Auckland's new wizard will soon be taking to the streets in his robes. Doug Robertson is an apprentice of the Wizard of New Zealand.

Doug Robertson might look like he's dressed for Halloween, but his pointy hat, robe and magical staff are actually a year-round costume.

Because the 25-year-old is in training to be a wizard. Yes, a real-life wizard.

The musician and performer became an official apprentice of The Wizard of New Zealand, a well-known figure in Christchurch since the 1970s, six months ago and has already got used to kids calling out to him as he walks the suburban streets of Stonefields in his mystical garb.

JASON DORDAY/STUFF Doug Robertson, 25, decided he wanted to follow the wizard path five years ago.

"A lot of the time they jump straight to comparing me to Harry Potter. But, for the ones that are more inquisitive, I'm always open for a chat on philosophy or magic or anything like that."

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At 25, Robertson is the youngest of The Wizard's six apprentices – and the only one in the North Island (four live in the South Island and one in Virginia in the US).

Fascinated as a child by religion and mythology, the self-confessed "theatre nerd" first came across The Wizard, who was given his official title by then Prime Minister Mike Moore in 1990, when he moved to Christchurch for high school.

By the time he was 20, Robertson had decided he also wanted to follow the path of wizardry and contacted The Wizard to let him know.

But as he was busy finishing his music degree in Auckland and then carving out a career as a professional musician, the two only met sporadically.

JASON DORDAY/STUFF Also a professional musician, Robertson likes the fun the wizard role offers and the possibility to "shake things up".

It wasn't until he was down in Christchurch this year that Robertson had a hunch things might be about to change. He visited The Wizard, and was officially accepted as an apprentice.

His first task? "To wear the garb, do wizardry in public, feel it out."

There's no set training or reading. Instead, wizards draw on concepts from many disciplines, including psychology, sociology and philosophy, as well as developing their own ideas.

JASON DORDAY/STUFF There is no set training to be a wizard, and they draw on many influences.

Deputy Wizard Ari Freeman said the group wasn't a religion and it was important for wizards to strike out in their own directions. "Each wizard has to get out and do something in the world themselves on their own."

Street performers have been around for centuries, often providing a social commentary on the current state of affairs, AUT's popular culture research centre director, associate professor Lorna Piatti-Farnell said.

The idea of magic not only captured the imagination but provided a "platform" for discussion, Piatti-Farnell said.

"While we may perceive them of course as counterculture, and in a way they are, they are also very much in keeping with what is the foreground of our cultural context.

"They can be very topical, very now. Very pertinent to the anxieties that we're actually experiencing, whether they are political anxieties, social anxieties and so on."

In November, Robertson and Freeman will be taking to the streets of Auckland with their own blend of music and magic.

JASON DORDAY/STUFF Wearing the wizard 'garb' in public is part of the first stage of Robertson's training.

It's a first step for Robertson on his journey to becoming a wizard and towards his ambition to also become a living work of art.

But fun was still very much at the heart of wizardry – something human yet "completely off the wall", he said.

"That's ultimately the goal – to promote wholesome fun as an authentic motivator to action."