www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 ELECTRONIC MUSIC Nestled alongside Pakuranga Creek is the East Auckland suburb of Pakuranga Heights. It's a real family haven with three primary schools and quiet residential streets. ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES I was born in Sweden in a Polish-Catholic family, and I came to NZ when I was 20 years old to pursue my dreams of being an actor. Pakuranga Heights has got a very special place in my heart. This is where my husband and I bought our first home. Around 45% of people living here were actually born overseas. So let me introduce you to some of the other people that call my old neighbourhood their home, each with their own compelling cultural story to tell. We'll meet a Pakuranga Heights woman who's passionate about sharing her Indian heritage. I really get involved when I cook, uh, with all the smells and fragrance and everything. I can't sit` sit still to meditate, so cooking is my meditation. A local artist reveals the influence of his Tongan culture on his work. I would describe what I currently do as post-graffiti Pacific. I have come from graffiti into incorporate other mediums; other forms of art, but with a Pacific influence. A man born in Arizona introduces us to a very American obsession. I've been involved with baseball 23, 24 years. I never get bored with baseball. Every game starts anew; uh, kinda like a card game it unfolds. And we'll witness an amazing transformation as a local man puts on a treasured costume connecting him to the ancient art that he loves. This is part about realising my dream to perform. It looks like I travelled back 2000 years ago and become the historic characters. I'm Sia Trokenheim and this is my neighbourhood. ELECTRONIC MUSIC ACOUSTIC MUSIC MESH WIRE RATTLES Lloyd Elsmore Park. Named after a former mayor of Manukau, it's one of the real delights here in Pakuranga. We've got a swimming pool, a BMX track, sports clubs, and look at all the greenery. It's a real community resource, and it's wonderful to see how the locals really use the facilities here. I wasn't quite 21 when I first came to NZ to go to drama school. I always thought that my English was good enough to move to a new country with. However, it was a lot more difficult than I thought. In hindsight, I've been told that I did sound like the Swedish Chef in The Muppet Show, which makes sense cos it was difficult to make myself understood at times. Newcomers to NZ have to find their own individual ways to deal with a sense of dislocation. US-born John Fellet found his own way to feel at home by indulging in his favourite pastime ` baseball. MAN SHOUTS I'll never forget my first game. It was at Dodgers Stadium, and just walking into the stadium and I'd never been to a major league game before. And you'd go on the field and it was this emerald-green; you could smell the grass had been cut that morning. And, uh, beautiful sunny day and, uh, it was a fantastic memory. In the United States, the rule of thumb is that your first baseball game you go to is with a father. So there's that generational thing. He would have coached those early teams. And this is a man who grew up on a cattle ranch at, uh` you know, uh, learned English as a second language and never played baseball in his life. And so he was out there coachin'. So I was always quite proud of the effort he tried to do. Sometimes, I was embarrassed as a kid, uh` was, uh` when he was coaching our team. But, uh, later on, I got to be quite proud of the effort that he put in to it. My name is John Fellet. I was in born in Phoenix, Arizona. My father, uh, was part of a immigrant family, uh, from Italy. So they were very hard-working and, uh, proud to be Americans, and looked for every opportunity to adopt America, not only in its language but also in its sports. I started playing baseball when I was 6 years old. This is, uh, probably the first photo I can, uh` of me in a uniform. I was 12 years old at the time when I made my first Little League team. And this is a high school annual, which all high schools produce. And this is from the Camelback High Spartans, 1971; the year I graduated. And there's only two photos of me in here. One is my graduation photo; the other one's my, uh, team photo. Uh, again, Camelback won the National Championship, and that was a very fun year. Uh, I was voted the most improved player in the remarks here, and batted 350, which was, uh, leading the team in hitting that year. And that's me with that, uh` those thick glasses. REFLECTIVE MUSIC Currently, I'm the CEO of Sky Television. Television, other than baseball, is my, uh` my passion. When I first arrived in NZ, baseball was just struggling to get started, and, uh, I served as one of the first, uh, presidents of the Baseball Federation. Well, this is the earliest photo. This, uh, goes back to a team I coached in 1999. And, uh, back in those days, it was nothing more than a horse paddock, and we were just, uh, able to talk the council into letting us use it. And gradually, through a lot of volunteer work, built it up and put those fences in and the dugouts in. This is the Howick Hawks' team uniform hat. So anyone that plays baseball there gets a hat like that. This was our first National Championship in 2008. And we started on a tour of about seven years in a row being in the National Championship. We won it 2008 and won it a few times. Here's, uh, 2012, we won it again. And 2013, uh, we