Brett McKenzie. Photo / Canvas
This Waitangi Day the New Zealand Herald revisits some of the remarkable New Zealanders profiled in Canvas.
Thousands of times now, Brett McKenzie has played the songs with which he and Jemaine Clement reinvented musical comedy. They're no longer funny to him. He says they stopped being funny after the first 10 or so performances.
McKenzie tells Greg Bruce some hard truths about the world of musical comedy and beyond.
It's 14 years since at Quinton Hita quit playing ambulance driver Nelson Copeland on Shortland Street. Today, he heads Kura Productions, a joint venture with South Pacific Pictures.
"Some people are in this industry because they live and breathe film and television, but that's not my motivation. My motivation is Māori development. I see this as a burgeoning industry and it has really positive benefits for the reo."
Kim Knight visits Hita on his farm in the Far North.
Not content with being a leading comedic actor and full-time early childhood teacher, Karen O'Leary is about to take on the music world.
Greg Bruce meets her in her studio.
A lot of time, firepower and resources has been put into investigating the burglary of Anne-Marie Brady's suburban Christchurch home.
The burglary which was likely related to the publication of her paper titled "Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping".
Shane Hansen lives on the intersection of creativity and commerce. An artist who can pay his bills, but is unlikely to be selected for the Venice Biennale et al, any time soon.
"I think it's quite nice sometimes just for art to be something that looks pretty and people like it because it's that. Why does there have to be elitism? I'll never be in that realm. I think I sit in that space of being a bit more commercial and a bit more, I don't know - mainstream?"
Jacqueline Fahey fought like hell to be a professional painter in the era of Wife and Mother. Yes, it was very hard.
The artist who put women's work front and centre reflects on life, love and the view from the kitchen table.
Three hours after watching the Christchurch mosque shooting on Facebook, Will Connolly read then-Australian senator Fraser Anning's thoughts about it on Facebook - Anning blamed the massacre on "the immigration programme which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate".
It provoked Connolly to post: "I'd like to be face to face with this muppet." His assumption was that he never would be - he lived in Melbourne; Anning lived in Queensland. But then Anning paid a visit to Moorabbin, just a short bike ride from Connolly's house.
Footage of Connolly cracking an egg on Anning's head would soon go viral.
He might not be a Kiwi but Connolly's response in the wake of the Christchurch massacre won hearts across New Zealand.
Greg Bruce sat down wit Connolly for his first indepth interview.
Western Bay of Plenty District could have fewer councillors to vote for next election.