Your New Zealand in-country team has put together another great line up of free and inexpensive activities and events to get you involved in the local community. Current students can check their inbox for the full digest.
Auckland
Summer Comedy Allstars [$25]
Where: The Classic Comedy Club, 321 Queen St
When: Every Friday and Saturday in March from 8-10pm
New Zealand’s best comedians along with the rising stars kick back and enjoy a whole new year of live comedy. Fresh line-ups every week
Parnell Farmers’ Market
Where: Jubilee Building – Parnell Community Centre, 545 Parnell Road
When: Every Saturday from 8am – 12pm
Think fresh. Think local. Think delicious produce brought to you by the producers themselves at this genuine community farmers’ market.
Home Front – Experiences of the First World War in New Zealand [FREE]
Where: Auckland War Memorial Museum, Domain Dr, Auckland Domain
When: Open daily, 10am-5pm
The experience of loss was almost universal for those who remained in New Zealand during WWI. Focusing on life ‘at home’ during the First World War, the Home Front exhibition will explore how events half a world away shaped lives at home. This is the third in a series of WWI Centenary commemorative exhibitions.
Grand Tour of the Solar System [$12]
Where: Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Rd, One Tree Hill Domain
When: Every day in April 7-8pm
This Stardome presentation takes you on an exploratory journey around space from the comfort of your seat. Take a trip through our solar system, stopping off to explore the atmosphere of different planets – from the poisonous gases and unbearable 900 ̊F heat of Venus to the dark, distant cool of Pluto, which has since lost its planet status. Stopping at each of the planets in our solar system, the presentation also provides a close-up on Mars, which is scientists’ pick for the next inhabitable planet.
Auckland Indonesian Festival [FREE entry]
Where: Raye Freedman Arts Centre, Silver Rd
When: Saturday, April 2 from 11am – 7pm
Returning to Auckland for it’s 6th year, the festival hosts a traditional Indonesian film, Dance, performance, music and authentic cuisine. Indonesian fasjion and tourism information is also on display.
BOTB 2016 National Championship Heat 1 [$10]
Where: Kings Arms, 59 France St
When: Wednesday, April 6, from 8pm – 12am
Battle of The Bands 2016 National Championship – 21st Year of the event kicks off in April, with heats nationwide throughout April, May and June with regional and national finals held in July at NZ’s best live music venues.
The Very Vintage Day Out [$18]
Where: Alexandra Park Raceway, Greenlane Rd West
When: Saturday, April 9 10am – 6pm
Fetch your best frock and dust off your blue suede shoes as New Zealand’s favourite vintage festival, Transforming Alexandra Park into a vintage haven, the VVDO takes a step back in time to bring together the top vintage sellers from all over the country. Offering fabulous fashion, beauty, homewares, knick-knacks and everything in between, shoppers will enjoy perusing a cornucopia of wares from over fifty stalls.
Palmerston North
The Village Night Market
Where: Palmerston North Central Library, 4 The Square
When: Friday, April 1 from 5 – 9pm
TVNM aims to create an atmosphere for visitors where they are immersed in creativity, ingenuity and diversity. “Ranging from products handmade, home cooked and heart-felt, we showcase crafters and makers with a passion for their produce”.
Hokowhitu Village Farmers Market
Where: Hokowhitu Village Centre, 356 Albert St, Hokowhitu
When: Every Sunday 9am – 1pm
A local Farmer’s market offering a range of artisan and local produce. Also featured is Live music by local talent.
Stillness in Movement Tai Chi [$4.40 per class]
Where: Be Still Yoga, 37 Cambridge St
When: Every Monday
Tai Chi is a gentle, healing, relaxing exercise. Performed properly it is a form of chi kung (energy development). We have a small, friendly class with tuition taylored to each individual.
The teachings are the 42 movement combined tai chi form and the 37 movement short Yang form.
Alliance Française French Film Festival
Where: Cinema Gold, Downtown Complex, Broadway Ave
When: March 23 – April 2
The Alliance Française French Film Festival is the foremost French cultural event and the second largest film festival in New Zealand. The 10th edition of the Festival will showcase the best of French-language cinema in 12 cities across New Zealand.