won it. And this is a, uh` Howick typically wins the Auckland League Championship. ACOUSTIC MUSIC It's funny. I was heavily involved in baseball in the States. And every night during the summer, I was, uh` never made dinner at home. So when this opportunity for my professional career came along to come work at Sky TV some 22 years ago, one of the selling points was I was able to talk my wife, Marcia, that we could go because there's no baseball in, uh, NZ and I'd be home for dinner during the summer. A couple of years later, I helped start baseball, and I haven't made dinner once during the summer since we've, uh, been here. How you feelin'? I'm a life member. I've coached their premier team for the last, um, eight years. And we've been in the National Championship final game all those` all that period, so it's, uh, won four National Championships. What I love about coachin' baseball ` so many aspects of it. I was coaching many of these men when they were under 8. It's fun to see them grow up and get married. I'm just as proud of the ones that go on to play professionally as I am of the ones that become doctors and engineers. Personally, he's definitely inspired me to take it up. I mean, I started playing when I was 12, and I'm 25, and I credit most of my success to John. He calls himself a player's manager. He has a good relationship with everyone on the team. No matter what team it is, he's got a good relationship with them. He knows everyone on a personal level, he keeps us loose with his jokes, uh, he knows a lot about the game. He's got a lot of passion and we live from that, that's for sure. So when I touch the ear, the sign immediately following that is the signal. I go to the belt for bunt, face for steal, hat for hit and run, OK? Any questions? All right. SHOUTS: One, two, three! SHOUTS: One, two, three! ALL: Bangers! LAUGHTER I never get bored with baseball. Every game starts anew, uh, kind of like a card game that unfolds. JOHN: Go, go, go, go! Thataboy! Nice pitch. All right, two out now. REFLECTIVE MUSIC It would crush me knowing how many hours I've spent on the field. But I wouldn't have traded any of them. I have enjoyed` The worst hour on the baseball field is better than the best hour I've ever had in the office. REFLECTIVE MUSIC (LAUGHS) So this is my family. This is my son, Terenzo, my husband, Andre, and my stepson, Bruno. And we used to live in a house just beyond those houses over there in the background, and this was our favourite playground. It's a great place to come and play. Hey! (GASPS) Whee! (LAUGHS) But when it comes to celebrating old Swedish traditions, I have been quite slack about the whole thing. I mean, I haven't had that many Swedes to celebrate them with me. But now that Terenzo is old enough to understand these kind of things, I really should put my A into G and get the magic happening again ` although I'm not sure how he's gonna feel about eating pickled herring for Christmas. Pakuranga Heights woman Anju Desai has made it her mission to keep the magic in her culture alive by sharing it with others. ELECTRONIC MUSIC Indian culture is very very vibrant and very colourful. Before I come to NZ, I never heard word 'depression'. It just so colourful in there and so busy; so many people, songs, food, everything, it's too hyperactive. It's the way the colours present, I think, the hyperactiveness, the garlic, the onion, the spices, everything. It's just in here; in the colours and the culture. I was born in India. It's a small town in the state of Maharashtra called Jalgaon. I was born, brought up there. I moved here for my son's education and his development and the way, uh, he could have different opportunity to travel all over the world. And I stayed in NZ because of Kiwi people. That's the truth. (LAUGHS) I started a company in 2009 called Bollywood Party NZ. And, um, it got four big departments ` one is costume hire; one is entertainment; one is catering and decoration. I'm going to cook for all my group of dance class. There are around 10, 15 kids comes here. They've been with me years now and them make various shows. So just a little thank you so we can all eat together something healthy. Uh, yes, that's why I'm taking them to the class today. ELECTRONIC MUSIC Food is important. I love cooking; that is all part of cooking. I think cooking is my meditation, um, because I really get involved when I cook, uh, with all the smells and fragrance and everything. I can't sit still to meditate so cooking is my meditation. Today, I'm cooking, um, traditional dish from west part of India. Uh, it's a hand-pressed naan made by millet flour and some spices and herbs. I grew up with that so it's very close to my heart. My dad also would make it. He was a fantastic cook. So if my mum is away, he would say, 'Oh, Anju, you can relax. I will make some bread.' So, uh, I have grown up with this dish quite a lot, so I chose that one. So in these four flours, I'm going to add the salt... first then I'm going to add a few more spices, which is chilli powder. I'm not going to add a lot of chilli powder because we will be having green chillies. And then half teaspoon of turmeric powder. With Ayurvedic food and Indian as well, I don't like processed food. And when I do my catering, I always tell them it will be holistic approach to cooking, so there will be no tinned food, no processed food. Everything will be made from scratch. Then I'm going to add a special texture here. And this