Each month, librarians will bring you a choice selection of stuff for Christchurch youth - books, events, exhibitions, and more.
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 9 ki 15 Mahuru (9 to 15 September).
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week has been celebrated in New Zealand since 1975. It acknowledges and celebrates the Māori language as a unique cultural treasure for all New Zealanders. Find out more.
September is Zines Month
Zinefest Christchurch, the annual celebration of DIY magazine making, is happening this year on Sunday 29 September, in Tautoru / TSB Space at Tūranga. Registrations for stallholders are open until 20 September. To celebrate, Christchurch City Libraries in conjunction with Funtime Comics and CHCH / Ōtautahi Zine Library are offering a series of workshops and drop-ins for visitors to have a taste of zinemaking.
Zines come in all shapes and sizes, and can be folded in lots of different ways. Visit our page on zines and zinemaking to find out more. They can be made with a hard or a paper cover - made the old school way - or designed on a computer. Zines can be used to advertise bands, share artwork, political opinions and cartoons, flash fiction and poetry. Or all at of these things at once! Bring along some spare change or a pen drive for copying.
Saturday 7 September : Make a Zine Workshop
Facilitation Space, Auahatanga | Creativity, 4th Floor, Tūranga. 1pm to 3pm All ages.
Try your hand at making your own Zine with Fee Jay. There are lots of examples of zine formats, with materials for drawing, and copying the old school way.
Saturday 14 September : Funtime Comics
Facilitation Space, Auahatanga | Creativity, 4th Floor, Tūranga. 1pm to 5pm All ages.
The creatives behind the Funtime Comics Anthology meet at Tūranga on the second Saturday of each month. Chat to or create alongside Funtime's artists. For this session we've made the labs available for those who use Adobe Illustrator.
Sunday 22 September : Zine Time Workshop
Activity Room, Hapori | Connectivity, Level 1, Tūranga. 1pm to 3pm. 12yrs +
Join Alicia in a repeat of the workshop she took during Youth Week. Make your own A3 folded zines to take home or post in the Library PostBox to share.
Saturday 28 September : Zinefest Open Time
Facilitation Space, Auahatanga | Creativity, 4th Floor, Tūranga. 1pm to 5pm. All ages.
Rushing to finish your zines for Zinefest? Drop-in and use our space and resources. Hard copy materials and Adobe Illustrator available (for the experienced).
Sunday 29 September : Zinefest
Tautoru / TSB Space, Hapori | Community, Level 1, Tūranga. 10am to 5pm
The annual Ōtautahi Zinefest aims to foster creativity within Christchurch and brings together creatives to celebrate DIY publishing, zines and zine culture. Zine makers from across the country will be coming together to sell their wares.
Find out more in the events calendar.
There is also a Zine Workshop at Ride on Super Sound on Saturday 14 September 12noon. Come down and get creative with the team pre-Zinefest, with very special guest Alice Bush. Snacks and drinks provided.
Tributes of Aroha Friday 13 to Sunday 15 September at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
In the wake of the 15 March mosque attacks, there was an outpouring of love, support and solidarity from the community, country and all around the world. Tributes of all kinds have been gifted to our city. In partnership with the Canterbury Muslim Community Trust, Canterbury Museum, the Botanic Gardens and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū we have collected these tributes and will carefully display many of them to showcase the phenomenal display of love and kindness.
Tributes of Aroha will open on Friday 13 September from 5.30pm to 6pm with guest speakers from the Muslim and civic community, followed by an opportunity to view the tributes until 9pm. Everyone is welcome to attend the display and opening event.
LGBTQ School Ball (Zoe's pick)
A super exciting event coming up for young adults is the first ever Christchurch Youth LGBTQ ball! It’s hosted at Sixty6 on Peterborough on the 21st of September and is open to Year 11-13 students. A fantastic opportunity for LGBTQ youth to mingle, meet and have some great fun. Get amongst it! Tickets are $55 and available by contacting KeenOnHagley@hagley.school.nz
Fiksate Studio and Gallery
Chimp - Aliases - Opening 5:30pm Friday 9 August (on until Saturday 7 September)
Fiksate proudly presents ALIASES, a solo show by Wellington based urban artist CHIMP. Find out more.
