Latest news with #TāmakiMakaurau-based
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Tāmaki Makaurau byelection: Labour's Peeni Henare hits back at Te Pāti Māori claim of ‘greedy' byelection contest
Kemp narrowly beat Henare in the 2023 general election, a result that Labour requested be recounted, which led to Kemp's lead growing slightly to 42 votes. Shortly after Te Pāti Māori last week announced former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara as its candidate aiming to succeed Kemp, Kiri Tamihere-Waititi – party media liaison, wife to co-leader Rawiri Waititi and daughter to Tamihere – wrote on social media how a vote for Henare was a 'wasted' vote and claimed it was 'greedy' of Labour to run an existing MP in the byelection. Kiri Tamihere-Waititi published her views on social media. Photo / Andrew Warner She encouraged voters to support Kaipara as it would mean two Tāmaki Makaurau-based Māori MPs were in Parliament. Tamihere-Waititi's strategy proved an effective one for Te Pāti Māori in 2023 when Labour secured the largest party vote share in the Māori seats while Te Pāti Māori candidates won six of the seven electorate contests. Henare, speaking from Parliament this morning, dismissed any claim Labour was being greedy. 'Every green seat in the House of Parliament is a contested seat, anybody who thinks a seat is going to be given to somebody is absolute folly,' he said. 'In the last election, I got over 10,000 votes. I owe it to them too to make sure that they're represented, and that's why I put my hand up.' He noted Labour's Georgie Dansey, a wahine Māori, would enter Parliament if he won the byelection. 'Any suggestion that I'm curbing a Māori voice in Parliament is absolute folly and those kinds of reckons don't help what should be a good contest between two good candidates.' Speaking to the Herald last week, Tamihere said Henare could risk leadership aspirations if he was unsuccessful. Henare, who held Tāmaki Makaurau for three terms from 2014, described Tamihere's jab as a 'bit rich' and referenced the former MP's failed attempts to win the seat in 2005 and 2020, as well as an unsuccessful Auckland mayoralty bid. Labour MP Peeni Henare speaking before select committee. Photo / Mark Mitchell Henare clarified he had 'huge respect' for Kaipara, despite alleged efforts from Tamihere to 'drag me into the trenches for an all-out, toe-to-toe fist fight'. Stating he would run a respectful campaign, Henare said he would be encouraging 'out-of-the-box thinking' to gain support as well as a stronger social media presence, which he admitted Labour could improve in the face of a formidable and established Te Pāti Māori online operation. Henare and Kaipara were the primary contenders. Vision New Zealand leader Hannah Tamaki would also contest the seat. National, Act and New Zealand First were not entering candidates. Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, who has run for the seat three times, confirmed last week her party would not contest the byelection as it was not a 'responsible use of our resources at this time'. Tamihere had argued it would boost his party's support base but Labour's Māori caucus chair Willie Jackson believed support would go both ways. 'This is very much a 50-50 election. We're not over-confident at all, we respect Te Pāti Māori and the young movement out there, but we've got a long history with Labour.' He claimed no backroom deals had been reached between Labour and the Greens about the latter not standing a candidate. Jackson repeated Henare's assertion Labour would run a clean campaign, but also said he was up for a fight. 'If they want to have a fight, Te Pāti Māori, well, I'm up for it, there's no problems with that, but that's not how we're going to run this campaign, this is a respectful campaign.' Labour MP Willie Jackson wants a clean campaign but won't back down from a fight. Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour leader Chris Hipkins today confirmed Henare would not be given leave from his Parliament duties to spend more time campaigning in Auckland. '[Henare] still has his job, he still needs to fulfil his responsibilities as a Member of Parliament.' Hipkins maintained Labour would have a 'very, very active ground game' and believed Henare's experience in Parliament would benefit him in the byelection. Luxon yesterday repeated his criticism of Hipkins for not further challenging the 2023 Tāmaki Makaurau result, indicating he would have pursued an election petition, which goes beyond a recount. Hipkins today said Labour had been advised a petition was likely to have been unsuccessful, given Kemp's share of the vote increased after the recount. Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald's Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Flying Nun Power-Pop Band Voom Release ‘Something Good Is Happening' Today!
