Comments on: International Festival of the Arts

By: horisthebear

horisthebear — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:17:48 +0000

Yeah I know, for some it is hard to believe that 5,000 people even live in Christchurch… But they were pretty cool kites. It is the 4th year of it being held. The Press reported a couple of thousand and then another 3,000 at the adjoining overlooking openair amphitheatre
http://www.summertimes.org.nz/2008/FestivalEvents/TipTopKiteDay.asp

By: Interested Party

Interested Party — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:56:18 +0000

The regular comment we get from out of towners who migrate here (e.g Wellingtonians and others) is there is so much to do in Auckland, every weekend, and events of scale. No amount of absolutely positive PR coming out of Wellington will change that. The simple fact is big is bigger. As for the weather, the RONZers never mention the temperature when trying to talk down the weather in Jaffa land – always a 2-4 degress warmer (and that excludes the wind factor), and the summer is about two months longer

PS Used to enjoy my monthly trips to Wellington, and loved the sevens last year, but you guys do have an slight inferiority complex.

By: honey badger

honey badger — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:48:32 +0000

5,000 people turned up on a beach in Christchurch to see some kites? And this did not make national news?

By: horisthebear

horisthebear — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:24:45 +0000

Sean – the actual facts are that the average rainfall in Chch is about 700 mm, p.a. Auckland is more than TWICE this.

And for wind. After having lived in Wellington for 9 nine years and then coming home to the mainland I find the daily easterly breeze rather pleasant.

It is also interesting that the events in Chch never really make the national news. We have hosted here two world sport championships inside one month, one major concert that got 35,000, the buskers festival the summertimes festival (yes in Chch you can have a fesitval OUTSIDE in summer for a month) we had 5,000 turn out on my local beach just to see some kites. Try doing those in Auckland and stay dry or in Wellington and not get blown away.

When I did my masters degree in economics my thesis was on fixing the international trade and barriers to grow and how export led growth can work. Stiglitz was one of the authorities on it. I met him briefly, a very intense and serious man. He somehow placed me into the young left radical camp. ; ) Sigh…

By: sean

sean — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:08:52 +0000

“One of the many great things about Wellington is we get the International Festival of the Arts. We also get the Sevens, Te Papa and the World of Wearable Arts while other cities get flower shows or something.”

…don’t forget the almost daily crappy windy weather. I find Chch is windier than Auckland but Auckland is a tad wetter than Chch. Wellington gets the worst of both worlds!!

By: honey badger

honey badger — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:38:47 +0000

You’re dead right Craig, private and corporate sponsorship is what keeps the NZ Festival alive, along with core funding from the council. Sponsorship for the arts is extremely difficult to achieve these days but the Wellington Festival manages to pull it off time and time again. The 2008 programme is impressive.
Tim, you’ve unwittingly hit the nail on the head: “driving distance” may be precisely the problem with Auckland; Wellingtonians are lucky in that so many can WALK between most of the venues (and BUS from around the region and the suburbs).
Another reason why Festival fever becomes tangible in the capital.

By: RRM

RRM — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:06:32 +0000

Tim, I’m sure if Auckland wanted to organize one, they could have one.

Oh no, wait, THAT’S RIGHT – we’ve seen how Auckland performs when it comes to putting on a big event (Waterfront stadium, Eden Park, V8 street race, etc)

(and on a serious note, Auckland has its AK06 / AK07 / AK08 festival, which seems to be becoming a pretty regular thing now!)

By: Craig Ranapia

Craig Ranapia — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:03:07 +0000

But I guess they consequently need a Government subsidy hence it is in Wellington.

Oh, Tim… I suggest you take a look at the last AK Festival and who was paying the bills for that effort. If my memory serves, the International Arts Festival has been turning a modest profit and attracting pretty impressive amounts of private and corporate sponsorship.

By: Craig Ranapia

Craig Ranapia — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:24 +0000

Despite myself, I’m rather impressed by George Monbiot – who may be barking but at least practices what he preaches:

Join Monbiot, journalist and climate activist, in conversation via real time video conferencing. Welcome to the future. Refusing to get on planes, carbonconscious writers such as Monbiot are turning to technology to get their message out. This Festival first will see Monbiot in conversation in real time on the Embassy’s big screen.

… unlike a certain Saint Al of Gore.

By: tim barclay

tim barclay — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:55:26 +0000

It should be in Auckland, half of NZ lives with driving distance of Auckland but not Wellington. But I guess they consequently need a Government subsidy hence it is in Wellington.

By: Paul W

Paul W — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:45:54 +0000

pete’s entirely correct. Stiiglitz is clearly not anti-globalisation. He is however, very critical of the slavish adherence to doctrinaire policy when it clearly does not produce the desired results. I suspect the Greens and many others too know this.

By: 3-coil

3-coil — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:34:32 +0000

What a great look that will be: fawning John Campbell, giggling his way through a serious adult debate…

By: pete

pete — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:19:45 +0000

I think it’s slightly unfair to tag someone who wrote Making Globalization Work as anti-Globalisation.

Sure he’s to the left of the Chicago School / Washington “Consensus”, but then again so is everyone who’s not in the Chicago School.