“I never would have thought it.” It’s been 20 years to the day that John Smythe launched a website, www.theatreview.org.nz, to hold his reviews of Wellington shows after the National Business Review cut his weekly slot in their paper, and he never expected to last so long, nor to canvass the nation and hold the writing of hundreds of critics and archive thousands of shows. In 2006, websites were “relatively new” and he didn’t have much of an idea about how they worked. Luckily a friend’s daughter, Emily Walker-Wright, was dabbling in web design and volunteered to make him a site. John’s twin Michael, a designer, created the masthead logo and another two iterations of it over the years.
John had only intended to create a platform for his own reviews, but it grew organically. First, other Wellington critics who wrote for print publications wanted their reviews online too, and then John’s niece up in Auckland told him “come on, websites don’t have boundaries!” Soon enough the site became a nationwide platform for performing arts reviews. Today, on its 20th birthday, Theatreview has an archive of nearly 15,000 reviews, complete with production details and images. Just last year, 535 reviews, by 158 critics, of 403 productions were published – that’s more than 10 a week. Before Covid, the number was significantly higher, it was a “boom period,” when there was “an awful lot happening”.
John, a theatre practitioner himself, is clear-sighted about the purpose of reviews. “Our job is to reflect what's going on,” he says. Having used reviews in the process of researching for his books, John developed “a strong sense of what was important”. Reviews are important for practitioners who need to see their work reflected, respected and critiqued; for the public on whose behalf the critics write; for the ongoing conversation about the artform; and for the historical record of performing arts practice.
Though beloved, Theatreview itself has not been immune from constructive criticism. In the infamous Backchat sidebar where members could comment and “pretty robust chats” once happened, the site was accused of being too positive, too often. A hui was called among editors and writers from different regions where the issue was “battled out”. Constructive criticism is a delicate balance, and one that in little Aotearoa comes with additional difficulties. “Invariably we all know some people involved in what we’re reviewing,” says John. He says it’s essential that reviews are written from a place of respect, and that does not mean simply cheering people on. “I’m not trying to say we’re the same as directors, but if you're directing something you don't go ‘oh that was lovely darling’ every time, after every rehearsal – you raise them up beyond that, you are honest – and it's your professional responsibility to do that.” He recalls Robert Burns' famous line from a 1786 poem, “O wad some Power the giftie gie us / To see oursels as ithers see us!” A line that’s been interpreted as a wish to be able to perceive ourselves as others do, to save ourselves from blunders and foolishness. Perhaps the next best thing is for a critic to point out our blunders before we repeat them.
Funding has always been a challenge. John sought sponsorship from sectors that also ran nationwide networks – Telecom, NZ Post, Transpower – but the number of eyeballs, and the amount they were asking for were such “small bikkies” they did not compute with plans or budgets. A professional paid membership system was designed, but there was very little uptake. In 2011 Creative New Zealand lifted its blanket ban on funding websites, and since then countless CNZ applications have only occasionally borne fruit. Currently, Wellington City Council supports some of John’s time as the Wellington Theatre Editor, and a grant from Aotearoa Gaming Trust allows the Dance Editor payment for six months. The pay isn't anywhere near a full-time salary, says John, but rather “adding a bit to superannuation”. He is currently working on an application to Creative New Zealand, that if successful, would only kick in at the start of 2027.
The biggest supporters of the site are the reviewers, who generously volunteer their time, and the editors, who are sometimes able to be paid a little, and often volunteer too. Dawn Sanders, once chair and now patron, says she admired John’s “tenacity and altruistic attitude” and that it is only through the selflessness of all the reviewers that “this invaluable resource and documentation of the richness of the performing arts in New Zealand continues to be amassed.”
But money is needed. Not only because John wants the writers to be paid, but because “I will want to pass it on at some stage, but we need to get the funding secure so that someone else wants to do it”. He is looking for a philanthropist or other funder who could contribute $70,000 a year “or so” not just once but for a “significant period” into the future, so that Theatreview can continue sustainably. They are also looking for small-time philanthropists, with a ‘$20 for 20 years’ campaign.
After we spoke on the phone, John sent me a document of glowing testimonials from directors, choreographers, actors, producers, educators, artistic directors, publicists, and writers. They say everything you’d expect – that it's an invaluable platform for informed critique, historical archiving, research, connecting audiences, connecting practitioners, training writers, and more. They’re reviews of the reviews, and they are gushing.
💥News on the wire
Beautiful space and furniture available to use for free in Ponsonby
Objectspace and Martino Gamper are inviting visitors to use the gallery and Gamper’s beautiful and unusual purpose-made tables and chairs to dwell, play, or meet. The gallery is being envisioned as a common space, and is also available for bookings, perhaps for rehearsals, book clubs, family gatherings or public meetings, with the furniture able to be moved to suit your needs. See their website for more details.
