Obscure Podcast Get Flushed Rated Highly
“Many is the podcaster who talks crap, but New Zealander Pete (perhaps understandably, he prefers not to share his surname) gets down and dirty with actual effluent in Get Flushed,” Fiona Sturges writes in…
Blog Archives
Toymaker Zuru Makes Big Sales with Mini Brands
There were sceptics in 2019 when New Zealand-based toy company Zuru unveiled its toy line featuring miniature grocery store items, replicated in exact detail, but shrunk to a tiny fraction of their normal size,…
Howick Partners with US Construction Company
Together with New Zealand-based steel framing machinery designer and manufacturer Howick, Massachusetts company Windover Construction are renovating a century-old YMCA building in the US city of Beverly. By way of an Autodesk programme, Windover…
Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner Backs Diversity
New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner, the first openly gay ambassador to Korea whose same-sex spouse is recognised by the Korean government, was interviewed recently by Korea Times journalist Kwon Mee-yoo about New…
Wellington-Made Jemaine Clement Comedy Explained
New Zealand-born comedian Jemaine Clement breaks down Wellington Paranormal for Vanity Fair and gives the Americans a crash course in New Zealand humo(u)r. The series will also introduce American audiences to the Māori language, Brian Ng…
Jamie Beaton’s Online High School Gains Traction
More and more Australian students are signing up to study at Crimson Global Academy, a new private, online high school founded by New Zealander Jamie Beaton, that is offering British school-leaving qualifications to students…
CrossFit Laura Clifton Wisconsin-Bound
Twenty-six-year-old Laura Clifton, who runs a gym with her fiancée in Melbourne, will represent New Zealand at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games on from 27 July until 1 August in Wisconsin, United States. Although Clifton qualified…
Lorde Sings Solar Power atop Ed Sullivan Theater
New Zealand pop singer Lorde, 24, was the musical guest on a recent episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where she performed the title track from her forthcoming album Solar Power, NME’s…
NY Gallery Exhibits Susan Te Kahurangi King
“A small feast of King’s extraordinary drawings is currently part of an absorbing and knowledgeably assembled group show at the Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York,” Sanford Schwartz writes…
Authors Like Mansfield Found Solace in S France
“The shimmering azure of the Mediterranean, the dark green of the cypress trees, the scent of thyme, the sound of cicadas on the terrace at dusk … don’t we feel the pull of the…
We Show Australia How to Tackle Housing Dilemmas
“While the debate about house prices is stuck in a holding pattern in Australia (with governments too scared to do anything too radical for fear of upsetting homeowners, and regulators averse to dealing with…
Local TV Shows Enlightening US Audiences
New Zealand and Australia “have long been in the business of making excellent television that American audiences really would dig,” Alexis Gunderson reports for entertainment news site, Vulture. “Never before have there been so…
Māori-Influenced Umurangi Generation Compelling
“Umurangi Generation is as much a game of hide-and-seek as of photography: just as much time is spent exploring the warren-like scenes in order to locate the next item in the brief,” The Observer’s…
Celebrate Astronomically-Based Matariki
A story about Māori New Year, when the constellation Matariki is first visible in the morning sky, features in Forbes this week. The date of the inaugural Matariki public holiday has been announced by…
Oceanographer Kerry Black Helps Save India’s Beaches
Puducherry in India is a seaside city of nearly one million people. This 40km strip of coastline, divided into seven zones, used to be home to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches. But…
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard a Reluctant Trailblazer
Aucklander Laurel Hubbard, 43, is preparing to become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics, reigniting debate on one of the most divisive issues in sport, Agence France-Presse reports for a story…
New Zealand Wins the ICC Mace Beating India
“India’s revered superstars failed to dazzle on ‘D-Day’ as New Zealand’s canny operators and their classy skipper Kane Williamson deservingly walked away with the inaugural World Test Championship title after a composed eight-wicket win…
First Look at Sam Neill in The Portable Door
Good news for fans of magic, adventure, and comedy: ArtsHub now has its first look at The Portable Door, Stan and Jim Henson Company’s comedic fantasy-adventure, which stars New Zealander Sam Neill and Austrian-German…
Celebrate South Asian Creatives with Anita Chhiba
