L?emis, Wellington’s midwinter arts festival, is still rolling through Te Whanganui-a-Tara with a programme built around discovery over comfort: music, food, immersive art, spoken word, film, all leaning into new and site-specific work. A few standouts worth circling. Troy Kingi brings Night Lords, his hip hop chapter from the 10/10/10 series, with a serious lineup of NZ hip hop talent alongside him. The NZSO is teaming up with the Shayne P. Carter songbook for a world premiere — ten tracks reworked in full orchestral colour without losing what made them work in the first place. And if you want something further out, there’s a Japanese psychedelic collective serving up krautrock-and-noise “sonic soup,” plus a Midwinter Solstice Ball on the eve of the solstice itself. Genuinely one of the more interesting festival programmes on the calendar this winter.

The ECOVACS WINBOT has officially become the world’s #1 selling robotic window cleaner, according to IDC data, with global sales passing 2.6 million units since launch. ECOVACS pioneered the category back in 2011, and the tech has had seven generations to mature: edge-cleaning sensors for those annoying corners, a three-nozzle spray system, anti-drop protection, and a safety rope rated to 100kg for anyone running this on a high-rise window. If you’ve got big glass and no desire to balance on a ladder, this is the category to watch. Worth keeping an eye on local availability and pricing for the NZ market.

REL’s new S/850 has taken the top subwoofer gong at the Hi-Fi+ Awards 2026, and the specs make a compelling case. It’s a 12-inch driver with an 850W Class D amp, a carbon fibre-infused acoustic bass radiator, and a cabinet redesigned to go lower and hit harder than the S/812 it replaces. The clever bit is REL’s High Level input — connected directly to your amp’s speaker terminals, so the sub sees exactly the same signal as your main speakers. The result, according to Hi-Fi+’s reviewer, wasn’t just better bass. It was clearer guitars, more defined piano, better-separated vocals. A subwoofer that makes the whole system sound more musical is the only kind worth caring about.

HBO Max launches in NZ on June 16, available as a subscription add-on inside Prime Video. No separate app, no extra login — just a bolt-on to what you likely already have. The content lineup is serious: House of the Dragon season three drops six days later on June 22, plus the full back catalogue of HBO originals, Warner Bros. films, DC, and the Harry Potter universe. The launch price is $10.99/month for Standard (down from $15.99) or $15.99 for Premium (down from $20.99) for the first six months if you’re in before July 16.

Che Fu is heading into Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa — the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame — at the Aotearoa Music Awards on May 28 at The Civic. The induction is well overdue. Che came up through T?maki’s 90s High Street scene, found early success fronting Supergroove as a teenager, then built a solo career that genuinely shaped what Kiwi hip hop sounds like. Chains, Misty Frequencies, Fade Away — these aren’t just hits, they’re part of the national soundtrack. A pioneer of conscious hip hop in Aotearoa, and one of the few local artists whose influence has only grown with time. The ceremony will include a live medley from Che and The Kratez. Worth watching.

Fujifilm has opened the doors to its new House of Photography in Auckland, and this is no poky camera counter with a few lenses under glass. Located at Fujifilm NZ’s Albany HQ, it is the second-largest House of Photography in the world and the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The idea is simple: get people off the spec sheets and into the gear. Visitors can try Fujifilm’s INSTAX, X Series, GFX and film products, get advice from specialists, print images, hire a professional studio, join workshops and check out rotating exhibitions from local photographers and artists.There is also a dedicated GFX Lounge for Fujifilm’s high-end camera systems, plus a hands-on INSTAX zone for anyone who just wants the magic of instant prints without needing a degree in sensor science.
For Auckland creators, this could be a genuinely useful hub. Whether you are printing iPhone shots, levelling up from phone photography, testing serious mirrorless kit, or building content for clients, Fujifilm is giving the city a proper place to touch, learn, shoot and connect.
The Fujifilm House of Photography is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, and Saturday, 10am to 2pm.