Issue No59 — Plugging Unplugging

Before I’ve even made my morning coffee, I’ve seen three iterations of “this is privaaaaaate properteh.” One is a Minecraft remake, another is a 3D-rendered ant’s-eye view, and the third is an educational Mandarin translation. I see heartbreaking statistics from Gaza, a “get ready with me” for the Balenciaga fashion show, countless ads, conspiracy theories that Jeffrey Epstein is alive and living under the alias “Palm Beach Pete,” a countdown of the current US president’s term (43.19% complete), and what’s inside someone’s Birkin.

It doesn’t stop when I put my phone down.

Waiting at the bus stop, I take stock of the ads around me. A Bolt car is parked across the street. A plumbing truck whizzes past, its business details plastered on the passenger door. Posters are going up outside my front door, a billboard looms to my right, and an open-home flag flaps down the road. Don’t even get me started on the election posters.

My bus arrives wrapped in a giant Minions and Monsters vinyl. Inside, Auckland Transport has ads of its own. “Sus your bus”… seriously? Who approved that? It’s 9am, and I already have a headache.

How much autonomy do I really have? Are my decisions, habits and creative ideas actually my own, or are they shaped by the noise around me? When I speak sarcastically, I do it in an American accent. Is this a new kind of colonisation, one that happens in the mind?

When I stop punishing myself for my weekly screen-time report, it becomes easier to disengage. I take my laptop to the local café to write, partly because I feel accountable to the people behind me (who definitely aren’t looking at my screen). I book a morning gym class to avoid the morning scroll, although if the weather’s nice, I’d rather go for a walk. Sometimes I light a candle before bed and set a timer for ten minutes, just to practise being bored.

Recently, as part of my curatorial internship at Artspace Aotearoa, I curated an exhibition exploring these feelings. It’s called Touching Grass. I suspected I wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed, and the curatorial process confirmed it.

The people yearn for connection, presence, conversation…and the wheat fields. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the other thing lately. Carried by my programme Rerekē, which translates to weird/odd/different. It’s mostly that I’ve decided I’m unhappy with the way things are, but I don't have the answers yet. So by experimenting with alternative and new or returning to old ways, maybe we can create the environment we want to live in.

I know I just spent the last 435 words flaming ads, but please come to the opening of Touching Grass. It opens tomorrow, Friday 30th October, 6pm, at Artspace Aotearoa. You can catch it till 14 November.

EMILY LYALL is an artist and curator of Te Whakatōhea and Te Whānau-a-Apanui, currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her practice explores contemporary Māori art, cultural memory, and the possibilities of collective and community-led curatorial practice.

By Jean

NEW OPENINGS

If you missed Newmarket’s TianFu Noodles, then a happy news day for you: it looks like it’s reopening nearly exactly where it used to be at 473 Khyber Pass Rd (where Kuai Dan Eatery was). I always maintained their spicy dumplings were better than Eden Noodles, so I hope this remains true in the new iteration.

We missed the opening of this new Sri Lankan place in Epsom, KOLOMBO, which popped up on our feeds when Curry Concierge deemed it perhaps the best opening of 2026. 

There’s a new late-night Malaysian pop-up at Gilli Cafe in Newmarket open from 6pm to 2am (!) called LALAZAI LATE NIGHT KITCHEN. Ramly burgers feature on the menu, which most Malaysians will be familiar with (meat patties wrapped in egg). Also noodles, chicken chop on rice and small bites like kaya butter toast.

Takapuna’s MUSSEL AND CHIP has opened a second location in the Elliot St Stables.

EVENTS + NEWS

The free annual DIWALI FESTIVAL in Aotea Square and Queen St is on this Saturday 31 October from 12pm. They always block out a decent chunk of the street for this, fringed by a multitude of food vendors, so it’s worth a visit.

The Pah Homestead’s POCKET MARKET is back on Saturday: lots of local vendors, plus it is always nice if the sun’s out. 

I have maintained a huge amount of empathy for coeliacs ever since trying gluten-free pasta, but I am told that there have been many innovations in this field as of late, which you can likely try at this Saturday’s GLUTEN FREE FOOD FESTIVAL.

