The 48 Hour Film Festival is a frenetic New Zealand competition which begins In May and it is open to everyone all over Aotearoa and beyond. In 48 hours you and/or your team need to make a short 5 minute film with certain criteria. The prize money is $5,000. The festival kicks off on Friday 17th May, and this is when participants get given their unique genre of film, dialogue and characters.
This competition has been going for 15 years, and from my sources (who didn’t end up winning anything) it is fantastic fun. However don’t expect getting much sleep that weekend. Also they said to have plenty of snacks at the ready and leave lots of time for editing your film/masterpiece.
If you want to know more details about the 48 hour film festival check out the YouTube video below
Here’s a great walking tour you can take using this app which guides you on a tour of the pouwhenua (carved wooden posts) and taonga (artistic treasures) located around the Ara Madras Street campus. Developed by ākonga and kaimahi from the Department of Creative Arts & Digital Information, Te Puna Wānaka, and other areas, it reveals the rich histories and meanings of our on-campus treasures. Scan the relevant QR code for your device below or search for “Nga Taonga Māori o Ara” on your device’s app store.
Daylight Saving time begins in Aotearoa New Zealand this weekend. So, remember to put all your clocks forward by one hour at 2am Sunday 24 September 2023. Daylight Saving time ends at 3am Sunday 7 April 2024, when clocks will go back by one hour to NZ Standard Time (NZST). This is in keeping with New Zealand legislation – The New Zealand Daylight Time Order 2007.
Department of Internal Affairs share a fun fact that “if you are working when Daylight Saving begins and the clocks go forward, you actually work an hour less, but you are entitled to payment for your normal hours. For example, if you were meant to work from midnight to 8am you will only work 7 hours, but you are entitled to be paid for 8 hours of work.” At least that is one benefit of working the night shift on Sunday morning.
While it will be a bit darker for my morning walk to work for a week or two after we spring forward, I look forward to that extra hour of light after work to fit in a relaxing stroll in the Botanic Gardens or along the beach after tea.
The cacao tree was cultivated more than 3,000 years ago by the Maya, Toltec and Aztec peoples, who prepared a beverage from its fruit, the cocoa bean and also used the bean as a currency. However, it wasn’t until 1585 that the first recorded shipment of cocoa beans arrived in Spain from Mexico. Sweetened and flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, chocolate was served as a hot drink back then. It took another 262 years to become the chocolate we know today when in 1847 the English firm of Fry and Sons combined cocoa butter with liquid chocolate—the base of most chocolate confectionery—and in 1876 Daniel Peter of Switzerland added dried milk to make milk chocolate.
We also have some great books on chocolate cookery in our library including William Curley’s Couture chocolate which shares behind developing your master chocolatier skills with myriad delectable photographs to inspire. However, if your chocolatier skills are not quite so aspirational aesthetically then you can’t go past Donna Hay’s Chocolate: Simple essentials with super easy recipes for everything chocolate from hot fudge sauce, chocolate mousse, or chocolate ganache to chocolate chip cookies, mud cake and mousse and brownies.
No time to get to the Library? Then here are a few chocolate brownie recipes to help celebrate the day at short notice:
Have you discovered the joys of finding out about your heritage?
Perhaps you wonder where your name came from. Perhaps you hope to find more about your heritage. Perhaps you wonder if anyone in your whānau/family had similar talents to yours.
My husband’s birth mother passed away when he was a young child, so he didn’t get the chance to know her. He asked his aunts, uncles, and friends of the family to write/tell him their memories of his mum. He heard some funny stories, some hard times that she got through, what she liked and didn’t like, and a got a few photos of her. He is grateful that he asked, because now he knows his mum a lot better. Plus, he can share that information with our children.
My friend felt alone struggling with money and trying to care for her family. She found out about her great grandmother who had similar struggles living through World Wars and the Great Depression. My friend felt that even though it was hard, she could keep going and even smile more, knowing that she was descended from a strong capable woman.
When we know more about our heritage it can give us strength and a better understanding of who we are. Life is challenging – when we find out what tough times our ancestors faced and lived through, we can be inspired and gain courage to keep going too. We may find we have an easier life after all!
How do you start? Begin with what you know and any documents you have. Ask others in your whānau and family friends to fill in more detail. Look online for information about the areas your ancestors lived in too.
With New Zealand Sign Language week from May 8 to 14, now is the time to start practising. To help you build your sign language skills the New Zealand Sign Language dictionary is a great resource which allows you to search for terms by:
For those who want a real reo and NZSL challenge try learning the NZSL version of this beautiful waiata called Pepeha by Six60 sung by Nora Rose Kirikiri.
May the Fourth, or Star Wars Day, is an event celebrated by fans of the iconic Star Wars franchise around the world. The date, May 4th, is a play on the famous Star Wars quote “May the Force be with you,” which has been adapted to “May the Fourth be with you.”
