The Spinoff’s top picks of events from around the motu.
I have always wanted to taste tītī (and kererū, but that’s a different story). In photos I’ve seen those two little leg bones poking out of perfectly golden little bodies. The fact that they’re harvested annually from windy rocks in the cold Foveaux Strait makes them especially tantalising. Tītī can be bought brined and in buckets online but if I was to cook one myself I would never really know if I’d done it right. If I’m going to eat a delicacy, especially in the form of a little salty, fishy seabird, I want to know its just as intended. This is why I’m jealous of southerners this week. Those in Invercargill can treat themselves to a pre-Matariki feast of tītī and learn about the birds, islands, harvest and traditions at the same time at The Batch Cafe. I will have to settle for finally having tried something else I’ve had my eye on, cacio e pepe at Pici in Auckland. It was salty, and it looked like a bowl of worms. So fun to try new things!
Workshop: Manu Raupō with Alicia Courtney
Hihiaua Cultural Centre, 56-58 Herekino Street, Whangārei
10am Saturday, June 7
Koha appreciated, registration needed
Māori kites are often called manu tukutuku, with tukutuku referring to the winding out of the line. They are flown to celebrate Matariki and are thought of as a way to communicate with loved ones who have died and a way to connect Papa and Rangi through flight. There were at least 17 different types of manu tukutuku before colonisation, but only three types have survived. Traditionally kites were decorated with feathers, shells, carved faces and red and black patterns. Some had long feather tails or rattling shells.
On Saturday morning you can make your very own kite from raupō (bulrush) in prepartion for Matariki with guidance from local artist Alicia Courtney (Pākehā). Courtney has spent time at Hoani Waititi Marae where she learned tikanga and became involved with Māori material culture. She has been guided by many kaumatua of Tai Tokerau. Her artistic practice is inspired by traditional Māori materials and methods and searches for a balance between respecting the technology of te ao tawhito (traditional Māori life and customs) with the necessity of living in te ao hurihuri (the contemporary world).
The workshop is part of a wider festival for Matariki called Pūanga. The following two events at Hihiaua are based on storytelling and look great too.
Paihia
Music: Ngati Soul Music
Bad Habits, 76 Marsden Road, Paihia
6-9pm Friday, June 6
Free entry
Ngati Soul plays music for those that don’t just get wet, but feel the rain. He plays songs by Sublime, Otis Redding, Maroon 5 and more.
Matakana
Film: The Scammers
Matakana Cinemas, 2 Matakana Valley Road, Matakana
10.30am Wednesday, June 11
$14 – $22
Bon soir! The French Film Festival is on nationwide, with heaps showing at the Matakana Cinemas. See the full programme here.
Tāmaki Makaurau
Music: Junk Fest 2025
Double Whammy, downstairs at St Kevin’s Arcade, 183 Karangahape Road
8pm, Saturday, June 7
$35 – $50
Junk Fest sold out last year and is back with a siiiiick line up including Vera Ellen, Twine, Hōhā and Scrambline.
Visual art: Kokonga Ngākau by Maungarongo Te Kawa
Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, Auckland
10am-4.30pm daily
Free
Kokonga Ngākau includes five quilt figures: family members, deities, taniwha, merpeople. The title comes from the whakataukī “He kokonga whare e kitea, he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea” (The corners of a house can be seen, but not the corners of the heart).
Tauranga
Comedy: Stop Being So Dramatic!
Baycourt Addison Theatre, 38 Durham Street, Tauranga
7.30pm Friday, June 6
$44 – $55
“I’m desperate to prove that I’m really chill and down to earth. So, what better way to get you to understand that than with a one-man variety hour spectacle chill stand-up comedy hour?”
Whakātane
Walk: Whakatāne Kiwi Trust Night Walks
Ōhope Scenic Reserve, End of Burma Road, Ōhope, Whakatane
7pm Friday, June 6
$10 – $20
It isn’t likely you will see a wild kiwi, given they run a mile when they hear humans coming, but you will discover nocturnal creepy-crawlies like spiders and wētā and incredible glow-in-the-dark fungi.
Rotorua
Film: Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Sir Howard Morrison Centre, 1170 Fenton St, Rotorua
7pm Friday June 6
$25 – $31
More than two hours of inspiring action, environmental, cultural and adventure films from around the world.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Theatre: Tūī Girls
Basement Theatre, Te Whaea – National Dance & Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown
6.30pm and 4.30pm June 11-14
$15 – $25
Michaella Steel’s new play about a Nan returning to spend her last few days with her beloved mokos before te rerenga wairua.
Blenheim
Music: NZSO Masterworks, Mozart & Beethoven
ASB Theatre Marlborough, 2 Hutcheson St, Blenheim
7pm Thursday, June 5
$48
“From the elegance of the classical era to the emotion of contemporary voices, Masterworks showcases the full power and beauty of live orchestral music.”
Kaikōura
Festival: Kaikōura Oceans Day Festival
Fyffe House, 62 Avoca Street, Kaikōura
10am Sunday, June 8
Free
Join Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute to celebrate World Ocean Day at Fyffe House.
Ōtautahi
Music and visual art: Instant Fantasy, 10th Anniversary of The Wet EP
Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki, 66 Gloucester Street, Christchurch Central City
3.30pm, 5.30pm or 7.30pm Saturday, June 7
$7.50 – $15
Gemma Syme’s multimedia project explores how personas are constructed, documented, represented and ripped apart. For its anniversary The Wet EP has been reissued with new video work in collaboration with Ōtautahi based artist Pentaloe.
Ōtepoti
Film: Leap to the Place of Two Pools
Athenaeum Theatre, 23 The Octagon, Central Dunedin
6pm Friday, June 6
Free
Five new films embracing multi-sensorial knowledge systems by artists Kah Bee Chow, Selina Ershadi, Kite, Sonya Lacey and James Tapsell-Kururangi.
Invercargill
Food, storytelling: Bon apetītī, a night of kai and kōrero
The Batch Cafe, 173 Spey Street, Invercargill
6pm Friday, June 6
$120
Join mahinga kai champion and storyteller Dan Tarrant, generous Ricky Fife and chef Ethan Flack for an evening of Tītī: a five-course meal, the birds, the islands, the harvest, the traditions and the whakapapa that binds it all.
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