March 9, 2025 • 9 mins
It's the end of an era for the biggest event of Wellington's music scene.
Homegrown festival, held on the capital's waterfront since 2008, will leave the city for good after this weekend's final event.
Festival founder Andrew Tuck joined Nick Mills to discuss the event's legacy, as well as this year's festival which will see Shihad's final ever performance and be held across two days for the first time.
Later this week Nick will speak to Shihad front man Jon Toogood.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk said b.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Little bit she had there going on the background. It's
exciting but sad weekend coming up for Willington. The city
will say goodbye the Homegrown Festival after eighteen years in
the city. Joining us now to talk about the festival's
legacy and what audience can expect this weekend. As festival
director and the man himself behind Homegrown, Andrew.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Tuck, welcome morning, that how are you. I'm good, thank you.
It's all over, just about just about. We'll get another
another five days to build and then it's all on.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Okay, tell us a bit about the lineup this weekend
because it's two days, not one day, so tell us
what's different, what are we going to expect.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
The two day lineup was ready designed to target market
a different audience in Willington. So the Friday night's been
purely set up for with Stan Walker, Schaeffel and the creates,
Lee Matthews and then finale by the Symphony. And the
Symphony has got our forty piece orchestra. They're doing their
full will to a show that they did in Auckland
and around the world. So that's going to be an
(01:21):
absolute amazing lighting show, lasers the whole thing. So just
the main stage, just the main stage. Yeah, so that's
going to be Friday nights, So that's going to be
it's gonna be absolutely massive. Okay, we're really excited about that.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Eighteen years is a long time and I don't want
to go through the memory lane, but but I've got
to ask you what was the most I mean, there's
a moment that really, you know, you'll always when you leave,
when you pack up and the scaffolders take this stuff
away and you drive back home, there'll be a moment
that you think that'll let that will always be synonymous
for me, for Homegrown. What's that moment?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
One of the biggest moments was after COVID and obviously
we'd built the year before and got closed down three
days before when due to run.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Did you have insurance for that?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
No, no, there was no insurance for us. So a
lot of my and they lost And when we opened
in twenty twenty one and the gates opened, there was
tears in the team's eye that we'd finally got it
over the line.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So that'll be the moment that you remember moment.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
We always remember it. It was a beautiful Wellington day. There
was twenty six thousand people there and it was just
absolutely magic.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Have you ever had one of those shitty Wellington days
where absolutely you go, why the that I take Wellington,
the build and the build.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I've had a lot of those, significantly a lot of those.
But we've been very, very fortunate that ninety five percent
of the time we get that that true blue day
one event days. So I've always very grateful when we
thank the Wellington locals and gods for ploying offens.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I've always wanted to ask you this question, why have
you stuck to New Zealand artists?
Speaker 3 (02:53):
In two thousand and eight they said that New Zealand
artists weren't strong enough to push through and we wouldn't
last any more than two years. And we believe that
New Zealand music is very very strong. You know, used
to be played on the radio occasionally. Now it's played,
you know, every be so many songs as a key
we artist and our ability to showcase that is has
(03:15):
been really really important to us and we want to
keep doing that.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Do you find that psychical though? I mean, you know,
I've been around the music industry for a lot longer
than you know than you probably, Yeah, just my ages
looking at you. There's times when there's a whole lot
of really good New Zealand artists. There's times and there's
not and you've got to go back five years or
you know, you've got to look for an artist from
ten years ago to make it. If you ever struggled
with that.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yeah, occasionally occasionally, well we'll look at it, but it's
more we want to try and find an artist that
we can reform or put back together or figure out
how supergrou do that. You know, So someone like a
super Grieve, you know, who's absolutely amazing and they're doing
their tour now as well, which is which is absolutely phenomenal.
When I remember going to see Super Groove and at
the Hill christ Tavern and Hamilton when I was eighteen,
you know, and that was you know, to see them
(03:59):
getting back together and doing some of those things, it's great.
And I think, you know, my kids they'll ride into
news on the music and I've got from eight to
twenty one and they write into it, So I think
it's cool. I think the zeal And music's got a
lot of depth that we haven't even found yet.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
What's u Zild's greatest band in your eyes? Oh oh,
that's a tough one. That's a tough I mean, we've
all got them. I'm super grieving it. Yeah, yeah, I'm
kind of super groove. I think I'm super groove. I
think obviously I had a bit of time to think
about it. What's your favorite New Zealand band in the
eighteen years you've been doing Homegrown.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I don't know if I actually have a favorite, but
I do have one of my one of my favorite
moments two different artists. One was with blind Spot. I
remember watching blind Spot one year and the energy that
they brought on stage just absolutely blew my mind. And
the other one that I thought there to show that again,
I see a lot of music, but the disband was
Kra and Kora's ability to be on stage and wow,
(04:55):
we're crowd. I just sat there, mesmerisis going, well, you
actually have us on the palm of your hand, And
it's those moments that they always remember.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
As a festival director. Those moments are magic, aren't they.
