Diva Productions NZ

“The reason I didn’t go after fashion for a really long time is because I had that typical immigrant guilt, like I should be a social worker, or a doctor, or like, find some way for giving back which is more noble.”

Natasha Ovely’s fashion label Starving Artists Fund is a socially conscious, gender-neutral brand based on Auckland’s Karangahape Road. Her brand offers sizing from 6 – 22 and is sustainably made in New Zealand Her experiences living in disparate cultures across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and New Zealand have informed her frame of reference.

“I think a lot of my friends and people I care about belong to communities or minorities where you feel very self conscious about yourself and you worry about your safety, and whether there are threats coming your way in your everyday life. I think you either try to hide yourself and shy away so you make yourself invisible, or you can kind of own it. I wanted to create this safe little space where people were able to do that.”

Made with the support of NZ On Air.

New Zealand theatre is finally making room for more diverse narratives in episode 5 of ASIA: Art Stories in Aotearoa.

Sarita So is an award-winning playwright, whose one-woman show “Digging to Cambodia” delves into the memory of her parents and their lives through the Khmer Rouge, told through her lens of disconnect. Ahi Karunaharan (Silo Theatre), a former refugee, shares his vision of finding a voice for displacement and new identity. Sananda Chatterjee has directed many large cast ensemble works for Prayas Theatre, Aotearoa’s leading South Asian theatre company as well as First World Problems 3.0 for Auckland’s Basement Theatre in 2021; her work examines identity, gender and relationships from an intersectional feminist lens.

Made with the support of NZ On Air.

In episode three of ASIA: Art Stories in Aotearoa, we explore one of the most diverse and unique music scenes in the world.

We meet young Korean musicians creating exciting sounds though collaboration: Korean NZ rapper Hanju Kim, known as Hans. is making a name for himself as one of Aotearoa’s rising hip-hop stars while synth pop duo Imugi challenge cultural stereotypes and power structures through their music and innovative music videos; meanwhile in South Auckland a new genre of Punjabi pop music is being recorded in a garage and attracting millions of followers around the world; and in the capital Umar Zakaria is taking the double bass to the world, Malay melodies meet modern jazz in a fearless union.