By The Bottle is launching a new event series called SUNDAY SERVICE, with the first volume focused on sauvignon blanc by local producers. This Sunday 1 November at the Ponsonby Community Hall, $45pp for tasting plus food and glasses of wine to purchase on the day.

Duo in Birkenhead are wrapping up their regular dinner service. Last seating is on Friday November 27th.

Milford restaurant Olle and Movenpick hotel restaurant Boda are teaming up for a five-course collaboration called A NIGHT IN THE GOLMOK (a reimagining of late-night Korean street food) on Wednesday 4 November. Tickets are $125pp, including wine match.

By Mike

Tāmaki Makaurau is inextricable from the Waitematā. For a city surrounded by so much water, however, it’s remarkable how little of our daily urban life takes place on the waterside. Decades after containerisation made it both necessary and compelling for most maritime cities to shunt their working docks out of the centre and reclaim adjacent wharves for housing and public spaces, the Port of Auckland still grimly occupies the two kilometre sweep of the waterfront along Quay St. Much of what’s left is captured for private use by marinas, and the slivers left over have dubious records – Princes Wharf houses what must be some of the most perennially unsuccessful hospitality spaces in the city, and the glacial regeneration of Wynyard Point from a contaminated site into parkland and mixed-use development will grind on into the late 2030s.

With public options to interact with the cityside harbour limited, it’s heartening to see Council push forward with plans to open up access to the Queens Wharf breastworks promenade east of the Ferry Building, opposite Britomart. Somewhat less novel is the underwhelming proposal by a Florida-based amusement ride company for a 32 metre-high ferris wheel to dominate the new stretch, but this is perhaps a case where something is better than nothing, and it would undoubtedly bring more Aucklanders to the water’s edge. Reasonable people can disagree on whether such attractions have had their day, but it’s telling that the media reaction was not to debate the merits of the concept but absurdly to GIVE VOICE TO THE SHOCKED NIMBYS LIVING IN THE APARTMENTS OPPOSITE, outraged at the suggestion that amenities for the public could be allowed to impinge on their private views. It’s the perfect encapsulation of our intolerant approach to urban development: improvements are commendable, but maintaining the status quo for those who benefit already is our highest calling.

Choice items from the liquidation sales of Auckland’s two-speed recovery.
By Simon

AN AMAZING COLLECTION OF 70S & 80S CRICKET MEMORABILIA
Closes Tuesday
It tends towards English cricket a bit but there’s a great Richard Hadlee Benefit Match programme and tie which was sponsored by Air New Zealand which, at the time, had the strap line The Ritz of the Skies and as always it’s shocking to be reminded how far we have fallen from grace.

FINGERPRINT SCANNER
Current bid $15, closes tonight
There’s a bunch of these Fingerprint Terminal Access Control units for sale in this gizmos and booze auction in Rosedale and if you live in a shared housing situation this would be a fun Mission Impossible-y way to secure your bedroom.

1969 CONVERTABLE LILAC VW BEETLE
Current bid $5,550, closes tonight
You could have an unbelievably fun summer in this Barbiemobile WARNING: needs a new battery and in the notes it says they are unsure if anything else is wrong with it which feels a bit ominous.

INSANE COFFEE TABLE
Current bid $55, closes Monday
I am finding this deeply weird glass topped/carved obese-hippo-cow-and-calf bottomed coffee table almost impossible to stop looking at.

By Simon

THURSDAY 29TH

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Open Late, $25
A string quartet of two violins (Jess Hindin and Peau Halapua) and two cellos (Sarah Spence and Rachel Wells) playing arrangements of popular songs alongside some of their own stuff.

TL STAMP LISTENING PARTY
The Frog, Free
A playthrough of the new album creases and then a DJ set by Aaron Yap from Psychic Glands. Listening starts at 6pm.

FRIDAY 30TH

TOUCHING GRASS
Artspace, Free
Read all about it up top.

PUPPET SLAM
Goblin, Free
A set of 3-6 minute (adult-orientated) puppet shows as organiser Tom Tuke continues to stoke puppet-based entertainment across the city. Puppets run from 7-9pm then Model and Salt Water Criminals are on, then Matthew Crawley from 11.