You look at them and I I can see you've
got emotion in your down when you're talking about it,
but you sit back and you go, holy shit, I
created I got this happening.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, absolutely, And you do print yourself sometimes, you know.
You look at and I work in a command center
on the day, which means I'm sitting there with twenty
eight people, you know, please and what have you? Looking
after the festival. But I always take a moment to
get onto their waterfront and just feel the vibe and
see the smiles for five minutes. And as you see
the people walking up and down, laughing and happy and
(05:34):
so many age demographs. You know, you can be sixty five,
seventy and have the day of your life, and you
can be eighteen and have the day of your life.
So I've seen that.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
That's one thing that I think is amazing. And I
said someone on the show a couple of months ago,
and then they said, oh, well, you wouldn't know anything
about it. I said, homegrown. I mean, anyone can go
to home Grind if you're into music. It doesn't matter
what age you are. If you just behave yourself and
do the thing, you're okay.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
One of my mates, one of the workers, Nana's, comes
to daty ninth. She's been coming for the last six years.
Absolutely loves it. I've got my mother in law coming
this year. She said, she is excited at she is
like a fifteen year old going to her first gig.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
A couple of quick months to wrap up. She had's
final gig obviously is huge to Walentonian's You've got them,
You've got their final ever gig. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
It is very cool considering they played our best every show,
so it's pretty pretty monumental that it just ended up
that way. So very excited.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I've got to ask you, I wouldn't be doing my
job if I didn't ask you. I mean, I spent
last Sunday out of Brewtown watching that gig out there,
which was great. Loved it. The word out there amongst
the pros the professionals is one that there was an
issue with you and Willington City Council over the main
stage on top of the car park. They couldn't guarantee
(06:52):
that that would be their long term and you needed that.
True or false?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
That was in discussions.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yes, so I'm true as as closest I'm going to
get to true from you.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
It's been discussing. Obviously, there's a filet in buts and
pieces been planned for there in.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
The future, so they couldn't give you a guarantee for that.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
They could for a few more years. Yes, but that
wasn't good enough for you, No, it was. It was
due to the fact that we have built the festival
to the point that it's it's so good that we
can't make any changes now. So we can't.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
You don't want to change that.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
If we change a stage direction slightly, it's not as efficient.
If we change a bar location, it doesn't work as
good for the audience. So we've used every part of
the waterfront over eighteen years to get it what we
believe bang on. And if we keep doing it exactly
the same way, people start to get a bit bored. Okay,
So that was the read. That's the main and the
(07:44):
main focal reason for doing.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
It, And it's going to Hamilton.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I don't know. I've got I've seen that RFPs a
couple of weeks ago. So we've got eleven different councils
that are all in the in the mix.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Of it seems pretty strong that the people in the
know were saying it's going to Hamilton. Do they know
something that we don't know? I mean, it's kind of
weird that they're talking about it. It's such strong.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I had the CEO of Duneed and Down. He came
and caught up with me last week. So Doug are
very strong and putting a bit in Rotorua has been
very keen. Auckland's very keen. So everybody's everybody's got a fear,
a fear, suck of the sad, so to say. We
just want to make sure that wherever we do go
it continues their legacy and the next band that you know,
(08:26):
they might be someone that's five years old at the
moment that's going to be the next big thing in
eighteen years, which want to provide that platform. I think
you're be able to do their thing.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Can I take time to say thank you on behalf
of Walentonian's. I think that you've done an amazing job.
You've run this incredible, incredible event over many years without
any issues, without people trying to shut you down, close
you down, stop your license, kick you around. You've obviously
got some skill that no one else has been able
to do. We've lost the sevens, we've lost the motor
(08:55):
car racing. We lose events as quick as we get
them here. Never ever been a bad word about you
or your organization, so on behalf of Walentonians. I'd just
like to take a special moment to say thank you
for all you've done for our city and I hope
that one day you'll be back.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Thank you. And again I want to say a massive
thanks to Wellington as I don't live here. We've been
here for a very long time and that's due to
the Council, the Wellington and Z Wellington z are amazing,
the local businesses, the public, the support we've had. We
couldn't have done it without Wellington.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
So break a leg and enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I hope to talk afterwards.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Look forward.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Andrew Tuck, the man behind the great event. Wow, homegrown
no longer going to be homegrown. It's going to be
somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk said b.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Little bit she had there going on the background. It's
exciting but sad weekend coming up for Willington. The city
will say goodbye the Homegrown Festival after eighteen years in
the city. Joining us now to talk about the festival's
legacy and what audience can expect this weekend. As festival
director and the man himself behind Homegrown, Andrew.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Tuck, welcome morning, that how are you. I'm good, thank you.
