How the show must go on
The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have changed this country, possibly permanently. In a week-long series, The Dominion Post considers those changes and their possible impacts on the Wellington region. Today, Andre Chumko looks at the future of New Zealand’
Renewed optimism and sector adaptability may help Wellington retain its unofficial title of New Zealand’s creative and culture capital in a post-Covid society, industry experts say.
Entertainment, arts and events have taken a hammering from the virus, with large gatherings prohibited and the lockdown forcing people to remain indoors, killing any shot of the sectors being able to host public, closeproximity audiences.
Many major capital drawcards such as World of WearableArt were forced to make tough calls to postpone shows, and border restrictions mean it may be a while before international acts return to our shores.
Sector unemployment has spiked. Artists – many living contract to contract – have been struggling at a time when creative relief has perhaps never been more necessary for national morale.
Everything from stand-up comedy and local theatre through to major productions at the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Royal New Zealand Ballet have been affected.
Cultural bastions like Te Papa closed their doors, while normally sold-out performances and concerts were suspended, cancelled or shifted online indefinitely.
But arts and events sector bosses have hope Wellington will weather the storm. Level 2 has seen a (restricted) return to the capital’s hospitality industry, and both Beervana and Visa Wellington On a Plate (WOAP) have plans to forge ahead with events this year, though exact dates and how they might look different remain to be seen.
What is certain is that there will be changes – managing traffic flow in restaurants and bars in particular, and other public health protocols. But also a willingness to make any changes necessary for survival.
WOAP’s festival director, Sarah Meikle, said it was born 12 years ago at the end of a recession, with an aim to get Wellingtonians off their couches and provide urban dining experiences and stimulation over the colder winter months. In a way, the de-centralised festival has come full circle, again facing a restart because of the pandemicinspired recession.
WOAP had registered almost 430 eateries and restaurants across the capital from which foodies could order deliver-to-door cuisine during the lockdown.
‘‘It’s amazing how quickly word got around . . . Events evolve with the time and react to market needs and wants.
‘‘We’re not the same as when we started, and won’t stand still because of this . . . We’re very conscious of our consumers. They need to feel happy and comfortable dining out; that’s going to take some time for people, but others [won’t] really care.’’
And a place like Wellington is particularly well suited for a strong bounce-back – its sense of sector community, comradery and interbusiness support reveals a resilience perhaps not seen with other Kiwi cities.
Wellington’s ‘‘heart and soul’’ is its cultural landscape – something simply too important to lose, Meikle says.
The Wellington City Council appears to agree – councillor Diane Calvert, who holds the economic development portfolio and is a member of the Wellington Museums Trust, tabled a letter from the creative sector at a recent meeting. It asked for a range of support measures, including action on fixing up civic venues, no funding cuts for events/ arts, a focus on saving independent venues and help increasing access to local entertainment.
Among other groups, the letter was signed by Arts Wellington, the Arts
Council of New Zealand, the Performing Arts Network, Entertainment Technology New Zealand and New Zealand Hospitality.
Calvert said the council was acutely aware of the importance of the city’s creative sectors. A priority for the council would be saving jobs – in 2018 alone, events and creative workers made up 6 per cent of Wellington’s entire workforce, and hundreds of those had already been made unemployed by Covid-19, the letter said.
The council had already made moves to help finish off the Karori Event Centre, but needed to be ‘‘agile’’ headed into the future, said Calvert, particularly around issues of accessibility and affordability.
‘‘[Council] officers are working on that plan at the moment. [It] needs to be brought to the forefront . . . We really need to step up.’’
What’s more, the city’s 7000 commercial premises paid for about 45 per cent of the council’s total rates’ funding, she said, despite being vastly outnumbered by residents, meaning if strong businesses couldn’t operate in those properties, the council ‘‘won’t have money to do anything’’.
There was a moral and economic obligation to support the sector – rates relief was just the start.
The council needed to be thinking about quickly turning around consents for things as varied as alcohol licences and building work.
World of WearableArt chief executive David Tingey said that while 2020’s show was postponed, the event, which brings about $28 million to the city annually, and employs about 400, was working towards a show next year similar to what it has always done.
He said its audience had provided ‘‘incredible support’’, but many of the details on future shows were yet to be finalised.
Peter Biggs, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s chief executive, said the NZSO would look at new, innovative ways to use digital technologies to engage with its audiences, which typically run to more than 500 people per concert.
This included experimenting with more live-streaming of performances on a variety of platforms. NZSO had enlisted broadcaster RNZ to help ensure this, and it was working to reschedule all of its suspended performance to later dates.
Lester McGrath, the executive director of Royal New Zealand Ballet, said the RNZB had broadcast close to 5 million minutes of ‘‘live in your living room’’ online shows, which reached a total of close to 400,000 total views over the lockdown period.
‘‘What it tells us is that arts and culture matter to people. We also had dancers and creative staff available to chat about their work [so people could] ask questions. We heard stories of families gathering together watching a family ballet on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning, gathering in their different bubbles.’’
But the short- to medium-term impact of the lockdown had undoubtedly been significant for RNZB – particularly the inability to tour until level 1 or less situation. Dancers had been able to practise on Zoom. Now they’re back in studios, but the in-person performance element is still missing.
McGrath said some venues would need to think carefully moving forward about foyer designs and how people congregated, what queueing might look like, offering of food and beverages and the ability to contact trace. For some older venues this presented a challenge, but Covid-19 also presented an opportunity to hone in on production of excellent local content.
He’s confident there will always be an innate hunger in people to physically gather in social settings.
‘‘In [a] crisis, similar to how Cantabrians were after the earthquake, people care more deeply about the things that matter,’’ McGrath said.
‘‘When people are in times of uncertainty they need something to hold onto . . . [With] entertainment, [there’s a] level of comfort and connection.
‘‘I don’t think we’ll ever lose that live performance aspect. For people to gather and communities to come together is a fundamental human trait. Whether it’s a concert, religious service, it’s how we celebrate things – it’s a fundamental need we have as humans.’’