is the fenugreek leaves which is really good for diabetic people. Uh, so it's really nutritious to have this one in it. So plenty of them. I think my mum's cooking style, uh, like what you eat here in restaurant, is very creamy gravy, tomato puree, highly heavy. She always would teach me, 'Don't overpower the taste. Just keep it basic.' REFLECTIVE MUSIC I'm really happy with this one, and I hope the kids will like it tonight in Bollywood class. So let's see. Fingers crossed. ELECTRONIC MUSIC Move your shoulders up; turn your shoulders up. OK. You don't want to look like you are doing something, um` a sports thing. You are dancing. There are so many little, little ways that makes me feel really proud that I am doing the right thing; that people who are born, brought up here in NZ, uh, they really highly look at me because they think I'm presenting the culture in the right way. When they were new here, that was nothing here and it was very hard for them to stand up for themselves, you know? Uh, like, it was very few Indians here and they hardly have connection with costumes or food or anything. So, yeah, big group of Indian ` all doctors ` they hired me to learn the dance, and they told me that` how happy and proud they are that somebody coming from India to share the culture. CHILDREN CHAT I think basically sharing is my priority in life; that I think I love to share, uh, what I know and I like to know what people know. So it's, uh, knowledge and, uh, yeah, just giving the joy of learning something new. REFLECTIVE MUSIC This is my old house. I have got very very fond memories of this place. This was our first home. I clearly remember when we were painting the nursery and finally welcoming home our baby boy from the hospital for the first time. Back in Sweden, growing up in a Polish family was quite different ` um, let alone a Polish-Catholic family, of course. Now, I don't consider myself very religious at all. But I do, however, treasure a gift that my auntie gave me in Poland many years ago. She told me that her faith is the one thing that has helped her keep going through all the hardships that our family have been through. So I still hold on to it and the respect and love for my auntie and all the history that goes with it. A sense of continuity and tradition can really help anchor you when you come to a new country. To feel a connection with the land of his birth, local man Jong Jie Li just has to slip on a robe from a character from one of his favourite Beijing operas. REFLECTIVE MUSIC I was born in Qingdao City. It is a coastal city in Shangdong province. It's quite close to Beijing and it's a peninsula close to South Korea. My name is Jong Jie Li. I started living in Pakuranga since 2004. In the past 20 years, many Chinese people migrated to this area. It quite diverse, together with other Indians, Koreans, Filipinos. Yeah, so that's why I choose to live here. I live with my wife and two children, and both my son and daughter were born in NZ. Firstly, as the new NZer myself, I got my job in City Council and it is one that makes us proud; for myself, for my family. I spend most of my spare time on Beijing opera, to be honest. When I was a university student in China, I spent a long, long time having invested my money and energy into that. So this hobby has go with me for more than 20 years to today. ACOUSTIC MUSIC So, look, this is my first costume. I bought it 20 years ago in 1994 when I was a university student in Beijing. My most expensive treasure in my lifetime, uh, because with this costume, I just realise my dream to be a Beijing opera amateur. And with these, uh, beautiful flowers and the Chinese lucky signs on that, and then the red colour; got my lucky colour. You see, 20 years passed. I have to say, the time flies so quickly but it still go with me from Beijing to my provincial capital city and then come to NZ. For 20 years, I think I just treated` treat this costume as my best friend. When I bought it, I will never dream that one day, I will go to NZ and wear this costume to do the performance in front of the NZers. So that's just fantastic. It's made me very very proud that I never dreamed that today can happen. Today, um, Chen Chen and I perform the Peking opera arias. Um,... for me, it's really, very to cherish today's opportunity. That is my dream for over 20 years, actually. Chen Chen is my partner today. She, uh` He will act as my wife; new married wife, even though he's the boy. (LAUGHS) The reason, I tell you why. Before 1949, in China, the Peking opera troupe is forbidden for those women to be the actress, because there is discrimination against the women at that time. I can't see myself` what I looks like, so I just wondering if that's beautiful or that's not that beautiful. So just, uh, got these questions in my mind, so I just can't wait to see what I looks like. Yeah. CHINESE OPERA MUSIC PLAYS AUDIENCE APPLAUDS (SINGS IN CHINESE) I really really think when I just put my costume on with the official make-up, first feeling is, 'OK. This is part about realising my dream to perform.' And the second looks like I travelled back 2000 years ago and become historic characters. CHINESE OPERA MUSIC PLAYS As a Peking opera amateur, I think every one of us has got some kind of a dream. Once you've dressed up, once you've gone to the stage, you belong to yourself. That is everything about your life. So always look forward to that. That is always something that is the happiest things