News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Penny Ashton’s Promise and Promiscuity Winking Assortment of Fun

Penny Ashton’s Promise and Promiscuity Winking Assortment of Fun

“The fun of Promise and Promiscuity, a pleasant and playful solo musical by New Zealander Penny Ashton, is that the marriage of the two happens so charmingly, without undue exertion in literary deconstruction, reconstruction,…

Heidi Klum Wears Kiwi Design to Emmys

Heidi Klum Wears Kiwi Design to Emmys

Kiwi fashion designer Sean Kelly, who is currently participating in the latest season of Project Runway, had his dress worn by Heidi Klum at this week’s Emmys. The New Zealand designer and Massey…

Vista – New Zealand’s International Software Firm – Rising

Vista – New Zealand’s International Software Firm – Rising

New Zealand’s next big software company Vista Group climbed as much as 3 per cent on its first day of trading, after raising $92.6 million in its IPO last month. The New Zealand-based…

Gym President Sarah Robb O’Hagan Recommends Mindfulness

Gym President Sarah Robb O’Hagan Recommends Mindfulness

Sarah Robb O’Hagan, president of America’s Equinox fitness chain, believes in the links between exercise and confidence, and beauty and strength. Not surprisingly, the New Zealander is also a tri-athlete. But O’Hagan wasn’t always…

Families Turning to Rachael Hale McKenna to Photograph Pets

Families Turning to Rachael Hale McKenna to Photograph Pets

Families are increasingly turning to professional dog photographers like New Zealander Rachael Hale McKenna, to capture their memorable pet portraits. Professional pet photographers in the increasingly competitive business quiz owners about their dogs’ personalities, find…

Tributes for Trailblazing Producer Caterina De Nave

Tributes for Trailblazing Producer Caterina De Nave

The film and television industry has lost “a major figure in the New Zealand television landscape” in Caterina De Nave, who passed away on the weekend, following a long battle with illness, aged 67. De…

Allpress Espresso Takes Its Beans to Tokyo

Allpress Espresso Takes Its Beans to Tokyo

New Zealand coffee roasting company Allpress Espresso is expanding their international chain opening an operation in the Tokyo suburb of Kiba. Allpress has also secured 17 wholesale supply accounts in Japan. Japan is…

Auckland Ties with Melbourne for World’s Friendliest City

Auckland Ties with Melbourne for World’s Friendliest City

It’s great to be a tourist down under, with travellers naming New Zealand and Australia among the best vacation destinations – the cities of Auckland and Melbourne are the friendliest in the world. Kiwis and…

All Blacks Fend off Wallabies for Stalemate in Sydney

All Blacks Fend off Wallabies for Stalemate in Sydney

In a gritty encounter played out in a Sydney rainstorm, Australia held New Zealand to a 12-12 draw in their Rugby Championship opener to prevent the All Blacks from claiming a world record 18th…

Jonathan Conway Takes Snow Study High into Canadian Rockies

Jonathan Conway Takes Snow Study High into Canadian Rockies

New Zealand scientist Jonathan Conway, who holds a PhD in glaciology and climatology from the University of Otago, is in the Canadian Rockies on a two-year posting at the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for…

Kiri Performs Emily Dickinson-Inspired Works at Ravinia

Kiri Performs Emily Dickinson-Inspired Works at Ravinia

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa “is as busy as ever” recently performing works based on American poet Emily Dickinson’s poems at the Ravinia Festival in Illinois. The Ravinia Festival, which has had a long association with…

Trygve Wakenshaw Has Audience Purring in Edinburgh

Trygve Wakenshaw Has Audience Purring in Edinburgh

New Zealander Trygve Wakenshaw, of Squidboy cult fame, takes a skilful tour of an imaginary shape-shifting world at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “It’s hard to get Doctor Brown out of your mind when watching…

Milky Way Glows Over New Zealand in Stunning Photo

Milky Way Glows Over New Zealand in Stunning Photo

Space.com has featured a stunning image of the stars; proving New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to view the night sky. The image, by astrophotographer Amit Kamble, was taken on…

Mulling over Pinot Noir Memories at Te Whare Ra

Mulling over Pinot Noir Memories at Te Whare Ra

Memories are made of New Zealand pinot noir, and one recent memory in particular, according to Tim White of the Australian Financial Review, is the 2012 pinot from Marlborough vineyard Te Whare Ra. “When I…

