The Panel Plus
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
Rare, centuries-old hairdressing memorabilia now on show in Christchurch
Michael Turner with a pair of Smart Cousins Perfect Wave curlers. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon From a curling tongs heated over fire to vintage hairdryers and a shaving and teeth-pulling bowl with spare teeth, a range of hairdressing memorabilia over the centuries is now on show in Christchurch. Hairdresser Michael Turner has been collecting hairdressing tools for more than 25 years, building the biggest private collection in the Southern Hemisphere, including thousand-year-old Roman-era blades. Other items dating back to the 1800s are now on public display at Ferrymead Heritage Park. Turner's favourite object was a 19th century gentleman's metal shaving bowl with a scooped edge that fits under the chin and came with pliers for teeth removal and several real teeth. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "This shaving bowl, placed under your chin like so, and you would be shaved or you'd have your teeth pulled out. The only other one I know of of this particular type is in Durham Museum in England. They are very, very rare and difficult to come with but really simple," he said. Turner had also collected several large hairdryers, including devices built into a chair, free-standing and bonnet-style with shoulder straps. Michael Turner. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "You have a strap that goes over your shoulder and then a little plastic tube that goes from the end of the hairdryer on to the plastic bonnet and goes over the head - that's got air holes in it so the heat can escape. You can crank it up if it is too cold or turn it down if its too hot," he said. The collection includes a number of historical curling tongs, including a Smart Cousins Perfect Wave set heated by fire, and a slightly later invention that could be plugged into a light socket. "This Smart Cousins Perfect Wave you put into the hair to give yourself finger waves. First of all, you heat it over a open flame or some form of heat, then get a towel or cloth and wipe it so you have moisture on there as well," he said. "Once you have moist heat you place that into the hair, close it down, pull the device that moves it up or down depending on which way you want your waves to be." Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Turner said his growing collection had taken over his garage so his wife was pleased that the items had found another home. He hoped people could have fun playing with them. "It's interactive, they can put it over their heads, stick their heads in it, open it, close it, pull it out play with it, see how it was put together in the olden days," he said. Ferrymead Heritage Park general manager Ian France said staff were thrilled to have such a carefully curated collection on public display. Ferrymead Heritage Park general manager Ian France. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "It fits really well with what the rest of the park shows off. We are looking after a lot of things that are of that age for people to see and enjoy. Looking after something that has been looked after and curated for so long," he said. The collection will be on display in two parts of the park, with modern items in the "hall of wheels" and others in the barber shop and tobacconist on the main street. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Māori-Indian collaborations steal spotlight at India's Independence Day celebrations in New Zealand
New Zealand's Indian community was recovering on Monday after three days of frenetic festivities celebrating India Independence Day. In addition to flag-hoisting ceremonies nationwide , urban centres such as Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin and Palmerston North hosted cultural nights showcasing India's diversity and millennia-old heritage. Auckland - home to the largest Indian diaspora - hosted multiple events from Friday through Sunday. Highlights included Māori chefs taking on Indian chefs in a Masterchef competition, Māori and Indian fashion designers showcasing their creations and Indian diaspora organisations in Auckland coming together at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Eden Terrace to celebrate the South Asian nation's diversity. Mohiniyattam, a traditional dance from Kerala, is performed at Independence Day celebrations in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was joined on stage by opposition leader Chris Hipkins during celebrations in Auckland at the Dew Drop Events Centre on 16 August, stealing the limelight with some startling moves to a popular Indian dance number. On 17 August, organisations representing more than 15 Indian states celebrated the country's Independence Day by performing their respective regional folk and classical dances at Auckland's Mount Eden. Two days earlier, on 15 August - the date India attained independence from two centuries of British rule in 1947 - the Indian High Commission in Wellington and India's Consulate General in Auckland hosted a joint reception in the country's largest city. Nikhil Ravishankar, the incoming Indian-origin chief executive of Air New Zealand who has been named to take over the reins of one of the most respected domestic corporate brands in October , attended the reception. A classical dance performance at Auckland's India Independence Day celebrations. