Stuff Digital Edition

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Kia tau te rangimārie, Editor Frances Morton

y friends came to stay from Australia over the holidays. They are New Zealanders who moved away two decades ago and have visited occasionally over the years. One thing they found remarkable (in addition to the smell of the bush and smoked kahawai) was how much New Zealand music was played in pubs and restaurants during their travels around the country, noting many songs being sung in Māori as well as English. New Zealand artists used to struggle to get played in these environments. It has now become normal, and Māori music is rightfully in the mainstream. Just look at Rob Ruha’s catchy summer anthems as one example. It’s one aspect of what Glenn McConnell found when he went off in search of an Aotearoa sound for the new documentary series Tribal. The first episode is out now at stuff.co.nz/tribal and McConnell shares his insights from making the documentary in this week’s cover story.

New Zealand is a diverse country and McConnell found a range of passionate different musical communities to explore, delving into the K-pop way of life, Dunedin’s self-built student scene, Wellington’s house parties, Hamilton’s burgeoning African-New Zealand sound and Auckland’s vogue scene. While geography informs them, it doesn’t constrain them. The limitless ability to connect with each other and share content online means these communities and their identities go deep, and far beyond the music.

We’ll be periodically taking a trip away in these pages for our new feature, Aotearoa Abroad. Clementine Widdowson checks in with far-flung New Zealanders and finds out what keeps them connected to home. This time, she tunes into Paris with textile designer Grace Atkinson.

Warm greetings for the first day of Lunar New Year. I hope you’re able to reunite with family and friends this Year of the Rabbit. 新年快樂,新年快乐,새해복많이받으세요,Ch ú cm ừng năm mới, Manigong Bagong Taon!

NAU MAI / WELCOME

en-nz

2023-01-22T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-22T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/283137137913692

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