Blog Archives

Annette-Campbell White Speaks in Cape Town

Annette-Campbell White Speaks in Cape Town

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) 2018 graduation season wrapped up in mid December with a clear call to graduates from alumnus, philanthropist and trailblazing venture capitalist on male-dominated Wall Street, New Zealand-born Annette-Campbell…

IKEA to Open in New Zealand

IKEA to Open in New Zealand

IKEA Group, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, is expanding into New Zealand – even as it faces stiff competition worldwide from online outlets and traditional department stores that are branching out into home furnishing. IKEA…

England Crazy Not to Hire Warren Gatland

England Crazy Not to Hire Warren Gatland

“At the end of Rugby World Cup 2019, we can expect a fascinating merry-go-round of experienced Test coaches,” according to the Telegraph’s Charlie Morgan. “Should England underperform, Eddie Jones’ two-year contract extension will be…

Distance Runner Bill Baillie Finishes the Race

Distance Runner Bill Baillie Finishes the Race

Nelson-born athlete William “Bill” Baillie, who once held world records in the now obscure 20,000m and one-hour running events, has died in Auckland. He was 84. At the time Baillie broke the records they had…

Young Cyclist Ella Harris Earns Pro Contract

Young Cyclist Ella Harris Earns Pro Contract

Dunedin cyclist Ella Harris is the third woman, and the youngest victor, to win the Canyon-Sram Zwift Academy Programme becoming the latest rider to earn a professional contract through the virtual cycling app. Harris has…

Unusual Coalition Survives in a Febrile World

Unusual Coalition Survives in a Febrile World

In a piece for online policy forum, East Asia Forum, Professor of Strategic Studies at Victoria University, Robert Ayson reviews New Zealand’s “unlikely coalition”. “As 2018 began New Zealand did not have an answer to…

Wonky Donkey Makes UK Christmas Bestseller List

Wonky Donkey Makes UK Christmas Bestseller List

The tale of a three-legged donkey has become a surprise Christmas bestseller thanks to a viral video of a grandmother reading it to her grandson. The Wonky Donkey, written by New Zealander Craig Smith,…

Leave No Trace’s Thomasin McKenzie a Breakout Star

Leave No Trace’s Thomasin McKenzie a Breakout Star

Wellington-born teenager Thomasin McKenzie is named one of the year’s “standout stars” by The Atlantic for her role as ‘Tom’ in director Debra Granik’s celebrated 2018 film, Leave No Trace. “Granik has a way of…

New Zealand Tech Companies Making It Big in US

New Zealand Tech Companies Making It Big in US

As Peter Jackson has shown, it’s perfectly possible to do things on a global scale from New Zealand. But the big money, support and collaboration with other scientists overseas can be a powerful lure,…

Musician Aurian White Earns Global Honour

Musician Aurian White Earns Global Honour

At just 12 years old Sistema Whangārei student Aurian White will be sharing the Northland city with the world. White, a Tikipunga High School student, is one of 10 students selected from Sistema programmes around…

Father and Doctor Matt Widdowson on Parenting

Father and Doctor Matt Widdowson on Parenting

The overwhelming concern of most new parents after they get home from the maternity hospital is will they be able to keep their tiny infant alive, The Irish Times reports. It’s no wonder that…

Inside the Ring With Wrestler Toni Storm

Inside the Ring With Wrestler Toni Storm

Toni Rossall, aka Toni Storm, has swiftly emerged as one of the most exciting members of the WWE roster; the 23-year-old New Zealander is a key member of the NXT UK roster. Storm won…

Peter Jackson Calls up Protégé Christian Rivers

Peter Jackson Calls up Protégé Christian Rivers

In 2015, Peter Jackson was feeling burned out – and you could hardly blame him. The New Zealand director had just finished work on the Hobbit films, wrapping up production on his supersized fantasy…

Blockchain Tech Opportunites Abound for Aotearoa

Blockchain Tech Opportunites Abound for Aotearoa

A new report commissioned by New Zealand’s innovation agency, Callaghan Innovation, suggests the country is fertile ground for blockchain tech. The crown entity has published an opportunity report on blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT)…

Fifteen Minutes With Pop Singer Robinson

Fifteen Minutes With Pop Singer Robinson

Nelson-born artist Robinson, 21, is no stranger to impressing international crowds, having toured Europe earlier this year with Hayley Kiyoko. Now, with singles like the intensely romantic ‘Medicine’ under her belt, the pop singer is…

Rising Star Thomasin McKenzie Wanted to be a Vet

Rising Star Thomasin McKenzie Wanted to be a Vet

When she was a young girl in New Zealand, Thomasin McKenzie wasn’t sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. But she knew what she didn’t want to be. McKenzie sits down…

Australia’s Best Dining Is at Ben Shewry’s Attica

Australia’s Best Dining Is at Ben Shewry’s Attica

“On a recent visit to Melbourne, I was excited to say the least, to be able to secure a much sought after reservation at the award-winning restaurant Attica [owned by New Zealand chef Ben…

