Show fundraiser for Palestinians
Local performers Harriet Moir and Caitlin Owen are at the helm of Voices for Palestine — a variety show fundraiser in support of the Palestinian people, to be held this Sunday from 6pm at Errick's.
"We are raising our voices for Palestine with a night of music, comedy and poetry — all in support of human rights and urgently needed relief," Moir said.
Voices for Palestine brings together a stellar lineup of Ōtepoti performers to fundraise for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides crucial support to Palestinian refugees and is the largest humanitarian organisation on the ground in Gaza.
The lineup includes comedians Reuben Crisp, Caitlin Owen and Gerard Dougerty, poets Liz Breslin and Jasmine OM Taylor, musicians Paul Allen and Lucy Munro and special guest Rinad Tamimi.
There will be a raffle and merchandise available, and all ticket proceeds will go directly to UNRWA's relief and development work.
Ticket prices are tiered, so pay what you can afford. — APL
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Rugging up for the new semester a fashionable decision
This semester, two things have stood out in stark contrast to semester 1: the cold and the coats. The Dunedin winter has long settled in, and with it comes the transformation of campus wardrobes. Clothing in this city — especially among students — isn't strictly about warmth. I've come to realise that fashion is one of the most underestimated and most potent forms of expression available to us. Clothing tells stories: of protest, heritage, identity and community. What we choose to wear reflects how we see ourselves, the values we carry and how much of this we are willing to share with the world. And for many students, university is the first time we are allowed to make that choice every day — identity formation in motion. Many students are only a few months out of the conformity of school uniforms, and it's a natural survival instinct for some to blend in. There is safety in similarity. But the closer you look, the more individuality you begin to see; tattoos, piercings, dyed hair. Fashion is deeply personal, but powerful collectively. A group wearing the same logo or colours can make you stop and wonder. Are they a sports team or a protest group? Are they making a statement? The visual clues speak louder than you'd think. On campus, groups like Thursdays in Black, which I have mentioned previously in this column, wear simple black outfits to call attention to sexual violence. It's fashion as a symbol of solidarity and resistance. Internationally, too, fashion continues to be a powerful political force. An example that stands out is Cate Blanchett's black, white and green dress at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, which incorporated the colours of the Palestinian flag, with the festival's red carpet completing the final component. The colours of the tino rangatiratanga flag here are synonymous with Māori sovereignty and independence, exemplified in the Toitū te Tiriti T-shirts often seen being worn with pride and purpose. Students wear their pounamu, taonga and precious jewels, often gifted by important people in their lives, in recognition of milestones and achievements. Another decisive shift has been happening quietly around us: how students engage with fashion consumption. Second-hand shopping is no longer on the fringe — it's everywhere, stylish and values-driven. At Recycle Boutique on George St, a popular spot among students, the process is circular: you sell a piece you've outgrown and use the credit to find something new (to you). Many students run their curated thrift stores out of Instagram accounts or apps like Depop and Designer Wardrobe. At university market days, these students can apply for a stallholder license for free and set up in-person shops, expressing their creativity, confidence and entrepreneurship. It's collaborative, local and driven by affordability and sustainability. Another significant player in this system is the dress rental industry. University and high school students alike have numerous options for websites to rent a dress for a ball, formal occasion, birthday party or other event. Saturday mornings often mean a stream of students sending off parcels: listed, carefully packaged, addressed and lovingly reworn by someone else upon their arrival. Despite the growing consciousness, fast fashion hasn't disappeared. Online shopping remains a huge industry, and couriers remain a regular part of the system. I imagine student carbon emissions are relatively high due to the flights home and back during breaks. Buying second-hand, avoiding fast fashion, supporting small businesses and choosing quality over quantity can be effective ways to tread more lightly. Supporting local creatives is a wonderfully rewarding way to give back. I recently bought a T-shirt from Tumbleweed, a small Aotearoa-based brand that produces to order and draws inspiration from our native wildlife and landscapes. Purchases give back to conservation efforts. I sent the T-shirt to a friend living overseas, as a piece of home. Ōtepoti itself is a hub for creativity and expression through clothing. The annual iD Dunedin Fashion Week features student models and showcases designers from around the country. Local brands like NOM*d, Zambesi and Company of Strangers all emphasise sustainability, ethical production and low-waste design. These labels not only put Aotearoa on the global fashion map but also offer a deep well of creative inspiration for aspiring fashion students in Dunedin. Dunedin's Bellebird Boutique is known for employing local fashion students, providing them with valuable work experience, insights and a sense of community within the world they aspire to enter. In the August print edition of Vogue, a Guess advertisement featured a model created using AI. This has led to much online discourse about the use of AI in creative industries. Student entrepreneurs, designers and creatives must be protected and uplifted; the AI model shows what is at stake. In small moments, clothing creates connection. Compliments spark conversation, and people become uplifted. At my hall's end-of-year prizegiving, there was an award for best-dressed resident. It seemed light-hearted, but it honoured the quiet artistry and self-care that goes into getting dressed — especially on a student budget in Dunedin winter. Fashion is culture, memory, protest, climate, connection and creativity woven and stitched together in ways that reflect who we are and who we are becoming. Kind regards, Grace. • Dunedin resident Grace Togneri is a fourth-year law student.
