THE INTERNAL - NEWSLETTER 19/04

I guess everybody knows it by now – the Woxa House is going international! Claudio from Chile moved in last weekend, finally everybody needs to speak English!!! ☺ Furthermore, Maike will arrive next weekend – we are looking forward welcoming her!

GOOD TO KNOW

• I guess the “text IOU to 468” is familiar to you by now – still once again: If you are running out of money on your Vodaphone Prepaid Card and there is no store close-by, send a SMS with “IOU” to number 468 and they will top up your account by $2.

• 95bFM (radio station) is offering a B-Card. The all-new bcard is just $30 and entitles the bearer to on-air prizes, entry to the Private Function and Oonst for cheap (if not free), and discounts from the merchants listed below. We'll also send you a 95bFM mail-out four times per year so you're up to date with everything that's going on at the b. You'll also receive bMail, our email newsletter, at least fortnightly.

            The bcard is available from Real Groovy Records, Magazzino             Ponsonby and Newmarket, ECM St Lukes, Marbecks, Sounds Queen             Street, the 95bFM offices.

            If you are interested, checkout: http://www.95bfm.com/bcard.php

• Anybody interested in visiting the places where Lord of the Rings was filmed – some time ago Fanny was getting all the places together when she was going to travel New Zealand. Just send an e-mail and I can send you the doc.

• You know that we have all kind of other information here at the office. Some of them you can check here (brochures, maps etc,) others you can request by e-mail (report on the South Island, info on how to sell, buy a car, insurances, where to look for finding a flat, etc.). Take the chance!

• And once again: We are working together with the Contact Traveller’s Point at Queenstreet. Should you ever need to book inland flights, ferries, rent a car, book accommodation somewhere else ….. send me an e-mail and I will request the best offer possible for you!

WHATS ON IN AND AROUND AUCKLAND

AOTEA SQUARE MARKETS

Every Friday and Saturday from 10am – 6pm

This is when Aotea Square is taken over by the colourful and bustling Aotea Square Markets The Markets offer a range of stalls from Pasifika arts and crafts to pot plants, flowers, underground designer clothes, jewellery, vinyl and CDs. In addition there is a range of fine food stalls Every Saturday from midday to 2.00pm the Aotea Square Markets are "keeping real" with an ever-changing line-up of bands and DJs adding to the atmosphere

TAKAPUNA MARKETS

Every Sunday from 6am till noon

That is when Takapuna’s Central Carpark (corner Anzac Street & Lake Road) transforms into an eclectic market that offers fresh produce, flowers, crafts, furniture, foods, antiques and more.

OTARA MARKET

Saturdays from 6am till noon, Newsbury Street, Otara

For an excellent Pacific experience, definitely visit the Otara Market, which is a pretty large Polynesian market offering exotic foods and smells, wonderful tapa cloth, flax mats and baskets and bone carvings.

NEW LYNN ORGANIC MARKET

Every Saturday, 8am – 12pm, Todd Ave, New Lynn

DEVENPORT HANDCRAFT MARKET

2nd Sunday every month, 10am - 4pm, Community House, Clarence Street

MATARIKI – Maori New Year Celebrations

June18 – July 17

Look out for the pyrotechnics display and food and wine festival in July!

Nationwide event details: www.tepapa.govt.nz

Auckland War Memorial Museum, Sun 20 June

The Living Treasures Day – talks, educational trails, live performances, kid’s activities & more…

Auckland City Libraries

Get creative with workshops and events showcasing Maori culture, performance and traditional arts and crafts, including kapa haka, taonga puoro music, ta moko tattooing and weaving.

For details visit: www.aucklandcitylibraries.com

MACBETH

27 May – 26 June, Maidment Theatre, 8 Alfred Street

Macbeth, the doomed king, who, driven by murderous ambition and spurred on by his formidable young wife, knowingly wages mortal war on his own soul.

The Large Group has assembled a powerful cast that includes some very wellknown actors.

A dynamic new production of Shakespeare's most compelling masterpiece.

COSI FAN TUTTE, MOZART

30 June, 1-3 July; Sky City Theatre, 7.30pm

… two loving couples have made vows of eternal fidelity that are cynically exposed by a world-wise old bachelor.

RUGBY

New Zealand v Argentina, Sat 26 June, 7.35pm, Hamilton

Switch the TV on and you will enjoy an outstanding Haka performance!

BASKETBALL

Harbour Heat v Saints, 23 June, 7pm, North Shore Events Centre

Playoffs – Finals, Sun 27 June, ASB Stadium, Kohimaramara

GOOD SHIRT

24th June, The London Shed

Pop/Rock band back from recently touring Japan will feature tracks from the newly released album “Fiji Baby”.

