Kong
The three principal stars of Peter Jackson’s King Kong are raving about the film and its Wellington location before shooting has even begun. Adrien Brody: “The facilities here are incredible … I…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
A weighty story
A feature-length biopic of NZ sporting icon Precious McKenzie is in the works, with London-based Precious UK Ltd and South Africa’s Unital Films International already on board. The screenplay, written by…
Still the Place to Be
NZ is the world’s third most desirable holiday destination, according to Condé Nast Traveller‘s annual Readers’ Awards. Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and Italy complete the top five.
God of the air axe
NZ’s Tarquin ‘The Tarkness’ Keys was named joint winner of the world air guitar championship at the ninth annual Oulu Music Video Festival. Miri “Sonyk-Rok” Park of Finland was initially crowned the victor before…
Sport Swap
NZ U-19 rugby coach, Willy Heretaka, is in talks with Kolkata school leaders about establishing an annual student sporting exchange between NZ and India. “These schools have good sporting facilities,” said Heretaka in the Times. “It will…
Great Southern Land
Atlanta Journal writer takes in the sights down south, comparing the stunning vistas to precious works of art. “There’s a time for visiting hushed museums filled with masterpieces … But getting to know a new destination…
Writer in residence
Wellington-based British author Neil Cross, has made the 2004 Man Booker Prize long-list with his fourth novel, “Always the Sun”. The story tells of a father’s attempts to prevent his son from being…
Top 6 for Black Sticks
The NZ women’s hockey team’s strong showing at the Athens Olympics earned them the final place in November’s six-team Champions Trophy in Argentina. The Black Sticks went to Athens ranked ninth in the world and finished in…
A Change Forecast
Metra, the commercial sector of NZ’s government-owned meteorological service, is helping the BBC propel its TV weather reports into the 21st century. Thanks to cutting edge technology used in video games and the LotR trilogy, viewers will…
Shifting mythology
A study of Peter Jackson’s LotR trilogy by the University of Wales has been extended due to an unexpectedly large public response. More than 25,000 people from all over the world have completed the…
Big Award for Bigger Undertaking
Hamilton-based design and printing company Admark won a World Silver Medal at 2004 New York Festivals Design & Print Advertising Awards, in the Fleet Graphics: Entertainment Promotion category. The award-winning entry was the immense Lord of the…
No vanity project
Observer reviews Other Ways of Speaking, the latest offering from Russell Crowe’s band Twenty Odd Foot of Grunts, and is pleasantly surprised. “hat should be an easy target and, on the face of it,…
Exploring Our Edge
A couple from St Louis give a colourful account of their whirlwind 14-day tour of NZ. “Throughout ‘Kiwiland’ we bumped into geographical quirks, idiosyncratic traditions and a countryside full of surprises: miniature blue penguins; peanut butter on…
Travelers Flock to the Edge
NZ’s booming tourism industry shows no signs of slowing down, with a 20% increase in overseas visitors arriving in July than for the same period last year. According to the Tourism Research Council, tourism will grow by…
Staying Power
Aotearoa has a starring role in wine writer Thom Elkjer’s overview of sauvignon blanc – past and present – for the SF Chronicle. NZ has been a major player in the grape’s popularity since ” out…
Gamble Pays Off
Business Review Weekly dubs Matthew Slatter “Australia’s most admired new chief executive,” thanks to his remarkable transformation of Tabcorp from “a Victorian-centric pokies and wagering minnow to what will soon be the world’s fourth-largest gambling company.” The NZer…
Lucire Gets Respect
SF Examiner lists Lucire alongside Women’s Wear Daily and Lucky as one of the “respected fashion rags” sending representatives to cover this year’s inaugural San Francisco Fashion Week. Based in NZ, the online magazine…
A Long Innings Remembered
Obituaries for Auckland-born British Conservative MP, Sir Trevor Skeet, appeared in both the Independent and Guardian. Independent: “Academia in Britain has been vastly enriched by the infusion of talent from NZ, of whom Ernest Rutherford is…
Underground exposure
A music video by Auckland band The Mint Chicks featured on the inaugural CD sampler by Australian Vice. A free street magazine, Vice originated in the US and has a cult following all over…
