‘Fractured’ society – but New Zealand’s young have hope across difference and distance

Isolation and falling trust is driving disconnection, though under-35s are more optimistic about social cohesion than older people, report finds

Tucked between a tiny restaurant and a small supermarket on Auckland’s colourful Karangahape Road, a laundromat doubling as a music installation offers customers a chance to listen to tunes while their washing completes a cycle.

It is the work of 34-year-old Auckland musician Jefferson Chen and artist Quentin Lind, 32. The pair chose a laundromat – rather than a gallery or online – to share their music while also serving another function: bringing together people from different walks of life.