Ross Giblin/Stuff
Imagine if we linked the St James Theatre and the Opera House across a pedestrianised area, creating a Wellington version of Covent Garden or the Lincoln Center in New York.
Last weekend I was in Christchurch, a city I visit often because my dad lives there. I’m always struck by the cool new spaces they’re building as they reimagine the city after the devastating 2011 earthquake – and by the contrast with Wellington. Of course, we are lucky that we didn’t have to endure the trauma that Christchurch did and, of course, there are lots of gripes down there about the length of time it’s taking to rebuild. But it also feels like the southern city has seized the opportunity to think big and create modern new venues.
Bay of Plenty creatives return to their roots after Covid-19 closed the curtains on the world stage
21 Apr, 2021 10:00 PM
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The Collision Theatre Company. Photo / Supplied
And, surprisingly, the Covid-19 travel restrictions have played a leading role in its ascendance. The closure of the border to stop the spread of the virus closed the curtains on the world stage for many aspiring Bay artists but the move also breathed new life into the art scene.
Performers moved back to the Bay of Plenty instead of heading overseas and are now directing shows, performing in nationwide tours and starting their own theatre companies.
KEVIN STENT/Stuff
Ella Lamont and Sophia Harrison created an anonymous online survey to canvas the experiences of sexual violence. Last month, they gave an emotional poetry reading at Courtenay Place in Wellington at a rally against sexual violence.
A woman assaulted by a man and then kicked out of a Wellington bar without her cellphone or friends after complaining to a bouncer is one of many “appalling” stories told in a sexual violence survey on Wellington. The survey creators, Ella Lamont and Sophia Harrison, presented the results to Wellington City Council on Thursday, provided possible solutions and demanded the city’s decision-makers take action on sexual violence in the capital.
The SMC asked experts
to comment on the study.
Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Senior
Research Fellow, Department of Public Health, University of
Otago, Wellington, comments:
“It’s encouraging to
see such a low number of previously-undiagnosed cases. It
does support the evidence from other data sources such as
community testing, which have consistently shown low rates
of positive tests. So far there’s been no indication that
Aotearoa New Zealand has experienced large undetected
outbreaks in the community.
“It’s likely that the
overall percentage of missed cases is higher than indicated
by this study. As the authors are of course aware, people