Annual festival gets a ReCut
Matariki magic will collide with a heavy French presence for the official launch of Ma¯ori New Year celebrations in the capital.
Wellington City Council’s fifth ReCut event will see Civic Square come alive with a mystery lineup of art, music and performance tonight.
It’s that element of surprise that city events senior adviser David Daniela believed made the ReCut events, as well as the entire city, so unique.
‘‘A lot of things people say when they come to Wellington is that it surprises them and makes them say ‘wow’ ... There’s always something new like this coming through.’’
‘‘It’s not like [Las] Vegas or New York where things have existed forever, Wellington is a surprising place.’’
Around this time last year, Daniela and his team ran a similar ReCut event to celebrate Matariki while also welcoming overseas Lions rugby fans to the city.
This time, it’s the French fans who will be treated to the show ahead of France taking on the All Blacks in the second test at Westpac Stadium. ‘‘It’s not just for locals. There’s going to be roughly 15,000 out-of-towners including internationals that will be in town so there will be a lot of celebrations going on while they’re all here,’’ Daniela said.
In case you were wondering ...
Our new masthead – loosely translated as ‘‘the report of the head of the fish’’ (based on the legend of Ma¯ui fishing up the North Island) – is to celebrate Matariki, which runs until July 7, and to mark the launch of Wellington City Council’s te reo Ma¯ori policy.
The council’s extensive Matariki events programme follows a promise made by Wellington Mayor Justin Lester during Te Wiki o te Reo Ma¯ori (Ma¯ori language week) to see Wellington work towards becoming a te reo city.
‘‘It’s great to be able to combine ReCut with the Matariki theme. It’s an opportunity for emerging and indigenous artists to showcase Wellington’s talent in a culturally significant way.’’
Past events have included orchestra performances, fire dancing and beatboxing.
‘‘It’s about being able to bring everyone in and get them all firing off each other,’’ Daniela said.
‘‘Wellingtonians shouldn’t miss out on this experience, as it embraces all things Matariki – fire, wha¯nau, and space..’’ ReCut, Civic Square, today from 5.35pm. If it rains, the event will be postponed to 5.35pm tomorrow.