Agenda Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships Elite competitors from Pacific Rim countries will converge on Tauranga this month. The best of artistic, rhythmic and trampoline gymnasts, including Kiwi Dylan Schmidt (pictured), will be competing. This event also serves as the final Oceania qualifying event for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. April 17-19, Trustpower Baypark Arena, Tauranga. gymnasticsnz.com 14 0 HOT TICKETS 140 Music 146 Arts & Culture 152 Food & Drink 154 Sport 154 Lifestyle 155 Family April 2020 139 Agenda Places to be OUT & ABOUT Music, art, comedy and sport from around the country. BY SAM BUTTON MUSIC SO POP Expect bright and breezy pop music from big names at two concerts in Auckland and Christchurch, featuring Alice DJ (pictured), The Pussycat Dolls, Jesse McCartney, Smash Mouth and other acts from the 2000s. Nostalgic vibes will be all around thanks to hits such as The Lonely One, Don’t Cha, All Star and Beautiful Soul. May 2, 3, Spark Arena, Auckland; Horncastle Arena, Christchurch. frontiertouring.com 140 Kia Ora STORMZY Get ready for the uncompromising sound of grime music from one of the genre’s biggest stars, Stormzy, at two shows next month. His New Zealand concerts come hot on the heels of his latest album, Heavy Is the Head, which reached the top of the UK Albums Chart this year. May 1, 2, TSB Arena, Wellington; Trusts Arena, Auckland. livenation.co.nz JS Bach: St Matthew Passion Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1727 oratorio is performed by the Bach Musica NZ orchestra and chorus. The concert features artists including soprano Elizabeth Mandeno (pictured), and guests from the Auckland Girls’ Choir and Auckland Youth Choir. Rita Paczian conducts. April 19, Town Hall, Auckland. ticketmaster.co.nz ALLEN STONE American singer Allen Stone brings his soulful R&B sound to New Zealand for two concerts, in Auckland and Wellington. Stone visits to promote his fourth album, 2019’s Building Balance, which was described by British online magazine The Line of Best Fit as justifying “his position as one of the most exciting and individual musicians in America”. April 16, 17, Shed 6, Wellington; Town Hall, Auckland. ticketmaster.co.nz Peter Urlich and Dave Dobbyn of Th’ Dudes. TOPIC IMAGES TOPIC Th’ Dudes: Th’ Bliss Tour Kiwi rockers Th’ Dudes, inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame last year, are embarking on their first tour in 13 years. For five shows, Peter Urlich, Dave Dobbyn and their bandmates will treat concertgoers to classic hits such as Bliss, Be Mine Tonight and Right First Time (and undoubtedly a singalong or two). April 9-25, locations throughout New Zealand. ticketmaster.co.nz, ticketek.co.nz QUINN RUSSELL BROWN April 2020 141 Agenda Places to be MUSIC FINN ANDREWS & BAND Finn Andrews, best known as the lead singer of indie rock band The Veils, returns to New Zealand for a solo tour. The British/Kiwi songwriter performs four of his shows with a full band and two of them solo. Support acts include Lawrence Arabia and Carnivorous Plant Society. April 3, 4, 17, 24, 25, 26, locations throughout New Zealand. banishedmusic.com The Marcus King Band Soak up some southern blues, rock and soul with The Marcus King Band, playing in Auckland this month. The group’s two most recent albums, The Marcus King Band and Carolina Confessions, reached number two on the Billboard Blues Albums Chart. April 16, Powerstation, Auckland. ticketmaster.co.nz ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY BAND’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT The Royal New Zealand Navy Band is turning 60, and its celebrations culminate in this musical milestone. The performance looks back at the navy’s maritime and musical history, and features musicians from military bands from places such as the UK, US, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Fiji and Tonga. NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE April 20, Town Hall, Auckland. ticketmaster.co.nz HOLYOAK MATT AUTUMN/WINTER 20 AUCKLAND · WELLINGTON · CHRISTCHURCH janedaniels.co.nz Thinking of selling your home? “Today might not be your ‘decision day’ but when it comes we’ll be here to help.” 0800 500 123 Mike Pero Real Estate Ltd Licensed REAA (2008) 13-03-20.indd 1 13/03/20 4:18 PM Agenda Places to be MUSIC NEIL KRUG Tame Impala Psychedelic rock project Tame Impala travels across the Tasman for a single show after releasing a new album, The Slow Rush. Multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker (pictured) produces, writes and records all of Tame Impala’s music in the studio, and is joined by touring band members. April 16, Spark Arena, Auckland. ticketmaster.co.nz HELMET New York alternative-metal group Helmet are marking 30 years in the music business with a tour – and Kiwi fans can rock out to three shows