Jilly James Earns Spot at Renowned LA Acting School

Jilly James Earns Spot at Renowned LA Acting School

Aspiring Timaru actress Jilly James, 17, is the first New Zealander to win a globally contested acting scholarship in Hollywood. In February, James will travel to Los Angeles where, along with 15 self-funded students from…

24/7 Geohazards Monitoring Centre Debuts in NZ

24/7 Geohazards Monitoring Centre Debuts in NZ

A new centre providing enhanced monitoring of natural geological hazards manned 24 hours a day in New Zealand has officially opened in Lower Hutt. The National Geohazards Monitoring Centre is a purpose-built facility located on…

Freediver Jonathan Sunnex a Dominica Drawcard

Freediver Jonathan Sunnex a Dominica Drawcard

World-class freediver and instructor Ngaruawahia-born Dominica-based Jonathan Sunnex, 34, has always had an eye for talent and a vision for success, according to a profile published on the sport’s dedicated website, DeeperBlue.com. In 2011,

Rose McIver Inspired by Duchess in Christmas Role

Rose McIver Inspired by Duchess in Christmas Role

When A Christmas Prince, starring New Zealander Rose McIver in the lead role, debuted on Netflix late last year, it became a cultural phenomenon. Sure, A Christmas Prince might have served as emotional catharsis for…

What Can New Zealand Teach the UK about Brexit?

What Can New Zealand Teach the UK about Brexit?

“Brexit is, to put it mildly, an unusual event,” BBC World Service economics correspondent Andrew Walker writes. “But there are precedents for some aspects of it. New Zealand provides one example.” “The country faced a…

Team USA Readies to Sail in New Zealand

Team USA Readies to Sail in New Zealand

Stars & Stripes Team USA has been accepted as a challenger for the 2021 America’s Cup, promising to have an all-American squad in a competition where nationality has mattered little in recent decades. However,…

Rocket Lab Launches First NASA Mission

Rocket Lab Launches First NASA Mission

New Zealand-founded spaceflight startup Rocket Lab has launched 13 tiny satellites on its first-ever mission for NASA, just a month after acing its first commercial flight. All of the payloads separated from the Electron’s “kick…

Peter Jackson Earns Rare Blue Peter Gold Badge

Peter Jackson Earns Rare Blue Peter Gold Badge

Sir Peter Jackson has received Blue Peter’s highest accolade – a gold badge. The Oscar-winning director, who is best known for The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit films, joins just a select…

RBS Boss Ross McEwan Addresses Brexit

RBS Boss Ross McEwan Addresses Brexit

Ross McEwan surprised markets in October when Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc made a provision related to Brexit. With Theresa May’s divorce deal from the European Union potentially days away from being defeated,…

Military Braces for Climate Change Battle

Military Braces for Climate Change Battle

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has identified climate change as one of its biggest security challenges, warning that responding to global warming will increasingly stretch its resources. The NZDF said the impact of climate…

Warren Gatland Potential Successor to Eddie Jones

Warren Gatland Potential Successor to Eddie Jones

Britain’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) interim chief executive, Nigel Melville, is planning to speak to New Zealander Warren Gatland OBE as part of his search for Eddie Jones’s successor as England head coach, The…

124-Year-Old Telescope to be Restored in NZ

124-Year-Old Telescope to be Restored in NZ

One of the world’s most famous Victorian telescopes will be restored and available for public viewing in autumn 2019 at Lake Tekapo after spending five decades in storage. Dallas Poll, who is restoring the 124-year-old…

Why Are Whales Stranding in New Zealand?

Why Are Whales Stranding in New Zealand?

While whale strandings are not uncommon, they usually involve just a single animal rather than a whole group. The recent flurry of mass strandings on New Zealand beaches has brought…

Laybuy Founders Take Company to New Heights

Laybuy Founders Take Company to New Heights

New Zealander Gary Rohloff had a great life working in corporate before he co-founded Laybuy, a retail payments platform he started with his son Alex. So why ‘go it alone’? The UK’s Real Business…

Hong Kong-based Anthony Somerset Loves the Outdoors

Hong Kong-based Anthony Somerset Loves the Outdoors

Making highly urbanised, bright young people feel uncomfortable outdoors is what 52-year-old New Zealand-born Anthony Somerset has done for the last three years, having taken over A Team EdVentures in…

Rugby Star Jordan Roberts Wins Plaudits in Canada

Rugby Star Jordan Roberts Wins Plaudits in Canada

New Zealander Jordan Roberts’ play on the pitch for the St. Albert Rugby Football Club (SARFC) spoke volumes as the modest and unassuming captain of the Labatt’s Cup provincial champions was honoured as this…

Flying Pioneer Richard Pearse Never Claimed Honour

Flying Pioneer Richard Pearse Never Claimed Honour

New Zealander Richard Pearse may have beaten the Wright brothers, but never claimed the honour. Jeff Glorfeld reports for Australia’s Cosmos magazine. “The story of human flight is filled with many daring characters, and even…

Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe in the Interview Hot Seat

Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe in the Interview Hot Seat

Zane Lowe talks like he’s rapping. No, really. The man’s words cascade from his mouth so quickly and smoothly that, at numerous points during our conversation, we expect him to slip into a full-on…