King of the Jungle
20-year-old Turanga Merito has assumed the lead role of Simba in the Sydney production of The Lion King, after fellow Kiwi Vincent Harder bowed out for family reasons. The Disney blockbuster draws a minimum…
Making History with Music
NZ composer John Psathas provided much of the music for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens Games, including the climactic moment when the Olympic flame was lit. Born in NZ to Greek…
Cooper Cracks US
Trelise Cooper is the latest NZ designer to come to mainstream US attention, after her work graced the cover of venerable style barometer Women’s Wear Daily. Entitled ‘Southern Charm,’ the accompanying story charts Cooper’s…
Edge awardees
NZ performers Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Ross McCormack were commended at the annual Helpmann Awards in Sydney, August 10. Rhodes was named Best Male Performer in an Opera for his lead role in…
First and Best
Christchurch businesswoman Elizabeth Deuchrass has won the International Partnership Network’s 7th biannual Global Best Award for the Pacific Ocean region – the first NZer ever to do so. Her company – Elizabeth Deuchrass & Associates Ltd –…
Might of the Conchords
“New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk parody act,” Flight of the Conchords (a.k.a Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement), made a triumphant return to this year’s Edinburgh Festival, with a new show entitled ‘Lonely Knights.’…
Interislander
Guardian writer Giles Smith test drives the Gibbs Aquada and pronounces it “the most fun thing that has ever happened to cars.” A shining example of Kiwi ingenuity, the Aquada is the world’s first high-speed amphibian (HSA)…
One to Watch
Kiwi boardsailor David Robertson (18) won gold at the Mistral Youth World Championships in Nessebar, Bulgaria. Team-mate Anna Eason finished fifth in the women’s event. Robertson placed first at last year’s National Youth Champs, sixth in the…
National Anthem or Call to Arms?
Research by Auckland military historian Colin Andrews has cast a new light on NZ’s national anthem, penned by Thomas Bracken in 1876. Andrews believes that the line “Guard Pacific’s triple star” refers to the three stars…
Back from the Brink and Here to Stay
The Herald profiles NZ’s master business tactician, Burns Philip head Graeme Hart. “Were it not for Mr Hart’s charm and reputation for ego-free business dealings, it would be easy to mistake that supreme confidence for arrogance. He…
Graceful Entry
Black Grace made its highly anticipated US debut at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Boston, earning ecstatic reviews from the national press. New York Times: “This modern-dance company from NZ exceeded expectations in…
Best Bubbles
Observer wine critic Tim Atkin champions New World sparkling whites, particularly those from NZ, stating ” every bit as good as most non-vintage champagne and usually considerably cheaper.” According to Atkins, Lindauer Special Brut “consistently delivers the…
Ooh Ah Umaga!
A Rugby Heaven feature charts Tana Umaga’s meteoric rise from early flirtations with rugby league to becoming the All Black’s first Pacific Island captain. “Bob Marley would have seen another rebel in Tana Umaga, a fellow Rastaman,…
Tycoon Teece
Berkeley Planet profiles David Teece, the man dubbed an “economics rock star” by the NZ government and one of the world’s top 50 business intellectuals by global management giant Accenture. As well as advising PM Tony Blair…
Pop with Edge
BritKiwi singer Natasha Bedingfield (sister to Brit Award winner Daniel) is a welcome addition to an increasingly bland, Idol-dominated British pop scene, according to a lengthy Guardian feature. ” possesses that elusive balance of…
Southern Splendour
NY Post writer tours the South Island’s premiere ski sites; Mt Hutt, Cardrona, and Coronet Peak. As well as admiring the area’s “movie star good looks” and local culinary fare, he takes the plunge at Australasia’s highest…
Lord Gazza
Gisborne builder Gary Lewis became the first Maori member of the British Royal Family with his marriage to Lady Davina Windsor at Kensington Palace. Lewis is the son of a former champion sheep-shearer and nephew to writer…
Finn-tastic
The Finn brothers’ headlining performance at Summerstage Central Park thrilled fans and critics alike. NY Times: “Rock bands of brothers aren’t known for amity The Finn Brothers … set out to be the…
Stopping traffic
