Auckland Arts Festival

8 to 26 March, locations across the city Auckland turns on a heady 19day arts-immersion experience featuring more than 45 events, exhibitions and shows including seven world premieres, 23 New Zealand premieres and a host of cutting- edge arts companies from the United Kingdom, Scotland, Serbia, France, USA, Taiwan, Mexico, Canada and Aotearoa. Billed as a “can’t stay away” line- up of performance and visual arts, the festival delivers diverse works performed in seven different languages including Māori, Samoan, Spanish, Serbian and French. The Festival Garden at Aotea Square in downtown Auckland is party central. aaf.co.nz

The Bone Feeder – a New Zealand opera incorporating Chinese, Maori and Western instruments scored by Gareth Farr, written by poet and playwright Renee Liang.