Latest news with #DroneSkyShows
Otago Daily Times
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
City celebrates Matariki at park
The Matariki Festival was held at Logan Park on Saturday night. PHOTOS: GREGOR RICHARDSON Trees sparkled and there was a plentiful supply of food from trucks, but it was really the drones that drew crowds to Dunedin's Logan Park. They flew in various patterns on Saturday night to help convey a story about Matariki, the star cluster associated with the Māori new year. Ed Finlay, 8, of Dunedin, at the Matariki Festival at Logan Park on Saturday. John Parkin was there with his wife Joyce and children Abigail, 5, and Noah, 2. Having moved from Auckland to Dunedin, they watched the drones' light show last year and came back on Saturday for another look. Mr Parkin said Abigail had learnt about Matariki at both daycare and school and developed quite a good understanding. Flame Entertainment's Milly B lights up the night at the festival. Arlo Henry, 9, had also learnt about Matariki at school. He and his mother, Mel Henry, were awaiting the drones' show on Saturday night. "It's nice that it's free and to celebrate Matariki," Mrs Henry said. Sisters (from left) Charlotte, 10, and Clara Pleace admire a lighting installation at the festival. St Peter Chanel School in Green Island had a Matariki breakfast on Thursday, she said. Ann Goodwillie had travelled to Dunedin from Timaru in recent days for her grandson's 12th birthday. She went along to Logan Park with whānau and said she had had a lovely time in Dunedin. Sana Garner, 6, of Dunedin, takes a walk on the bright side. The show was put together by Drone Sky Shows in collaboration with mana whenua and cultural advisers. Entertainment through the evening included performances by 1 Drop Nation, kapa haka by He Waka Kōtuia and the sounds of taonga pūoro — traditional Māori musical instruments.
Otago Daily Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Matariki drone shows ‘all on'
Drones form the shape of a bird seemingly perched on University of Otago buildings during a rehearsal for Matariki displays at Logan Park, Dunedin. Two shows this evening are expected to be watched by thousands of people. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY The weather should be settled enough for Matariki drone shows in Dunedin to proceed successfully tonight and draw big crowds, an organiser says. "Wind's looking good. Rain's going away, so she's all on at this stage," Drone Sky Shows director Shane Wild said. The plan is for Dunedin's night sky to dazzle with drone lights, weaving local stories into the stars, from 6pm and 8.30pm at Logan Park. Last year's event attracted 15,000 people, prompting organisers to extend the event footprint across the park this year and have a large area for food trucks and dining. The MetService forecast scattered showers today would clear by noon. Tomorrow is set aside as a contingency night, just in case the conditions prove to be problematic. "I expect it to be fine [tonight]. Wind's low, no rain — we're all go," Mr Wild said. He described meticulous preparation to implement the vision. "We've got specialised people that do all the choreography for the show and make that wow factor," Mr Wild said. A pilot would run the software, and another pilot would be on standby. "So, he's got a manual control, too, if we need some help from him." The show was produced in collaboration with mana whenua and cultural and cultural advisers. Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki representatives Tāwini White and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe issued a joint statement about the project and Matariki generally. "This drone show celebrates our environment and traditional mahika kai, the procurement of highly valued natural resources that have sustained mana whenua over generations," they said. The 2025 theme acknowledged Matariki and Puaka as important stars. "During the national hautapu that was hosted by Ōtākou last year, a karakia for Puaka was included, as well as karakia to the stars of Matariki, to celebrate both," the mana whenua representatives said. "Together, they guide us into a season of reflection, celebration and hope. "It is a time of growth for our customs and our knowledge is strengthened through practice that can be shared with our community."
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Bring on the drones
An Australian-based company is pitching drone light shows for Queenstown over three months that'd not only be an amazing spectacle, but could potentially also drive big visitor numbers, especially during shoulder seasons. Drone Sky Shows, the southern hemisphere's largest drone light show provider, put on Dunedin's first Matariki drone show last winter, with a New Zealand-record 201 drones, and is doing it again this month. Its first show in Perth, in 2022, drew an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people. Shows feature illuminated, synchronised and choreographed groups of drones arranged into various aerial formations — just about any shape can be brought to light. Local Chamber of Commerce chief executive Sharon Fifield believes the shows, each about 10 minutes long, would be perfect for Queenstown. ''What I like about the concept is it's something a bit different, it's low-impact to the environment, unlike fireworks, and then people can come into Queenstown and have a bit of a show before they head out to dinner and to the bars. ''Even our animals might like it. ''Events are perfect for these quieter times and for getting locals to come into town. ''We've lost Luma from the Gardens but it's almost taking Luma into the sky with a kind of light show.'' Luma — now transitioned into a winter-long 'Luma Enchanted' show at Kiwi Park — ran in the Gardens for almost 10 years and last year attracted about 32,000 visitors over King's Birthday Weekend. However, organisers pulled the plug due to rising costs. Drone Sky Shows owner Josh Van Ross believes Queenstown's an ''exceptional'' light show venue. He's proposing a 300-to-500-drone show over the Gardens ''which would point back at the town and just blow the socks off anyone who would come there''. ''We'd do a weekly show, Friday or Saturday night, we'd change it up multiple times and we'd love to really drive traffic back to Queens-town when it's shoulder season.'' Van Ross says there could be a ''family-friendly'' 6pm show and another at 9pm. ''This would be a first of its type for New Zealand as a residency — it's the same as kind of what the Maldives and other really high-end tourism destinations have.'' According to a proposal sighted by Mountain Scene, a 'standard' 100-drone show could cost $45,000, rising to $100,000 for 300 drones. Van Ross says the set-up costs are massive, ''but if we can set up there for two or three months the price per show comes down drastically''. A sponsor who came onboard could also have their logo beamed at the end of the show, he suggests. He'd be keen to collaborate with a local artist ''who can really make it speak to the people of Queenstown''. As far as setting up the show, Van Ross' NZ CEO and 'mission commander' is Queenstown-raised Shane Wild, who lives in Cromwell and stores almost 250 drones himself. Wild, who commutes to Queenstown most days, says a show would take just three months to organise. ''Mate, I can't believe we haven't done one here yet.'' scoop@