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell hailed Ravishankar's appointment, highlighting the positive contributions from the Indian community in New Zealand over many decades. Speaker after speakers at events over the weekend echoed the sentiment shared by the minister. Luxon, Hipkins, Indian High Commissioner Neeta Bhushan, Consul General Madan Mohan Sethi, ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and community leaders such as Veer Khar and Bhav Dhillon all pointed to the importance of friendship. Not only has the Indian population surpassed the Chinese community to become the third largest in New Zealand, it has become increasingly prosperous - earning more than the national average. A total of 292,092 people in the country identified as having Indian heritage in the 2023 Census , an increase of 22 percent since 2018. The community now sits behind New Zealand Europeans and Māori in terms of population numbers. Just six Indians were registered in New Zealand in 1881. Indian communities in Palmerston North come together to celebrate Independence Day on Friday. Photo: Supplied In celebration of the resilience and enterprising nature of early pioneers , 2024 became something of a watershed year in terms of Indian history in New Zealand. Last year, Kiwi Indians celebrated a significant rise in the community's median personal income - the highest among all ethnicities . Data released in October 2024 showed the median income of Indian adults in New Zealand was $51,600. By comparison, the median income for the country's overall population was $41,500. What's more, the Indian community contributed an estimated $10 billion to the country's economy in 2019 , according to a 2020 report prepared by Sense Partners for the Waitakere Indian Association. Economists generally believed the figure - roughly 3.3 percent of total GDP at the time - had certainly increased over the past six years. With Luxon visiting the South Asian nation in March, the government has renewed interest in signing a free trade agreement with the world's most populous country and the fourth largest economy. (From left) Chefs Suprabhat Banerjee, Satyanarayana Pandari, Anuj Mathur, Hera Te Kurapa, Ihirei Walker, Sam Linstrom and Prem Ram participate in a Masterchef competition. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom A wide range of diverse cultural performances were held to celebrate India Independence Day in the spirit of unity. In Palmerston North, community groups representing various Indian states came together to celebrate the day at an event titled "United in Diversity". In the deep south, the Dunedin Indian Association organised a "grand patriotic event" at University of Otago's union hall that featured Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. Further north, Hamilton hosted Indian pop singer Shibani Kashyap, with the Waikato Indian Association and Indian Cultural Society collaborating to make the event a reality. Meanwhile, Auckland witnessed Māori and Indian collaborations as Whiria Collective and India's CD Foundation curated a cross-cultural fashion show and Masterchef competition as part of the celebrations. Māori and Indian fashion designers show off their creations at Auckland's Dew Drop Events Centre on Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Chefs Sam Linstrom, Hera Te Kurapa and Ihirei Walker from the Whiria Collective faced off against chefs Satyanarayana Pandari, Anuj Mathur, Suprabhat Banerjee and Prem Ram from India, using a mixture of Indian spices and New Zealand ingredients to cook special salmon dishes for the judges. Anand Erickson, Auckland University of Technology lecturer and a judge for the day, expressed excitement at such culinary innovations. "This - fusion food and molecular gastronomy - is quite contemporary and trending," Erickson said. "I am looking forward to more culinary collaborations between our two cultures in future." Among cultural performances, the highest accolades were reserved for the award-winning dance group from the Indian state of Telangana, which performed Perini Natyam, Oggu Katha and Dappu - three ancient dance forms from the region - at various events over the weekend. "Our dance centres around narrating stories related to the Hindu God Shiva, who is very popular in Telangana," said Ravi Kumar, a dancer from India. Not wanting to be outshone, the Indian diaspora in Auckland showcased local creative talent in abundance, with Sonali Banerjee of the Probasee Bengali Association of New Zealand stressing the need for such celebrations to pass on Indian heritage and culture to younger generations. Mary Shaji, who performed a classical Indian dance titled Mohiniyattam that is popular in the Indian state of Kerala, agreed. "Marking our festivals, including Independence Day, is a way for all of us here in New Zealand to remain connected to our Indian roots and values," Shaji said.
