Heading East

I let Adam McGrath select the meeting point for our interview; there’s more than a bit of irony that the frontrunner for local band The Eastern sends me east! Upshot Coffee’s Heathcote location is much like Adam himself; real, authentic, perhaps a little rough around the edges, but that’s what makes them both so very […]

Become an artist!: Art Metro

With class registration numbers ever increasing, three students tell us why they love Art Metro.     Helen Spencer-Bower joined Art Metro 12 years ago. She likes to paint in oils from her own photographs and says her painting has strengthened because of expert tuition. “Most definitely my confidence has become greater from learning the […]

TEDxChristchurch Turns Ten!

Sparking deep discussion and connection since 2010, TEDxChristchurch is celebrating double digits this year with a milestone event that’s bigger and better than ever before – TEDxChristchurch 2019: Tūrangawaewae.     For the first time, the TEDxYouth@Christchurch has teamed up with TEDxChristchurch to bring an entire weekend (24-25 August) of TEDx celebrations to the city […]

Star Siblings

Growing up in Christchurch, Scott and Brendan Cole would do anything to get out of dancing. At 8 and 6 that meant clambering out the car window and running off down the street. But then they started doing competitions – and winning – and something just clicked. A couple of years later, younger sister Vanessa […]

Honest Talk

New Zealand’s criminal justice system and art recently combined, with a goal of seeking transformative change.     A multi-media exhibition which has been touring the South Island, Kōrero Pono featured the true stories of 16 New Zealanders who have been through New Zealand’s criminal justice system; their statements appearing alongside their portraits and photographs […]

In leaps and bounds

A 15-year-old contemporary dancer from Pegasus has just headed for New York this month to train at the prestigious Joffrey Ballet School.     Imke Koekemoer has adored dancing since she was three – her career now taking off in leaps and bounds. Accepted for a four-week intensive course, Imke is one of 14 dancers […]