Latest news with #TurnerCentre
RNZ News
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Kerikeri's world-class events facility, the Turner Centre, turns 20
Turner Centre general manager Gerry Paul. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf Twenty years ago a dream of building a world-class performing arts centre became reality in a small Far North town. But how did Kerikeri end up with a venue the envy of cities many times its size? Gerry Paul, the current general manager, recalled his surprise when he first saw the Turner Centre. It was 2017 and he was a travelling musician on tour with singer-songwriter Mel Parsons. "I remember driving into Kerikeri, what I thought was a reasonably small town, and seeing this massive events centre. And I was like, 'Wow, these guys are lucky'. Little did I know a few years later I'd be up here running the place. Careful what you wish for, eh?" While that initial surprise may have worn off after three years in the job - following a stint running Wellington's popular CubaDupa festival - Paul said he still found it remarkable. "For a town under 10,000 people, to have a 400-seat theatre and an event centre that can accommodate 1000 people is just amazing. It's probably one of the very few towns around the world that [has] a facility of this size for the population." With the Turner Centre widely regarded as the best performing arts venue north of Auckland , many touring groups bypassed Whangārei and headed straight for little Kerikeri instead. "It's meant that we've had access to performances that you would never otherwise get in a small town. The capability of the stage and the capacity of the fly tower and the rigging system means we can bring up the likes of the Royal New Zealand Ballet or the Symphony Orchestra." The Kerikeri-based Northern Dance Academy performs The Nutcracker in 2015. Photo: Peter de Graaf The other thing that made the Turner Centre unusual was that it was planned and paid for by locals, not by the council or government. "That's a big part of the Turner Centre story. The whole building was built and fundraised by the community. So there's a real investment in the place, and that's why we see it so well attended." The dream began in the 1970s when arts enthusiasts John Dalton and Doug Turner were putting on shows in the Memorial Hall, a possum-infested former fruit-packing shed. As the population, and interest in the arts, grew in the 1980s, they decided something bigger and better was needed. Doug Turner in 2011. Photo: Peter de Graaf Aided by fellow volunteers they spent the next two decades planning, lobbying, cajoling and fundraising. What was initially known as The Centre at Kerikeri was opened on 5 August, 2005, by then-Prime Minister Helen Clark. Its bold design, by local architect Martyn Evans, included a distinctive swooping roof to create space for stage machinery. The roof also gave the centre its early nickname, 'the ski ramp'. John Dalton died in 2012 followed by Doug Turner just late last year. The venue was renamed the Turner Centre in 2011; the main auditorium had already been named after Dalton. The centre's distinctive roof led to its nickname, 'the ski ramp'. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf Turner's daughter, Susan Corbett, said he father would have loved to see this weekend's 20th anniversary show. "He would have thought it was absolutely wonderful. And he'd be very pleased to see that everything that he and John dreamt about all those years ago has come to fruition, and is still happening - and in very exciting ways with Gerry keeping things moving on." Corbett said her parents owned Kerikeri's Cathay Cinema for 35 years. They would host art exhibitions and plays at the cinema before joining Dalton organising shows in the Memorial Hall. Corbett said their legacy showed the value of dreaming big. "Why not dream big? And it's just as well they did, because we probably wouldn't be able to afford it today. Their dream has happened, and the community has got this wonderful asset because of it." Scene from Kerikeri Theatre Company's The Sound of Music in 2021. Photo: Peter de Graaf In total, building the two stages of the Turner Centre - The Plaza event centre was completed in 2012 - cost around $20 million. Gerry Paul said a commercial building expert had told him building the same venue today would cost more than $100m. Operating a large venue in a small town was not without its problems, however. In 2024, with rising maintenance costs and the after-effects of the Covid pandemic threatening to overwhelm the Kerikeri Civic Trust, the Far North District Council took over ownership of the building. The trust was still responsible for equipment, staff and programming. In the past year Paul said the centre had been used by 43,000 people, had 558 bookings, and given away 5000 free event tickets to youth. A shift since 2022 towards greater inclusion had included a series of "pay what you can" events and initiatives such as community kapa haka . Bay of Islands College cultural group Te Roopu o Pewhairangi performs at the Turner Centre's 10th anniversary celebration in 2015. Photo: Peter de Graaf John Oszajca, a US-born actor and singer-songwriter who now lived in Kerikeri, said the town was "incredible lucky" to have a venue like the Turner Centre. Now the president of Kerikeri Theatre Company, Oszajca said he had performed at the centre as a musician and actor, as well as bringing plays to life on the stage. One of his personal highlights was co-producing the musical Little Shop of Horrors in 2024. He said the venue had become a second home to him. "I think