1 Captions by June Yeow. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 (FUNKY MUSIC) Onehunga is a fine old suburb of working class families with a smattering of light industry and a rising tide of gentrification. People worry that when money comes into an area, the diversity moves out, but I don't think that's happened here. There are over 50 different nationalities currently enrolled at the local high school. (MUSIC CONTINUES) I am half Fiji-Indian and half Kiwi, with Irish heritage, so growing up, I felt like I fit everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I think that's why I became an actor, because I feel comfortable inhabiting characters of any culture. Onehunga born and raised, I now live between here and Los Angeles. I love the faded glamour of Hollywood and Onehunga ` the mix of old and new, the colourful characters and multiculturalism. Let me show you why Onehunga has a special place in my heart. In this episode of Neighbourhood, we'll meet a woman who's cultivating green fingers in the community. The idea is to have your own vegetable gardens at home. It's not only to have healthy food, but it gives you, uh, healthy exercise. An actor from Brazil reveals the man behind the mask. A good mask has to have certain expression that when we put it on, the expression changes. It's like the mask is alive. A Somali teenager helps local kids find their rhythm. I just like the idea of being free, not having anything to worry about, in the moment, just having` having the time of your life ` just you, your dance moves, your music, and just your space around you. That's all you have to focus on. And some long-term Onehunga residents tells us what they like about their hood. Unapologetically Onehunga. We went to school together. It's fun all the time, and what` what else would you wanna do than do what you love with the people you grew up with, you know? I'm Madeleine Sami, and this is my neighbourhood. (UPBEAT MUSIC) (MELLOW MUSIC) My mum is awesome. She used to clean here at Onehunga Primary school when we were little. And then she turned around and retrained as a teacher in her 40s, and now she teaches here. It wasn't easy for my mum, raising four kids on the DPB. We used to have to carry groceries home from the supermarket in clean sacks, cos we didn't own a car. You know, back then there were a lot more Polynesian and Maori families around, and, uh, being Indian wasn't necessarily... cool. (CHUCKLES) Until Gwen Stefani wore a bindi in her video clip, and then we were really cool. Uh, but, you know, I found a way to make a lot of friends, by being really` the clown, basically. I think sometimes when you're young, having a little bit of attitude serves you really well. (MELLOW MUSIC) Life at home ` I` I think of it more as like a portal ` when I leave school, like, I'm leaving behind New Zealand. When I come in here, it's, like, full Somalia. Like, we eat Somalian food, we speak mostly Somalian, so it's nice` it's nice just to keep that little reminder of where you come from. I think it's very important for my mum, just so she doesn't lose a piece of herself in the sense of, like, Somalia's always going to be a big part of her life no matter what. Even though she left there for us at a very young age, it's always going to be there. (SPEAKS SOMALIAN) Yeah, she was just, like, saying, um, back in the day, before, when we had, like, our tradition back at home, this is what we used to use. There was none of this, like, fancy stuff. (CHUCKLES) We just used to have this. So we just use it every now and then, you know, just to remember. I go to Onehunga High School, and it's` it's really awesome. Like, it was hard in the beginning just to get used to it, like, high school in general, just to get used to high school, but it's really cool, actually. Now I get my own freedom, now I get to, like, you know, learn the way I want to. (GENTLE MUSIC) I got interested in dance in year eight. I was, you know, going through a lot in the sense of, like, you know, transitioning from intermediate to high school, cos I was very scared of high school. There was a day I remember I had PE, and then I came back to class, and there was a` there was a dance teacher from Onehunga High School that came over, and he said, you know` he was just talking about dance, and, you know, how awesome it would be, and I asked him, you know, 'Do you have to know how to dance to do it?' And, um, he said, 'No. Just come along and just see.' So that's what I did. I just went along, I saw it, and I just found it so therapeutic for me, without, you know, like, being laughed at and stuff. Because if you dance, like, people think, 'Oh, you're cool,' you're this... so they only judge you. But, yeah, I just found it real awesome. It really actually got me through my first three years of high school. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) I was exploring everything. I did hip hop, a bit of contemporary. I even tried ballet at one point. But I thought what worked for me was something called fusion. It's not really familiar, it's not known as much, but it's like` it's contemporary` analytic contemporary and hip hop, which is, in my case, I mix them together. Cos I'm African, just the natural beat of, like, you know` Just being African, you just always have to do some hip hop and everything. So, yeah, that's just what worked for me. And I just thought, 'Yeah, I'm happy.' I just, you know, use fusion. (MELLOW MUSIC) We're Muslims. I don't think the religion itself says, you know, you can't dance. It's more of culture, society just sees men ` they don't want to see men dancing. That's just something they don't wanna see. But just dancing in general shouldn't be seen as that. It's not a bad thing. It's not` It's actually a great thing, if you think about it, cos you're giving someone a way to express` It's almost like how religion is for me ` it's a way to express myself. It's a way for me to, like, be, you know, just be happier, just be calm, you know? Most of the time it was, like, self-taught. I kind of just made up stuff on the spot, you know, like, in my room. Just, like, practising. If I had a bad day, I would just sit down, just try and make something up. And it wasn't until I had a dance teacher called Ms Dalby in year 10, and she kinda taught me... just kinda, like, the formula of how to put dance moves together. (UPLIFTING MUSIC) I just like the feeling of being free ` the feeling of just` just not having anything to worry about in the moment, just having` having the time of your life, you know, not thinking about any other exterior things. Just you, your dance moves, your music and just your space around you. That's all you have to focus on. So what I want you guys to do is just` I'll stand up here. Just line up here. Find a space. Just find a good space. So, first, what we're going to do is just, like, just warm-up. We started doing it about... roughly about three months ago. It was basically just, um` it was just a fun way` started out as a fun way of, like, you know, kids getting out, doing their own thing. Uh, so we find out there was a real high demand of, like, kids wanting to dance here, so, you know, most of the classes are, like, $50 or over. You know, they're too expensive for most normal, you know, families. So what happened was we got into a meeting, and we discussed how` how we could change that, and we started with this dance class. (UPBEAT MUSIC) I love it, yeah. It's fun. It's a nice way to just get out into the community, you know, enjoy people. Yeah, it's been awesome. It's been an awesome experience. Famous guy that, um, that looks all after us and teaching us cool stuff. He's fun to connect with. And hang out with. That's why he's our dance teacher. And he always feeds us. (LAUGHTER) Come on, guys. Come on. He's kind, and he's really compassionate towards the children. I think when anyone takes an interest in young people, young people respond to that. Uh, so to have a role model like Nur, who, um, has obviously overcome some stuff in` in his own journey in coming to New Zealand, um, you know, that gives our kids hope, eh. And, um, yeah, they really respect him because he gives him their time. In five years' time, I hope that I'll have a stable job. I hope that I continue the community work. I hope that the dance class will be dance classes. I hope that there's more. I just hope that everything that's happening now can just` just grow and become better. (JAUNTY MUSIC) The Hard to Find bookshop is an Onehunga institution. The building itself was a Chinese fruit and veggie shop for decades. And supposedly the place is haunted. But the staff say if it is, it's a very friendly ghost. Casper? Casper? Where are you? (JAUNTY MUSIC CONTINUES) I often describe myself as a curried potato on account of my ancestry ` Fijian-Indian and Irish. My dad moved out here when he was a teenager, and a lot of his family came over after the coup, but growing up, I think I felt more connected to my Irish side. I used to do Irish dancing. I did that till I was 14. I loved it. But I don't think I quite had that dedication to become a champion. I think I'd just prefer the dressing up in dresses and listening to the music. I love costumes. I burnt an Irish dancing dress once. I stood too close to the fire. And I quit pretty soon after that. (GENTLE MUSIC) Masks really essentialise life... in a concentrated form. Someone puts the mask into a small action, and then the audience would, like, '(GASPS) Look at that! 'I recognise that!' That's just like what life is. We know that behind that creature that is masked and misbehaving, and you are believing in that kind of behaviour ` we know there is an actor. So that duality in that, you know, it's artificial, and because of a, uh, accepted artificiality, it's true ` fascinates me. I was born in Porto Alegre, South Brazil. I had no idea, no interest in the arts whatsoever. My passion was surfing. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) But then I met a group of bohemians, and that was` that was it, you know? Those guys were into going out, drinking beer, and` and they were really into literature. I think I was very lucky because I went to drama school, and there was a group of people within the drama school that they had a company that was focused on acting training. And the company was called Mission by the university. So I stayed with them from 1992 until 1999, so seven years. So that company then became very well known. We started touring around Brazil and internationally. We got awards, we got grants, and then suddenly we were the` the hot physical theatre company in South Brazil. (JAUNTY MUSIC) This is made of papier mache. And, um` but it has been treated, and the design actually shows these lines here that, actually, we don't have those lines in our face. But the idea is to dehumanise a little bit. So what makes a theatre mask work is that it is designed for performance. And it is designed in a way that has a very clear emotional expression in it. A good mask has to be slightly asymmetrical. So a good mask has to have certain expressions that when we put it on, the expression changes. It's like the mask is alive. Pulcinella is perhaps the grandfather of modern clowns. Yes. He is very mischievous. He is, um,... very unreliable. Tell a secret to Pulcinella, and he will tell everyone. Can't keep it. He's not loyal at all. (QUIRKY MUSIC) I came to New Zealand in 2000. The company I was working ended. And then after that, I decided, 'I want something else.' I want to go overseas, I want to study, I want to learn another language. Now I'm currently a senior lecturer at Unitec. I've been teaching there for 11 years. I'm one of the core members of the Performing and Screen Arts department. I'm also a theatre director ` direct Mahuika Theatre Company, and I also work as a freelance director. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) This is Unitec Performing Screen Arts Department. This one of the studios that that acting discipline uses as a classroom. Today we are looking at how Mahuika works with masks. So we have Irasa, Natasha and Aymee ` three actors ` Mahuika cast of Leilani. And they are trying out the masks, improvising and just having fun. All you need to do is just stand right where you are. LOUDLY: Just here? Yep, just here. Breathing deeply. (BREATHES LOUDLY) Yes, yup. You can do it. Trevor. I'm so nervous. I've gone all shy. The play's all about character. So the mask Leilani is performed by Irasa. And, um, we created Leilani as we were investigating the relationship between the masks. So the other masks all gravitate around Leilani and her predicament. All you need to say is 'I do.' I... don't. (ALL LAUGH) I think the mask can comment on society in a way that we can't if we don't have that in front of us. Yeah, definitely. I mean, that's how Commedia Dell'Arte kind of started. Yep. Eh? It was, like, these, kind of, archetypal characters in Italian society, played off and made fun of it. Masks is connected with something that's very essential, profound and ancient as, um, as our human civilisation. And anyone that never saw masks before will see a mask and will recognise the humanity, will recognise the struggle of` of everyday life. (LIGHT GUITAR MUSIC) There used to be a beach in front of my mum's house before the airport and the motorway went in, and I was sad growing up, thinking that we could have had a beachfront house. (MUSIC CONTINUES) And now the beach has been remade. I spent most of my summer last year swimming at the beach across the road from my mum's house. And I'm so proud that they're putting the beauty back into Onehunga. And I'm not the only local that's pretty damn proud to be from this place. (UPBEAT MUSIC) I'm Niuean-Cook Island, but I'm plastic. (LAUGHS) Seems as though, like, strange to say that, but didn't really grow up cultural and stuff. Yeah. Like, racially Niuean-Cook Island. Racially, I'm Samoan-Niuean. Culturally, we were just brought up on hip hop. Hip hop's our culture; music's our culture. (UPBEAT MUSIC) The other boys in SWIDT and I pretty much grew up together. Like, we went to school together. I mean, we've been friends way before our music. It's fun all the time, and what` what else would you wanna do than do what you love with the people you grew up with, you know? Onehunga used to be, like, real ruthless back in the day. Yeah. Like, before I was born. It used to be, like, real gang-infested. Yeah. Yeah. It's just all gentrified. It's all been, um, changed into, like, apartments and, you know` and the people that come out of there ` sometimes they come out and they see us here, who` we've been here for ages. And then they look at us, like, 'These guys ` what are they doing in this neighbourhood?' You know? Unapologetically Onehuga. Yeah. There's not really a genre that we jump into. We make whatever, and if we like it, then we release it, pretty much. Yeah. But if it is a genre, then it's hip hop. But sound-wise ` can't really nail it, eh? Just be Onehunga. RAPS: # See what I did there? See what I did there? # See what I did there? See what I did there? # 312, baby, baby. # Ooh. # 312, baby, baby. Watching the 312 video, and we're reading the comments. It's our funniest... # Tyson. Ice-man. Uh, 100` Over 100k views. Five thou. 105,502. That's, like, that's organic too. Like, there's no push on it. We just put it out. Put it out, and the people` people showed us. # Dreamers. # We the best. # I felt like, you know, people that are from Onehunga in general are, like, patriotic anyway. But, um, I guess the fact that we are flying the flag on the platform that we are ` you know, um, people are definitely proud. (HIP HOP MUSIC PLAYS) We're professional` (CHUCKLES) professional rappers. And it's been great. Like, we're still doing what we wanna do, and it's just on a much bigger scale for us, so it's good to take our knowledge and what we've learnt, you know, as kids and teenagers and stuff like that, and then put it all, um, you know, all that energy and, um, experience into what we're doing now. And really really showing, you know, the world, you know, what we can do. It's... It's the best. RAPS: # ...we might see red. See what I did there? You ain't seen shit. # Ooh! # I got the remedy, remedy. # You had your shot, now you're killing thee. # Smoking weed up on the masonry. # See what I did there? See what I did there? # 312, baby, baby. # Ooh. # 312, baby, baby. # Ooh. # There will be a lot more music coming out just like that that just projects Onehunga and what we see and how we see Onehunga compared to how other people may look at Onehunga and stuff. # And it is still one take. # (OVERLAPPING EVIL LAUGHTER) Practise your craft every day, every day. And I did that. Like, I