The release of the latest Voom album has taken just short of two decades. Is this pace glacial, or considered? Sloth-like, or discerning? The Tāmaki Makaurau-based foursome will tell you the nineteen years since their much-loved 2006 record, Hello, Are You There?, have been spent jamming and gigging, writing, rewriting and sifting, reflecting on what surely must be some of the strangest times in human history to present fans with their latest offering. Something Good is Happening is the child of strange seasons and tides, strange minds, pedals and fingers. After accumulating literally hundreds of demos over the years, Flying Nun Records thought it was about bloody time Voom got at least some of these songs packaged up and released into the wild. The band agreed, and so have been painstakingly whittling and curating and bashing these tracks into shape, to form the 2025 album Something Good Is Happening. Each track has walked a different path into being a part of this record. Written and recorded in a variety of locations, with a plethora of different equipment, over decades of seasons and life stages, but always steered by the unsteady hand and watchful ear of frontperson Buzz Moller — seen by some as one of NZ's most treasured songwriters. All members of Voom (Buzz Moller, Murray Fisher, Nick Buckton, and Josh Sorenson) are multi-instrumentalists and producers in their own right, consequently this combination of minds has helped forge the sound and vibe of this new album. While this is fresh material, existing fans hearing Something Good is Happening will recognise the Voom-ness of it all – an eclectic rumble of raucous pop ear-worms and heartfelt ballads, with sonic experimentation wedged in to keep things sensible. Voom's songs have an earnestness to them that feels refreshingly free of irony; a quality that sets them apart in a musical landscape often dominated by cynicism. Voom embraces a raw, unfiltered honesty that resonates deeply with listeners. Their tracks are often brimming with youthful defiance, but it's not the jaded, world-weary attitude you might expect from a band with such a reputation. Instead, they channel a certain innocence and optimism into their sound, even when grappling with themes of frustration or disillusionment. On Something Good Is Happening, the band stays true to this unpretentious style, weaving together skewed pop melodies that are as endearing as they are infectious. Despite the thick layers of playful cynicism and an occasionally rebellious edge, the album doesn't stray from the fresh, heart-on-sleeve sincerity that has earned them a loyal fanbase. It's that rare combination of vulnerability and attitude that makes Voom's music feel both timeless and immediately relatable. To celebrate, the band have announced a four-date New Zealand tour, taking their new songs (and some beloved classics) on the road for the 'Something Good Is Happening Tour'. Beginning at Auckland's hottest new venue Double Whammy on Friday 23 May, the band head off the beaten track to Raglan's The Yard on Saturday 24th before firing up the following weekend with shows at The Loons in Lyttelton on Friday 30 May and finally San Fran in Wellington on Saturday 31 May.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Flying Nun Power-Pop Band Voom Release 'Something Good Is Happening' Today!
The release of the latest Voom album has taken just short of two decades. Is this pace glacial, or considered? Sloth-like, or discerning? The Tāmaki Makaurau-based foursome will tell you the nineteen years since their much-loved 2006 record, Hello, Are You There?, have been spent jamming and gigging, writing, rewriting and sifting, reflecting on what surely must be some of the strangest times in human history to present fans with their latest offering. Something Good is Happening is the child of strange seasons and tides, strange minds, pedals and fingers. After accumulating literally hundreds of demos over the years, Flying Nun Records thought it was about bloody time Voom got at least some of these songs packaged up and released into the wild. The band agreed, and so have been painstakingly whittling and curating and bashing these tracks into shape, to form the 2025 album Something Good Is Happening. Each track has walked a different path into being a part of this record. Written and recorded in a variety of locations, with a plethora of different equipment, over decades of seasons and life stages, but always steered by the unsteady hand and watchful ear of frontperson Buzz Moller — seen by some as one of NZ's most treasured songwriters. All members of Voom (Buzz Moller, Murray Fisher, Nick Buckton, and Josh Sorenson) are multi-instrumentalists and producers in their own right, consequently this combination of minds has helped forge the sound and vibe of this new album. While this is fresh material, existing fans hearing Something Good is Happening will recognise the Voom-ness of it all - an eclectic rumble of raucous pop ear-worms and heartfelt ballads, with sonic experimentation wedged in to keep things sensible. Voom's songs have an earnestness to them that feels refreshingly free of irony; a quality that sets them apart in a musical landscape often dominated by cynicism. Voom embraces a raw, unfiltered honesty that resonates deeply with listeners. Their tracks are often brimming with youthful defiance, but it's not the jaded, world-weary attitude you might expect from a band with such a reputation. Instead, they channel a certain innocence and optimism into their sound, even when grappling with themes of frustration or disillusionment. On Something Good Is Happening, the band stays true to this unpretentious