Cliff Curtis earns praise across the Tasman for his gritty performance in Traffic: The Miniseries. Australian: “By far the best performance is from Maori actor Cliff Curtis. His dark complexion means he is…
Money Makes the Cup Go Around
Alinghi syndicate head Ernesto Bertarelli has provided Team NZ a multimillion dollar “no-strings” loan to ensure their presence at the 2007 America’s Cup. “In view, the regatta would lose some of its appeal without us,” said…
Pure Gold
NZ’s Olympic team kept viewers at home on tenterhooks, waiting until the second week of the Games to begin the medal haul. Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell took gold in the double sculls rowing, Sarah Ulmer beat…
Down but Not Out
Greg Henderson won the 6.25 mile New York City Cycling Championship in miserable conditions, despite suffering a crash half way through the race. “Anything can happen in a crash. It all depends on how you land,”…
Hollywood’s Latest Bad Boy
Karl Urban (LotR, Chronicles of Riddick) has won over US critics with his portrayal of “malignant hit-man Kirill” in the critically acclaimed action sequel, The Bourne Supremacy. According to the Chicago Tribune, “Urban, playing…
Textile success
Promenade by Clare Plug won the Marianne Kor Award for Distinguished International Entry at the 2004 Fibreart International exhibition in Pittsburgh. Two of Plug’s pieces were selected out of 1,600 US and…
Hadlee on Hanmer
Guardian Travel discovers Sir Richard Hadlee’s preferred holiday destination, Hanmer Springs. Hadlee explains his choice in the accompanying interview: “I’ve been going since I was nine, when the whole family would decamp there for holidays. It’s quiet…
Rick Rudd, noteworthy ceramicist
Taipei Times praises NZ potter Rick Rudd’s “heavenly wares” in a review of his exhibition at Page One’s Taipei 101 store. “Rudd does not label his wares, preferring instead for the viewer to provide…
Edge dimension
Textile artist Clare Plug contributed two works to the Fiberart International 2004 biennial, which recently moved to New York’s Museum of Arts & Design from the Pittsburgh Centre of the Arts. A review in…
Mapping the Southern Skies
A Guardian feature uncovers the Wairarapa’s latest tourist attraction: Stonehenge Aotearoa. Built by NZ’s Phoenix Astronomical Society, the henge is a map and calendar for the southern hemisphere’s skies. “The whole objective here is that people can come out…
The world hears our stories
Fracture, an adaptation of Maurice Gee’s novel Crime Story by Larry Parry, is to make its North American debut at the 28th Montreal World Film Festival (26 August 6…
Polar Custodians
NZ’s Antarctic Heritage Trust has unveiled plans to restore and protect huts built by early explorers of the South Pole, including Scott’s Discovery Hut and that of Norwegian-born Carstien Borchgrevink. Norway and the UK have been asked…
Blood Brothers
Cabinet minister John Tamihere has spoken out in the defense of heterosexual “red-blooded blokes” and been heard around the world. Excerpts of his speech at Epsom’s St Peter’s College appeared in the Washington Times, as well as…
In Their Own League
The “Kiwi Super League invasion” continues, with NZ Test centre David Vaealiki signing to Wigan, and Warriors prop Jerry Seu Seu to join the competition next year. Ali Lauitiiti (Leeds), Motu Tony (Castleford), Richard Swain (Hull), David…
Aotearoa Uncovered
Female First delves deeper than the usual travel story, focusing primarily on the geographical and cultural make-up of NZ. “NZ comes with a reputation as a unique land packed with magnificent, raw scenery: craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches,…
Sterling edge
Leading contemporary jewellers from both sides of the Tasman took part in a Melbourne exhibition entitled Cross Pollination. Curated by Vicki Mason (NZ) and Anna Davern (AUS), the brief was to design a modern…
Living Legend
Guardian film writer Diana Dobson visits Whangara, home of the Ngati Konohi people and inspiration behind Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider. Rather than touring the location made famous by Niki Caro’s film adaptation, Dobson focuses on the local…
Super-mini
Age profiles Paul Hakes of Wellington’s Hakes Marine: the man behind super-maxi yacht, Zana. Hakes’ latest project is a 12m racing boat, which he hopes to successfully export to Australia. “It is a modern design, a fast…
Kiwis Clean Up
NZ riders took top honours at the first British Championship motorcycle race, with Josh Coppins winning the title and 19-year-old Ben Townley finishing in second place. “It was a smooth run all the way and I…