know I can say I did, cos I, like, locked myself in a room` Yeah, this guy did that. Almost three years` See this beard? (LAUGHS) RAPS: # Onehunga bringing the fires. Smoke alarms, I'm in the locks getting inspired. # There ain't a truth for a liars... # For me, I like travelling with music, like, getting to see` getting to go places and, you know, seeing our country. Um, that's always a blessing because you get to do something you love and, you know, leave the city and experience new things and seeing new things. RAPS: # We let the masters, the boss, with your hypotheses, yeah. # They look at us and start to whisper, 'That's gotta be them.' # Stoneyhunga ` throwing stones at your album cover. I went to LA, and I worked with Jay Rock, few of the members of TDE, like even the in-house producers ` Tae Beast and Skhye Hutch, J Pounds ` who else was there ` worked with King Lil G, MC Eiht, whole bunch of people. This guy played X-Box with Xzibit. Yeah. (LAUGHS) # No more parties in Stoneyhunga. # It's late at night. You... listen to other love... # Turning SWIDT into an actual label ` um, so, you know, we own our own company. Doing a lot more shows. We're working on new music, um, you know. It's just getting... Yeah, kind of` It just comes back to getting to do what we love, like, every day, you know, with our friends. That's the goal, man. That's the dream. # Where's Wally? # All of these bars are quotable. # You should know that we over you. # 6ft. # (UPBEAT MUSIC) Did you know that Onehunga was the first place in the British empire to have a female mayor? Staunch Scottish suffragette Elizabeth Yates. RIP. I wanted to be an All Black from a very young age. And it wasn't until I was embarrassingly old, like, 11 or 12; 12 or 13; maybe 13 or 14, I don't know, that I realised that I wasn't going to be an All Black cos you had to be a man, and I thought that was really unfair, cos I grew up around all these strong women. I felt like I could do anything and should be able to do anything. I mean, I'm a feminist from way back. (GENTLE MUSIC) Back in the Island, we never rely on welfare support. We always go out and plant our own food and go fishing. We never rely on the government. And when we come to New Zealand, it is not easy. But if we encourage the whole family to always work together, whatever they can do with the garden, whatever they can do with the cooking, whatever they can do together with the sewing, it is always good to work together. (GENTLE MUSIC) I was born in the island of Ha'ano, Tonga. I came to New Zealand in 1991. This business is a charitable trust organisation that is trying to run this, uh, business here. And this business here is like a social enterprise business in the not-for-profit. And that is related to my master's degree research. People out there ` they have the sewing skills, but they don't speak the language. They can come in here and we help them to do some work if they enjoy or if they like to upgrade their skills and then go back out` out the door to run their own business. I give a lot to Onehunga, and Onehunga give a lot to us. They are proud to see what we do, and they love to give and donate to us the resource, and the resource we see today is from the Onehunga people. The garden is a project with Auckland Council we have started in the last few years. And we try to educate people on how to make use of the food scraps at home using the compost bin to recycle that, um, food scraps going back into the garden and coming back in with your own vegetables. (ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC) The idea is to have your own vegetable gardens at home because vegetables is going expensive. And it's not only to have healthy food, but it gives you healthy exercise. We are trying to plant the, um, seedlings into this plot that belongs to our OSCAR programmes. And some of the children that are here today ` every Wednesday night, we all come, our Tongan community group, but it is open to other ethnic groups. We always come here to do some cooking, take some green vegetables from outside here to the kitchen, and we cook to show the people who are able to come, and then we all taste the food and see if it's good. For this drink, it is made of, uh, cucumber and pineapple crush. And also coconut and a little bit of cream. We have made, um, roast ` it's in the oven ` of potatoes, kumara, pumpkin and carrots, maybe. # Monu e ka koha monu. # I can see this is the benefit of eating from the garden. So if we're sourcing the food from here seasonally, then we're doing the right thing ` we're eating from it. Don't have to go far to find food, so, yeah. Good. Very good. This one is good one. Nice. (CHUCKLES) I like the green salad. And, uh, roast pumpkin and potato. Taste yummy. (LAUGHS) I am proud of myself ` been giving up my time and my skills to my people, and if my people are healthy and happy, then we` we live longer and the sickness will fly away. We stay healthy. (JAUNTY MUSIC) I definitely notice the gentrification of Onehunga growing up, and it's become a place where I can't afford a house, and that's pretty stink, but it still retains a sense of heart and diversity that I remember growing up here as a kid, and you walk down the main street, there's an op shop next to a fancy cafe next to a $2 shop next to a fancy cafe, and for me, that really` that mixture of rich and poor and new and old that I think makes for a really vibrant community, and that's what makes me really proud of coming from a place like Onehunga. Captions by June Yeow. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017