Nick Tansley: Renowned Wellington Christmas entertainer on whether Wellington's Christmas spirit is dying

Auckland has a beautiful big tree in their CBD, and thousands upon thousands lined the city's streets yesterday for their annual Santa parade. 

But here in Wellington, we have a few cheap lighting trusses as a tree and the days of the big city Christmas parade are long gone. 

It led Nick to ask - is the Christmas spirit in Wellington dying? 

For his thoughts, renowned Wellington Christmas entertainer and former broadcaster Nick Tansley joined the show to give his thoughts. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said b Nick Tansley, you were the man behind the
one of the greatest long term events in Wellington, Carol's
by Candlelight. They were iconic. People all out New Zealand
used to talk about even people talked about it overseas.
You had overseas guests sometimes when they were in town appearing.
You had all the talent that you could possibly put together,

(00:33):
and it started on the back of a was it
a raft or a tug or something. I remember the
very very first one. It's over forty years ago. You
know why I know that, Nick, because I had the babysit,
a six months old son while my wife went and
sung with you.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
That's right, you're lovely, Gina, brilliant, brilliant singer. She was too.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
So tell me why why do we not have those
sort of events in Warnington? Why have we lost our
big Christmas spirit?

Speaker 3 (01:00):
That's a very interesting question because there's still Christmas spirits.
I mean is it's everywhere because the children keep getting
born and they reached the same age where Christmas means
huge amounts to them. But life, I suppose has changed
of what the expectation has been for doing big events.

(01:22):
They used to actually be events that everybody would give generously,
nobody got paid, and we would all just turn up.
It didn't matter whether you had a truck or if
you had a sound system or you had some talent.
You would turn up and you would just say, hey,
Willington needs a bit of Christmas. Who's in And that's

(01:42):
how a lot of those things started. And it was
and that was the nucleus to them.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Could we bring them back, could we do the big events?
Could we go back to Orange Bay and start again
and put a raft out there? What was it? What
did you play on the first time?

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Well, actually, way back then it was the Onslow Brass Band,
or they became the Evening Post Brass Band, I think,
and they were all doing it, doing it and it
was on the back of a truck. And I remember
there was no health and safety in those days to
the same extent, so they didn't even let the Oriental

(02:17):
Bay people know they were having a concert. And when
it got completely filled up and buses couldn't get through,
it was about then that they realized that they probably
need to put some things in place. But that's how
these things would occur. And you see, it's just very
different now. Anything has to take months to even ask

(02:38):
permission to put something festive on a street in the
middle of Wellington.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Doesn't it disappoint you as a promoter because they were
such great events? And I know you worked very, very
hard at it. You were a morning breakfast host on
ZM and you had that gag and you were meeting
people all over I used to see you all over
town meeting with people, sponsors and business people to make
it happen. It was a lot of work, wasn't it.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, Yeah, but it was people had that kind of
let you know, let's do stuff attitude, and and sponsors
were easier to find, and they had a bit more
money to spend on things that were good for their profile.
I think it's just it's just become more serious.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Why why do we? I mean, we can't. We can't
let it go? Are we going to bring the Christmas
bird back?

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Don't we?

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (03:28):
I've always been for that, and people ask me every year,
surely you've had enough of doing Christmas as you getting older?
That can I say, Well, to be honest, I might have,
but not the children that stand in front of me
every year. They don't. They don't get bored. If anything,
it sets them off, makes them feel that we're doing something.
And then the parents they see the fun of seeing

(03:52):
center with a three year old four year old screaming,
yelling and jumping and being incredibly shy, and they love it,
don't we Parents absolutely love it and grandparents absolutely love it.
So is it a interesting I think the market is there,
it's huge, never going to change. But the way in

(04:13):
which I think we go about some of these things
almost as you say no before you can say yes.
In some towns and cities.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Right now, I know that you always do something. You're
always putting something together for Christmas because you're so popular.
So what have you got on this year for Christmas?
And what can people look forward to you performing?

Speaker 3 (04:32):
Well? I still detuned years ago down to a little
red trailer that I took some musicians on, and I
remember one year we did twenty seven little we know
pop up carol shows around Wellington. I've been doing that now,
it's supposed for fifteen years and I still do it
around in about I think we're involved in the Christmas
in the quarters. Fantastic campaign, which I think starts or yes,

(04:56):
darts this Saturday.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
I think it started last week. I think Katrina said
she went to one. She went to one last weekend.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
So yeah, there's one on Glover Street for instance, or
Glover Park that's on Saturday. Involved in that. I'm doing
one in Karori, which is the Business Association put on.
I'm doing actually one in Carleton, one in Upper Huts
and one in Polydrua. So they do, you know, we

(05:22):
do get around doing them and they're promoted through their
own usually thrown councils. The big thing I suppose that
everyone's been aware of is we don't have a saner
parade anymore as such, and yet yet Auckland, somehow, which
is hats off to them, have found a way to
sort of make theirs or make it, give it a rebirth,

(05:45):
and it will be probably bigger than it's ever been.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
It was. I watched it on TV last night and
I just had jealousy in my head. I just sid
that's what exactly what Warrington was. That's what got me
talking about today. I thought of all the great events
we used to have, and you know they were all coordinated.
Carol's one week and next week we do the big
Walk downtown, you know, the big Para Aid. Then the
following week we do something else. Just lost it. Nick.

(06:10):
Always a pleasure to talk and keep up the good work.
I know that you do. A lot of people in
the city have got amazing respect and love for you
for all the stuff that you've done for so so
many years, and they are always great events. So we
do love you and appreciate you for everything you do.

Speaker 3 (06:27):
Thanks, you're a Jim, and Merry Christmas to you, even
though it might seem a little early.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
When do you start saying Mary Christmas for people.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
From about now? And it annoys them to the start
of Vicember at the start of the Zebra, and then
that seems okay.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, I reckon after December one December we start played
carols of one December, so I think that's where it starts.
But year, just keep up your good work and appreciate
you coming on and talking to us.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
Thanks next seeing you out there all right.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
Nick Tansey here, what a great well in Tody. I
love Nick Tansley. I have so much respect for the guy.
He does all that stuff, but all that work, but
just because he believes in it. Just because he wants
to make it happen.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
Or from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills. Listen live to
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