What’s on in Christchurch this weekend and beyond
Rock stars landing in Christchurch
Queens of the Stone Age return to Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena on Sunday with their The End Is Nero tour - the US rock band’s first appearance in Australasia since 2018.
The tour is in support of their eighth studio album, In Times New Roman…, which NME Australia described as “their darkest, knottiest material to date”. T Tickets are available from Ticketek. Pop-punk princes Blink 182 were meant to take to the Wolfbrook stage the very next night, but cancelled less than two weeks out.
Support act Rise Against have stepped up and organised to play their own headlining show at the Christchurch Town Hall instead.
Tickets for the new show, on Monday, are available from Ticketek.
Farewell the elephants
There’s one more chance to say goodbye to the 30-strong herd that makes up Elmer’s Ōtautahi Elephant Trail before they’re auctioned off to raise funds for the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust.
Take photos, buy merchandise and enjoy food stalls and face painting at the Christchurch Art Gallery this weekend.
The elephants will be on display tomorrow and Sunday from 10am to 4.30pm.
Entry is by donation.
Holi-Festival of Colours
Prepare for a colour blast when Holi returns to Christchurch tomorrow.
The event, at Hagley Park from 11am to 3pm, aims to build understanding of the difference cultures in Christchurch through traditional performances, food, games and stories.
Attendees planning to get colourful are advised to wear old clothes as the colour may not wash out, along with comfortable, flat shoes that you don’t mind getting stained either.
Don’t bring your own colours - event organisers will have corn-flour based, non-toxic and comestic grade colours safe for children and adults available for purchase on site.
Holi is strictly an alcohol and drug free event. Entry is free, but there’s a cost for colours and food.
Lunchtime music
The Great Hall Lunchtime Concert series at the Arts Centre in Christchurch continues this Monday with the Darren Pickering Quarter.
Following the debut of the quartet’s debute album, VOLUME ONE, Pickering and his musical accomplices have completed their second album, VOLUME TWO.
Pickering will be joined by guitarist Heather Webb, bass player Pete Fleming and drummer Jono Blackie.
Tickets are available from the Arts Centre website.
NZSO to mark mosque anniversary with unique concert
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will join several acclaimed international artists for a unique concert marking the fifth anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack.
Beyond Words next Thursday is a special collaboration between the orchestra, the Central Iqra Trust and Muslim communities across New Zealand.
It will feature the world premiere of Ahlan wa Sahlan by New Zealand composer John Psathas, written with Moroccan vocalist and poet OUM, and Greek oud player Kyriakos Tapakis. Abdelilah Rharrabti, a survivor of the March 2019 mosque attacks, will also perform Hasbi Rabbi, a traditional work arranged by Christchurch composer Hamish Oliver with Esmail Fathi, Liam Oliver and the national orchestra.
“Together we are creating a musical message of welcoming – Ahlan wa Sahlan – a greeting used to tell someone that they’re where they belong, that they’re a part of this place and they are welcome here. It’s a way of saying ‘You’re with your people’,” Psathas says.
Tickets for the show at the Christchurch Town Hall are available from Ticketek.
Morning People Street Party
Dance your way into next Friday with a free morning street party in central Christchurch.
Part of the Christchurch City Council’s Meet Me on Gloucester trial to make the street more people friendly, Morning People Street Party will close off Gloucester St between Colombo and Manchester streets to give people free rein to party.
Dance-floor heat from DJ Sin will be served , from 7am to 8.30am, alongside free Altezano Brothers coffee, Karma drinks, and All Good bananas.
This all-ages event is free, but capacity is limited so tickets are required from Humanitix.
National Concerto Competition Final
The best of New Zealand’s young instrumentalists will perform at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium in Christchurch next week Saturday, March 9, for the final of the 56th National Concerto Competition contest.
They were whittled down from 36 performers who played in the preliminaries of the competition in December.
Hazuki Katsukawa will play the Sibelius D minor Violin Concerto, Ben van Leuven the Concerto for Clarinet by Aaron Copland, and Peter Gjelsten the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor. The finalists will be accompanied by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey.
Tickets are available from Ticketek.
Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love
Hatupatu | Kurungaituku : A Forbidden Love is a story of survival and love between young Te Arawa warrior Hatupatu and the unique bird woman that is Kurungaituku.
This production by Taki Rua and created by choreographic and director Tānemahuta Gray is based on the Te Arawa iwi story of Hatupatu and the bird woman.
It combines aerials, kapa haka, and an immersive multi-media performance in whic hthe audience, who will be mostly standing, will get to experience the bird realm fly over their heads.
The show is being performed at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Wigram, Christchurch, from next Thursday to Sunday.
Tickets are available from Ticketek.
Hedgefest
New Zealand’s best push bike and motocross riders aim to push action sports to a new level when Hedgefest hits Rangiora tomorrow.
It’s at 224 Rangiora Woodend Rd from 2pm to 10pm, with live music from P.Digsss of Shapeshifter fame.
Tickets cost $20 for children (5 to 15), $35 for adults, and under 5s are free.
The event will be postponed to Sunday if the weather’s bad.
Tickets are available from Ticket Fairy.
Challenge your tastebuds
Hokitika’s annual Wildfoods Festival is back next week Saturday, March 9, to celebrate the West Coast’s wild food and lifestyle.
Sample weird and exotic delicacies, or gourmet specialties from the heart of the bush or depths of the ocean.
There’ll also be beverages from the likes of Villa Maria, Garage Project and Zeffer, and live music from Ladyhawke, Jon Toogood and the Harmonic Resonators.
Tickets are available from Flicket.
KiwiRail has reported a $407 million loss for the half year to December 31, compared to a $65m loss a year earlier.
Chairperson David McLean said the result reflected weaker than expected economic activity and a “challenging trading environment”.
Rail freight volumes were down 15% largely through reduced import container volume and the flow on impact to lower domestic freight transport demand.
“While export volumes were in line with expectations, high inventory levels in customer warehouses and lower economic activity in China impacted import flow to New Zealand,” he said.
“The lower imports translated into very soft domestic demand for goods transported throughout the country, affecting transport operators across the sector.
The scenic tourism business returned to 70% of pre-Covid passenger levels. Forward bookings were above expectations with additional capacity and higher value tourism packages on the three tourism rail routes, McLean said.
Revenue from scenic tourism was up 53% to $14.2m compared to the same period a year earlier. The state-owned company spent $707.3m on new rolling stock, the completion of track replacement between Whangārei and Kauri in Northland, and the practical completion of the Integrated Rail Management Centre in Auckland, which controls rail traffic on the busiest part of the network. KiwiRail was winding down the axed Inter-Island Resilient Connection (iRex) project to build two new ferries and associated landside and port infrastructure after the new Government withdrew funding in December. The company had sunk $424m in to the iRex project.
Chief executive Peter Reidy said market conditions were volatile over the first six months with “a challenging domestic economy, and international shipping constraints that increased freight costs”.
“Most domestic sectors are reporting lower levels of demand, in particular construction, manufacturing and retail, which has impacted import container volumes and domestic freight transportation.”
Supply chain and labour costs had increased in the first half due to inflation, but were now easing, Reidy said.
Fonterra had a slow start to the export dairy season, but volumes are forecast to be in line with last year. Meat exports were down by 15% compared to the previous period and log export volume up with an increase from forestry in Bay of Plenty.
Reidy said the outlook for the second half of the financial year remained challenging.
“The market is challenging for our customers with activity in many sectors – including construction, manufacturing, retail and export – forecast be subdued for the remaining six months. Tourism is flattening out, after recent growth, at 80% pre-Covid levels.”