Mental Health and Wellbeing: An Evening with Lorelei Mason Thursday 3 October, 6pm
It's essential we keep the conversation going in Ōtautahi Christchurch about mental health and wellbeing. Former 1 News Health Correspondent Lorelei Mason leads this kōrero with authors Naomi Arnold (Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety, opens a new window), Steve Langley (Been There: Young People's Stories of Struggle and Hope, opens a new window), GP and Youth Advocate Dame Sue Bagshaw, poet Tusiata Avia plus other guests. An event to promote the Reading in Mind, opens a new window programme. Generously supported by Pegasus Health, refreshments provided.
Tūranga, Tautoru / TSB Space, Hapori | Community, Level 1
Fun Palaces Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October
Kia ora! Tūranga will be a total Fun Palace on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October 2019 (the middle weekend of the school holidays)! We have our thinking caps on and are planning lots of spectacular things to do for everyone to enjoy. Ka pai! You’ll be able to create cool stuff on our 3D printer and laser printer, have a go on our VR equipment and in our recording studio, bring out your inner artist with art and craft activities, enjoy pop-up Storytimes, make some music and more.
Family History Fun Day Saturday 12 October 10am to 4.30pm at Tūranga
The all-day activities include craft activities with a family history theme and a scavenger hunt using our Discovery Wall’s heritage images. Take a moment to visit Illuminate: Unearthing treasures from our collection. Research your whakapapa with our Māori Services specialists.
- 11am: Be enthralled by local storyteller Margaret Copland bringing local stories to life (no bookings required)
- 1pm to 2pm: Take a tour of the Christchurch City Libraries’ archives, view the collections and get some advice on how to preserve your family papers and photographs (no bookings required)
- 2pm to 3.30pm: Get to grips with DNA testing for family history with speakers Dr Rob Cruickshank and Fiona Brooker (no bookings required)
- 30pm to 4pm: Family Makerspace with a historical theme (no bookings required)
- 30pm to 4.30pm: Join the Dead end club, share your family history dead end and work together to break down those brick walls. (Limited space, bookings required. Email library@ccc.govt.nzor phone 03 941 7923 to book).
Honestly Sharing the Stories of Our People Sunday 20 October to Sunday 27 October 2019. Opening 20 October: 6pm to 8pm, 21 to 25 October: 9am to 8pm, 26 to 27 October: 10am to 5pm at Tūranga
Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi is a volunteer group made up of photographers and storytellers, who have been honestly sharing the stories of people in our community for two years. To celebrate their 50th story they are hosting an exhibition to share these stories with the wider community. Join them at the opening of the exhibition on Sunday 20 October in the TSB Space at Tūranga. This is a ticketed event due to the limited capacity at TSB on Level 1 of Tūranga. The exhibition will then be open to view from 21 to 27 October.
Touchstones October
Artist Audrey Baldwin’s workshops during the SCAPE Public Art season celebrates community, connecting and collaborating. The outcome will be a large-scale length of rope
punctuated by stones which have been woven by participants. All are welcome, no bookings required.
Up to 12 years: Saturday 26 October, 1.30pm to 3pm
Teens: Saturday 2 November, 11.30am to 1pm, 1.30pm to 3pm
Adults: Thursday 7 November 5.30pm to 7pm, Saturday 9 November 1.30pm to 3pm
Finale performance and parade to the Arts Centre: Saturday 16 November, 11am
Youth pathways at the YMCA (Zoe's pick)
The YMCA is holding a bunch of free workshops over the next couple months aimed at 13-25 year olds. They’re great for meeting new people as well as being an awesome CV-booster to stand out in job applications.
4C Centre YMCA, 12 Hereford Street (Sally's pick)
YMCA Christchurch has created a fresh makerspace where young people, regardless of background or experience, can explore their creative potential through a tech and innovation hub. It is called the 4C Centre. The goal of the Centre is to equip young people with the 4C key competencies (creativity, communication, critical thinking and curiosity) through the use of tech such as 3D printing, virtual reality, CNC cutters, robotics, new computers, editing and design software and more. There is access to brand new computers and laptops enabling you to explore countless “how-to” videos, understand operating systems and research ways to bring their ideas to life. The technology is there to actually build and create, the equipment to capture thoughts, and the software to edit and refine designs. The YMCA offer this opportunity for young people without the need for them to pay for materials and resources so that the lack of money does not act as a barrier. Follow the 4C blog for more updates on the Centre.