in my lifetime. (SINGS IN CHINESE) AUDIENCE APPLAUDS REFLECTIVE MUSIC I have to say I'm very very proud of my Polish roots. I admire them because they are tenacious, hard-working and very loving people. Um, one of my grandfathers was Jewish, and he was only in his mid-20s when the Second World War broke out. I think about him a lot because he managed to survive the war. He managed to hide in the woods of Lithuania, and eventually, post-war, managed to keep going, start his own family, have his own children and grandchildren ` just like myself ` and he just kept going. Benjamin Work grew up right here in Pakuranga Heights. He's the son of a Tongan mother and a Palagi father. Now, he has melded American-inspired street art with Tongan culture which he learned from his grandmother, and has created his own unique style as a visual artist. HIP-HOP MUSIC SPRAYING Why I love art is I get to express my ideas; I get to express who I am; I get to express my story and tell my story through that medium. I find art's not restricted by a lot of things in society that tries to restrict people. Um, art is confrontational. Even if maybe you're not so confrontational, your art can be that for you. My name is Benjamin Work and I'm a visual artist. Why I work with these motifs is actually cos they're part of my history from the cultural perspective of Tonga. Um, I feel` I feel connected to them and they tell stories, and` and I love telling stories through my art. So... yeah. In Fort Lane, there's a` there's a story being told. I grew up in Pakuranga Heights 30 years of my life. My parents are Perry and Silia Work. And my father, uh, Perry, he grew up on a farm mainly in a district called Waotu that's out of Putaruru, and he grew up on a farm there. And then you have my mother who is from Vava'u in the Kingdom of Tonga, and she lived most of her life in Vava'u until they met. So my mother, she didn't speak a lot of English when she came. But obviously through learning through her` her husband, and then also Coronation Street she would quote, um, which is quite funny. REFLECTIVE MUSIC My style's progressed a lot. Um, it started off with graffiti letter forms. So with graffiti, it's all letter-based, but with the work that I'm doing, um, I've taken this` what I've learnt from graffiti but not executing letters. It's more using these motifs from Tongan heritage. I` I think even back as` as a 13-year-old tagger, there was still a desire to be part of, um, this` the NZ art scene. Cos my grandfather would take us to galleries or museums, and` and I'd always thought, 'Man, I'd love to have some work in here. How do I`? How do I get in here?' So, you know, being insecure during my teenage years, I took that path of graffiti. So it's gone just a slight different way. I was` I was blessed, because I met this anthropologist. Her name's Dr Billie Lythberg, and she gave me a thesis done by a Dr Andy Mills from England. And he had found, or he had researched, all these motifs that were found on war clubs` only on war clubs and that weren't commonly used in Tongan art. I would describe what I currently do as post-graffiti Pacific. We're a small group of artists that have come from graffiti into incorporate other mediums; um, other forms of art but with a Pacific influence. ELECTRONIC MUSIC CROWD CHATS Um, this is my work for tonight in the group show. It's titled 'Weapon of Warfare'. And what's significant about it is, um, the kaufana which is a Tongan bow. It's not a` a known fact that Tongans used bow and arrow in warfare, so I just wanted to incorporate that in some work of mine ` and tonight, done that. Yeah. I really like Benjamin Work's work. I've known him for a while now. Um, and it's been quite the transition in only the last two or three years. Um, because he's from a graffiti background so you would only really see letters. Um, so now he does more figurative work and it's his own. So, um, yeah, nah, I really think it's awesome. It's new and refreshing. What came to my mind as` as a Maori man, and the same with those ones, it really struck a chord with me, because it reminds me of stories that were told to me from, uh, my grandfather. I've watched the evolution of this work. I've watched it, sort of, from when it was just a seed, you know. When he found his source material, he was reading a lot about lost symbolism from Tongan culture and stuff that doesn't really` you know, most people wouldn't even equate to Tongan symbolism today. Um, and, uh, he sort of took it and then made it his own. I'm totally blessed where I can make work and it sells. I can travel the world with my friends and make work that speaks to people. Where I am currently, I'm very satisfied. But there's still more to go. There's still more frontiers to explore to infinity and beyond. ACOUSTIC MUSIC (SCREAMS JOYFULLY) Pakuranga Heights has been such a terrific place to have my little family grow up. The family feel, all the park land and being so close to the beaches have all been a real, real treat. I've been back to Sweden about four times in the past 14 years. And every time I do go back, it's been really lovely to see my loved ones. But I have to say, I call myself a Kiwi now, and Pakuranga Heights really helped me to feel settled and find my feet in NZ. And it's so lovely to see that this neighbourhood continuously keeps welcoming new NZers. Captions by Jake Ebdale. Edited by Jessica Boell. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015