2007

Press releases

Celebrate Pasifika at Artstation
Pacific Art takes Another Look at White and Black
Spotlight on Pasifika Festival 2008
Month-long showcase of Pacific talent
2008 Pacific Trade Expo
Pollywood SIX08 Pacific Island Short Film

Celebrate Pasifika at Artstation

6 March 2008
Auckland City Council

Artstation celebrates Pacific talent in Come Together, a new exhibition opening on Thursday 13 March.

The exhibition, part of Auckland City Council's Celebrate Pasifika programme, brings together artists from a diverse range of Oceanic communities.

They discuss ideas of identity, family, belonging and race that are unique to New Zealand.

The Li'l Mamas Art Klub, an Auckland based art collective from a variety of Pacific backgrounds, creates work influenced by the traditional crafts of pacific mothers.

In Come Together, they use a Pacific weaving technique to explore ideas of collaboration, utility and fragility.

Artist Natalie Couch and her 4-year-old daughter create a small tent-style whare in the gallery, complete with traditional games for children to play.

Andrea Low and Melanie Rands use found text and image as the basis of their collaboration, combining disparate texts and images to create new connections.

New works have also been created by Rachel Walters, Ruth Thomas Edmond, Evotia Tamua and Eimi Tamua

Pacific Art takes Another Look at White and Black

5 March 2008
Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust

A new exhibition of Pacific artists is inviting people to take another look at the contrast of white and black, the personal expression of identity and wider issues of race and ethnicity.

'Flat White, Black Pearl' is being shown in Auckland as part of the month-long Celebrate Pasifika festival. Atypical of your usual expectation of Pacific culture in the visual arts, it will only feature works that are in black and white.

With almost 50 artists participating in the show, there are bound to be a few surprises about how the artists have chosen to express their 'colour' and cultural identity when confined to neutral tones.

"Work has been selected because it is black and/or white, or shades of grey," explains Jim Vivieaere who has curated the exhibition along with Leeane Clayton, herself an emerging artist and first-time curator.

While the curators concentrate on creating the physical and intellectual experience of the exhibition, the artists determine their own views on issues of race and identity as Pacific artists.

In 'Flat White, Black Pearl', although there may be a "colour bar" on the artwork - limited to shades of black, white and grey - there are no limits as to how innovative, expressive, white or black, ordinary or gorgeous the artists choose to be.

The exhibition runs from 1 - 22 March at Te Karanga Gallery on Karangahape Road, Auckland. This exhibition is a Tautai initiative, supported by funding from Creative Communities and part of Auckland City Council's Celebrate Pasifika 2008.

Spotlight on Pasifika Festival 2008

27 February 2008
Auckland City Council

Three original members of the band Herbs will take to the stage as Herbs Unplugged for Pasifika Festival's free Accident Compensation Corporation Opening Night Concert on Friday, 7 March.

Herbs produced a stream of Pacific reggae hits during the 1980s and 1990s, performing alongside the likes of Dave Dobbyn, Tim Finn, Annie Crummer, UB40, Tina Turner, Neil Young and Stevie Wonder.

Other acts including Big Belly Woman, Sunga and Vela will appear at the Auckland City Council-organised concert at Western Springs Park from 7pm to 9pm. Performances from groups representing 10 Pacific island nations will also explore this year's eel theme, which reflects the festival's location (Western Springs – lake of eels).

The evening's MC will be Teuila Blakely (Sione's Wedding).

The concert is a great prelude for festival day on Saturday, 8 March which will see in excess of 200,000 people enjoying all-day entertainment on two stages, plus traditional Pacific foods, crafts, art, cultural performances, music and interactive activities in 10 cultural villages at what is one of the world's largest free community events.

Auckland City Council's 16th annual Pasifika Festival is the place to experience the best tastes, sights and sounds of our city's diverse Pacific cultures.

Pasifika Festival 2008 is proudly sponsored and supported by Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Pacific Media Network (Radio 531pi and Niu FM), Sport & Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), New Zealand Post, Ministry of Education's Team-Up, Air New Zealand, Flava 96one, New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT), Creative New Zealand, Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Limited, McCallum Industries' Palm Corned Beef and Māori Television.

Month-long showcase of Pacific talent

20 February 2008
Auckland City Council

A regional programme of arts and events that reflects the unique talents of Pacific cultures in Auckland will come together as Celebrate Pasifika 2008 from 1 to 29 March.

Celebrate Pasifika aims to showcase the achievements of Auckland's Pacific communities and provide opportunities for Aucklanders and visitors alike to engage with Auckland's Pacific cultures.

