Pigcasso the painting pig, Julie the chimp with a fondness for grass bling and elephants painting flowers. Acts of creativity abound in the animal world, philosopher Shawn Simpson says.

Alex Medland is only 24, yet she has won a major theatre award for her play about climate change and how it all goes wrong for a group of teenage vigilantes.

Twenty years’ ago, Australian comedian, Heath Franklin never imagined he’d be flying around the world “with a moustache in a box".

About 700 people squashed together on Cuba Street, some stood on bins, to catch a glimpse of Dan Boerman's linen skills.

A film about how cats and humans coexist at a Japanese shrine is enchanting international audiences.

This week, the Ministry of Education released a proposed list of suggested texts for New Zealand school students.

James May is tackling the “biggest subject on the planet" but promises you won't be bored.

Pōneke Wellington-based artist Benni Krueger has over 1000 vintage lenses, his passion is to restore them and give them a new lease of life in modern digital cameras.

Here's how to dig into some classical music history without leaving the house.

Farmer Eden Hore collected more than 200 garments and accessories during the 1970s and 1980s.

The LA-based comedian is back home to serve up his "silly physicality and playing off himself in various characters" on stage for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Souvenirs from the Field of Battle was painted by Charles Frederick Goldie when he was 19.

Ginette McDonald, who got her start in theatre playing a French maid in Noel Coward’s Private Lives, returns in a new version of his classic comedy Blithe Spirit.

English performer Sarah Louise Young pays tribute to the elusive and beloved singer Kate Bush in a one-woman cabaret show.

A retrospective exhibition will showcase the achievements of the fashion brand known for its vintage-inspired and avant-garde styles.

The veteran English filmmaker tells Culture 101 that the world continues to offer up great stories to tell.

In a new biography, friends of Tony Fomison (1939-1990) describe the groundbreaking painter as a hard-working man who could be loving but also cruel.

There's so much going on at the annual festival of global music that it can feel overwhelming. The only option is to surrender, say Tony Stamp and So'omālō Iteni Schwalger.

Award-winning authors and global thought-leaders form a diverse line-up for the largest literary festival in the southern hemisphere.

Bob Marley, Beyoncé and New Zealand opera great Dame Kiri Te Kanawa are on the King's rotation.

Director Malia Johnston's latest work Belle - A Performance of Air, being performed at the Auckland Arts Festival this month, was inspired by meeting aerial choreographer, Jenny Ritchie.

With garlic setting you back $4 a bulb, this spice can be found at your Indian grocer for a fraction of the price.

Watching movies at home on the sofa might be easy, but it's no match for watching them on the big screen, film buffs say.

For over 50 years, Spike Milligan's deliciously pernicious witch Badjelly has been hugely popular in New Zealand.

"There are so many powerful scenes which have stayed with me long after I finished it and shows how societal judgements on women have changed over time," one of the judges said.

The Dull Men's Club is an online club for dullsters who celebrate the ordinary and eschew glitz and glam.

A style of tattooing popular in the 1970s and 1980s has re-emerged as a major trend.

Space Craft Architect's award-winning mid-rise apartment design will be included in a pattern book for the future of New South Wales housing.

The greatest threat to humanity is not artificial intelligence, it's the same one it has always been - authentic stupidity, Ben Elton says.

Ngatu, siapo, aute, masi, tapa… just some of the names from across the Pacific for barkcloth which reflect the rich variety of bark used and working processes. . 

Taonga pūoro practitioner Horomona Horo has been recognised as an Arts Laureate for his talent, which he describes as "a different type of magic".

The late art historian Jonathan Mane Wheoki has referred to Te Tai Tokerau in the North as the crucible of Māori art.  Elizabeth Mountain Ellis and many other groundbreaking modern Māori artists from this region feature in Te Ao Hurihuri - an exhibition at Whangarei's Wairau Māori Art Gallery.

Ten years ago, acclaimed potter Rick Rudd sold his house in downtown Whanganui -  with its unique native and sculpture garden - to establish Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics.