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CNZ Michael King Fellowship

Dr Peter Simpson

Auckland-based writer and academic Dr Peter Simpson has been awarded the 2012 Creative New Zealand Michael King Writer’s Fellowship.
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Fieldays Art Award finalists

Last year’s winner, Donna Sarten’s entry Unsolved

The finalists have now been selected for the Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award 2012. This year’s judge, Jeff Thomson, has chosen 17 entries for the award.
 
Thomson, better known as the iron man of Australasia for his corrugated iron sculptures, found the task of choosing the finalists challenging due to the high quality of the entries submitted this year.
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Comedians get Last Laughs

Rhys Darby

As Marcel Lucont crowd surfed his way out of the Skycity theatre last night entertaining the crowd – it was local stars Guy Williams and Rhys Darby who took home the big awards of the night at the Festivals closing event Last Laughs hosted, this year, by Te Radar. Read More »

The GC proposal

In response to debates on the merits of public funding for the new reality TV show The GC, NZ On Air has released the series proposal.

Originally titled Golden Mozzies, named after Maori Aussies known as ‘Mozzies’, it was billed as a 8 x half-hour observational documentary. Read More »

Children's Book Awards 2012

Nice Day for a War - by author Matt Elliot and illustrated by Chris Slane

The true story of a World War l Kiwi soldier has won the country’s highest honour in children’s writing at the 2012 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.
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Music Managers Awards 2012

Teresa Patterson

In an invitation only awards ceremony held at the Backbeat bar on Auckland’s K’Rd  (Wed 16th May), around a hundred industry guests including some of New Zealand’s best music managers got together to celebrate some standout successes from last year.
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Christchurch Art Gallery cuts

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu

The long-term closure of the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu has meant 17 staff – most of whom are part-time – have had their positions disestablished.
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ASBCT pledges $5m to theatre

Night render of the proposed new theatre in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter. Image: BVN Architecture

Auckland Theatre Company is delighted to announce ASB Community Trust will contribute $5m to the new theatre proposed for the Wynyard Quarter.

The contribution takes the total pledged to the new theatre $21.7m. The total amount needed to build the new 600 seat venue is $35.1m.
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University and Theatre partnership provides distinct future for NZ arts

Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) and AUT University are pleased to announce New Zealand's first comprehensive theatre and university partnership. The partnership will be focussed on supporting the business of theatre through education.
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Samoa-NZ artistic exchange

One of two expert weavers, ‘Auomala Folasa-Solo, who will visit New Zealand in June as part of the cultural exchange celebrating Samoa’s 50th anniversary of independence.

One of two expert weavers, Auomala Folasa-Solo, who will visit New Zealand in June as part of the cultural exchange celebrating Samoa’s 50th anniversary of independence.
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Record number of NZ book rights sold into Germany

Frankfurt Book Fair 2012 Guest of Honour Scroll - sourced from Frankfurt Book Fair.

New Zealand’s role as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair has generated record breaking rights sales for New Zealand writers and publishers.

66 book titles are being translated and published in Germany in 2012, an unprecedented high for New Zealand’s publishing industry.
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He poroporoaki ki a Arnold Manaaki Wilson

Dr Arnold Manaaki Wilson, taken in his Auckland Studio in 2007 by Scott Venning.

Courtesy of The Arts Foundation

Dr Arnold Manaaki Wilson - Ngai Tuhoe & Te Arawa | MNZM | Arts Foundation Icon - has passed away. Our condolences to Arnold's whanau and friends. Read More »

Poroporoaki ki a Dr Arnold Manaaki Wilson

Media Statement: Hon Tariana Turia & Hon Dr Pita Sharples - Maori Party Co-Leaders

Hinepukohurangi, uhia te tara o Taiarahia!

E hora ki te riu o Whakatane, kia tamate ai nga tangi o o tamariki o Ngai Tuhoe, e aue ana i te mamae!

Tuhoe, Tarawhai, nga waka whanui o Mataatua, o Te Arawa, e tangi ki to koutou mate ki a Arnold Manaaki Wilson kua tiraha mai ra. Read More »

DINZ urges Government to recognise design

Tony Parker, the president of the Designers Institute of New Zealand.

The Government must understand the importance and value of design to the New Zealand economy when it considers diverting tertiary funds from other disciplines into science, technology and maths (STEM subjects), says Tony Parker, the president of the Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ).
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Documentary Edge Awards

Grant Lahood’s - Intersexion

It’s been a season of edgy, thought provoking cinema during this year’s Documentary Edge Festival, and ahead of its season in Wellington from May 17th, Grant Lahood’s Intersexion and Steve James’ The Interrupters scoop the big prizes at the annual Documentary Edge Gala 2012 on May 3.
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Weaver embarks on residency

Te Weranga, 2011. Karl Leonard. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The artist selected for the 2012 Toi Sgwigwialtxw (pronounced: sgweg-voi-out) Residency in North America weaves exquisitely detailed poi, as well as bold, striking kakahu (clothing).  He is also a man working in what is currently, a largely female world. 
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MakingTracks April 2012

NZ On Air will fund 34 new music projects from its April MakingTracks funding round. Read More »

Pacific Music Awards 2012 finalists

The finalists for the 2012 Pacific Music Awards have been announced with hip-hop heavy-weight David Dallas and R&B duo Adeaze both securing four nominations each, while Kas Futialo – a.k.a Tha Feelstyle - is nominated in three categories.
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75 years of kiwi radio

One of the greatest radio ambushes in New Zealand radio history took place in the last week of April 1937, and two new features from the Radio Heritage Foundation celebrate the 75th anniversary of this cheeky event.

Commercial station 2ZB was launching with much fanfare on April 28 but was upstaged by commercial sounding [but non-commercial] station 2YD launching on April 25. Read More »

Save TVNZ 7 petition grows

The Save TVNZ 7 online petition registered its 10,000th signature last night, campaign organisers announced today. By midnight it had reached 11,599.
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Choice TV launch

Choice TV - new ch12 launching this Saturday

This Saturday, April 28, will see the launch of Choice TV on the Freeview HD digital platform. It will be New Zealand’s first broad appeal Free-To-Air TV channel launched in more than a decade.  Read More »

Prisoner art contributes to earthquake fund

Steve Berry, Department of Corrections, with a cheque for the Christchurch Earthquake Mayoral Relief Fund

More than $21,000 will be donated to the Christchurch Earthquake Mayoral Relief Fund, thanks to last month’s auction of 140 artworks created by 75 prisoners across the three Canterbury prisons: Christchurch Men’s Prison, Christchurch Women’s Prison and Rolleston Prison. Read More »

Walters Prize nominees

Simon Denny Introductory logic video tutorial 2010 Installation view Artspace, Sydney Courtesy of the artist and Michael Lett, Auckland Photograph by Silversalt Photography, Sydney

The nominees for New Zealand’s most prestigious award for contemporary art have been decided. The finalists’ artworks will be exhibited at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki for three months from 4 August, at the end of which the winner will be announced. Read More »

7th SCAPE Curator announced

Blair French has been announced as the curator of the 7th SCAPE Christchurch Biennial of Art in Public Space to be held in September 2013.
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Taite Music Prize 2012

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

The winner of the third annual Taite Music Prize 2012 is Unknown Mortal Orchestra for their self-titled album released on Seeing Records.
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Winning week for Gallery

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Within 24 hours, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki has been the recipient of three national awards.

At the 2012 New Zealand Museum Awards dinner last night, the Gallery won the Project Achievement Award for Museum or Gallery Development. Earlier, the Gallery was also announced a winner in two categories of the 2012 New Zealand Architecture Awards: Heritage and Public Architecture. Read More »

Waikato Museum wins two National Museum Awards

Red, Yellow and (All) Black

In the fifth Annual National Museum Awards last night, Waikato Museum was awarded the Project Achievement Award: Exhibition Excellence – Social History for its  2011 exhibition Red, Yellow and (All) Black and the Judges Award for Sustainability for its innovative temporary exhibition wall fabrication system.
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NZ short competes in Cannes

Actress Anapela Polataivao plays Salote in Night Shift - photographer Matt Klitscher.

The New Zealand short film – Night Shift, written and directed by Zia Mandviwalla, has been chosen to compete for the 2012 Short Film Palme d’or at the top film festival on the international calendar.  Night Shift has been selected out of 4,500 films to be in the final 10 competing for the prestigious prize. Read More »

NZ Architecture's Top 20

Knoll Ridge Cafe by Harris Butt Architecture Ltd

Twenty projects have been recognised in the 2012 New Zealand Architecture Awards. Read More »