The Spinoff
18 hours ago
- The Spinoff
Infinity Sessions, reviewed: Neil Finn, Don McGlashan, The Beths, Tom Scott and LEAO
Roundhead Studios is midway through a 10-night livestreamed musical extravaganza to help Make Us Feel Good About Life. Here are reviews from those who were in the room for the first week. Watch the next five Infinity Sessions live on The Spinoff from 7.30pm this Wednesday-Sunday. Night one: Don McGlashan with Motte and SJD The Mufgal express roared out of the station on Wednesday night with an intimate, uplifting performance by one of Aotearoa's most beloved and brilliant songwriters. Don McGlashan treated a room full of reverent Roundheadheads to a sweep of treats from a shimmering 'Lucky Stars' and a haunting 'White Valiant' to the soulful beauty of 'Anchor Me' and the twisted beauty of 'The Heater'. Master of bathos, of extracting the profound from the ordinary, McGlashan – expertly accompanied by Anita Clark aka Motte – was very clearly having a bloody good time up there. He was joined by host/impresario Neil Finn for 'Andy', The Front Lawn's hymn of personal loss, and then came that other great song of inexplicable loss, of national tragedy, the Mutton Birds' 'A Thing Well Made'. Overwhelming. Motte began the night with a perfectly stalactite set, and SJD delivered a mesmeric synth followup. Appearing with all three was drummer-genius Chris O'Connor. This latest, epic series of Infinity Sessions takes place in the downstairs studios at Roundhead, but what is lost in in-the-round dynamics and chandeliers is more than made up for in intensity and intimacy: across two rooms, for a couple of weeks in winter, this is New Zealand's most exciting place to be. An exquisite start to a very special fortnight. / Toby Manhire Night two: Neil Finn with Vera Ellen Neil Finn misses David Bowie. 'The world went to shit when he died,' he said after opening his set on Thursday night with 'Quicksand', an esoteric epic from Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory. Following Vera Ellen's tight opening set, Finn moved on to simpler sentiments, the crowd joining him for a cover of Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend'. Swapping guitar for piano, Finn aired out the lesser-known track, 'Faster than Light'. Everything, he said, has to be reinvented daily, including old songs. Long-time collaborator Victoria Kelly joined him on mellotron for the achingly beautiful 'Gentle Hum'. With the mood elevated, Finn had no trouble getting us to do our part and the room hummed along soulfully. From Kelly's entrance onward, the stage filled with musicians. Finn could easily settle into elder statesman mode, but instead, he was impish, clearly relishing the chance to share the spotlight with Ellen, Ben Lemi, De Stevens, Tiare Kelly, Audrey May Banach-Salas, and Joshua Worthington-Church. By the time 'She Will Have Her Way' closed the night, it's hard to know who's having more fun – us or the extraordinary assembly in front of us. At the start of the night, Finn dedicated the evening to 'the innocent victims of war'. The Infinity Sessions are his bid to make us feel good about life; 'little acts of goodness', he calls them. In a world gone 'to shit', it's tempting to be cynical about that, but after weeping through Don McGlashan the night before and bouncing around at Finn's show, there's something urgent about the rallying cry underpinning these sessions. Music won't end war, but it does grow our capacity for joy and appreciation, and tolerance of other people. Sometimes, it really feels like those muscles are atrophying. Neil Finn isn't having a bar of it. / Anna Rawhiti-Connell Night three: The Beths with Chelsea Prestiti What an absolute treat to see The Beths in such a cosy setting on the eve of an album release and world tour. Chelsea Prestiti warmed up the crowd with jazzy, samba-inspired beats and a captivating, semi-psychedelic vocal number. Chlöe Swarbrick then took the stage for a surprise intro – 'When it feels like there are no words left, there is art, there is music, there is joy and there is… THE BETHS.' The band ripped into the show with the eponymous track from their soon-to-be-released record 'Straight Line Was A Lie'. But not before telling us they were kinda nervous. 