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This article discusses the Wellywood Romantic Comedy series (2015-2016) by New Zealand author Kate O’Keeffe as localized versions of the global chick-lit format. The novels filter prototypical concerns of the genre through a specific cultural nationalist lens and explore questions of national identity through their unique urban setting. I read the novels in the context of the city-branding initiatives aimed at consolidating New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, as a creative city. I also argue that the novels construct their protagonists as prototypical Kiwi heroines who confront their problems displaying prototypical Kiwi values like ingenuity, resourcefulness and pragmatism. Whereas the Wellington setting serves to interrogate the dominance of western chick-lit mega-cities, the discussion of local identity predicaments reveals exciting thematic expansions of the original formula. Yet, the novels’ potential to innovate is limited because both the urban setting and the identity predicaments of the characters reinforce mainstream visions of the city and the country’s hegemonic cultural narratives.

The policies and practices of creative cities are transitioning from a more externally focused and neoliberally oriented creative agenda toward local, place-based approaches that are grounded in the principles of social and cultural inclusion, participation, and diversity. However, little research has specifically examined the tensions, trade-offs, and opportunities cities might face in this transition. This research explores the creative dynamics of Wellington, New Zealand’s creative capital, pursuing a more inclusive and community-oriented policy. Using a case study approach, we identified seven key themes critical to supporting more inclusive and place-based creative city policies: affordability; availability of creative and cultural infrastructure; a supportive built environment; celebration of Indigenous culture and creative expression; support for inclusion and diversity; reliable funding resources and supportive regulations and processes; and grassroots community innovators. We developed these themes by considering both Wellington’s creative city policies and the existing creative dynamics of the city, which provide implications and recommendations for other cities experiencing similar transitions in their creative city policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenspaces and urban trees play an important role in moderating and improving urban environments to make them more comfortable and healthy for people. While trees provide important wellbeing benefits to people, urban planning and maintenance practices can create inhospitable and stressful environments where trees are unable to flourish or reach their potential. As the impacts of climate change intensify, the health of urban trees will become increasingly important. To explore how planning and maintenance practices are affecting urban trees, we draw on a case study of 31 street and park trees adjacent to high-use pedestrian areas in Wellington, New Zealand. We analysed these trees using six key factors that influence tree health to identify how planning and maintenance practices could be adjusted to support tree health and ecosystem function. We suggest that the six key factors have planning and maintenance implications for urban trees which are relevant to a variety of urban contexts, but particularly space-constrained urban streets requiring multiple functions and infrastructure. We argue that as climate impacts intensify, using these six key factors can help promote urban tree health and ecosystem function and avoid mal-adaptive planning and maintenance practices.