having high-calibre performing arts, which you couldn't have without a venue like this, makes the quality of life notably better. It's one thing to live in a beautiful town. It's another thing to live in a beautiful town that has amenities, and it's another thing again to live in a town that offers inspiration to the people that live there, both as artists and as patrons." The centre had also served as a springboard for young performers who had gone on to forge careers in the arts. One of those hoping to follow in their footsteps is 17-year-old Jack Laird, a Year 13 student at Kerikeri High. Laird had just played the part of Scuttle the Seagull in the Little Mermaid; this Saturday he would be one of more than 100 performers taking part in the centre's 20th anniversary show. On this occasion he would be playing drums for hard rock band Bandwidth Riot, winners of the recent Far North Smokefreerockquest. Having a venue like the Turner Centre meant a lot to Kerikeri youth, he said. "It's so nice to have that venue, that outlet, to be creative and just give us a voice. I don't know what we'd do without the Turner Centre." Also performing in Saturday night's anniversary show would be the Bay of Islands Singers, Kerikeri Theatre Company, Taylah Barker from Fly My Pretties, a duo from Americana folk band T Bone, local rocker Merv Pinny and Ngāti Rehia Community Kapa Haka, with local legend Troy Kingi the headline act. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Northland Champion Gerry Paul - Brew of Islands Festival
Turner Centre general manager Gerry Paul, left, and Pioneer Tavern publican Tyler Bamber are organising Northland's first craft beer festival. Photo: Supplied If you're looking for something to do to pass the winter blues by, look no further than the Brew of Islands Festival taking place next weekend in Kerikeri. The festival is a celebration of the best of what the region has to offer, from food, music, and of course local breweries. Unofficial northland champion, Gerry Paul is one of the event organisers. Gerry was previously Wellington's CubaDupa festival director for many years and he currently runs Northlands premier arts venue, The Turner Centre. He speaks with Paddy Gower.
The Spinoff
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Event noticeboard: Wry humour, train rides and music in the gallery
The Spinoff's top picks of events from around the motu. In many ways it is a curse to be the person in the family who is supposed to know about art. When I go to art galleries with my mum, she will, without fail, ask me what an artwork means. It might be an abstract painting full of nice colours, a sandwich board sculpture or a poetic video work of bodies swimming through water. It used to bug me, since it is hard to articulate a clean and tidy answer, especially if you can only really guess. Sometimes the only thing you can say is it's a painting about paint, which can come across as a tight-lipped, opaque answer. Recently I've spotted myself doing essentially the same thing. Before spending time with an artwork, I will look for the information label and glean all possible fact and interpretation from it. I might even pick up the printed leaflet and hold it between me and the work. There's a comfort in thinking that we can know and understand something, but it's a little boring. There's no room for new things to make their way into our brain. This week I'm spotlighting a festival that I don't quite understand. I'm going to one of the performances, and even though I've read the description three times I'm not sure what it is. I've decided that's a good thing. Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Avenue, Auckland Central June 11-14 $0 – $35 Even the F.O.L.A festival's website is a little perplexing. Strange symbols pop up and follow around your cursor, the event listings are on little piled up cards that you can move around the screen and the logo is barely readable (but very trendy). F.O.L.A is a festival for experimental live art – the event roster includes things like a free workshop on creating immersive psychedelic worlds with light and liquid, a walk in the rain accompanied by a soundtrack, an outdoor exhibition called Fleapit and a terrifying-looking performance called Glory Whole. There's nudity, swearing and elements of chaos. So why spotlight this strange, and maybe rude, thing? Well, its one of the only festivals in the country which is run by artists (Nisha Madhan, Julia Croft, Nahyeon Lee, and Hannah Moore) and I like that the events are so different to anything else. It really may be your one chance to carry a mysterious box around in the rain, watch artists reverse-mine copper or be guided on how to survive the necropolis. Kerikeri Music: Delaney Davidson Anniversary Tour Turner Centre, 43 Cobham Rd, Kerikeri 7pm Saturday, June 12 $45 The singer-songwriter from Lyttelton is sure to bring a night of wry humour, some theatre of unease and bangers from his extensive back catalogue. Doubtless Bay Dance: The Belle Epoque Ball Mangōnui Hall, 132 Waterfront Drive, Mangōnui, Doubtless Bay 6pm Saturday, June 14 $15 and a plate to share There's a free waltz mini-lesson at 6.30pm and a prize for the most glamorous dancer. Whangārei Misc: Train Day Kiwi North Museum, 500 State Highway 14, Maunu, Whangārei 10am Sunday, June 15 $2.50 per ride 'Catch a ride on a steam train, rumble through the bush on a tram, jump on a jigger, whizz around the miniature train track, or enjoy a nostalgic hayride across the open paddocks.' Tāmaki Makaurau Design, art, books: Object Book Fair Objectspace, 13 Rose Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 11am Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 June Free There will be hundreds of beautiful and unusual books you won't see anywhere else! THE APARTMENT, 202 Karangahape Road, Auckland 7:30pm Thursday, June 12 $20 (profits donated toward relief aid in Gaza) Check out the city's newest venue. Tonight it will be filled with psychedelic noise soundscapes and powerful acoustic songs. Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Avenue, Auckland Central 6:30pm Saturday, June 14 $30 – $40 As part of the F.O.L.A festival, artists will attempt to reverse-mine community e-waste for copper, preparing it to shoot back from whence it came. Bring along your old cables! Hawke's Bay Music: Devilskin, Re-Evolution tour Opera House, Toitoi, 109 Hastings Street South, Eastbourne Corner, Hastings 6:30pm Friday, June 13 $85.50 Devilskin have earned a reputation for bringing fierce energy and compelling presence to the stage, particularly amongst hard rock and metal fans. New Plymouth Raglan Fundraiser: Beanies for Koha Harbourview Hotel, 14 Bow Street, Raglan 10am Saturday, June 14 Free / Koha towards Raglan St John Ambulance for a beanie If I was in town I'd run not walk to get the beanie with the biggest pompom. Te Whanganui-a-Tara 2pm Sunday, June 15 $15 Join a special Matariki raranga (weaving) session lead by Frank Topia (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Haua) and Linda Lee (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Tākoto, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōri, Ngāpuhi). The Dowse, 45 Laings Road, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 3:30pm Friday, June 13 Free, RSVP appreciated As part of the spooky exhibition The Brood, Birdparty will play their dark body-moving music in the gallery. Marlborough Photography: Te Ara o Hine Rēhia, Melissa Banks Marlborough Art Gallery, 15 High Street, Blenheim Free An exhibition of photographs that document four different kapa haka groups from Te Tauihu over six years. Greymouth Workshop: Kōwhaiwhai with Ruby Left Bank Art Gallery, 1 Tainui Street, Greymouth 10am Monday, June 16 Koha and kai to share Registration essential For more information, pop into the gallery or Whare Manaaki. Ōtautahi Space Academy, 371 Saint Asaph Street, Christchurch Central 8pm Friday, June 13 $25 – $30 Join Juno Is and her live band to celebrate the release of her psychedelic dream pop album. Ōtepoti Contemporary jeweller Jane Dodd will discuss her current exhibition, The Kingdom, which invites viewers to explore the intricate connections between species.
RNZ News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Ans Westra exhibition organisers hope to identify people in her photos
Ans Westra, Hīkoi, Waitangi, 1984. Photo: Courtesy of Suite Ans Westra, Hīkoi, Waitangi, 1984. Who are the people in the photos? That's the question organisers of an exhibition by the acclaimed photographer Ans Westra are hoping visitors will be able to answer. Ans Westra: Kerikeri 2025 -an exhibition of mostly Northland images, including some never before shown in public - opens on Monday, 5 May, at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri. It's part of an ongoing project to gather more information about the estimated 320,000 photos taken by the Dutch-born Westra, from her arrival in Aotearoa in 1957 until her death two years ago . She is best known for her work documenting the lives of rural Māori, but her vast archive forms an unmatched record of everyday life in her adopted home during the second half of the 20th century. Ans Westra, Te Kao, 1983. Photo: Courtesy of Suite These days Westra's archive is managed by her daughter Lisa van Hulst, the middle child of three, and Wellington gallery owner David Alsop. Alsop said one of the aims of the show, like a similar exhibition in Wellington last year, was to connect with people in the images. He hoped visitors would recognise friends or relatives, or possibly even themselves, and share names and stories so they could be added to the National Library's records. "Part of the purpose is to try and gather more information about the people in the photographs, and reach out to whānau connected to the images … Ans' process didn't involve gathering people's names or anything as she went. She moved quite quickly and quite freely. So the idea now of her daughter and I is to connect with the people in the photographs, and further complete the meaning of the images." Alsop said any information people provided would be invaluable to future researchers or whānau interested in a particular person or event. "So that's what we're increasingly trying to do … It's to let people know they can do this, and if they do, it becomes a better, more interesting, more significant historical archive for everybody who accesses it." Ans Westra, Kawakawa, 1963. Photo: Courtesy of Suite Ans Westra, Kawakawa, 1963. Alsop said Westra was a frequent visitor to Northland. She had close friends in Te Kao and Kaitāia, travelled regularly to Hikurangi, just north of Whangārei, and was a regular at Waitangi Day commemorations in the Bay of Islands. The earliest photo in the exhibition was taken in 1963; the latest dated to the mid-1980s. Alsop said Westra's archive was so vast he still did not know exactly how many images were in it. "It is very, very big. The actual grand total number, we don't know yet, because there's still quite a lot of cataloguing to do." Work to digitise the archive, and upload the images to the National Library's website to make them freely available to all, started in 2014. So far about 80,000 negatives had been digitised with an