Featuring some of Aotearoa's hottest artists, the Tūtira Mai - Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Concert was born to support whānau, hapū, iwi and hāpori from the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle. The community have all been affected many are still isolated without power, communications, clean water and basic resources. Many have lost their homes, marae, kura, livelihood and some their lives. The restoration has begun but it will take years to recover. The proceeds raised this night will be given to Ngāti Kahungungu Iwi Incorporated to distribute throughout the Hawke's Bay, Wairoa, Wairarapa and East Coast affected regions.


We spoke to Toni Huata and Kirsten Te Rito about the concert on and what else people can do to help.

Tūtira Mai will be held at Pipitea Marae from 5pm - 8pm on Sunday 19 March. You can purchase tickets here.

With Wellington Opera's production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor opening in mid-March, we spoke to director Sara Brodie and Maestro Tobias Ringborg about the production, and to Wellington Opera's Artistic Director Matthew Ross about the accessibility of opera.

He Wai is a collection of waiata celebrating the marine life that live in the waters off the coasts of this beautiful country, along with award-nominated waiata about the native birdlife of this land. Husband and wife duo Emily and Charles Looker, who perform under the name Aro, took some time to talk to us about the whānau-friendly show they will present in the 2023 Auckland Arts Festival.

Lesa MacLeod-Whiting is an award-winning Wellington based comedian, writer, improviser and one of the brains behind the popular Shut Up and Dance classes. Lesa took time out from her busy schedule of gigs and rehearsing her upcoming Fringe show, Sealed Section, to have a coffee and a chat with us this week. Her coffee of choice? A cold brew with oat milk and maple syrup.

Sherilee Kahui is a member of Maranga Mai which has recently released a five-part series of radio plays by wāhine Māori and va’ine Pasifika writers.

This series features new writing from Tina McNicholas, Sandra Tisam, Sherilee Kahui, Teherenui Koteka and Stevie Greeks with full audio production, brought to life by a cast of over 20 established and emerging actors. Directed by Māori artist and theatremaker, and 2022 Arts Foundation NZ Arts Laureate Hone Kouka, the five stories transport listeners into a variety of different worlds.

Wellington-based ceramic artist, Pip Woods is a finalist in the 2022 Portage Ceramic Awards. Pip's work in the finals is called Siblings and explores the physical and emotional characteristics which unite and divide, the alliances and rivalries and the shared experiences that characterise relationships between brothers and sisters. The work will be shown alongside the 30 finalists at Titirangi's Te Uru Gallery from 26 November 2022 - 5 March 2023.

Trick of the Light Theatre have just celebrated their 10th anniversary by revisiting their first show, The Engine Room ahead of their Wellington premiere of a new work, The Griegol. We spoke to their Co-director Ralph McCubbin Howell about the company and how to remain together for a decade.

Running over two weekends 5-6 and 12-13 November, this is the Trail's 21st year. With 120 individual artists and 12 exhibition spaces, this is one of the few art events that allows you to visit artists in their studios and invites you to watch their creative processes. We asked Sonja Williams to share her top picks and tell us more about the trail.

Sunday Mixtape is a programme of brand new music commissioned specifically for the 2022 Wellington Jazz Festival. We talked to the three musicians whose works will premiere this Sunday 23 October about what we can expect and what inspired their compositions.