Jeweller to the Stars Jessica McCormack Picks Her Favourite Haunts

Jeweller to the Stars Jessica McCormack Picks Her Favourite Haunts

Jessica McCormack is a New Zealand-born jeweller based in London. Among the fans of her hand-crafted, fine-diamond pieces are Carine Roitfeld and Rihanna. McCormack picks her favourite stores and eateries for the…

Fassbender to Film in New Zealand

Fassbender to Film in New Zealand

Michael Fassbender is to shoot his new film, The Light Between Oceans, in New Zealand. Despite being set off the Australian coast, Derek Cianfrance’s big-screen adaptation of ML Stedman’s 2012 novel is to be filmed…

Artist Fiona Connor Rethinks Exhibition Spaces at Monash

Artist Fiona Connor Rethinks Exhibition Spaces at Monash

New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based artist Fiona Connor’s major new “collection” show at Melbourne’s Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) articulates, not all collecting institutions are alike. Connor’s description of the museum as “a…

On the Adventure Trail in the Footsteps of William and Kate

On the Adventure Trail in the Footsteps of William and Kate

On a South Island tour of New Zealand in the footsteps of royal couple William and Kate, the Daily Mail’s Katie Nicholl begins in the “quintessentially English city” Christchurch before making her way further…

Kiwi Completes 40km Scottish Loch Swim

Kiwi Completes 40km Scottish Loch Swim

David Dawson has become the first New Zealander to swim solo the length of Loch Lomond in Scotland, the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain. The ex-pat did the swim as…

Bluegrass Singer Marlon Williams Touring Australia

Bluegrass Singer Marlon Williams Touring Australia

Christchurch-born bluegrass singer-songwriter Marlon Williams, 24, made a good impression when he played Mullum Music Festival in New South Wales last year, claiming the title as one of the most talked about acts on…

Second Colossal Squid for NZ Museum

Second Colossal Squid for NZ Museum

Seven years after a New Zealand museum captured the world’s attention with the first colossal squid, a second of the mammoth sea creatures has been added to Te Papa’s collection. Wellington scientists are excited by…

Tuvalu Climate Change Refugees Granted World-First Residency

Tuvalu Climate Change Refugees Granted World-First Residency

A Tuvalu family has been granted residency in New Zealand after claiming to be climate change refugees, saying they would be affected by climate change if they were forced to return home. The family, believed…

Tiffany Singh Dedicates Kathmandu Installation to Mother Earth

Tiffany Singh Dedicates Kathmandu Installation to Mother Earth

New Zealand installation artist Tiffany Singh exhibited at the Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu this month, where she explored the role of seemingly insignificant things that are a part of Nepal’s rich tradition, which…

Michael Volkerling, Cultural Visionary (1948-2014)

Michael Volkerling, Cultural Visionary (1948-2014)

One of the principal architects of New Zealand’s cultural and creative sectors, Dr Michael Volkerling, died suddenly on 13 June, 2014 in Sydney, aged 66. At the time of his death he was Principal…

Supermoon Appears in New Zealand Skies

Supermoon Appears in New Zealand Skies

New Zealand was the first country in the world to see the dramatic supermoon. On Sunday, the full moon reached the point in its orbit that is closest to the Earth, known as perigee. The Guardian…

Swimmer Lauren Boyle Sets New World Record

Swimmer Lauren Boyle Sets New World Record

New Zealand swimmer and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Lauren Boyle has set a new world record in Wellington. Less than a month after taking silver in Glasgow, Boyle broke the 1500m freestyle world record at…

Kate De Goldi Wastes Not a Marvellous Word

Kate De Goldi Wastes Not a Marvellous Word

Acclaimed Christchurch-born author Kate De Goldi’s children’s book, The ACB with Honora Lee is a “marvellous, whimsical tale”. “ surprisingly, takes place mostly in a nursing home. Perry is the daughter…

Kimbra’s Princely Potential Lands Her Major Label Resources

Kimbra’s Princely Potential Lands Her Major Label Resources

Kimbra only intended to stay in Los Angeles for a month, but after she saw an online listing for an urban farm in Silverlake – “20 chickens, eight sheep, three sheepdogs, an outdoor kitchen…