estimated 70,000 to go. Another 170,000 or so digital images taken since the 2000s did not have to be scanned, but still needed to be captioned and catalogued. Ans Westra, Te Tii Marae, Waitangi, 1982. Photo: Courtesy of Suite Alsop said he first met Westra at an exhibition of her work in Leiden, the city midway between Amsterdam and The Hague where she was born in 1936. They struck up a firm friendship and their families became closely intertwined. Alsop said Westra's contribution to New Zealand photography was "unparalleled and extremely significant". "The breadth, the consistency, the empathy, the beauty of her photographs show us a glimpse of what it might have been like to be a New Zealander at a particular time and in a particular place … there's no other record so important and so far-reaching for the second half of the 20th century." Alsop said Westra had no predetermined ideas about what she was trying to capture. "She was very honest with what she did, and really just captured people as they went about their lives. Her objectivity, through not being New Zealand-born, probably helped." Ans Westra, Hikurangi, 1982. Photo: Courtesy of Suite Some of her work was controversial at the time - a publication for distribution to schools, called Washday at the Pa , was withdrawn in 1964 and most copies were pulped - but now her photos were widely admired. "We're getting a lot of amazing feedback. People are generally really pleased with what Ans did. She can't see that now, but I know she'd be happy to know that we're talking about her work, and that her legacy is being honoured like this." Westra was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998. She died in Wellington, aged 86, in 2023. Ans Westra: Kerikeri 2025 opens at 5pm on 5 May in the Theatre Bar at the Turner Centre, Cobham Road, Kerikeri. The free exhibition will be open on weekdays and during events throughout May. Thousands of her images can also be viewed on the National Library website . Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Turner Centre aims to revitalise the arts with community-led programmes
The community generated numerous innovative ideas for programming, which the Turner Centre has been bringing to life. A kuia from Ngāti Rēhia reminisced about 'Kanikani Katoa' (Dance Everyone) events in her youth, where she would sprinkle talcum powder to help kaumātua and kuia glide across the dance floor. We resurrected the Kanikani Katoa tradition with whānau-friendly events that sold out. Australia's 10-piece Hot Potato band and Carnaval Latino, organised in collaboration with the Far North's Latino community, brought together people of all ages and cultures, uniting them over their shared love of music, dance, and art. Younger community members asked us to run a beer festival, so we launched 'Brew of Islands'. The first two festivals attracted over 1800 people a year. Brew of Islands returns on June 28, with support from Northland Inc. The community expressed a desire to see more local stories on stage. We're proud to be hosting the world premiere of Flock!, a Kiwi musical comedy crafted entirely in Northland. Featuring hormonal sheep, hippy goats, and hair-raising aliens, this quirky story promises to get your heart racing and your mind spinning. A significant theme was the desire for more participatory arts programmes. Some adults expressed regret for never participating in Kapa Haka. Whaea Rawi Pere, the organiser of Te Hui Ahurei o Ngāti Rēhia — a kapa haka festival for young students — spoke about developing a similar programme at the Turner Centre. Pere believes in the transformative power of kapa haka, seeing its potential to enrich adults as it does for children and youth. The 2024 programme attracted 40 participants to the eight-week course, culminating in a final concert. Participants from diverse backgrounds, including Aotearoa, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, explored Poi, Haka, Choral, Action Songs, and Entry Waiata. The final performance, attended by nearly 400 friends and whānau, was an emotional and uplifting experience. Participants expressed how being part of this kaupapa demonstrated the 'unifying power of song, dance, and culture' and allowed them to 'fulfil lifelong aspirations'. Advertise with NZME. The popular programme is returning to the Turner Centre on April 29, led again by Pere and her whānau. The programme is offered as 'pay-what-you-can', thanks to support from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board. Engaging in kapa haka extends benefits beyond the stage, deepening appreciation for Māori culture, developing community connections, and enhancing personal growth. Participants develop confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging, while the physical aspects of kapa haka improve stamina, fitness, and coordination. The eight-week kapa haka programme will culminate in a Matariki performance on June 22. The concert will feature a dance performance straight from the Pacific Dance Festival in Auckland, showcasing Dallas Tilo-Faiaoga of Samoan and Ngāpuhi descent. A string band made up of RSE workers from Vanuatu will also perform, including their version of Tutira Mai Ngā Iwi. In a world that can feel disconnected at times, community-led arts projects such as the Ngāti Rēhia Community Kapa Haka Programme can be a powerful reminder of our shared heritage and the way music and dance can unite, uplift, connect, and inspire our communities. In the words of one kapa haka participant, 'sharing the stage with so many others from many walks of life has shown how song, dance, and culture unifies us all as one'.
