New Zealand Listener Issue 51, 2025

In October, I attended a performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto by the NZSO, and the playing of cellist Kian Soltani was intense and stunning. But after the first movement the mood was broken with intrusive applause. It was the same after movements of the Brahms symphony that followed. The audience was intruding. And while this is a short-term recognition of musical mastery, it denies the performer and the composer proper recognition of the complete, long-term development of the work. This effectively broke the spell and degraded the listening experience. It chopped up the work. This might seem trivial but abbreviation is pervasive in the way we approach our music, literature and our storytelling. We no longer seem as prepared to dig in for the long haul, to give in…

Despite us being told our economy is improving, this coalition government is one of the most divided, polarising and unpopular in recent times. Not since the days of Muldoon’s bullying and bluster have so many people been upset and annoyed by the arrogant actions of so few. Danyl McLauchlan’s excellent “Year in politics” (December 13) seems to sum up succinctly why so many of us are so upset with this lot. I think, despite the government’s supposed handle on how to turn the economy around, the far-right tendencies in Act and NZ First, and the intemperate rantings of Shane Jones and David Seymour, are being allowed to dominate the agenda while Prime Minster Luxon’s appearing to be asleep at the wheel. In short, the government is becoming Trumpist in all…

“The irony of the IRD’s refusal to pay for its breach will not be lost on the thousands of New Zealand businesses who have been struggling to make ends meet for several years.” “It’s almost like we’re going back in history to the 1950s, the days of McCarthyism, where if you had ever been a member of the Communist Party you were banned from getting into the US.” “Wellingtonians are a pretty phlegmatic bunch until they get upset.”  “One of the things I’ve been grieving for quite a long time now is laughter. It’s such a precious and beautiful thing in theatre … We need it like a public service – like medicine.”  “Shane Jones talks of job opportunities. He says nothing about the consequent and long-term loss of jobs…

1. Which person, who died this year, said, “When I approach the pearly gates, I’d like to hear a champagne cork popping, an orchestra tuning up and the sound of my mother laughing.” ❑ Prunella Scales ❑ Robert Redford ❑ Diane Keaton ❑ Patricia Routledge 2. This year, Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia became the world’s tallest church. It will be completed in 2026. When did building begin? ❑ 1882 ❑ 1904 ❑ 1926 ❑ 1933 3. Primatologist Jane Goodall loved primates, but what did she say her favourite animal was? ❑ Cat ❑ Dog ❑ Dolphin ❑ Kākāpō 4. Which team won this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup? ❑ New Zealand ❑ England ❑ France ❑ Canada 5. Donald Trump is the second US president to serve non-consecutive terms. Who…

Separating an individual from the common herd with the royal honours “Sir” or “Dame” seems at first blush to go against the egalitarian grain in New Zealand. Although Kiwis have paid only lip service to the myth for a long time, egalitarianism still lurks in the national subconscious. The official government website for the honours system is upfront about the anomaly, quoting a 1995 review: “We believe that such recognition is consistent with the egalitarian character of New Zealand society and enlivens and enriches it.” Sir John Key – who in 2009 restored the titular honours that his predecessor Helen Clark abolished in 2000 – thinks he knows why their reinstatement was popular. “What people were reflecting was that, as a general rule, the people who got them had done…

The Diseased Lung in a Jar for services to the tobacco industry goes to film-maker TAIKA WAITITI for celebrating his 50th birthday in Ibiza in August with platters and bowls of cigarettes and “Taika” branded matches. We know fan favourite Waititi’s preferred mode combines broad winks, his tongue in both cheeks, virtual air quotes, insouciant shrugs and ceaseless deadpannery, but still. Those things kill people! Can’t wait until some ambitious local acting luvvies with Hollywood dreams call him out on it. The Apocalypse Now Platinum Rotorblade for Services to PTSD goes to Neighbours of the Year ALI WILLIAMS and ANNA MOWBRAY, who won approval in June for their helipad in residential Westmere. Thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap … We come to you live from the formerly…