style, weaving together skewed pop melodies that are as endearing as they are infectious. Despite the thick layers of playful cynicism and an occasionally rebellious edge, the album doesn't stray from the fresh, heart-on-sleeve sincerity that has earned them a loyal fanbase. It's that rare combination of vulnerability and attitude that makes Voom's music feel both timeless and immediately relatable. To celebrate, the band have announced a four-date New Zealand tour, taking their new songs (and some beloved classics) on the road for the 'Something Good Is Happening Tour'. Beginning at Auckland's hottest new venue Double Whammy on Friday 23 May, the band head off the beaten track to Raglan's The Yard on Saturday 24th before firing up the following weekend with shows at The Loons in Lyttelton on Friday 30 May and finally San Fran in Wellington on Saturday 31 May.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Join Juno Is And Her Live Band To Celebrate The Release Of Her ‘Psychedelic Dream Pop' Debut Album ‘Where To Begin'
Press Release – Juno Is , the long-awaited debut album from Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Juno Is, arrived four years after her breakthrough EP, Creature of Habit. Created over two years in a series of spontaneous songwriting sessions, this album marks a distinct evolution for Juno Is, the project of musician Mackenzie Hollebon. In the early stages, Where To Begin became a deeply collaborative endeavour. Hollebon teamed up with engineer-producer De Stevens, crafting the album's foundation in late-afternoon sessions in her sunny, minimalist bedroom, fueled by black coffee and creative energy. As they shaped the album's pre-production, their collaborative process naturally opened the door to other key contributors, including Christchurch-based multi-instrumentalist Thomas Isbister. Thomas's contributions on bass, trumpet, congas, synth, and more added layers of texture to the album, fulfilling Juno Is' vision of an immersive, colourful soundscape inspired by the likes of early MGMT and Melody's Echo Chamber. Drummer Hamish Morgan further brought the album to life by translating Juno Is' unconventional MIDI drum demos into concise, stylistic live performances, blending seamlessly with the album's experimental textures. The result is a work that marries instrumental brightness with introspective lyrics, creating a unique contrast of warmth, melancholy, and determination. With Where To Begin, Juno Is offers a rich, sonically expansive album that reflects years of growth and exploration, establishing her as a distinctive voice in today's musical landscape. In Auckland After 5 years, Juno Is (aka Mackenzie Hollebon) has decided to announce her first ever headline show at Double Whammy which is in her current hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau. This show will be an exciting live exploration of her debut album Where To Begin which was released on the 8th of November 2024. This Juno Is 8 piece live band will consist of Mackenzie Hollebon, Jacob Brown, Hamish Morgan, Zoë Larsen Cumming, Benjamin Mack, Riley Noonan, Nimah Joy Pritchard and Emily Fe'ao. Not only is this Juno Is' first headline show in Tamaki Makaurau, but it is also a rare chance to celebrate her debut album, live!
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Join Juno Is And Her Live Band To Celebrate The Release Of Her ‘Psychedelic Dream Pop' Debut Album ‘Where To Begin'
Where To Begin, the long-awaited debut album from Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Juno Is, arrived four years after her breakthrough EP, Creature of Habit. Created over two years in a series of spontaneous songwriting sessions, this album marks a distinct evolution for Juno Is, the project of musician Mackenzie Hollebon. In the early stages, Where To Begin became a deeply collaborative endeavour. Hollebon teamed up with engineer-producer De Stevens, crafting the album's foundation in late-afternoon sessions in her sunny, minimalist bedroom, fueled by black coffee and creative energy. As they shaped the album's pre-production, their collaborative process naturally opened the door to other key contributors, including Christchurch-based multi-instrumentalist Thomas Isbister. Thomas's contributions on bass, trumpet, congas, synth, and more added layers of texture to the album, fulfilling Juno Is' vision of an immersive, colourful soundscape inspired by the likes of early MGMT and Melody's Echo Chamber. Drummer Hamish Morgan further brought the album to life by translating Juno Is' unconventional MIDI drum demos into concise, stylistic live performances, blending seamlessly with the album's experimental textures. The result is a work that marries instrumental brightness with introspective lyrics, creating a unique contrast of warmth, melancholy, and determination. With Where To Begin, Juno Is offers a rich, sonically expansive album that reflects years of growth and exploration, establishing her as a distinctive voice in today's musical landscape. In Auckland After 5 years, Juno Is (aka Mackenzie Hollebon) has decided to announce her first ever headline show at Double Whammy which is in her current hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau. This show will be an exciting live exploration of her debut album Where To Begin which was released on the 8th of November 2024. This Juno Is 8 piece live band will consist of Mackenzie Hollebon, Jacob Brown, Hamish Morgan, Zoë Larsen Cumming, Benjamin Mack, Riley Noonan, Nimah Joy Pritchard and Emily Fe'ao. Not only is this Juno Is' first headline show in Tamaki Makaurau, but it is also a rare chance to celebrate her debut album, live!