It's all over, just about just about. We'll get another
another five days to build and then it's all on.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Okay, tell us a bit about the lineup this weekend
because it's two days, not one day, so tell us
what's different, what are we going to expect.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
The two day lineup was ready designed to target market
a different audience in Willington. So the Friday night's been
purely set up for with Stan Walker, Schaeffel and the creates,
Lee Matthews and then finale by the Symphony. And the
Symphony has got our forty piece orchestra. They're doing their
full will to a show that they did in Auckland
and around the world. So that's going to be an
(01:21):
absolute amazing lighting show, lasers the whole thing. So just
the main stage, just the main stage. Yeah, so that's
going to be Friday nights, So that's going to be
it's gonna be absolutely massive. Okay, we're really excited about that.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Eighteen years is a long time and I don't want
to go through the memory lane, but but I've got
to ask you what was the most I mean, there's
a moment that really, you know, you'll always when you leave,
when you pack up and the scaffolders take this stuff
away and you drive back home, there'll be a moment
that you think that'll let that will always be synonymous
for me, for Homegrown. What's that moment?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
One of the biggest moments was after COVID and obviously
we'd built the year before and got closed down three
days before when due to run.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Did you have insurance for that?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
No, no, there was no insurance for us. So a
lot of my and they lost And when we opened
in twenty twenty one and the gates opened, there was
tears in the team's eye that we'd finally got it
over the line.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So that'll be the moment that you remember moment.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
We always remember it. It was a beautiful Wellington day. There
was twenty six thousand people there and it was just
absolutely magic.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Have you ever had one of those shitty Wellington days
where absolutely you go, why the that I take Wellington,
the build and the build.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I've had a lot of those, significantly a lot of those.
But we've been very, very fortunate that ninety five percent
of the time we get that that true blue day
one event days. So I've always very grateful when we
thank the Wellington locals and gods for ploying offens.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I've always wanted to ask you this question, why have
you stuck to New Zealand artists?
Speaker 3 (02:53):
In two thousand and eight they said that New Zealand
artists weren't strong enough to push through and we wouldn't
last any more than two years. And we believe that
New Zealand music is very very strong. You know, used
to be played on the radio occasionally. Now it's played,
you know, every be so many songs as a key
we artist and our ability to showcase that is has
(03:15):
been really really important to us and we want to
keep doing that.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Do you find that psychical though? I mean, you know,
I've been around the music industry for a lot longer
than you know than you probably, Yeah, just my ages
looking at you. There's times when there's a whole lot
of really good New Zealand artists. There's times and there's
not and you've got to go back five years or
you know, you've got to look for an artist from
ten years ago to make it. If you ever struggled
with that.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yeah, occasionally occasionally, well we'll look at it, but it's
more we want to try and find an artist that
we can reform or put back together or figure out
how supergrou do that. You know, So someone like a
super Grieve, you know, who's absolutely amazing and they're doing
their tour now as well, which is which is absolutely phenomenal.
When I remember going to see Super Groove and at
the Hill christ Tavern and Hamilton when I was eighteen,
you know, and that was you know, to see them
(03:59):
getting back together and doing some of those things, it's great.
And I think, you know, my kids they'll ride into
news on the music and I've got from eight to
twenty one and they write into it, So I think
it's cool. I think the zeal And music's got a
lot of depth that we haven't even found yet.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
What's u Zild's greatest band in your eyes? Oh oh,
that's a tough one. That's a tough I mean, we've
all got them. I'm super grieving it. Yeah, yeah, I'm
kind of super groove. I think I'm super groove. I
think obviously I had a bit of time to think
about it. What's your favorite New Zealand band in the
eighteen years you've been doing Homegrown.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I don't know if I actually have a favorite, but
I do have one of my one of my favorite
moments two different artists. One was with blind Spot. I
remember watching blind Spot one year and the energy that
they brought on stage just absolutely blew my mind. And
the other one that I thought there to show that again,
I see a lot of music, but the disband was
Kra and Kora's ability to be on stage and wow,
(04:55):
we're crowd. I just sat there, mesmerisis going, well, you
actually have us on the palm of your hand, And
it's those moments that they always remember.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
As a festival director. Those moments are magic, aren't they.