FAT FREDDY’S DROP

25th of June, Safari Lounge, 116 Ponsonby Rd

… are purveyor’s of a freaky nu Pacific soul train, smothered in bottom heavy funk, jazz, deep dub and skanking roots reggae, they are a 7 piece band hailing from Wellington, Aotearoa(New Zealand).

Admission: $25, starts around 11pm

PASELODE, Devil Gate Drive and Milk Milk Lemonade

25th June, 8.30pm, The Kings Arms Tavern, 59 France Street

"Paselode is a local act on the rise. This tight, dynamic 5-piece mix sludge-rock riffs, retro keyboard sounds and an overall musicality that blends Brian Setzer-styled rock’n’roll with garage rock basics to create a twisted vision of cow-punk and post-alternative hard rock.

Paselode will also be playing 6.30pm at real Groovy, usually admission free!

SONIC YOUTH – the world’s greatest punk rock jam band, and more!

26th of June, Saint James Complex, Auckland

One NY Roch writer discribed the band as “a roller-coaster ride of distortion, flange, strobe lights and rapid-fire drumming that sounded like an acid-rain storm on a hot tin roof“. Also on thebill is former Dinosaur Jr-man J Mascis and Wellington’s one man noise machine Birchville Cat Motel.

SUNDAY BEST BAND

27th of June,8pm & every Sunday at Racinos, 35 High Street

with Kevin Field, julien dyne + DJ LoKey – for a good start in the new week…

KATCHAFIRE

Sat 26 June, 8pm, The Glenfield Tavern & 30th June at Safari Lounge

Don’t miss this great chance to experience the infectious reggae of one of New Zealand’s best band as Katchafire play hits from their double platinum album “Revival”.

GOMEZ – splitting the difference

July 10, The Studio, Auckland

Good noise? Perhaps great noise, amazing noise, psychedelic noise, soulful noise, chaotic noise, beautiful noise....

The tour will support the release of Gomez’s fourth album "Split The Difference", an album packed with straightforward – or at least relatively straightforward – rock songs. Adding to their already expansive live repertoire; which includes the brilliant and occasionally obtuse experimentation that came with past albums Liquid Skin, Bring It On, Abandoned Shopping Trolley, and In Our Gun, these shows will most certainly be an experience not to be missed.

FRANZ FERDINAND

July 26, Regent St. James, Auckland

The Glasgow-bred art-rock band & finest post-punkers are coming to Auckland! Get yourself a ticket and enjoy!!!!

MESSAGE FROM JONATHON

Hey guys! Hope everything is going well.  We’ve had some good feedback from some of the companies at which you are working, so that is always good.  If the company is happy with you, then they will most likely take another intern in the future.  So your good performance helps us in the long term!

Last week I asked a trivia question -  What is the famous geographic landmark from ANOTHER COUNTRY that is actually represented on the NZ five dollar banknote?  The answer: Mt Everest!  The reason for this is that the first person to climb the highest mountain in the world was a New Zealander named Edmund Hillary.  His achievement was pretty spectacular for its time.  And so it is commemorated on the Five Dollar Banknote in NZ.

Just to finish a bit more on what I mentioned last week – NZ history is very short and so some of the details from recent history tend to get a fair bit of analysis.

In NZ’s 20th century growth and development, one wartime battle in particular has been a paradigm for NZ (and Australia too!)  In the First World War, a British Military commander (someone you may have heard of for other reasons – he later became Prime Minister – Winston Churchill) sent the New Zealand and Australian troops on a somewhat suicidal mission to take and hold a piece of land in Turkey.  It was a disaster, military speaking, as the ANZAC’s were mowed down.  Since that time, it has become a battle that has come to represent NZ’s contribution to her allies in the two World Wars.

Another aspect of NZ history that Kiwi’s like to celebrate involves both politics and rugby – two things that aren’t normally associated with each other.  In the early 1980s, the rugby team from Apartheid South Africa was invited to come and tour NZ to play a series of matches.  This caused great controversy, as many countries of the world had imposed sanctions against sporting activities with the country.  The matches resulted in protests and riots, with many people landing themselves with criminal convictions because of their involvement.  It polarized public opinion at the time. 

In later years, some people overstated the event somewhat.  Much as many Americans later said they protested against Vietnam (when they probably didn’t), some Kiwis have come to think that their protests at the rugby games brought down the Apartheid regime. 

Oh dear.  But still, it goes to show how important rugby is to national identity in NZ.

Jonathon

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!

This you already heard about this plague - still a bit of a strange ad …