Digital learning specialist at Nōku te Ao Capital E, Finn Culver.
Finn Culver is a digital learning specialist at Nōku te Ao Capital E.
The first time I came across Nōku te Ao Capital E I was a pirate.
I was in Year 7 at South Wellington Intermediate School and a bunch of us were invited to meet the Nōku te Ao Capital E team, who had come to our school to help us make a short film. Over a few days we brainstormed, travelled around the city in a van, filming ‘SWIS Family Robinson’, a parody trailer of the 1960s movie and when it was finished we screened it for the school on a cinema screen.
It gave me an insight into writing, filming and editing and the blueprint to start making my own movies on my phone. A couple of years later I sold my precious super-realistic lightsaber to invest in a DSLR video camera and entered the Roxy 5 Short Film Competition, a five-minute film festival for Year 7 to 13s run by Miramar Creative and Nōku te Ao Capital E. My first effort was a zombie movie, but the next year I took it seriously and made a film about kids arriving at a bus stop, each having dealt with a pretty grim experience before they get there – anorexia, abuse, neglect. There’s another kid waiting at the bus stop, but when they get on the school bus he’s left behind because he hasn’t got the fare and it turns out he’s been sleeping at the bus shelter all night. That film, Shelter, won the grand prize which gave me a massive budget to make it properly and connected me with incredible film industry professionals in Wellington.
A young Finn Culver.
The Roxy 5 is no longer running, but that experience set me on the path to studying part-time for a Bachelor of Screen Arts at Massey University, and a year ago I came full circle back to Nōku te Ao Capital E as a digital specialist.
In OnTV we give ākonga/students the opportunity to film live news shows. Everyone has a designated role which includes director, presenter, auto-cue operator and vision mixer. We provide instructions and give the class time to practice before recording a dress rehearsal which we play back and critique, so everyone can think about what they want to keep doing or change and how to improvise when things go wrong, before we film the final show. Some of the quieter kids are absolutely magic when they find a role that suits them.
Before my experience with Nōku te Ao Capital E I didn’t have a lot of confidence, and I wasn’t very outspoken. But when I got my hands on a camera I found my voice with writing, directing, editing and visual effects.
An artist’s impression of the nīkau palms on Harris St, outside the new Wellington central library, due to open in 2026. It will host Nōku te Ao Capital E when it reopens. Wellington City Council.
I love giving young people the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, try something they might excel at and understand what they are capable of doing. We’re excited about moving into Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui the Central Library next year, as we continue to support our young explorers/kaihōpara and provide pathways to keep them moving towards creative careers.
Maybe in time, some of them will be back to inspire the next generation.
We celebrate creativity at Nōku te Ao Capital E. We’re fundraising as we move back to Te Ngākau Civic Square and play a role in revitalising the heart of our city. Bring the whānau to our event this weekend, and help us inspire and invest in our future leaders.