Otago Daily Times
25-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Raising their voices
A benefit show to support Palestine is an opportunity to show solidarity, Harriet Moir tells Tom McKinlay. "I just felt like it was time to do something again," Harriet Moir says of the motivation behind tomorrow's benefit show, Voices for Palestine. Faced with the appalling situation in Gaza, it's easy to feel impotent, she says. But for the Dunedin comedian and the benefit show's co-producer Caitlin Owen, another funny-woman, doing nothing wasn't an option. "The way we know how to take action is to organise entertainment," she says. Indeed, it's the second fundraiser for Palestine Moir has organised. "I cannot stand by and watch the genocide of a population unfold in real time without feeling anything or being compelled into action in some way. I may not understand all the intricacies of the situation, but you have to be without a beating heart not to understand that an entire population is being intentionally and barbarically eradicated before our eyes. We cannot afford to look away." The show she and Owen have put together, at Dunedin venue Errick's tomorrow, features poets, musicians and comedians. They gave a lot of thought to the tone of the event, Moir says, and the variety of performers means there'll be a real mix of sentiment expressed, but, as part of that, she backs comedy's ability to bring light to darkness. A significant part of the motivation for the show was to support Ōtepoti Dunedin's own Palestinian community, she says. "Despite all the pain and the grief and the heartbreak and the horrifying calls in the middle of the night, they've been working tirelessly to raise awareness, to march, to rally, to call people to action, to encourage us all to speak to our government about what's happening. "And, you know, that's a lot for them, they're carrying a lot. And so I would definitely say that my awareness has been heightened by their presence and their voices, which I'm really grateful for. I'm very grateful for that and the work they've been doing. "And I feel like they shouldn't have to be carrying all of that on their own, you know? I think part of this is about showing solidarity with them." The show gives everyone an opportunity to do that, whether by helping to organise the event or performing, or buying a ticket to the show or a raffle once there — or by making a donation. Moir and Owen had hoped to raise $5000 for United Nations aid organisation UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, but after receiving a donation for $2000 they have hiked the ambition to $7000. More than a year on from the first fundraiser she organised, Moir says she can't fathom how the assault on Gaza has been allowed to continue so long without the international community taking effective action. "It's just beyond me. But I don't operate in that world." Among her wider concerns is the potential for people to become desensitised by the horrors they see daily on their screens — and for the precedent that it might set. "If this was happening in a Western country the reaction of the global community would be so different, and that's abhorrent to me," she says. On the other hand, she says it is clear people want those in power to act. "I think that when you look at the millions of people protesting in the big cities around the world ... I don't think it's the people who want this to happen." Further barriers to helping the people of Gaza have emerged in recent days, both PayPal and Givealittle shutting down accounts that were supporting families to buy food — at a time when the population is being deliberately starved. However, donating all money raised through UNRWA avoided the danger of third parties stepping in to frustrate their efforts, Moir says. Tomorrow's show will finish with an opportunity for all those gathered to raise their voices. Among Moir's other endeavours is organising a pub choir, so she's prepared a song to bring the show to a close. "We're going to end the night with a song that everyone will sing together."
Otago Daily Times
23-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Show fundraiser for Palestinians
Harriet Moir. Photo: supplied Local performers Harriet Moir and Caitlin Owen are at the helm of Voices for Palestine — a variety show fundraiser in support of the Palestinian people, to be held this Sunday from 6pm at Errick's. "We are raising our voices for Palestine with a night of music, comedy and poetry — all in support of human rights and urgently needed relief," Moir said. Voices for Palestine brings together a stellar lineup of Ōtepoti performers to fundraise for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides crucial support to Palestinian refugees and is the largest humanitarian organisation on the ground in Gaza. The lineup includes comedians Reuben Crisp, Caitlin Owen and Gerard Dougerty, poets Liz Breslin and Jasmine OM Taylor, musicians Paul Allen and Lucy Munro and special guest Rinad Tamimi. There will be a raffle and merchandise available, and all ticket proceeds will go directly to UNRWA's relief and development work. Ticket prices are tiered, so pay what you can afford. — APL