New collective space on K’ Road warmed
Last Friday, HARDcore, the cafe, bar, artist studios, music venue, event space, and community centre now taking the beautiful space at 510 Karangahape Road where STARKWHITE once was, had a launch party. There are still a few things to be ironed out, so the space isn’t opening its doors fully until 8am Saturday 11 April. I will report back when I have a nosey around!
NZ Sculpture OnShore raises record sum for Women’s Refuge NZ
The 2025 exhibition at Operetu Fort Takapuna raised $400,000 for the Women’s Refuges Trust. It is the largest outdoor fundraising event for the charity, and the largest of its kind in the country, with over 130 sculptures. It attracted 25,000 visitors – the biggest turnout in its 29-year history. The donation will continue to support women and children fleeing situations of domestic violence and abuse, including the provision of crisis accommodation for women and children, essential personal care items, and counselling and advocacy support. We have the highest rate of domestic violence in the OECD – one in three women experience some form of abuse across their lifetime, and on average 14 women are killed every year by domestic violence; and a child is killed every five weeks.
“Supporting the vital work of Women’s Refuge NZ is central to everything we do. We’re incredibly appreciative of the artists who contributed their work, and so grateful to our sponsors and patrons whose continued support makes this possible,” says NZ Sculpture OnShore chair Paul Walsh. Since its inception in 1996, NZ Sculpture OnShore has raised more than $3 million for Women’s Refuge NZ.
Six radio stations go above and beyond in local music airplay
NiuFM, BayrockFM, 1XX, CFM, Q97 and Radio Hauraki have been presented with awards from NZ On Air for playing over 20 percent New Zealand music in 2025. NiuFM, Pacific Media Network’s youth brand, is leading the way with an impressive 54.13 percent. Head of Content Susana Guttenbeil says “playing local music is more than meeting a target for us – it's about backing the voices, stories and sounds of our people. NiuFM exists to reflect and uplift our communities and that means centering artists from Aotearoa, particularly Pacific musicians, at the forefront of our airwaves."
But while these six stations reached 20 percent or more, for the third year running Radioscope – Recorded Music NZ’s data and distribution monitoring arm – reported that overall Aotearoa commercial radio stations did not meet the voluntary code. “The overall share of local music on our commercial radio platforms has not met this threshold. And radio still plays a crucial role in helping our artists cut through and reach listeners nationwide,” says Teresa Patterson, NZ On Air Head of Music.
Chartwell Trust New Commissions artists announced
Artspace Aotearoa has announced the five emerging artists who will be supported as a group towards an exhibition opening 9 October. They are Lolani Dalosa, Shelton Bray, Ken Faber, Rangi White and Lily Greig. The programme is supported by the Chartwell Trust and aims to foster long-term support and engagement with emerging artists from Tāmaki Makaurau.
Becky Manawatu, once winner of the Sargeson Prize, is now Chief Judge
Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Waitaha), last year’s winner, is this year’s Chief Judge of the University of Waikato’s Sargeson Prize, New Zealand’s biggest short story competition. She says she will be looking for stories that invite the reader to empathise with another person’s experience. “Empathy doesn't have to be invoked by sadness – we could all use a bit of hope in the world right now,” Manawatu says. “I like space for the reader, crisp dialogue and stories driven by characters and the choices they make, where the plot grows naturally from the worlds they live in.”
Entries close 30 June and are open to New Zealand citizens, permanent residents or New Zealanders living overseas. The Open Division offers a first prize of $15,000, the category for secondary school students aged 16 to 18 has a first prize of $2,000, along with a one-week summer writing residency at the University that includes mentoring.
Jared Flitcroft awarded Deaf and Disabled Artists Fellowship
Turi Māori filmmaker Jared Flitcroft is the recipient of the $10,000 Whakahoa Kaitoi Whanaketanga Creative New Zealand Deaf and Disabled Artists Fellowship 2026, presented by Arts Access Aotearoa. Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Jared (Ngāti Maniapoto) is a writer, actor, director and award-winning filmmaker. Jared’s work bridges te ao Māori, the Deaf community and cinematic storytelling. He will use the fellowship to research and explore New Zealand Sign Language as a cinematic language in film – not just a tool for access or translation. “As a Deaf Māori filmmaker and artist, I’m a native NZSL user,” he says. “My storytelling comes from the body, the hands, the eyes and the spaces between people. They are the foundations of how I think, feel and create.” His long-term ambition is to become the first Deaf Māori filmmaker to lead a feature film grounded in NZSL and a Deaf worldview. “This Fellowship is the research engine that makes that future possible.”
Sumer gallery closing
After seven and a half years, Director Dan du Bern has made the difficult decision to close Sumer, the gallery he founded in Tauranga and later established on Beach Road in Auckland’s CBD. “It has been a privilege to work with such an extraordinary group of artists and to contribute, in our own way, to the wider contemporary art landscape,” he wrote in an email. Tough times.
