aotearoa
Lifted (Mandy Hager, 2026)
In the context of the wonderful “Bird Land” exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery (on till 8 February 2027), I’ve just started reading Mandy Hager’s “Lifted”, apparently inspired by Bill Hammond’s incredible painting “The Fall of Icarus”.
You can get Lifted at Unity Books: www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/… or at BookHub: bookhub.co.nz/p/lifted-…
Re-reading: Audition by Pip Adam 📚
Pip Adams wins the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction 2026
In fabulous news for New Zealand writers and readers, Aotearoa’s Pip Adams has won the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, for her book “Audition”.
Audition is science-fiction as social commentary, in the best of Le Guin’s tradition. It deals with the dehumanisation of our obsession with incarceration.
The award: www.ursulakleguin.com/prize26
Get the book from Unity: www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/… or via Book Hub: bookhub.co.nz/p/auditio…
Family time in Wellington
A gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon in Wellington. Lovely to have the Luffs down for Ellie’s 21st weekend.
Incredible good news for Pōneke Wellington and Aotearoa NZ
The Capital Kiwi project has achieve a key milestone - all kiwi in the project area (the hills of western Wellington) are now properly “free-range” - living without tracking transmitters. Ten years in the project has achieved a 90%+ survival rate for kiwi chicks - in the wild. This is truly astonishing.
Read more about the milestone at The Spinoff, and have a look at the YouTube video showing the last transmitters being removed.
This is just one part of the wider efforts across Pōneke Wellington to enable our native birds and wildlife to flourish once again.
I highly recommend donating to support this outstanding project: Donate
Farewell to my dear Aunt Jenni.
It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with you and the family in Wanaka.
Here’s to your bright eyes.
Who Wore It Better?
Mandatory Menswear entry for Rainbow Windows of Wellington (part of the Wellington Pride Festival 2026)
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