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū (Monique's picks)
Wheriko - Brilliant! Running until 16 February 2020
This brilliant exhibition is all about artists playing with shadows and light creating incredible, Instagram-worthy pieces. I was already visiting the Art Gallery but had this exhibit recommended by a friend and it is stunning. The exhibition spaces themselves are dark (be warned) but this allows the light-filled artworks to truly sparkle, just as the name Wheriko suggests. Here artists come together from all over the world to produce something beautiful; the massive galaxy themed piece was a particular stand-out, as well as the gorgeous metal cube.
Playing the Drums – Bill Hammond Running until 19 January 2020
This is what I really went to the Art Gallery to see, as a huge fan of Bill Hammond’s work. His bird-human hybrid pieces are always my favourite and, as odd as they sound, they’re serenely beautiful and fantastical. This exhibition was small, but featured some of my favourite works, as well as some pieces I’d never seen before. I have always loved the fantasy elements of Bill Hammond’s work and his choice of colour and composition always appeals. I was not disappointed.
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RECOMMENDED READS
Speak Up! by Laura Coryton (Monique's pick)
Speak up! is a step by step guide to revolution and changing the world! This book is fantastically set out, and this is coming from a librarian who generally can't stand reading non-fiction; I couldn't put this one down. The font is large and there are pictures and colours throughout, breaking up the text and making it feel as if I'm flying through the book, which I have been! It's written by the woman who campaigned to put an end to the taxing of feminine hygiene products in the UK (and won) and in this book she tells you exactly how she did that, by speaking up, getting angry and making herself heard on the platform for all: the internet.
New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults – Young Adult Fiction Award 2019
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Legacy Whiti Hereaka, published by Huia Publishers Winner
- Ash Arising Mandy Hager, published by Penguin, Penguin Random House
- Children of the Furnace Brin Murray, published by CP Books, The Copy Press
- Invisibly Breathing Eileen Merriman, published by Penguin, Penguin Random House
- The Rift Rachael Craw, published by Walker Books Australia
YOUTH PROGRAMMES AT LIBRARIES
Introduction to 3D design and printing $25 class
In this class you will learn how to use free, basic 3D modelling software to design and 3D print, using biodegradable PLA plastic. Skills required: basic computer skills, such as how to save a file and use a mouse. Ages: 13 years plus. Bookings required, please call 9417923.
Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre Saturday 21 September 10am to 11.45am
See listings in the events calendar.
Introduction to Laser and Vinyl Cutting $25 class
Come and learn about our craft, vinyl and laser cutters. Get an introduction to Adobe illustrator software and produce your own design. Competent computer skills required. Ages: 13 years plus. Bookings required, please call 9417923.
Tūranga Computer Lab, Auahatanga | Creativity, Level 4, Tuesday 24 September, 6pm to 7.45pm
See listings in the events calendar.
Rap Starter Packs Monday 9 September, Monday 7 October, Monday 4 November 4pm to 6pm at Tūranga
12-24 years, Bookings required. Free. Rhyme. Rhythm. Record. That’s the starter pack for your first rap. Come focus on a different skill each month and learn the basics of rap writing. Then put them into practice at the Tūranga studio. No experience required.
Tūranga, Taupuni Oro/Ataata – Audio/Video Studio, Auahatanga | Creativity, Level 4
Know your rights Friday 11 October, 4pm to 6pm at Tūranga
Have you always wondered about your rights when it comes to tenancy? Are you a young person about to venture out on your own? Have you moved here from another country and want to know
what is legal? Come join us for a presentation on tenancy rights and never wonder again.
All welcome. Tūranga, Auaha Hīhī /Spark Place, He Hononga | Connection, Ground Floor
Halloween Book Speed Dating Friday 25 October, 3.45pm to 5.45pm at Tūranga
They tell you ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’? Well we take it back. Come and take a deeper look at Christchurch City Libraries’ YA horror and thriller reads. Judge books based on their covers. Who knows, you might even make a love connection with a truly amazing book.
Tūranga, Taupuni Auaha / Creativity Space, Hapori | Community, Level 1
VR Gaming
Experience Virtual Reality with the latest Sony PS4 VR games, including Gran Turismo, Battle Zone and Eagle Flight. Free, but bookings may be required on the day. Ages 13 years plus.
Tūranga Wāhi Rangatahi / Youth Space, Hapori | Community, Level 1, Thursdays 4pm to 6pm.
See the listings in our events calendar.
YA Creative Time
Get creative with the awesome new equipment on Auahatanga, the fourth floor of the new library. Fridays are your time to drop in and use a variety of technologies for making your ideas a reality, including sewing machines, 3D printers, craft and vinyl cutters, design software, and electronics. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm, imagination, and a desire to be creative. Specialist staff will be on hand if you need help. This is your chance to hang out with other creative youth, learn from and support each other, and make really cool stuff. Ages 13 plus.
Tūranga Taupuni Waihanga / Production Studio, Auahatanga | Creativity, Level 4, Fridays 4pm to 6pm
See the listings in our events calendar.
YA Studio Time
The new library has a new audio and video studio! And every Friday is open time for teens to come in and play around. No experience necessary, just enthusiasm. This is your opportunity to hang out in the studio, ask our specialist staff questions and meet like-minded new friends. Ages 13 plus.
Tūranga Taupuni Oro/Ataata / Audio/Video Studio, Auahatanga | Creativity, Level 4, Fridays 4 to 6pm
See the listings in our events calendar.
TV AND MOVIES
The A-List on Netflix (Donna's pick)
I'm nearly finished this supernatural teen drama, only two episodes to go. It's about a group of teens having a summer camp on the lovely looking Peregrine Island. One of the queen bees of the girls is deeply sinister, and some of the campers start to realise they might have been here before ... It's a goodie for younger teens as well as older, more pretty and atmospherically scary than gory, and intriguing ... Read more about it.
COMPETITIONS
Paint n’ Pen – Let Christchurch street art inspire you to write
Celebrate Christchurch’s rich street art scene by writing a poem, some lyrics or a short story inspired by it. The Commuting Book presents Paint n’ Pen, a creative writing programme open to all ages, to residents and visitors from New Zealand and overseas. Submit your work as an individual or as a family group and in your own language. All submissions will be reviewed by a multi-lingual panel and they will select the works that fit the criteria and show skill. The selected pieces will be part of the Commuting Book Scan & Read projects, they'll be published in the Stories catalogue and the best ones will have the chance to be featured on the Watch This Space map, the Augmented Reality street art app Plain Sight and in the summer exhibitions at Tūranga and New Brighton Libraries.
- Explore and discover Christchurch’s street art with family and friends or by yourself by creating your own itinerary using the interactive Watch This Space map and the upcoming Plain Sight app or book a guided tour and have an expert tell you everything about it.
- Once you find an inspiring mural, note down the exact location and take a picture of you in front of it (you will need to send this picture when submitting your work) and start writing!
- You can also sign up for Creative Writing Workshops to be held at Tūranga and New Brighton Library. They are free but bookings are essential. Phone 9417923 to book a spot:
- Sunday 15 September 12.30pm to 3.30pm at New Brighton Library
- Sunday 13 October 12.30pm to 3.30pm at Tūranga
- Sunday 20 October 12.30pm to 3.30pm at New Brighton Library
- Submit your work when ready. Submissions open on 1 July 2019 and close 28 February 2020. Find out more about Paint n' Pen.
Fantastic Feasts Poetry Competition - Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities (Monday 12 August to Friday 27 September)
The Teece Museum invites young writers to take part in our biennial poetry competition. We are looking for creative and interesting poems written in response to our current exhibition Fantastic Feasts, or in response to an object from our collection. Poems will be accepted by authors in two age groups: age 11-14, and age 15-18 years. There will be prizes for the best entries in each age group, and the winning poems will be published on the Teece Museum website.
Entries open 9am 12 August 2019 and close 5pm 27 September 2019. Winners will be announced 14 October 2019. Find out more.
Christchurch Photo Hunt 2019
The Christchurch Photo Hunt is Christchurch City Libraries' annual heritage image competition. It runs from Tuesday 1 October to Thursday 31 October. Winners will be announced on Monday 2 December. Find out more.
More
We can help your find your next great read.
- Hot off the shelf: explore the latest titles for teens.
- Email newsletters Sign up for our Teen Scene newsletter, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Popular Culture, or whatever topic you're into. We also have an email newsletter for Young Adult new titles.
- Our blog: Teens News and reviews of young adult literature from library staff.
- Teen booklists We've compiled lists of great books and resources on a bunch of different themes and topics including some aimed at NCEA reading.
- Follow @ChristchurchLib on Instagram!
Add a comment to: Youth Picks – September / October / November 2019