Wellington WWI Exhibitions Trip [$15 donation entry plus transport $35]
Where: Palmerston North Central Library, 4 The Square
When: Thursday. April 21 from 8am – 5:30pm
Bus trip to visit exhibitions created to mark the World War I centenary: Gallipoli: The scale of our war, at Te Papa, in conjunction with Weta Workshop; Great War Exhibition, created by Sir Peter Jackson, commemorating the role played by New Zealand in the First World War, at the Dominion Museum. Bookings are essential.
Wellington
The Great War Exhibition [FREE]
Where: Dominion Museum Building, 15 Buckle Street
When: Open 9am- 6pm
The Great War Exhibition, created by Sir Peter Jackson, commemorates the very significant part that New Zealand played in the First World War. Visitors are able to journey through the war, year by year, seeing the challenges that emerged. The journey is rich in personal stories which tell of the gritty experience of the battlefields and the hardships at home during war-time New Zealand. The visitor will experience the desperate horrors and the triumphs of the human spirit that were part of the Great War.
Indian Cooking Classes
Where: Brooklyn Community Centre, 18 Harrison St, Brooklyn
When: 6pm – 9pm
Authentic Indian cooking classes from North India. Classes run on Saturday and Sundays at 6pm. Each class size is limited to 4-6 people. In each class you will learn 4-5 recipes like: naan; shahi paneer; spicy stuffed roti; dhal, samosa; palak paneer; malai kofta; gourmet chickpeas; roasted eggplant curry; vegetable korma; gulab jamun etc. The class starts at 6pm with a 2 hour session followed by a dinner banquet afterwards. The ingredients, copies of recipes, drink and complimentary Indian dessert will be provided with a full course meal in a banquet setting. The food options are unlimited and the class provides fresh and best ingredients. For bookings txt: 02102697038 or email: indiancooking@xtra.co.nz
2 for 1 Desserts
Where: The Library, 1/53 Courtenay Place, Te Aro
When: Every Tuesday
Each an every Tuesday, delicious desserts are on special & 2 for 1. Live music also featured.

The Annual Dakota Bar State Fair & Barn Dance [FREE entry]
Where: Dakota Saloon and Dance Hall, 17a Allen Street
When: Friday, April 1 from 6pm – 4am
Fetaures free mechanical bull rides with prizes, novelty photo booth, hot dogs, pop corn and candy floss, fairground games, with gold coins donated to charity, poker tables, and barn dancing from 10pm.
Six barrel soda HQ tours [$20]
Where: Six Barrel Soda Co., Level 1, 33-35 Dixon St
When: Friday, April 1 from 9:15 – 10am
Talking tour of six barrel soda HQ, see where and how we make our small batch, speciality sodas. Hear our story and enjoy a guided soda tasting.
Giant Jenga Competition
Where: Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant, 39 Abel Smith St, Te Aro
When: Every Wednesday 7:30 – 10:00pm
For all those architecture students out there (and of course the rest of you structural timber enthusiasts too) come get busy with your building block skills and win some mean prizes here each Wednesday.
Thai Festival [FREE entry]
Where: Odlins Plaza, 21 Cable St, Wellington
When: Saturday, April 9 from 12pm and Sunday, April 10 from 12pm
Authentic Thai food, performance, music over two days. Encounter a classical Kohn Thai performance that was once only performed for royalty. This truly cultural experience combines several art forms including drama, music, painting and sculpture to create a traditional performance reflective of beauty, perfection and harmony.
Christchurch
Downtown Farmers Market
Where: The Commons, 70 Kilmore St
When: Every Sunday 9:30am – 2:30pm
The weekend Farmers Market showcases the wonderful regional produce on offer.
Produce includes fresh fruit and vegetables, butchery, fish, bread, cheese, deli, eggs, coffee and juices), this vibrant and bustling market also incorporates a smaller element of non-produce/giftware, plants, arts and crafts, furniture, live music/entertainment, artisan food stalls and food trucks selling delicious ready to eat food.
The Diversity Food Market At Saturday Night Market
Where: The Commons, 70 Kilmore St.
When: Saturday, March 19 from 4-9pm
The diversity food market has a new location at the commons every weekend. Saturday night market 4pm-9pm. Sunday day market 10am-3pm. Starts the 12th March. Come and try the best street food in town from around the world with great entertainment and culture.
