The image of a blurry stage with large instruments set up including a xylophone and several drum kits. Three musicians stand on stage, playing.
Chamber Music New Zealand’s oldest avant garde ensemble, From Scratch, is touring this month.

Pop CultureSeptember 11, 2025

Ballet lessons, Top Dog Film Fest and NZ Young Writers: The Spinoff event guide

Books editor
The image of a blurry stage with large instruments set up including a xylophone and several drum kits. Three musicians stand on stage, playing.
Chamber Music New Zealand’s oldest avant garde ensemble, From Scratch, is touring this month.

The Spinoff’s top pick of events from around the motu. Here’s the week 11 – 18 September.

Welcome to The Spinoff event guide, your weekly, curated selection of gigs, events and exhibitions happening across Aotearoa. If you want to pitch your event for future guides then please use this handy form.

Tāmaki Makaurau

A promotional poster for a charity concert: with pink, orange and green-blue swirls and a silhouette of a woman singing into a microphone.

Music: We Are Loud Charity launch party!

Tuning Fork
4pm Sunday, September 14
$15–$50

A fundraising gig to support a charity that “supports our rangatahi and wider community to access transformative music education, instruments, and the confidence that comes with learning and creating.” Featuring: Reb Fountain, Hopetoun Brown and Jenni Smith with MC Moana Maniapoto.

Storytelling/performing arts: Koanga Festival

Te Pou Theatre
12–12 September (over the weekends)
$0–$50

Kōanga Festival cultivates new ideas and shares the bounty of new narratives through Māori performing arts. Full programme online.

Kirikiriroa

Visual art: Art Critique Session

Arts for Health, 2 Seddon Rd
12.30–2.30pm Friday, September 12
Free

“A supportive space where creatives bring their work, share openly, and receive constructive insights. Guided by facilitators, each session focuses on colour, composition, technique, and meaning – helping you refine your practice and gain confidence.”

Multi-arts: Launched Arts Festival – Celebrating Disability Culture

A promotional poster for the Launched festival celebrating disability culture. Features graphics of instruments, and a casting call.

Southwell School Performing Arts Centre, 200 Peachgrove Rd, Claudelands
All day Thurs, September 18
Free

The 16th annual Launched festival will incorporate a static arts display, a wearable arts fashion show, song, dance, kapa haka, musical and dramatic performances, photograph slide shows, poetry readings and a music workshop.

Ngāmotu

A blurry stage with large instruments set up. There are three musicians on stage and several percussion instruments.

Music: CMNZ series – From Scratch

Theatre Royal
7.30pm Tues, September 16
$16.38–$57.88

New Zealand’s oldest avant garde chamber music ensemble – led by artist Phil Dadson – is on tour.

Te-Whanganui-a-Tara

Three dancers are at a ballet barre. The image focuses on a young woman who has her hands spread and she is looking away from the camera.
Learn ballet with the RNZB.

Dance: RNZB presents open ballet classes

RNZB studios, St James Theatre
6.30pm Tuesdays from Sept 16 – Oct 7
$30 (single open class) 

The Royal New Zealand Ballet company are running an eight-week term of classes for adult beginners, and for those with a little experience.

Music: Kotahitanga: Artist Series With Te Kurahuia

Te Waka Huia Wellington Museum,
5pm Thurs, September 11
$35

As part of a series in which musicians are invited to respond to the exhibition, “He Kura Toi Tangata: 50 Years of the Waitangi Tribunal”, Te KuraHuia give a live performance.

Whakatū

A photograph of Michael Bennett who is smiling and wearing glasses next to a cropped cover of his book called Carved in Blood.
Writer, Michael Bennett.

Literature: Mapua Community Library Literature Festival

Mapua Community Hall, Tasman Bay
12 – 14 September
$10–$25

Three days of events include Michael Bennett (pictured above), Jenny Pattrick and Wendy Scott. Full programme online.

Ōtautahi

A promotional poster for the Italian Film Festival showing a graphic image of a coffee cup (black coffee), tickets, and a programme.

Film: Italian Film Festival

Lumiere
On now until September 24
$16.50–$22

New and classic Italian films. Full programme and links to book online at the festival’s website.

Ōtepoti

A photograph of two people on stage: they are with microphones; one woman is throwing her head back laughing while the young man next to her is addressing someone in front of them. Text is overlaid.

Literature: New Zealand Young Writers Festival

Te Whare o Rukutia, 20 Princes St
Sat 13 & Sun 14
Free (or “pay what you want”)

Celebrating, and bringing together, the next generation of writers in Aotearoa.

Film/dogs: New Zealand’s Top Dog Film Festival

Rialto Cinemas
6.30pm Thursday, September 18
$22–$29

A programme of short films from all around the world that celebrate the extraordinary connection between dogs and humans.

 

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