Anita Chhiba, the New Zealand-born, London-based founder of Diet Paratha, an Instagram account and online “corner store”, is dedicated to celebrating the full range of talents across the South Asian diaspora run by creatives…
Lorde’s Just Scratching the Surface of Her Powers
Lorde is back and the world’s media is clamouring for interviews. This latest is from The Guardian’s deputy music editor, Laura Snapes, who speaks with the pop star about her forthcoming third album Solar Power,…
Chef Thomas Hishon Highlights Sustainable Seafood
Auckland chef Thomas Hishon grew up living an idyllic life most people would envy, Forbes contributor Lizzy Saxe writes. “I’m from rural New Zealand … both sides of my family were quite involved with farming…
WestJet CEO Ed Sims to Retire
WestJet Airlines chief executive officer New Zealander Ed Sims will retire at the end of the year. Sims, who joined the Calgary-based carrier in 2017 and became CEO in 2018, led the airline through…
Martin Gane Converts Victorian Pigsty
For a builder to have a penchant for Grandma’s 1950s dainty, flowery teacups is somewhat peculiar, but for New Zealander Martin Gane, an artisan builder, and his English wife, the interior designer Elle Kemp,…
Insect Tracking Drones Boost Rare Bug Conservation
A “swarm” of bug-tracking drones and tiny radars are being developed at the University of Canterbury to help conservation of rare insects in New Zealand, Phil Mercer reports for Voice of America. Researchers hope it…
Artist David Boyce Exhibits in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Karin Weber Gallery has announced a joint exhibition by New Zealander David Boyce and China’s Hiu Tung Lau, two artists in dialogue who between them cover a multitude of artistic expressions and…
Economist Adulation Has Auckland Residents Puzzled
It boasts beautiful beaches, a temperate climate and a multicultural population that has fostered an eclectic mix of food, music and arts. But is Auckland, a remote outpost in the South Pacific, really the world’s…
Photographer Robin Hammond Hands Camera to Refugees
New Zealander Robin Hammond has spent two decades crisscrossing the developing world and telling other people’s stories, Guardian correspondent Lizzy Davies writes. For his latest project the award-winning photographer has embarked on a paradigm…
Starstruck Another Triumph for New Zealand Comedy
“Australians have known for decades that New Zealanders are the funniest people in the world: we’ve been claiming hilarious Kiwis as our own since John Clarke crossed the ditch in the ’70s,” Ben Pobjie…
New Zealanders Flock Home to the Edge
More than 50,000 New Zealanders who have returned home during the pandemic, offering the country a rare opportunity to win back some of its best and brightest, Charlotte Graham-McClay writes in a feature published…
Apple’s Zane Lowe the Great Communicator
When Apple launched its music streaming service in 2015, it hired New Zealander Zane Lowe to be, effectively, its face and voice. Apple Music may not do Spotify numbers but, in Lowe, they have…
Chalmers Brothers Promote Band With Car Wash
Originally from Hawkes Bay, the Los-Angeles-based Chalmers brothers, who perform as indie rock band Emperors Night, are promoting themselves by washing cars for free in exchange for a follow in their Instagram page, Richard…
Brilliant New Zealand Show England the Way
“England’s dismal second-Test defeat was confirmed inside an hour on the fourth morning at Edgbaston, giving New Zealand a 1-0 series win,” Stephan Shemilt reports for the BBC. “It is England’s first home series defeat…
Study Suggests Māori First to Encounter Antarctica
Māori explorers could have been the first humans to set eyes on Antarctica as far back as the 7th century, a new study suggests, even though for the past 200 years, tales of discovering…
Ballroom Culture Transforms QTPOC Community
Safe spaces for QTPOC communities in a country seen by the rest of the world as progressive are rare, but trans women are finding space and solace in Auckland’s balls, Beatrice Hazlehurst reports for…
New Zealand Signs Space Agreement with NASA
New Zealand has announced it is the latest country to sign a space agreement with NASA, just as the country’s nascent space industry begins to take off, Associated Press correspondent Nick Perry reports. New Zealand became…
No Master Plan for Makeup Maestra Lisa Eldridge
While two million-plus subscribers certainly earns her the label, ‘YouTuber’ doesn’t quite cover the laundry list of Auckland-born Lisa Eldridge’s professional accomplishments, Lela London writes for Forbes. As a makeup artist, Eldridge, 46, has spent…
Packaging Queen Rebecca Percasky Charms Cartier
New Zealand-based entrepreneur Rebecca Percasky launched sustainable packaging company The Better Packaging Co. after years spent working in e-commerce left her feeling disillusioned by the amount of plastic waste her industry was creating, Yeong…
Lorde’s Sunny New Single a Lesson in Patience