'No Joy', another new one, came soon after and featured a few recorder solos (unexpected, amazing). The Beths, lead-vocalist Liz Stokes said, were not only debuting new music for us but also testing out their world tour gear. Well loved tunes 'Silence Is Golden' and 'When You Know You Know' had the crowd jumping up and down, getting sweaty and head bang-y. 'Now that everyone's excited, let's play a sad song,' Stokes said as the rest of the band left the stage for a huge vibe shift, 'It's not sad, just complicated … it's called 'Mother Pray for Me'.' It was beautiful, totally rocked me. I cried four distinct tears and heard many sniffles. 'Mosquito' was similarly heartfelt, calling to mind the Auckland floods. The emotional range of the night was lovely, the crowd was friendly and considerate, even if a few super fans sang a little too loudly. 'Thanks for coming to this weird thing,' Stokes said towards the end. I'm so happy I did. It really did make me feel good about life. One of the younger people in attendance said it was her very first gig. What a stellar start to a world tour, and that young person's life of live music. / Liv Sisson Night four: Tom Scott with Sarvi 'You never know what you're going to get with Tom [Scott]' said the guy wearing a black parka standing next to me in the reception area. On one side of us, there was an old statue of a cheetah. On the other side, a cougar. The paint was flaking off both. Past the decorative pinball machine and inside the downstairs live room, the small crowd was treated to the mellow sounds of Sarvi (who also happens to be Scott's partner). Accompanied by a four piece band, Sarvi effortlessly delivered six tracks that transported you to a nondescript jazz lounge in the mid 20th century. During the changeover, the crowd was ushered into the lobby, where Scott and Roundhead Studios owner Neil Finn provided their musings on life, politics, and knocking on your neighbour's door looking for your lost cat. Back inside the live room, gold ribbons shimmered light as Scott confirmed the sneaking suspicions that he'd be debuting music from his new album. Titled Anitya – which is Sanskrit referring to impermanence or transience – Scott likened the album to his first daughter. 'I don't rap on any of this', he warned, before letting out a small vocal scale. The music was a mix of muted drumming, stabbing warped guitar solos, back-up vocals with high autotune pitch from the likes of Lui Tuiasau, and Scott's singing. It's different for Tom Scott, but then again, it's also not. There are lines about 'cheap small talk' with a father-in-law, falling out of love, and knowing when it's time to leave. For those familiar with Scott's catalogue, Anitya is just another seemingly inevitable evolution. / Liam Rātana Night five: LEAO with Neil Finn and Hun Lynch There's a comfort in a band having a truly distinct sound, so much so that even though LEAO opened their set with two new songs, they felt immediately familiar. The twang of the slide guitar and the energetic strumming from frontman David Feauai-Afaese got the intimate session off to a warm start. Feauai-Afaese introduced each song and complained about the heat (it's stuffy in the small studio and someone had fainted already during opening act Hun Lynch, who was great despite the delays). For anyone unfamiliar with LEAO's sound, I'd recommend catching a live gig as an introduction. There's just no way to hear 'Taeao' for the first time performed live and not fall in love. The recorded singles are strong but singing live, with dual microphones for the layered vocals, and the bass turned up add something intoxicating to the Samoan rock sound. All that helped by Feauai-Afaese's affable nature and yelp for joy when the band 'nailed' a new song. At the end of the set, Feauai-Afaese looked exhausted and happy to set his guitar down. But his mum was in the front of the crowd and called for an encore. 'If mum says it, we have to do it,' he laughed as he picked the guitar up again. LEAO ended on a joyous rendition of 'Musika Malie' and, as is the law of Samoa, got a siva circle going in front of the stage. A beautiful way to spend a cold Sunday night. / Madeleine Chapman
