In this episode we take a deep dive into creativity and environmental sustainability in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. 

NZ took the Covid-19 pandemic very seriously in early 2020, locking its borders and foregoing international tourism to protect its people. After two years, and a mass vaccine roll-out, this beautiful island nation on the edge of the Pacific is once again open to international visitors.

Stoke your wanderlust, and learn a bit more about what makes New Zealanders tick in this dive into the local culture and concerns of Aotearoa.

02.15  Love Letter to New Plymouth, New Zealand by a recovering addict, advocate, author and artist Rawiri James. 

08.20 Creative cultures with Peter Dragicevich, a food & travel journalist, and director at Ockham Collective, a charitable trust supporting creativity and education in New Zealand. 

14.10  Sustainability in New Zealand with Elloise Strang. The former editor of ideolog magazine, Elly is currently creating content for sustainable packaging company no issue, and hosted the podcast Conscious Commerce.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Rawiri mentions the Wind Wand in New Plymouth, and the ancestral mountain Taranaki.

Peter mentions New Zealand’s I-site visitor centres, the Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art at the Auckland Art Gallery in 2021, and No. 8 Wire.

Elly mentions Chia Sisters solar powered, zero carbon juicery; no issue sustainable packaging company; Flight of the Conchords; Taikia Waititi and the spiritual perspective on nature of New Zealand’s Māori population captured in the Visit Auckland: Papatūānuku (our earth mother) is Breathing.

Producer: Tasmin Waby
Presenters: Tasmin Waby &  Doug Murray
Sound editing: Ali Lemer & Doug Murray
Theme Music: Instant by Nettson
Thanks also to Belinda Dixon & Kate Armstrong & Simon Richmond