You look at them and I I can see you've
got emotion in your down when you're talking about it,
but you sit back and you go, holy shit, I
created I got this happening.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, absolutely, And you do print yourself sometimes, you know.
You look at and I work in a command center
on the day, which means I'm sitting there with twenty
eight people, you know, please and what have you? Looking
after the festival. But I always take a moment to
get onto their waterfront and just feel the vibe and
see the smiles for five minutes. And as you see
the people walking up and down, laughing and happy and
(05:34):
so many age demographs. You know, you can be sixty five,
seventy and have the day of your life, and you
can be eighteen and have the day of your life.
So I've seen that.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
That's one thing that I think is amazing. And I
said someone on the show a couple of months ago,
and then they said, oh, well, you wouldn't know anything
about it. I said, homegrown. I mean, anyone can go
to home Grind if you're into music. It doesn't matter
what age you are. If you just behave yourself and
do the thing, you're okay.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
One of my mates, one of the workers, Nana's, comes
to daty ninth. She's been coming for the last six years.
Absolutely loves it. I've got my mother in law coming
this year. She said, she is excited at she is
like a fifteen year old going to her first gig.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
A couple of quick months to wrap up. She had's
final gig obviously is huge to Walentonian's You've got them,
You've got their final ever gig. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
It is very cool considering they played our best every show,
so it's pretty pretty monumental that it just ended up
that way. So very excited.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I've got to ask you, I wouldn't be doing my
job if I didn't ask you. I mean, I spent
last Sunday out of Brewtown watching that gig out there,
which was great. Loved it. The word out there amongst
the pros the professionals is one that there was an
issue with you and Willington City Council over the main
stage on top of the car park. They couldn't guarantee
(06:52):
that that would be their long term and you needed that.
True or false?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
That was in discussions.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yes, so I'm true as as closest I'm going to
get to true from you.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
It's been discussing. Obviously, there's a filet in buts and
pieces been planned for there in.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
The future, so they couldn't give you a guarantee for that.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
They could for a few more years. Yes, but that
wasn't good enough for you, No, it was. It was
due to the fact that we have built the festival
to the point that it's it's so good that we
can't make any changes now. So we can't.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
You don't want to change that.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
If we change a stage direction slightly, it's not as efficient.
If we change a bar location, it doesn't work as
good for the audience. So we've used every part of
the waterfront over eighteen years to get it what we
believe bang on. And if we keep doing it exactly
the same way, people start to get a bit bored. Okay,
So that was the read. That's the main and the
(07:44):
main focal reason for doing.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
It, And it's going to Hamilton.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I don't know. I've got I've seen that RFPs a
couple of weeks ago. So we've got eleven different councils
that are all in the in the mix.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Of it seems pretty strong that the people in the
know were saying it's going to Hamilton. Do they know
something that we don't know? I mean, it's kind of
weird that they're talking about it. It's such strong.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I had the CEO of Duneed and Down. He came
and caught up with me last week. So Doug are
very strong and putting a bit in Rotorua has been
very keen. Auckland's very keen. So everybody's everybody's got a fear,
a fear, suck of the sad, so to say. We
just want to make sure that wherever we do go
it continues their legacy and the next band that you know,
(08:26):
they might be someone that's five years old at the
moment that's going to be the next big thing in
eighteen years, which want to provide that platform. I think
you're be able to do their thing.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Can I take time to say thank you on behalf
of Walentonian's. I think that you've done an amazing job.
You've run this incredible, incredible event over many years without
any issues, without people trying to shut you down, close
you down, stop your license, kick you around. You've obviously
got some skill that no one else has been able
to do. We've lost the sevens, we've lost the motor
(08:55):
car racing. We lose events as quick as we get
them here. Never ever been a bad word about you
or your organization, so on behalf of Walentonians. I'd just
like to take a special moment to say thank you
for all you've done for our city and I hope
that one day you'll be back.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Thank you. And again I want to say a massive
thanks to Wellington as I don't live here. We've been
here for a very long time and that's due to
the Council, the Wellington and Z Wellington z are amazing,
the local businesses, the public, the support we've had. We
couldn't have done it without Wellington.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
So break a leg and enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
I hope to talk afterwards.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Look forward.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Andrew Tuck, the man behind the great event. Wow, homegrown
no longer going to be homegrown. It's going to be
somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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