Issue 244, May 20, 2025

Regional News is a fortnightly events and entertainment, lifestyle and leisure publication. It is the last remaining free arts newspaper in Greater Wellington, enjoyed by approximately 90,000 readers.

Our eyes are on Wellington events. We cover all aspects of the arts and entertainment industry, from exhibitions and festivals to concerts, theatre, live comedy, and drag shows. We write articles, reviews, and feature stories, interviewing artists from the capital and beyond. As print media increasingly moves away from the arts, we are dedicated to giving creatives a platform to discuss and promote their work.

Articles this issue:

The real big belly laugh

Irish internet sketch comedy sensations Foil, Arms & Hog are coming to Wellington with fun, chaos, and Vogels aplenty. Catch comedic crumbs and loafs of laughter at the St James Theatre on the 5^th of June.

For the Love of Spam

CHamoru/Filipina theatremaker Sierra Sevilla explores the “delicious” connection between canned meat and colonialism in her show For the Love of Spam, on as part of the Kia Mau Festival at Te Auaha from the 3^rd to the 7^th of June.

A cinematic celebration

The 19^th annual French Film Festival Aotearoa c’est magnifique! Catch comedies and crime capers, dramas and documentaries, romance and more in Wellington from the 4^th to the 29^th of June.

A world more balanced

In their exhibition The Female Gaze and How It Shapes Our World at Toi Pōneke until the 30^th of May, mother and son creative team Ashraf and Pedram Pirnia explore “how visual storytelling can restore dignity, challenge injustice, and nurture both personal and collective wellbeing” through photographic and painted works.

A touch of OMG

Hitch up your fishnets and fasten your corsets: The Great DIY BurlesKiwi is back! On the 7^th of June, The Fringe Bar will shimmer, sparkle, and shine as 17 performers battle it out to prove that you don’t need a million bucks to look like it.

Back in a puff of smoke

Auckland indie-rockers Voom are back with their long-awaited new album, the aptly titled Something Good Is Happening. To celebrate, they’ll vroom across the motu, playing San Fran on the 31^st of May.

Congratulations on your marvellous 200th edition with the inspired spread of 200 covers… I appreciate this newspaper very much. It seems like a miracle to have it delivered, connecting us with events and places all around us in this era of change. Obviously a labour of love.

– Lynsey, reader, Aro Valley
Regional News is a key part of the cultural infrastructure in the Wellington region: it is the ‘go-to’ publication for information about all upcoming arts and cultural events. Each publication highlights and showcases the rich diversity of culture on offer, from the large to the small.

– Kirsten Mason, general manager, Orchestra Wellington
Regional News plays a hugely valuable role in the Wellington and Aotearoa arts industry, as an integral media publication that gives Wellington key access to arts interviews, news, and information. There is very little media throughout the country, especially in Wellington, which covers arts news, and Regional News have always been hugely supportive of the arts community.

– Michelle Lafferty, director, Elephant Publicity
No other local publication devotes as significant amount of space to the arts as Regional News. Wellington is the cultural capital of New Zealand and this newspaper truly reflects that. It is a vital part of Wellington’s arts and journalistic ecology.

– Salesi Le’ota, publications and events coordinator, Playmarket
Thanks for all the work you're constantly doing for the arts community in Wellington – doesn't go unnoticed!

– Lydia Zanetti, Zanetti Productions
Thank you Maddi for all you, Frances, and Regional News do for me and the Wellington arts scene! Truly awesome.

– Colleen McColl, publicist
Let us congratulate you on a great publication. Nowhere else out there are the arts so widely and competently covered.

– Heather and Richard, readers from Point Howard
Regional News is a great asset for the arts in Wellington. They include an entire page of visual arts coverage in each issue (which I'm sure you'll know is rare for a newspaper).

– Simon Gennard, communications and publications manager, Enjoy Contemporary Art Space.
Congrats to Regional News for being singularly the best all round summary of what's going on in the region, by far.

– Andrew, president, Wellington Bluegrass Society
I received my first booking from this advert totalling $1400. A huge thank you!

– Robin, Red Tussock Motel
The what’s on pages are the first that I read whenever I receive your newspaper and influence my choice of entertainment each month.

– Margaret, committee member, festival singers
Regional News is becoming miles away the best organ for information about local events… You have served us – and the Hutt Valley community very well!

– Murray Presland, president, Chamber Music Hutt Valley
I’m sitting here with my coffee reading your latest terrific R News. Both my husband and I look forward to each edition. It is packed full of interesting, informative and educational articles not only local but national too.

– Anonymous resident, Karori