What’s On: Wonderful Waiata, Cute Films & More Good Things For The Weekend

Tune into a beautiful debut single, cosy up for a movie and look ahead to Matariki.

Enjoy a single release

Geneva Alexander-Marsters (Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Aitutaki, Palmerston Island) is set to release a debut single tomorrow, named IHO. The artist was previously the vocalist in the band SoccerPractise, known for its genre-bending beats with searing guitar, and this single release sees her striking out solo, as Geneva AM. The waiata sees Geneva reflecting on a moment of transition into motherhood, taking on the preparation for the arrival of a baby into Te Ao Mārama.

“As a mother, I wanted to share this positive birth experience as a way for wāhine to be empowered by their physicality and spiritual focus,” says Geneva AM. “It is important to produce music that is in te reo rangatira, that speaks to the strength all wāhine have, the magic of mothers and the joy of children.”

The single is set to release on July 7. Shortly after, a Waiata Anthems documentary and live performance video will launch on July 9, this Sunday. More Waiata Anthems are also set to premiere this month — so stay tuned.

Witness a historic return

This weekend, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū will welcome Te Rā, a taonga that has been held in the British Museum collection, back to the shores of Aotearoa. The gallery says the 200-year-old piece is “the only known customary Māori sail in existence” and it has only been shown to the public once.

Ranui Ngarimu ONZM (Kāti Māmoe, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga), a senior weaver and member of the team who initiated the return and exhibition of Te Rā, says that the showcasing of the piece will build on our cultural and historical knowledge of Māori weaving and voyaging.

Te Rā will show at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū from July 8 to October 23, before showing at Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.

Explore an exhibition

Hokianga’s Village Arts Gallery is in the final weeks of its Matariki 2023 exhibition, a project which invited a number of artists to respond to the time of celebration and renewal. The exhibition encompasses creations across a range of different mediums, including weaving, painting, sculpture and photography. Among the striking pieces, there are various representations of the natural world (tides, stars and shorelines) and multimedia references to weaving. The gallery is open from 10am to 3pm on Tuesday to Sunday. Matariki 2023 will close on July 16.

Wander a multimedia display

The Te Whare Toi City Gallery Wellington is currently hosting a capturing multimedia exhibition from Sione Tuívailala Monū. Stories pairs the artist’s work with nimamea’a tuikakala (Tongan fine art flower design) and moving image. The exhibition installation features vibrant floating ‘Ao Kakala pieces, which are made with bright plastic flowers, and staged iPhone-shot films which capture Monū in private and public spaces — the short films seek to consider the “conditions of living in diaspora”.

The exhibition also includes screenings from international artists, who play with digital storytelling and representations. They find a relation to Monū's work through their consideration of identities in a networked world. Stories will close on September 3.

Cosy couch watching

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On has been hailed as one of the sweetest releases from the last few years. The stop-motion, live-action film follows the tiny titular shell (voiced by Jenny Slate) on a journey to find his long-lost family, where he comes into online fame and asks the world for help through a 60 Minutes interview. It’s an intensely adorable film, but it doesn’t let up. It’s unlikely you’ll make it to the end without crying. Marcel the Shell will land on Neon this Saturday and show on Sky Movies Family on July 16 at 7pm.

Vivienne Westwood: Do It Yourself is a documentary film that followed the beloved late English designer in the late 2000s. It’s a slightly subdued fly-on-the-wall, character study film, which explores her ethos and career through archival and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. It paints a more restrained and grounded portrait of the designer than the 2018 documentary Punk, Icon, Activist, examining the designer with a closer look. The film will show on Sky Arts on July 8 at 8.30pm.

The Out-Laws will debut on Netflix this weekend, as another addition to the Meet The Parents comedy genre. In this Adam Sandler production, a young and peppy bank manager meets his soon-to-be wife‘s parents and his workplace is robbed shortly after. He starts to suspect that his future in-laws might just be the famous “Ghost Bandits”. The potential bank robbers are played by Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin, while Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev play the engaged couple. Comedy chaos will likely ensue.

Book ahead

Marking Matariki

Karangahape Rd will be home to a major street party on the evening before the public holiday starts, which will welcome guests from 3pm on July 13 to experience more than 50 events. Te Karanga a Hape will see puoro, mahinga toi, kākahu toi and kai — music, art, fashion and food — fill the vibrant centre city street. Event producer Anya Vitali (Te Mahurehure, Ngāpuhi) says, “This is a time for this constantly moving, evolving and growing community to showcase themselves, and to open their doors to the public in celebration of Matariki.”

The street will be buzzing with flash tattoos, markets, installations, skateboarding and thrift crawls, and so much more. In tandem with the party, 214 Karangahape Rd will host a Matariki pop-up with guest artists, workshops, tours, games and lots of other community-focused happenings.

See a dance show

Dance company Black Grace is set to showcase the talents of 12 young dancers with Company B — I Am A Renaissance. The show will premiere following a four-week rehearsal period, where the dancers will be led by the founding artistic director and choreographer Neil Ieremia ONZM. Dancers taking part will collaborate to produce a performance that speaks to the theme “I Am A Renaissance”. The final presentation will be performed at the Herald Theatre from July 19 to July 23.