Black Grace Makes Edinburgh Fringe Debut

Black Grace Makes Edinburgh Fringe Debut

Black Grace dance company makes its Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut with a series of performances spanning nearly 20 years. Founder and choreographer Neil Ieremia will steer the troupe through a mixed bill of short…

James McDonald Earns Sydney Jockeys’ Premiership Title

James McDonald Earns Sydney Jockeys’ Premiership Title

Twenty-two year old James McDonald has secured the Sydney jockeys’ premiership title at Warwick Farm Racecourse, with his 71st win on outsider New Zealand-bred Bascule. McDonald started even prior to the race with Nash Rawiller…

Designer Annah Stretton to Show at London Fashion Week Event

Designer Annah Stretton to Show at London Fashion Week Event

New Zealander Annah Stretton is one of five international designers selected to showcase their collections at this year’s London Fashion Week opening event – Splendours of the Commonwealth 2014. At the September event,…

20 Facts About New Zealand

20 Facts About New Zealand

The Huffington Post has written a list of facts about New Zealand for tourists, featuring many things kiwis are proud to claim, from Baldwin Street to bungee jumping. Most of the facts on the list…

Lords of Lightning Electrify Newcastle Skies

Lords of Lightning Electrify Newcastle Skies

New Zealand electrician Carlos Van Camp will brighten the skies over the River Tyne in Newcastle with man-made lightning strikes as part of the Great North Run event. The Great North Run Million Opening Ceremony…

Growing up in NZ Public, Broods Now Hitting the Big Time

Growing up in NZ Public, Broods Now Hitting the Big Time

Broods only started writing music together last year, but the Nelson brother-sister duo, Caleb and Georgia Nott, aged 21 and 19, are being tipped as New Zealand’s next big musical exports. They speak to…

Mature Kiwis Stun Paraguay in U-20 Women’s World Cup

Mature Kiwis Stun Paraguay in U-20 Women’s World Cup

New Zealand have made a dream start to their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Paraguay at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in Canada. The junior Football Ferns have never progressed beyond…

Lorde Adds to Already High-Profile Catalogue with Hunger Games Deal

Lorde Adds to Already High-Profile Catalogue with Hunger Games Deal

Lorde will pen a new lead single for the latest installment of the popular film franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, also overseeing the selections for the soundtrack album, where her single…

Ben Lewis a Finalist in Prestigious UK Interior Design Awards

Ben Lewis a Finalist in Prestigious UK Interior Design Awards

Ben Lewis, of family-owned furniture and design company Trenzseater (pictured right with father, Mark), was a finalist in the prestigious London-based Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year Award. Previous winners include British…

Retirement Village Residents Film Perfect Pharrell Williams Parody

Retirement Village Residents Film Perfect Pharrell Williams Parody

The residents of Diana Isaac Retirement Village in Christchurch have proven that despite any aching joints and stiff hips their dancing shoes are as good as new by creating their own version of Pharrell…

New Zealand Launches Biggest Ever Cultural Charge to Edinburgh Festival

New Zealand Launches Biggest Ever Cultural Charge to Edinburgh Festival

The New Zealand contingent at Edinburgh 2014 includes around 240 actors, dancers, musicians, Maori performing artists, producers and writers. One of these acts is The Factory – described as “the Pacific Les Mis” – exploring…

Scott Dixon Wins 5th Mid-Ohio IndyCar in 8 years

Scott Dixon Wins 5th Mid-Ohio IndyCar in 8 years

New Zealand racer Scott Dixon went from last in qualifying to capture his fifth win at Mid-Ohio in the last eight years. Dixon coasted in on low fuel Sunday to finally end his team’s victory…

Linda Villumesen Takes Time Trial Gold in Glasgow

Linda Villumesen Takes Time Trial Gold in Glasgow

Linda Villumsen, 29, dug deep in the final stages of the time-trial to beat professional cyclist Briton Emma Pooley by six seconds, winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Villumson finished with a time…

Challenge Yourself to a Wellness Adventure at Queenstown’s Aro Ha

Challenge Yourself to a Wellness Adventure at Queenstown’s Aro Ha

At Queenstown’s new wellness retreat Aro Ha, five and seven-day retreat programs offer guests “an unexpectedly rewarding journey of denial and depravation.” “I am on an amazing journey that goes beyond the picture-postcard…

