New Zealand Pop Culture

Cultural inspiration for New Zealanders creativity comes from a combination of islanders and the Maori people. The musicians, artists, film makers and actors are gaining popularity both within New Zealand as well as around the world.

Music

Like many countries in the world, New Zealand has produced its fair share of pop cultural celebrities and creative talent. Musically, New Zealand claims Bic Runga, a songwriter and musician who has given concerts around the world. North Shore band, The D4, have successfully performed in Europe, Japan, and the South-By-Southwest music festival in Austin, TX. Other notable bands out of New Zealand are the Datsuns, , The Chills, Evermore, and the cult-classic eighties band, Split Enz.

On the classical side of music, Dame Kiri Te Kenawa holds the prestigious honor of being seen and heard by more than 600 million people, when she performed at the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

Film

The American Film Institute calls New Zealand “one of the wonders of the world”. The country’s film industry has seen an increasing amount of interest from directors around the world. Several of New Zealand’s native film directors like Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings”) and Jane Campion (“The Piano”), have chosen to film their projects in New Zealand, many of which turned out to be critically acclaimed, award-winning movies.

New Zealand has also produced successful and talented actors and actresses. Sam Neill, who starred in blockbuster movie hits such as Jurassic Park and many television roles, is a native New Zealander, as is Lucy Lawless and Anna Panquin.

Artists

New Zealand-born artist Len Lye is best known for experimental films and kinetic sculpture. After Lye’s death in 1980, most of his sculptures were brought back to New Zealand. However, there are several collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Berkeley Art Museum. The New Zealand Film Archive, the British Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley also have Lye’s films held in their archives.

Writing

The biggest star of early New Zealand literature was Katherine Mansfield. Born in 1888, Mansfield is regarded as being one of the finest short-story writers in English. Her stories, such as ‘The Doll’s House’, ‘At the Bay’, and ‘The Garden Party’ are marvelous examples of Mansfield’s depiction of turn-of-the-century colonial New Zealand. New Zealand produced many fine novelists including John Mulgan, Robin Hyde, Maurice Shadbolt, and Janet Frame. Frame is one of New Zealand’s most highly regarded novelists. Her best-selling three-part autobiography was made into a top-rating television series and film — ‘An Angel at my Table’.

The arts and culture of New Zealand combine an exciting mix of cultural inspiration, including that of the Maori and Pacific Islanders. There is also strong European and Asian influence in New Zealand’s culture. From haka to hip-hop, fashion to filmmaking, New Zealand’s talented artists are shining both in their homeland and around the world.