The origins of the holiday date back to 1979 when Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Her party placed a congratulatory ad in the London Evening News that read “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.” This sparked a wave of Star Wars fans adopting the phrase as a fun way to celebrate the franchise.
Since then, May the Fourth has become an official celebration of all things Star Wars, with fans dressing up as their favorite characters, hosting movie marathons, and attending Star Wars-themed events. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are flooded with Star Wars posts and memes, and companies and organizations worldwide take advantage of the holiday by releasing special products and promotions.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual viewer, the event is a chance to indulge in your favorite Star Wars moments and share them with others. You can also read a couple of ebook titles in our Library on the theme.
Nei rā ngā mihi o te Māhuru ki a tātou! – Happy spring to you all!
Māhuru doesn’t just mean September. The translation of Māhuru (beginning of Spring), refers to the fact that the earth has now acquired warmth.
As such, it also represents a time to promote the planting of crops for our Māra Kai (Gardens.)
Different narratives are shared by many Iwi. Traditionally the month starts during the period of either Rakaunui (the full moon) or Whiro (the new moon) depending on what part of Aotearoa, Te Wai Pounamu you live in.
Māhuru is also the name for the star constellation, scientifically known as Alfard – whose appearance in the northern night sky heralds the arrival of the season.
This is the time when the days become longer and warmer, and where much labour-intensive work is performed, with the ploughing of earth and the tending of gardens; and for many farmers – the birth of kararehe (animals).
More recently, it has been signified as a period in which to acknowledge Te Reo Māori, with efforts such as Māhuru Māori language week. It is a time in which we can celebrate much activity, and to support each other as we acknowledge our heritage and culture.
The Kūmara (Sweet Potato) is an important food source, that has many health benefits; containing a variety of nutrients, vitamins and is high in fibre.
Kūmara is generally planted during Spring and flourishes during the warmer months.
There are many different varieties of Kūmara that were grown traditionally, one of which was the Taputini. These Taputini were scraped of its skin, sliced into thin strips, and dried by placing on large rocks that retained the heat of the sun throughout the day and night. These were regarded as an absolute delicacy.
The Kūmara also has an interesting origin story. Scientists have found that the original source of the Kūmara is only in South America, near present day Peru, where it is still referred to as the ‘Kumar.’
In addition, the Kūmara is also mentioned in a well-known Whakatauki or proverb :-
‘E kore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka! – The humble kūmara does not boast of its own sweetness!’
As it is renowned for its sweet flavour, as opposed to the many varieties of potatoes that are available today – this proverb is an encouragement for people to be modest while discouraging arrogance! So, the lesson is……………..be a kūmara! 😊
Glossary
New words (kupu):-
Te Pātaka Kōrero -Ara Library
He Kurutete Pihinga– Plant and Seedling Swap
Māhuru – September / Beginning of spring
Rakaunui – The full moon
Whiro – The new moon
Aotearoa – New Zealand
Te Wai Pounamu– South Island
Kararehe – Animals
Words relevant to planting / gardening:-
Whakatō – To plant
Kākano – Seed
Whakatipu – To grow
Māra Kai – Food Garden
Hauhake – To harvest
Putiputi – Flower
Hua Whenua – Vegetables
Hua Rākau – Fruit
Haumie Tiketike – God of uncultivated foods (produced naturally in the wild)
Ronga Ma Tāne – God of cultivated foods (such as the kūmara)
There are billions of galaxies in the universe. In our galaxy, there are 100 billion planets. But there is only one planet Earth. So, it’s fitting that this year’s topic for World Environment Day is Only One Earth.
It’s well-known that humankind has had a devastating effect on all of our planet’s ecosystems. Many species have died out and a huge amount of forest has been cleared to make way for agriculture. But we also know that humans can change: we can save species from extinction, we can reforest, and we can heal.
This year, Environment Day wants to point this out – that we need to not only stop harming the planet but also work to heal it.
What I like about this topic is that it talks about our planet. From behind our screens, it’s easy to feel like the planet is somebody else’s responsibility. But every public space and animal that we come across is our responsibility to protect. Every day, local initiatives are being taken to protect our planet and its natural environments.
In Christchurch, there are quite a few things to keep an eye on and if you feel like it, to join in with. Here are a few tips on some actions, events and Social media accounts to follow:
Planting a tree or two is a great way to reconnect with Mother Earth. The 2022 events are up, you just need to show up and then one day you can tell your grandkids that you planted that tall totara when you were their age!
These activities are just randomly selected events that you can join in with to make a difference and leave something positive for future generations.
Monday the 7th June is the day we celebrate the Queens Birthday. All campus of Ara will be closed on that day and the Library will re-open at 7am on Tuesday the 8th June 2021.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II (ER)
Queen Elizabeth II was not born on this day…her actual birth date was the 21st April 1926. Queen’s Birthday holiday is celebrated in New Zealand on the first Monday in June so the date moves year by year.
We hope you have a peaceful day and enjoy the last public holiday until Labour Day in late October.
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