around the country next month. The band will play 30 songs in each show, including hits such as Unsung and In the Meantime as well as rarities and covers. May 8, 9, 11, Studio The Venue, Auckland; Meow, Wellington; Cassels Blue Smoke, Christchurch. undertheradar.co.nz BRONOWSKI TOM SPREADING THE LOVE FERNMARK IS MELTING THE HEARTS OF BUTTER LOVERS IN THE US AND AUSTRALIA Lewis Road Creamery may be famous in New Zealand for its luscious dairy range but when it came to launching in the USA and Australia it was a case of “Lewis who?” So the brand turned to what Americans and Aussies already know stands for quality and trust: the FernMark. The much-loved Kiwi dairy brand decided to promote its New Zealand origins and proudly attached a FernMark to its packaging. The strategy is working. Lewis Road Creamery Grass- Fed butter is now sold nationwide in both countries gracing the shelves from Newcastle to New York. Clearly these consumers know a good thing when they see it. WHY LEWIS ROAD FLIES THE FERNMARK Trust As a government-backed Country of Origin mark, the FernMark provides assurance that New Zealand products are authentic and trustworthy. “Consumers in the US didn’t have a clear understanding about New Zealand as a food producer,” says Nicola. “But they do recognise us as a country that is wild, clean, green and untouched. In consumer tastings, as soon as we pointed to the silver fern, consumers recognised the symbol of New Zealand. To them New Zealand, and the silver fern, represents quality, purity and trust.” Competitive edge “In Australia, New Zealand is perceived as a high quality local supplier, giving us an advantage over European or American brands. Leveraging the FernMark is critical”, says Nicola. Good company Lewis Road is one of hundreds of brands to carry the FernMark. “Not many countries have a mark they can be proud of. As a nation “Consumers know New Zealand and they recognise we’re quite young in developing our consumer food the silver fern, so the FernMark was non-negotiable. brands on the world stage; the more exporters we We’re made in New Zealand and will have using the FernMark, the greater the recognition always be extremely proud of it.” for trust, quality and a secure and trusted supply- Nicola O’Rourke, chain,” says Nicola. General Manager, Purity “In the US there is growing awareness of Lewis Road Creamery the value in ‘good fats’ and consumers are looking for a trusted, GMO-free source and are prepared to pay a premium for it. As we are rolling out nationally TO DISCOVER HOW THE FERNMARK CAN in Wholefoods in the US, it’s critical that we’re STRENGTHEN YOUR EXPORT POTENTIAL VISIT: communicating we’re made in New Zealand and proud of it.” FERNMARK.GOVT.NZ/APRIL Agenda Places to be ARTS & NELSON FRINGE FESTIVAL CULTURE This year the Nelson Fringe Festival has 45 shows and seven workshops featuring comedy, theatre, family, musicals and storytelling. Shows range from Daniel John Smith’s (pictured) Big Dumb Cats about family, felines and more, to a parenting seminar with a ‘cool mum’. May 1-9, locations throughout Nelson. nelsonfringe.co.nz Auckland Writers Festival Get ready for six days of talks, panel discussions and more. Among the many wordsmiths appearing at this year’s festival are British author Bernardine Evaristo (top right), who jointly JENNIE SCOTT won the 2019 Booker Prize for her novel Girl, Woman, Other and American author Colson Whitehead (right) who wrote The Underground Railroad. May 12-17, locations throughout Auckland. writersfestival.co.nz AUCKLAND ART FAIR This is a chance to peruse paintings, ceramics, photographs, sculptures and other artworks – and maybe buy a piece or two. More than 150 contemporary artists from Australasia, the Pacific, Asia and beyond will exhibit over five days. They include Yuki Kihara, who will be the first Pasifika person and faafafine (Samoan people of a ‘third gender’) to represent New Zealand at next year’s 59th Venice Biennale. Yuki Kihara, Invocation (2016) April 30 to May 3, The Cloud, Queen’s Wharf, Auckland. artfair.co.nz DUNEDIN AND QUEENSTOWN GALLERIES MILFORD 393011_P01_NCE 2019-08-16T12:01:32+10:00 Agenda Places to be Left: Kansetsusai Tsukimaro, Five Beauties (circa 1825). Below: Utagawa Toyokuni, Iwai Hanshiro V (detail), circa 1810. ENCHANTED WORLDS: HOKUSAI, HIROSHIGE AND THE ART OF EDO JAPAN More than 70 artworks – silk paintings, woodblock prints, ARTS & folding screens and scrolls, sourced from private art collections CULTURE – are on display, shedding light on life and culture in Japan during the Edo period, between 1603 and 1868, when the country was under self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world. Until June 1, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland. aucklandartgallery.com WHEN YOU DISCOVER WHAT’S AROUND THE BEND LET US KNOW. You don’t need a map to know you’ve arrived.