Latest news with #DunedinFringeArtsTrust
Otago Daily Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Festival offers ‘unique opportunity'
New Zealand Young Writers Festival tuakana (guide) Josiah Morgan (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Maniapoto). PHOTO: SUPPLIED The Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust is gearing up to host a new-look New Zealand Young Writers Festival in September. And to get the ball rolling, the call has gone out for young writers aged 15-35 years to put their hands up to be part of the festival as presenters and to take part in a three-day wānanga beforehand. The NZ Young Writers Festival, to be held on September 13-14 this year, is a literary-focused festival celebrating a broad range of writing. Dunedin Fringe co-director Kate Schrader said the wānanga, which would be held at Puketeraki Marae on September 10-12, would be a ''unique opportunity for young writers to connect and build skills''. ''In the 11th year of the festival, we are leaning into the model of reciprocal learning, and will be holding workshops at the marae and during the festival,'' she said. New Zealand Young Writers Festival tuakana (guide) Ruby Macomber (Rotuma/Ngāpuhi). PHOTO: SUPPLIED ''The wa ¯nanga is part of our offering to the young writers who are participating in the festival, so they can build those important connections before getting into the festival.'' Holding the wa ¯nanga was the brainchild of Dunedin Fringe leadership team members Jessica Latton (Nga ¯ti Wheke, Waitaha, Ka ¯i Tahu) and Anthony Deaker (Ka ¯i Tahu), who would be involved and would be taking on the roles of tuakana (guides) for the festival. Rather than a curator, this year's festival will be led by three newly appointed young writer tuakana, Josiah Morgan (Nga ¯i Tahu, Nga ¯ti Maniapoto), Ruby Macomber (Rotuma/ Nga ¯puhi) and Rauhina Scott-Fyfe (Ka ¯i Tahu, Ka ¯ti Ma ¯moe, Nga ¯i Pa ¯keha ¯), all of whom have had long involvement with the festival. ''These three young writers will have an important role in uplifting others.'' New Zealand Young Writers Festival tuakana (guide) Rauhina Scott-Fyfe (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Pākehā). PHOTO: SUPPLIED Ms Schrader also announced that the New Zealand Young Writers Festival Young Writer in Residence for 2025 is Dunedin writer and performer Nick Tipa (Ka ¯i Tahu), who will be based at the Robert Lord Cottage for the duration of the residency. ''We are very excited that Nick, our young writer in residence, is a local person and is working on a project that is very connected to place,'' she said. The NZ Young Writers Festival would offer fewer events due to funding constraints, but would continue to celebrate a range of writing, including poetry, playwriting, songwriting, short fiction, novels, zines, podcasts and more, Ms Schrader said. ''As part of the festival's public programme, there will be a chance to hear from all the writers who have participated in the wa ¯nanga,'' she said. ''There will be a mix-andmingle event, which will include readings, giving young writers the opportunity to step into the spotlight.'' There were 15 spots available for young writers to actively participate in the festival, and expressions of interest were open until this Sunday, Ms Schrader said. New Zealand Young Writers Festival Young Writer in Residence 2025 Nick Tipa (Kāi Tahu). PHOTO: SUPPLIED ''We are keen to hear from young people involved in any writing practice — we want to open up the festival to as many storytellers as possible. ''We welcome anyone who is curious to reach out to us with their questions.'' For more information, visit the NZ Young Writers Festival website, or find NZYoungWritersFest on Facebook or Instagram. -
Otago Daily Times
05-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Festival anti-social conduct ‘deeply stressful'
Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust co-directors Kate Schrader (left) and Ruth Harvey. Photo: Gregor Richardson Inflammatory rhetoric from political leaders is to blame for a "significant" rise in anti-social behaviour, including hate speech and sexual harassment, at this year's Dunedin Fringe Festival, organisers say. Festival co-organiser Ruth Harvey, who lived in the United States during the first presidency of Donald Trump, said New Zealand needed to send a message as a country that "everyone is welcome here". "That is the thing that we champion in our work and our expectation is that others, including community leaders and politicians, should be doing the same thing." A final report on this year's festival, which ran for 10 days in March, said there was a "significant uptick in anti-social behaviour" of a level which had not been experienced in the past three years. Organisers cited "imported culture wars; a rise in misogynistic, racist, queer-phobic and ableist attitudes generally; and the erosion of social cohesion due to political and civil divisiveness" as contributing to the rise in such behaviour. "We had multiple instances of both in-person and online abusive behaviour, including two instances of hate speech, an [instance] of sexual harassment and multiple instances of disruptive audience behaviour in both our venue and others around the city." It was "one of the most challenging aspects of the entire festival" and created an unsustainable workload. Leadership dealt with each situation and the fallout as younger staff were left with too much to do and had their confidence shaken. "It was the first time staff have felt genuinely scared to do their jobs," the report said. There needed to be better behaviour and leadership from politicians and civic leaders, who set the tone for what behaviour was acceptable within communities, and significantly more funding to help community organisations address the "fraying levels of connectedness in our communities", the report said. Ms Harvey said the disruptive behaviour — which included heckling and involved inebriation — was experienced particularly during late-night events. Police were not contacted, and it was noted some of this behaviour was directed at events involving the city's queer community, she said. "I think that both locally, nationally and internationally you have quote unquote 'leaders' in our communities who are espousing some very racist, misogynistic and homophobic ideas. "It's given people permission to act in a similar way and it was so evident during the festival." Ms Harvey drew a connection to "very nasty" incidents in the North Island earlier this year, which included the actions of Destiny Church members who stormed a children's drag science show held in a library in Te Atatu. She knew of other businesses and event organisers in Dunedin who had also faced anti-social behaviour. "So I think it is indicative of the broader environment politically and socially." However, the "vast majority" of the thousands of audience members who attended events this year had been well behaved, Ms Harvey said. Fellow co-organiser Kate Schrader said the incidents were "deeply stressful" and they were not experts in dealing with anti-social behaviour. It was only a small team working behind the scenes at the festival and such behaviour took them away from their work running it. With more funding, the festival could increase the number of hours it employed security for, Ms Schrader said.