BREAK IT LIVE AKL
Whammy, $20
Underground rap and electronica night with Lucy Gray, boyracer, LETOA, NoDoze, Awkwatch, rede. b2b smurgy, raynstorm and kitto.

GLOOMY BEAR RAVE
Neck of the Woods, $55
Kandicor3 are back with the lifesize Gloomy Bear they’ve had around town for the past few weeks for this early Halloween show. With DJs Blitz, Sleepy J b2b We_Kender, Void, Veg?$, Lu*two, Bobstevenson, SNWMN and 小妹妹BNYU playing happy hardcore and hyperpop with a market, a kandi-making station, a gloomy bear merch stall and more!

SATURDAY 31ST

TO THE EDGE AND BACK
Objectspace, Free
An treasure hunt/Amazing Race where you can only use your body, your wits and public transport to collect a list of items from across the city in celebration of the In the image of the city show Objectspace has on at the moment. Meet at 10am to get your list, then back for prizes at 2pm. (Free) registration required, you can do it in teams of up to 4 and any expenses are your own problem. Prizes include loaded AT Hop cards and fine wines.

NOISE CANCELLING TEAPOTS
Anna Miles, Free
A new collection of ceramic teapots from ceramicist Richard Stratton whose first solo show was also about teapots and also at Anna Miles in 2007. With an artist talk at 2.30pm.

EVERYTHING UNDER HERE HAS SOME SORT OF HALLOWEEN COMPONENT AND RANGES FROM FANCY DRESS ACCEPTING TO FANCY DRESS NECESSARY.

SAMOA HOUSE LIBRARY QUIZ
Fale Samoa, $20 per person
The Samoa House Library Quiz is back for a second year with questions from last year's winner, Damien Levi, and a trophy designed by two artists, to be revealed on the night (I feel like last year’s was by Judy Darragh?). Spot prizes and raffles and more prizes for best dressed team! Good poster by Sheahan Huri too, who I feel like has been doing less work around town lately and it’s a bit of a shame tbh. In other SHL news, they are going to have a pop up shop till December 19 with books from an array of Auckland indie publishers.

ALIEN 4D
The Hollywood, $30
Another ‘enhanced’ screening at The Hollywood. I think the Weed Eaters one had an added layer of smell and they’ve had fog and spiders before and I’m a little worried this one is going to be goop so maybe take a raincoat or something just in case.

FREAK OUT
Karangahape Rd, Free
The big K Rd Halloween is on again and there’ll be lots of stuff for kids and there’s a graveyard tour but I expect the stand out event to be the fancy dress dog parade once again, this time hosted by Chris Parker and Suzanne Paul! Later on there’s a Latin Halloween multi-venue party across the Whammy venues, Neck of the Woods and Lowbrow called Sudaka and a free punk show at Acho’s and a paid post-shoegaze one in the Mercury Lane alleyway (with MORE puppetry by Tom Tuke)!

DANSE MACABRE
Goblin, $20
Another Goblin variety show! With live acts Yolanda Fagan and Grecco Romank, DJs Lady Rox, Sauna, Chapters, Cooper K’han, Aunty El and Fred, with installations, visuals and art!

SUNDAY 1ST

MUDHONEY
Double Whammy, $80
Proto-grunge heroes from Seattle! Support from Fork.

OMNIPOTENT YOUTH SOCIETY
Powerstation, $137
10-piece cornerstone Chinese folky rock band from Shijiazhuang in their first headline show here after they played the Lantern Festival in 2013.

MONDAY 2ND

MONDAY MASTERCLASS: KAREN WALKER
Hotel Britomart, Free
Karen Walker talks with Cringe fave Jeremy Hansen about how she got so rich.

TUESDAY 3RD

LOVE LETTERS TO THE BURBS
Objectspace, Free
They did this panel discussion with some neighbourhood enthusiasts arguing about who’s suburb was better a couple of weeks ago and it was apparently so good they are doing it again – looks like they are yet to announce version two’s participants or neighbourhoods.

I KNOW YOU, FISH (OR TE CONOZCO BACALAO) 
Basement, koha
One-woman show about self-deception and memory laced with ‘unrelenting humour and brutal dishonesty’ (!) from Genoveve Reverte. Directed by Rhiannon Rhiannon.