This year's programme encompasses a range of events including film, performing arts, concerts, sculpture, sport, children's activities and expos. Highlights include the ASB Polyfest, Celebrate Pasifika story-telling, the Flat White, Black Pearl exhibition, Pacific Trade Expo and Pollywood.

Launched in 2005, Celebrate Pasifika was developed to complement to support the original Pasifika Festival, which still features in the wider programme.

The initiative is a positive regional partnership that promotes the important contribution Pacific Island people make to Auckland's creativity, vibrancy and diversity.

The Celebrate Pasifika programme is a fusion of contemporary and traditional flavours of Pacific culture and offers something for everyone.

Auckland City Council, Waitakere City Council, Niu FM, Radio 531pi, the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs along with many artists, venue managers and event producers are working collaboratively in 2008 to support the growth of the festival into the future.

2008 Pacific Trade Expo

12 February 2008
New Zealand Pacific Business Council

Local companies are snapping up the opportunity to meet buyers from one of New Zealand's most important export markets - without leaving New Zealand. They will be exhibiting at the 2008 Pacific Trade Expo, held 5 and 6 March at the Waitakere Trusts Stadium, Auckland.

Organised by the New Zealand Pacific Business Council (NZPBC) every two years, the Expo brings together over 100 exhibitors and buyers from a broad cross-section of industries and services from Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia and New Zealand.

Visitors

All leaders of Pacific countries and territories have been invited to take part. Confirmed attendees include the Governor of American Samoa, Prime Minister of Tonga and the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. The New Caledonia Trade Minister will lead a delegation of almost thirty officials and private sector representatives.

Expo Facilitator, Mr George Margetts, was involved in the previous Expo. "The 2006 Expo was successful and a learning curve. This year the venue is larger and we've invited plenty of buyers from the Pacific."

Pacific Auckland

"There is a large Pacific presence in the Auckland region, so we are delighted that the city councils of Auckland, Manukau and Waitakere are major sponsors of this event, together with the New Zealand government" says Expo Director, Ms Elisabeth Yearbury. NZPBC staff and members have travelled to Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu to promote the event which has been timed to compliment the Pasifika Festival.

Forum Workshops

Throughout the two-day event, forums and workshops will cover such varied topics as "The New Era in Pacific Branding" and the Recognised Seasonal Employers Scheme.

In order to put into practice its ethos of two-way trade and investment, the NZPBC has been careful to tailor topics to both the local and overseas audience. For the New Zealand companies there are seminars such as "Banking and Investment Prospects in the Pacific" and "Helping Small Businesses to Export to the Pacific". The presentation on "Bio-Security and Food Safety Regulations" is sure to be well attended by Pacific visitors.

New Caledonia will hold its own workshop on business opportunities in New Caledonia including new energy, agriculture and tourism.

Business Centre

A private business lounge will be available complete with communication facilities and refreshments. Both the Business Lounge and the Forum Workshops are provided courtesy of Expo partner, ANZ Bank.

"In 2007, New Zealand's exports to the Pacific island countries were in excess of a billion dollars," says Ms Yearbury. "There's a large market right on our doorstep, and we must make sure the doors are kept open."

Pollywood SIX08 Pacific Island Short Film

9 February 2008
Media and Interdisciplinary Arts Centre

M.I.C - Toi Rerehiko are proud to present POLLYWOOD SIX08, curated by Craig Fasi. Continuing on from the previous successful FIVE years of screening Pacific Island Short Film; POLLYWOOD SIX08 is set to please audiences yet again..

POLLYWOOD, a well known advocate of Pacific Island Short film, has produced another fantastic line up of Polynesian theme short films. Encompassing Drama, comedy, experimental and documentary work, POLLYWOOD SIX08 has something for everyone.

Short films directed, written and featuring Nesian people. Celebrating our cultural identities, stories, thoughts and ideas, Pollywood is the only annual program of its kind here in New Zealand.

Craig Fasi has organized and curated Pollywood since 2000 while working with the Moving Image Centre, now MIC Toi Rerehiko. "I am constantly humbled by the support the program receives .... six years later the momentum of Pollywood couldnt be any stronger" says Mr Fasi.

Featuring 9 films that make up 80mins of interesting, insightful and educational work. Highlighting an archival piece from the Polynesian Christchurch based organization, "Pacific Underground" www.myspace.com/pacificunderground, the film "Nice Jacket" made in 2002 by Mishelle Muagututi'a and Pos Mavaega is an early account of the challenges faced by Pacific Island artists that is still relevant today.

Pollywood, for the first time, is screening an international work by Alex Munoz, www.fyifilms.org - a Los Angeles based director who's 1 minute film directly relates to the celebration of one's own culture, and reflects on what once was in modern day Guahan.

At each screening, Directors that are available will attend to give a brief overview of their films and answer any questions from the audience.