Kiwi Students Win Big at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup

Kiwi Students Win Big at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup

A group of aspiring technologists from the University of Auckland have taken out one of three grand prizes and won $50,000 at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup in Seattle. Kiwi team Estimeet won the Innovation category at…

Broods Setting Hearts Alight – Make Hype Machine’s One to Watch List

Broods Setting Hearts Alight – Make Hype Machine’s One to Watch List

Broods make Hype Machine’s Ones To Watch feature for the second half of 2014, selected under the qualifiers, that it’s their first time on the most-blogged list, and they’ve yet to release a full-length…

Lucy Lawless to Star in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Lucy Lawless to Star in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Former Xena: Warrior Princess Lucy Lawless, 46, will join the cast of American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in an unspecified role later this year. According to TV Line, the show is looking to fill…

Designer Virginia Star Busmann Inspired by Dutch Aesthetics

Designer Virginia Star Busmann Inspired by Dutch Aesthetics

Formerly of Auckland, designer Virginia Star Busmann is the owner of Forestry at Home, a Netherlands-based woollen blanket producer, which sells plaid throws woven at a mill in Lithuania but made from…

Bullrush Hits Blue Water in Whitsundays Airlie Beach Race Week

Bullrush Hits Blue Water in Whitsundays Airlie Beach Race Week

Janine and Anthony Robinson will be racing their Elliott 12 Bullrush in the Performance Division at this year’s Vision Surveys 25th Airlie Beach Race Week on in the Whitsundays, Queensland from 8-15…

Kiwi Directs New Katy Perry Video

Kiwi Directs New Katy Perry Video

Joel Kefali has directed music videos for Lorde, The Naked and Famous and David Dallas – but he’s just released his biggest one yet. The Kiwi director is the man behind Katy Perry’s latest video, This…

Roy Stuart Shapes the World’s Most Expensive Surfboard

Roy Stuart Shapes the World’s Most Expensive Surfboard

New Zealand surfboard designer Roy Stuart has created the world’s most expensive surfboard. Priced at a cool $1.3 million, ‘The Rampant’ is painted with 23-karat gold and made from glossy timber said to…

Helen Clark Joins Fight to Ban Ivory Trading

Helen Clark Joins Fight to Ban Ivory Trading

Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Helen Clark has joined prominent New Zealand business leaders, respected conservationist Jane Goodall, WildAid and the Environmental Investigation Agency – to formally urge the New Zealand…

Revisiting Jane Campion’s Haunting Classic The Piano

Revisiting Jane Campion’s Haunting Classic The Piano

The New Zealand-born director Jane Campion won the 1986 short film Palme d’Or at Cannes with her nine-minute Peel, shared the Palme d’Or for The Piano (with Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine) in 1993,…

How World War Changed Women’s Fashion

How World War Changed Women’s Fashion

An exhibition called The Way We Wore – In Service and On The Street, which has begun online at the New Zealand Fashion Museum, is one of many such exhibits on now throughout…

Rocket Lab launches Commercial Space and Satellite Service

Rocket Lab launches Commercial Space and Satellite Service

New Zealand is bracing to get a big slice of the global satellite launch market with its unique space programme getting ready to blast off by 2015. Peter Beck, founder and CEO of private initiative…

Sainsbury’s Invests in Techion Cloud Technology

Sainsbury’s Invests in Techion Cloud Technology

A small New Zealand-based agri-tech company Techion Group have received a research and development fund from UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s. The grant of 400,000 Euro will go towards further developing Techion’s cloud-based system for diagnosing…

Tongariro National Park Running to Its Own Geological Beat

Tongariro National Park Running to Its Own Geological Beat

“The Tongariro Crossing is regularly called the best day walk in New Zealand, but with big claims come big crowds. At the height of summer, up to 1000 people file across the 19km-long trail…

Britain’s Well-Loved Celebrity Chef Ross Burden

Britain’s Well-Loved Celebrity Chef Ross Burden

New Zealand chef Ross Burden, who became a celebrity in the UK after reaching the final of BBC MasterChef in 1993, has died in Auckland, aged 45 of an infection relating to treatment for…