“A pleasure to attend the Premier of Aorere College’s Code-Switch at Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, my first Live Cinema experience! A unique blend of film, dance, spoken word and stage theatre, it truly was a fine display of live cinema. What success and happiness looks like, along with sacrifice, dreams, values and societal expectations — Code-Switch explored all of these. If you get the chance, head along and support our talented Māori and Pacific young people doing what they love!”

— Hon. Carmel Sepuloni
(Minister of Arts, Culture & Heritage)

“Thank you so much team Code Switch for letting us be a small part of your fabulous production. The Mount Aspiring students were just buzzing about it and said they had the best time with you all being so kind and friendly. I hope this may be the start of future collaborations. You are brave and innovative championing a new way for high school performance arts to work really collaboratively with a range of other subjects. You should be extremely proud. I just loved your performance. Your energy sizzled out there. I feel very privileged to have seen your first public show. Thank you. The very best for all your future shows!”

— Emily McRae
(Teacher - Mt Aspiring College, Wanaka)

C ollaboration of excellence in all forms of expression
O smosis of reality through the story-telling process
D epth of emotion vibing from each character
E nlightening mediums catering to diverse abilities
S ynergy witnessed between students, staff, audience
W riters deserve a medal for their courage and vision
I nspiring rhetoric for every student to hear and feel
T empo on stage was energizing
C hallenges one to rewrite the narratives imposed
H eurustic processes accelerated throughout the performance.

Fa'afetai, fa'afetai, fa'afetai lava to your staff, your backstage and digital crews, your main cast, and your supporting cast and dancers. BRAVO!!! See you all again at your Papakura performance in May!”

— Maureen Fepuleai
(iQ Talanoa - Planet FM)

“Loved the different media used - the dances were great, the mix of live theatre and film was a great way to tell the story, and Hemi is a great spoken word poet! Great work guys”

— Anonymous
(Queenstown)

“What a fantastic performance the group gave on Friday! Such an eclectic, vibrant mix of theatre, cinema & WOW the dancing was just next level - brilliantly choreographed & superbly executed - my friend and I both thoroughly enjoyed the experience!”

— Suzanne Millar
(Queenstown)

“The use of live theatre and recorded cinema to flow between different scenes was fun to watch and made it unique. I also enjoyed that there was dance and spoken word involved too as it kept the performances fresh. In general, I also think the theme of the show was given an interesting perspective on how 'code-switching' in the workplace only erases people's cultural identities.”

— Emily R
(Student, Māngere)

“It was my first time seeing a live cinema. The story was very moving and amazing. The actors and dancing awesome. Looking forward to seeing it again.”

— Motia Rimamate
(Parent)

“I really enjoyed the show because it was like i was in it, all that emotion and scenery. I also enjoyed the litttle clips like when they went to their house and the animations, it brought it all together.”

— Anonymous

“I enjoyed the experience we got while watching the show, I felt they nicely portrayed a serious issue on identity in a way that is entertaining and informing to the audience. Due to popularity and environment many of us(including me) tend to get behind on forgetting our identity, culture and roots-this gave us(the audience) a reality check on how we should accept our culture as well as respect it. The digital aspect of this show which I liked in general was the animation. This is because by adding the animations they portrayed emotions and ideas in a unique way that was easy-to-perceive that both small children and adults can understand, it helped connect the actors to the audience without the use of words”

— Shyna Chand
(Student, Māngere)

“The young actors are splendid and convey emotion beyond their years...”

“South Auckland's finest in the brilliantly choreographed dance sequences”

“A real triumph with slick editing and fantastic work by the audio visual team deploying serious skill to help move the story along.”

— Damian Thorne
(Manawatu Guardian / NZ Herald)

“Congratulations on a great show on Friday night! I loved the mixed medium format, and the performances from the students were fantastic. I feel like I’ll be seeing them on more stages and screens in future!”

— Kahli Scott (Film Otago Southland)

“Thank you for the invite and the amazing performance by all the students. It was great to have our local schools involved also. All the best for the rest of the tour. We look forward to having you and the students return to Queenstown in the future!”

— Jan Maxwell
(Creative Queenstown)

“Thank you for such a phenomenal show! My daughter had the privilege of learning some of your dances and performing with you, an experience of a life time while getting to meet some talented and kind people.. The show is very powerful and moving, touching people at the core and portrayed through a diverse range of art forms. I hope you continue to share it with Aotearoa. Thank you.”

— Parent
(Queenstown)

“Loved the show! Really clever use of multi-media, strong storyline, and awesome acting and dancing.”

— Rachel Rose
(HR Manager, Queenstown)

Hikaka katoa taku wairua, poho kerehu hoki ahau i ngā mahi rangatira o ngā ākonga o Aorere i te pō nei. Code-Switch - Māngere Season is a dynamic 'Live Cinematic' experience, created, led and driven by our amazing young people of South Auckland. From pōwhiri to performance it was a celebration of art, story, identity, and the unlimited potential of our young people. To see our kids shining bright is the key reason why I switched codes to teaching a few years back. Heoi anō, a special mihi of appreciation to our teachers working tirelessly behind the scenes, holding these courageous spaces for our young people to step into and to stand tall. Do check out this very special cinematic experience ✨🥰🙌”

— Nyra Marshall
(Teach First NZ)

“The general experience of the show was quite fascinating and simply exciting. Every scene had a different meaning, with every word spoken and each expression showing significance that reflected on the world. It brought in serious issues that were conveyed throughout the show that happens in our day to day lives, proving how important the issues were. I enjoyed it as the characters were relatable, funny and most of the time reflected people we may know. My favourite moment would hands down be when Hemi went up onto the stage and performed his incredible poem that had such a greater impact on the audience. He communicated his thoughts and was able to speak up for those who could not themselves.

— Javeria Ali
(Student, Māngere)

“I really enjoyed the production. The music incorporated gave a beautiful effect, adding to the wonderful performances. The songs picked matched the scenes beautifully. The acting was very good as well as the dancing. Personally the part that caught most of our attention was the when Ana failed to remember the dance her best friend taught her. The dancing as well as the lights gave this really amazing effect that caught all of our attention. The people who were helping backstage were not interruptive at all in fact midway through the performance we didn't even notice them moving the chairs and all. The part where Hemi showed Ana his writing at the beach was incredible and the animation that was shown on screen whilst Hemi was explaining his meeting was genius. The animation was great. Over all I really admire how they have incorporated different talents into this production from dance and music to animation and writing. Bravo.”

— Anonymous