Counter-Culture with Piña Colada Town
Words by Michael Turnbull (he/him) and Ben Stubbing (he/him)
We are Michael and Ben, the hosts of the Piña Colada Town podcast. In Pina Colada Town, we invite you to uncover areas of Wellington that are overlooked, forgotten, or underrated. The title of the podcast alludes to Rupert Holmes’ song about rekindling the romance of a listless marriage. Analogously, this podcast is a love letter to Wellington, reinvigorating those feelings and ideas that drew so many, including us, to the capital.
One thing that attracts people to Wellington is its artsy, bohemian chic. It’s the vibe. People flock to Wellington year on year—activists, artists, even academics—because Wellington has been historically thought of as the centre of “counter culture.” But will Wellington continue to be the centre of counterculture in Aotearoa?
What do we mean when we say “counter culture”? Some guy in our flat said “it’s a culture of opposition to the mainstream.” It is expressed through different mediums: art, clothes, music, theatre, politics. Examples include punk… we could go on and on.
Many would argue that this beautiful slice of wind is a hotbed of counter culture largely due to Wellington’s position as the nation’s capital. History points to this being the case: protest, edgy haircuts, underground movements, and—most recently—the Freedom Convoy.
The Freedom Convoy illustrated two things. First, Wellington is no longer the centre of counterculture in Aotearoa (if it ever was). Second, counter culture isn’t always pretty. Counterculture is not merely progressive politics. Instead, it is simply a movement in opposition to the general consensus.
To the average Joe-Salient-Reader, “counterculture” may invoke nostalgia for images of Woodstock, Che Guavera, and Te Tiriti rights movements. But no normative claim is made in calling something “counter cultural.” We do not endorse the actions of the Freedom Convoy. The majority of New Zealanders disagreed with them—and that is precisely why it has to be said that it is the clearest example of counterculture in recent history.
Further still, the majority of Wellington's residents—those living and breathing in the supposed counter culture capital of Kiwiana—disagreed with the Convoy, and the destruction of the most under-utilised playground since Huntley McDonald’s spaceship. If a place is a representation of its people, then this place is hardly revolutionary.
Wellington might not be the capital of counterculture anymore, but maybe that’s not awful. A lot of work is still needed to help everyone thrive and feel welcome in Wellington, but the dominant culture in Wellington seems to be gradually becoming one of acceptance, pluralism, and embracing diversity. Maybe becoming mainstream isn’t such a bad thing.