Gill Gatfield wins national small sculpture award
Gill Gatfield wins national small sculpture award
Waiheke Art Gallery has announced Gill Gatfield’s work Tablet as the winner of the $5,000 non-acquisitive prize, presented by Perpetual Guardian. 104 entries were received and 29 were selected for the finalists’ exhibition. Gatfield writes of the work, “A sculpture still becoming, Tablet carries encoded passage – where secrecy is a structure... Equally treasure and tool, icon and index, Tablet imagines a future archive in a deep-time register.”
Auckland artist Layla Walter won the Gallery Benefactor’s Merit Award for her work Layla Dahlia #3. This year’s selector and judge Deborah McCormick says “the form and scale of this piece are reminiscent of Ancient Greek Roman Pottery Vases, but in Walter’s case, the abstracted figures are replaced with bodily parts, an arm and hand cleverly rendered along with flowers to be viewed across her vase internally and externally.”
Te Uru and UNSW Gallery’s Visiting Curators Programme participants announced
From Aotearoa, Chloe Cull (Kāi Tahu, Aerani, Ingarani) and DJCS will take part, and from across the ditch, Tim Riley Walsh and Mikala Tai. The programme, between Titirangi gallery Te Uru and Sydney gallery at the University of New South Wales, aims to foster meaningful exchange of ideas between Aotearoa and Australia, through travel, sharing research, engaging with local communities, and fostering connections.
👔 Human resources
Rae Baker new General Director at New Zealand Comedy Trust (aka the festival)
It was announced in early December that Lauren Whitney was leaving the NZ International Comedy Festival after 16 years, and Gemma Gracewood joined as the Interim Executive Director while the trust board began the recruitment process. Rae Baker will join the trust with more than 20 years of experience leading festivals and cultural organisations across New Zealand and Scotland. She cut her teeth at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, has led the Queenstown Winter Festival through a bold creative transformation, and through her own consultancy, continues to serve as Festival Director of the Flavours of Plenty Festival.
Board Chair Rasmika Maharaj says the appointment reflects the Trust's ambition for the road ahead. “Rae's combination of festival leadership, commercial acumen, and genuine warmth makes her an outstanding fit for this role”. Rae will take up the role on Monday 4 May.
Natalie Hunt to write for Arohanui Strings+ and Orchestra Wellington
Natalie Hunt is the recipient of the 2026 SOUNZ Commission for Orchestra and Sistema Youth Orchestra | Te Tono Mahinga a SOUNZ mā te Rāngai Puoro me te Rāngai Puoro Taiohi a Sistema.
Now in its ninth year, the commission is a unique opportunity for a composer to create a new work for the combined forces of Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings+. Natalie’s work, Nocturne in Black and Gold, will be performed in a concert that also contains the Nocturnes of French composer Claude Debussy. Both works are inspired by the paintings of American artist James McNeill Whistler, with Natalie’s work imagining a reflection of Nocturne in Black and Gold - The Falling Rocket from a 21st-century, Aotearoa New Zealand perspective.
Arohanui Strings+ is a music tuition programme that uses the pursuit of musical excellence and ensemble performance to bring about positive change in the lives of children in the greater Wellington region. Natalie’s new work will be workshopped over the coming months at Arohanui Strings+’ regular after-school sessions. In testing out concepts with the students and revising ideas to highlight their strengths, Natalie aims to create a work that is accessible and playable for young musicians, and equally engaging and challenging for Orchestra Wellington.
Sarah McNabb the 2026 Assistant Conductor for Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand
Sarah McNabb's one-year assistant conductor role with CANZ, the body that governs the national choirs, is part of an annual mentoring programme to develop the country’s future choral leaders. Sarah will work across NZ Youth Choir, NZ Secondary Students Choir, Voices NZ and Aotearoa Choral Academy – gaining insights and experience from each music director. She’ll also benefit from the mentoring of guest conductors. “I am beyond excited for the learning and growth ahead of me,” says Sarah, “It’s a privilege to have this opportunity to work with the amazing CANZ team, contribute to these incredible ensembles and be part of this year’s music-making journey.”
Originally from the US, Sarah moved to New Zealand in 2009 following a stint teaching English in Tonga. She has been a passionate choral singer since the age of seven when she joined Essex Children’s Choir. Her music teaching career began on Waiheke Island where she established Waiheke High School’s first choral programme. Sarah is head of music at Macleans College, leading a thriving choral programme and overseeing five choirs and more than 400 students.
👀 Further reading
Friday was the final round of reviews from this year’s Young Critics Programme at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival. To send them off, Jillian Davey, the programme facilitator reflected on their gumption over the past month.
In an article for our monthly design column, Elliot Ferguson delves into the history of a 1963 design manifesto that has sparked fierce discussion ever since. He paves the way for considering what a manifesto for designers Aotearoa could look like.
In this week’s Shameless Plug, musical theatre obsessive Hamish Mouat admits he loves Cats (the musical).
Crown Fine Arts purpose‑built, sustainability‑focused facility is nearing completion in Porirua, so what will it offer institutions and private collectors? Andrew Paul Wool reports.
I've got one more story coming tomorrow morning for your long weekend reading!
