What's On

Festival

The DOCNZ Film Festival is happening in Auckland right now, before events in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in the next few months. The festival, a yearly event, will showcase some of the best local and international documentaries of the moment, including Turning the Tide, pictured. Film-makers will attend many of the screenings for people who want to discuss the topics a little further.

DOCNZ 2006 Festival - Rialto and Academy Cinemas, Auckland, until Sunday, see docnz.org.nz for more info

Show

There's plenty of action at the Auckland Home Show until Sunday, with 600 exhibitors there to show you what's new. There are cooking displays, property seminars, interior design ideas, advice on creating a "digital home", plus lots more. As well, there are plenty of competitions with thousands of dollars of appliances and trips as prizes.

Auckland Home Show - ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, until Sunday, tickets $12-$16 from iTicket, see Aucklandhomeshow.co.nz for more info

Dance

A dance commissioned for the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna will be previewed this week at SkyCity Theatre. The festival is based around the question: "How would Mozart compose today?' That gives a clue to the nature of this piece. The work of choreographer Lemi Ponifasio, influenced by New Zealand and the Pacific, is titled Requiem, a reference to one of Mozart's major achievements.

Requiem - SkyCity Theatre, September, tomorrow until Sunday, 8pm, tickets $29-$45, from Ticketek

Joint Effort

Kiwi band Shapeshifter will join forces with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra on Saturday at the St James for a concert reminiscent of a gig with the APO at the Auckland Domain last year. Shapeshifter, with its distinctive electronica, will be offering a mix of older material and new songs from their recently released album, Soulstice. If you missed getting tickets for Saturday's show, there's a Shapeshifter gig on Sunday at Studio, K Rd.

Shapeshifter with the APO - St James, Auckland ($45), Saturday; Shapeshifter with The Turnaround DJs, Studio, K Rd ($32), Sunday, tickets from TicketDirect, Real Groovy

TV Rock

England's Top of the Pops TV show has been canned but Auckland now has a great alternative - Alt TV's Top Of The Rocks. The Rabble, Badtown and At A Loose End play tomorrow at Space in Newmarket for a punk special. The footage will be screened Sunday night at 8pm on Alt TV. Rock along to the gig and you might see yourself on TV.

Top of the Rocks - Space, 6 Osbourne St, Newmarket, tomorrow

Learn

The inaugural Book Month begins on September 18 with simultaneous lunch-time launches at Aotea Square in Auckland, on the steps of Parliament in Wellington, and in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. People are encouraged to come along and donate a book for the Books In Homes programme. Book Month director Phil Twyford hopes to "reintroduce the world of New Zealand literature to every New Zealander".

Book Month - Sep 18-Oct 15, see NZBookmonth.co.nz for more info.

Exhibition

The Navy's anniversary will soon be celebrated in a collaboration between the Royal New Zealand Navy Museum and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Called Year of the Veteran , it will mark the 65th anniversary of the Navy. Nikki Payne's photographs of Navy vets show them each holding a photograph of themselves relating to the circumstances in which they earned the medals they wear. From World War II to campaigns and operations in the Persian Gulf, East Timor and Afghanistan, there are plenty of stories to be discovered here.

Navy Veterans in Focus 1941-2006,

Photographs by Nikki Payne - tomorrow until November 12, Pictorial Gallery, Level Two, Auckland Museum

Hip-hop

Michael Franti and Spearhead play the St James tomorrow, so expect lyrics with political and social messages from a man who has just put out a documentary of his travels in the war-ravaged Middle East. Rest assured this won't be a lecture, with dancing shoes required if some of the bouncy rock-funk tracks from his latest album Yell Fire are anything to go by. Support from dub/rock Kiwi powerhouse Kora.

Michael Franti and Spearhead, with Kora - St James, Auckland, Friday, doors 7.30pm, tickets $64 from TicketDirect

Family

The public has a chance to take a look behind the scenes of Auckland's Civic Theatre this weekend. The Civic Open Days are part of the Auckland Heritage Festival, and include tours, films, panel discussions and live music. There's plenty of entertainment for the kids too, with a treasure hunt and a crafts room. It's your opportunity to hear some of the stories, from the days of the legendary dancer Freda Stark to today.

The Civic Open Days - Civic Theatre, Auckland, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-1pm, free, ph (09) 307 5479 for more info