“Lorde has said she was ‘waiting for the right moment’ to release her comeback single, Solar Power, and opted for 11 June to coincide with the year’s only solar eclipse,” Laura Snapes writes for…
Meg Mason’s First UK-Published Book Well Received
New Zealand author Meg Mason’s “moving novel”, Sorrow and Bliss, “about mental illness and sisterly love finds hilarity and wisdom in anguish, without ever diminishing pain”, Clare Clark writes in a review for The…
Crowded House Is Back and Loving It
With this month’s release of Crowded House’s latest album, Dreamers Are Waiting, journalist Russell Brown interviews the “reconstituted” band for The Sydney Morning Herald at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios in Auckland. They’re fresh from a…
Ladyhawke Bites Back with Guilty Love
Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, 41, has been through some tough times, but she’s come out on the other side, Robin Murray writes for music and fashion magazine, Clash. The New Zealand alt-pop force took…
Tom Wright Peddling Juice to NYC Fashionistas
Described as “the underground GOAT” by Supreme store manager and community organiser Aaron Wiggs, New York-based Tom’s Juice is the small-batch, cold-pressed fruit (juice) of 31-year-old New Zealander Tom Wright’s labour, Maggie McGlinchy reports…
Dive into Your Superconscious with Chris Duncan
If you’ve felt like you’re at a psychological plateau lately, relief may be only a page turn away, Forbes contributor Serenity Gibbons writes. Gibbons has put together a list of books, including You’re Not…
Zealandia a Nature Reserve with a 500-Year Plan
“In the past 30 years, a wilderness has grown up in the heart of New Zealand’s capital – so successfully its neighbours now complain about the raucous racket of rare birds. But this is…
Jenny McGee Resigns from NHS Citing Disrespect
Invercargill-born nurse Jenny McGee, who cared for Boris Johnson when he was gravely ill with Covid-19, says she has handed in her resignation, such is her disillusionment with the “lack of respect” shown by…
UK Traveller Draws NZ During Lockdown
After completing the 3000km Tour Aotearoa bike tour in late February 2020, England-born artist and graphic designer Tom Napper decided to wait out what he thought would be a quick closure in New…
In WWII on Crete Ned Nathan Fell in Love
Eighty years ago, soldiers from New Zealand and Australia were in Greece fighting the Nazis during the Battle of Crete. It would lead to New Zealander Evan Nathan’s parents meeting and starting a relationship…
Al Jazeera’s Elizabeth Puranam Reports from India
In the beginning it was a shock, people dying around her while desperate families begged hospital officials for help. Auckland-raised Al Jazeera anchor and journalist Elizabeth Puranam, 37, wouldn’t say she’s used to it,…
Emilia Wickstead Resurrects Power Dressing
A year after New Zealand-born Emilia Wickstead’s study of motherhood, which saw her orchestrate portraits of her friends wearing pre-fall 2020 looks while holding their babies, the London-based designer returned to the families to…
Allbirds and Adidas Make Planet-First Running Shoe
“Competition between running shoe brands is never-ending. Successful products don’t just boost profit margins, they help win medals, too,” tech reviewer Kieran Alger reports for Wired. “This new, shared – and frankly formidable –…
Ten of the Best from The Chills Back Catalogue
Dunedin-formed band The Chills is releasing a new album, Scatterbrain. To celebrate, The Guardian counts down 10 of their top songs. “A singular band, The Chills are difficult to stylistically define because their diverse…
Rethinking Tourism Industry’s Climate Impact
New Zealand is hopeful that a recently opened travel bubble with Australia will rekindle its pandemic-battered tourism industry. However, many are also seeing an opportunity to rethink how to make the sector more climate…
Actor Kerry Fox Looks Back at Life in Lower Hutt
New Zealander Kerry Fox, the star of Shallow Grave and Intimacy looks back at her Lower Hutt childhood, driving at 15, her parents disco dancing and an Abba fan club in her shed. “The highlight…
How to Become a Tennis No 1 by Anthony Wilding
In the 14 May 1912 edition of The Guardian newspaper, champion New Zealand tennis player Anthony Wilding’s book, On the Court and Off, was reviewed. That article is republished 109 years on, as part…
Wool From NZ Makes Sheep Inc.’s Carbon Neg Hoodie
The production of UK-based start-up Sheep Inc.’s 100 per cent carbon negative hoodie starts on three farms in New Zealand, where the business sources its wool, Adele Peters reports for Fast Company. By using regenerative…
PM Tops Fortune’s World’s Greatest Leaders List
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, 40, takes the number one spot on Fortune magazine’s annual world’s greatest leaders list. The magazine’s editors write: “Jacinda Ardern had already sealed her position as a great leader early in her…