Heritage Village [$20]
Where: Ferrymead Heritage Park, 50 Ferrymead Park Drive, Ferrymead
When: Open everyday 10am – 4:30pm
Ferrymead Heritage Park features an Edwardian township complete with heritage buildings, picture theatre, school house, church, tea rooms, printers shop, jail, general store, post office, barber shop, blacksmith workshop, aeronautical museum, railway station, vintage fire appliances, model railway display, rural history museum, stables, playground and much more. There are a fascinating array of museum and heritage collections.
Spectrum Street Art Festival
Where: YMCA, 12 Hereford Street, Christchurch
When: Monday, February 8 – Sunday, April 17 from 9:30am – 5pm
Spectrum is a street art festival exhibited in the YMCA building and free to the public. It features Artists from around the world and explores street art from every possible angle. Beyond what’s happening inside, visitors can take to the city streets to hunt down the next series of huge walls to be transformed into stunning works of art.
Urban Aspiration [FREE entry]
Where: The Physics Room, Levels 2 & 3, 209 Tuam Street, Christchurch
Urban Aspiration brings together the artistic practices of Amy Lien & Enzo Camacho, Lim
Sokchanlina and Public Share reflecting on the relationship between the city as a living and breathing anthropormorphic entity, with it’s own hopes, desires, outlets and failures, the circulation of labour and capital, and the mechanisms we encounter that mediate these two aspects.
Stop Motion Animation Sundays [$15 per class]
Where: Imagination Station, 113 Worcester Street
When: Sunday April 3 and 10, 1-2:30pm
Whether you are a beginner or have done stop motion before, come along to this session to develop your stop-motion animation skills! In this course you will learn how to make your own LEGO stop-motion animated movie. We will cover basic film-making principles, using iStopMotion and LEGO specific techniques used in producing animations that stretch the imagination.
Monday Mellows with Madhava [$10 student entry]
Where: Pascha Centre, 6 Elgin Street
When: Monday, April 11 from 7-10:30pm
Kirtan is a form of devotional singing, with roots that date back over 500 years. It is a form of Bhakti – Yoga, and its sweet sound vibration has the power to open the heart. During kirtan, mantras are accompanied by musical instruments and rhythmic drumming, and the audience are encouraged to participate by chanting, clapping, dancing, or simply meditating. In its heartfelt expression, kirtan can induce profound states of meditation, peace and bliss.
Dunedin
The Regent Anything But Books Sale [FREE entry]
Where: Regent Theatre in the Octagon
When: Friday, April 1 with a 2pm start
A smaller event than the Star Regent 24-Hour Book Sale but full of delightful finds and hidden gems. Rummage through DVDs, jigsaws, random household goods, toys, music, magazines – in fact, anything but books!
Victorian Steampunk Summer Series at the Octagon [FREE entry]
When: Sundays from 1-3pm
Come and try your hand at a veritable feast of steampunk activities as the Dunedin Steampunk Community and fellow purveyors of all things steam punk delight and entertain with this series of steampunk events. Run in conjunction with the recently established Poptagon Events you will have the opportunity to make your own raygun, design and embellish stunning goggles and take part in a wearable arts show!
HOLI 2016 – The Festival of Colour! [FREE entry]
Where: Union Lawn (Otago Uni Indian Students’ Association)
When: Sunday, April 10 from 11am – 3pm
The only armoury that you’ll need are some very loved old clothes, or for the more adventurous a fresh white tee to create a permanent memory! Load up your water guns, bring those big buckets for an epic colourful time as we celebrate Holi, the festival of colour. Don’t forget those dance moves at home – we will be blasting some epic Bollywood beats. Free entry and colours to purchase $2 (cash only).
Planet Earth is Blue at Sammy’s [FREE]
Where: 65 Crawford St, Dunedin
When: Friday, April 15 from 8 – 10:30pm
Planet Earth is Blue – an opportunity to celebrate the life and works of the great man – a wake for Bowie! Dr Glam, The Oxo’s, Dr Ian Chapman, Greg MacLeod and the Little Cabaret Band, along with local guests will perform Bowie favourites.
ANZAC Commemorations [FREE]
Where: A Time to Remember at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, 31 Queens Garden
When: Monday, April 25 from 7-10am
The Museum will open immediately following the Dawn Service. Join us for morning tea and Anzac biscuits in the Josephine Foyer, opposite Queens Gardens.
