North Canterbury News: September 23, 2021

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18 North Canterbury News, September 23, 2021
Afantastical world on show
The firstsolo exhibitionofpaintings by
Fernside artistNikki Parker, Oh, Such
Foolishness!,isbornfromthe need to
tonedownthe dark humourshe is
known for.
For this work she has‘‘swung the
other way’’ andusedink and
watercolourtocreatea‘‘ fantastical
worl’’doverflowing withcolour.
‘‘Sometimes thingsjustneed to to be
fun,stillquirky, still very muchmebut
less‘checkher intothe nearest psych
ward’.’’
Oh, SuchFoolishness! has appeal for
all ages, Nikki says.
She grewupwithapencilinher hand
and herartworkhas been fuelled by a
‘‘bizarre’’ imagination.
Bird contest opens soon
The dates are set for New Zealand’s most
eggcellentannualbird battle, and Kiwis
everywhere are gettingreadyto
campaign.
VotinginForest&Bird's Bird of the
Year/ Te Manu Rongonui oteTau opens
on October 18 and closestwo weekslater,
with the winner announced on
November 1.
Among the finalists are Kaikoura’s
Hutton’s shearwaterand the dotterel,
along with AshleyRakahuri’s wrybill.
‘‘This year’s competition could really
cause aflap,’’says Forest &Bird’s Bird of
the Year spokespersonLaura Keown.
This year the Bird of the Year website
will featureNew ZealandSign Language
translations for many of our native
species,alongside both their te reo Maori
and Englishnames, bird call,and
conservation status.
‘‘This is the 16th annual Bird of the
Year and we're expecting it will ruffle
‘‘Creatingbecame anecessity to stay
sane, or close to,’’ shesays.
Nikki enjoysexperimentingand
pushing theboundarieswithher
artwork, fromlarge framedpiecesto
her small charactersand she is
currently on an illustration journey
‘‘for theyoung ,young at heartand
slightly twisted.’’
Oh, SuchFoolishness! opened at the
ChamberGallery ,inthe Rangiora
Librarylast Sunday andwillrun until
September30.
People attendingthe exhibitionwill
havethe opportunitytogointhedraw to
win alimitededition print by
identifying acharacter (Bungle)hidden
in five of thepaintings.
some feathers,’’ Laura says.
‘‘We’ve got somesurprises in store,and
our high­flying volunteer campaign
managers are ready for their bird
campaigns to take­off.’’
Kakapo was the winnerlast year, with
toroa /Antipodeanalbatrossswooping
into second, and the come­back­king
kakaruia /black robin coming in third.
‘‘Climate change and habitat loss are
huge threats to Aotearoa, and about 80
percent of our birds arethreatened or at
risk of extinction,’’ Laurasays.
‘‘We really need to put nature at the
heart of New Zealand’s climate plan, and
make sure our amazingnative species
are here for futuregenerations.’’
‘‘The good news is, when we care for
our nativespecies, we also care for each
other.
‘‘When our rivers, forests,and oceans
are healthy,our climate, wildlife, and
communities are betteroff too.’’
Ukefest ... Christchurch band, Secret Lives of Ukelele,which will feature in the Ukefest in
Kaikoura this weekend.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Ukeleles come to town
By SHELLEYTOPP
Kaikoura will come alivewith the sound
of music thisweekend when the firstever
Kaikoura Ukefest hitstown.
‘‘There will be an infiltration of
ukeleles,’’ saysthe organiser Gay
Newman, who is amember of the
Christchurchband the Secret Livesof
Ukelele. ‘‘Come along and be part of the
commotion.’’
The festival is being held tomorrow,
Saturday and Sunday at outdoor and
indoorvenuesaround the town with
musiciansfrom all around the South
Islandbooked to perform.
The indoorperformances will be for
registered,ticketholders onlytoattend,
but the remainder of the events being
performed outdoors around the town will
be free for the public to enjoy.
The festival is something Gay has been
interested in organisingfor sometime.
‘‘Thisismybaby. Ihave familyhere and
Ireally wanted to do something for the
town becauseitishas beenthrough so
much. Iamreallyhoping it willbring
some life back into this lovely town.’’
The Covid­19 Alert Level 2restrictions
have complicatedplans for the festival,
but there has been agreat deal of interest
in the eventand Gay is ‘‘justpleased’’ it
can stillgoahead as a‘‘mini festival’,
albeitunder isolation restrictions.
The three­day festival will include live
concert performances at Donegal House,
streetperformers in the Kaikoura central
business district, music workshops in the
Kaikoura Memorial Hall, with masterof
ceremonies Sally Lane.
Although the Covid­19 isolation
restrictionswill meanasmaller crowd
than Gay had initially hoped would attend
the festival, she is hopingthat it will prove
popular and eventually becomeanannual
event in the town.
More detailsabout the festival can be
found on the Kaikoura Ukefest2021 page
on Facebook.
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