Songs from the Shaky Isles: A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand

Thu Jul 23 2026 at 07:30 am to 09:00 am UTC+12:00

Corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand 6011 | Wellington

National Library of New Zealand
Publisher/HostNational Library of New Zealand
Songs from the Shaky Isles: A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand
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Gareth Shute dives into his book Songs From the Shaky Isles to deliver a whirlwind overview of the past 100 years of popular music in Aotearoa.
Join us at the Library or online: https://dia-nz.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U-3-0zGuQX-_utKSd2e9tg
New Zealand Music: From pubs to playlists
From the era of ‘six-o'clock swill’ venue restrictions through to the grassroots 80s battle for radio airtime, then on to the seismic shift of the streaming age, Gareth Shute reveals how our music has always been intertwined with wider culture.
Gareth’s talk will be packed with fun, behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the wild characters who helped define the New Zealand music scene and will also be accompanied by some fascinating historic images from the Alexander Turnbull Library collection.
About the speaker
Gareth Shute writes regularly for the New Zealand music history website Audioculture | Iwi Waiata and is also the author of six books, including Hip Hop Music in Aotearoa, which won a national book award. He is also a musician who helps run Lil’ Chief Records and has toured overseas with two of their bands — The Brunettes, and The Ruby Suns. His current band is Thee Golden Geese.
Image: Gareth Shute. Book cover of Songs From The Shaky Isles: A Short History of Popular Music in New Zealand (Bateman Books, 2025).
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Event Venue

Corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand 6011, New Zealand

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