Eleven Unforgettable Moments in Fiordland

Eleven Unforgettable Moments in Fiordland

“Nothing summarises the beauty of New Zealand more than majestic Fiordland where these 11 unforgettable moments will take your breath away,” Wibke Carter writes for Fodor’s Travel. “An area with jagged misty peaks, endless rainforest,…

Wine Lovers Guide to Hawke’s Bay

Wine Lovers Guide to Hawke’s Bay

Hawke’s Bay is fast becoming one of New Zealand’s top wine destinations. Amanda Barnes from Decanter magazine shares her tips on where to go and what to do. More than a million tourists make their…

Why Tyrel Lomax Chose the ABs over the Wallabies

Why Tyrel Lomax Chose the ABs over the Wallabies

Tyrel Lomax, 22, grew up with a dream to play for the ACT Brumbies and Wallabies. But the closer he got, the more he realised he couldn’t ignore the black feeling in his stomach….

SailGP’s Russell Coutts Makes Tokyo Recommendations

SailGP’s Russell Coutts Makes Tokyo Recommendations

Five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts believes the format used in the New Zealander’s annual SailGP league could be adopted by the Olympics as the sport looks to modernise. Sailing has been a staple at…

Amy Maslen-Miller a Force for Samoan Scientists

Amy Maslen-Miller a Force for Samoan Scientists

New Zealander Amy Maslen-Miller is a new kind of researcher focused on indigenous agriculture. Young and passionate about what science can bring to food security, she is also keen to understand traditional approaches to…

Len Lye Paved the Way for British Animators

Len Lye Paved the Way for British Animators

Animation pioneer New Zealand-born Len Lye features in the television documentary, Secrets of British Animation. Made in conjunction with the British Film Institute, the programme “lifts the lid on an eccentric world where infinite pains…

Spanish Culture Permeates Our Own

Spanish Culture Permeates Our Own

The presence of a three month-long film festival prompts the question: Are there tangible traces of Spanish culture in New Zealand? The 17th annual Latin American and Spain Film Festival is touring New Zealand, and…

Kelvin Davis on Mission to Keep Māori Out of Prison

Kelvin Davis on Mission to Keep Māori Out of Prison

Kelvin Davis describes himself as a member of “the most incarcerated tribe in the world”. The former teacher grew up in New Zealand’s deprived Northland region and has seen childhood friends, schoolmates and relatives…

All Blacks Sevens Clinch Emirates Trophy

All Blacks Sevens Clinch Emirates Trophy

Clark Laidlaw, the All Blacks Sevens coach, said the team’s success at the Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby Sevens was an achievement that ranks alongside winning the World Cup and Commonwealth Games last season. The team…

New Zealanders Win Prestigious German Design Awards

New Zealanders Win Prestigious German Design Awards

Christchurch designer Davinia Sutton of Detail by Davinia Sutton has just won a massive three German Design Awards for Interior Architecture 2019, for two kitchens and a bathroom. And Wellington designer Damian Hannah of…

New Zealand Wins Bronze at FIFA U-17 World Cup

New Zealand Wins Bronze at FIFA U-17 World Cup

New Zealand has beaten Canada 2-1 to bring home bronze at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay. The Canadian women found themselves down just 15 seconds after the opening kickoff with New…

Architect Antony Martin Makes Homes in Melbourne

Architect Antony Martin Makes Homes in Melbourne

After working in New York City for a number of years, New Zealand-born Antony Martin decided to move to Australia and set up a firm of his own. Since its founding,

Bowling Sensation Ajaz Patel Ready for India

Bowling Sensation Ajaz Patel Ready for India

New Zealand’s Test hero against Pakistan Ajaz Patel, 30, talks to the Mumbai Mirror about his favourite street food, a change in bowling pace, and how he can’t wait to play against India. “I love…

At Home in Seoul with Ambassador Philip Turner

At Home in Seoul with Ambassador Philip Turner

“One way to experience something Kiwi in Seoul would be to order a flat white at a coffee shop,” Philip Turner, ambassador of New Zealand to Korea, told English-language newspaper, JoongAng Daily at a…

Dudley Benson “One of the Most Distinctive Musical Figures” to Emerge Within NZ

Dudley Benson “One of the Most Distinctive Musical Figures” to Emerge Within NZ

Although he’s relatively unknown outside of New Zealand, Dunedin-based avant-pop artist Dudley Benson, 35, is one of the most distinctive, singular, and divisive musical figures to emerge within his home country since the dawn…

North and South Islands Moving Closer Together

North and South Islands Moving Closer Together

The North and South Islands are moving closer together after a series of earthquakes in 2016 that lifted the sea floor, GNS Science has said. Over about a minute-and-a-half, parts of the Marlborough coast were…

Can Marijuana Save Ruatoria?

Can Marijuana Save Ruatoria?

As New Zealand prepares to legalise the production of medicinal cannabis, companies are racing to secure the first and biggest slices of a market that has proved lucrative in the United States and Canada….

Winston Peters’ New Standing as Elder Statesman

Winston Peters’ New Standing as Elder Statesman

“Winston Peters’ New Zealand First has been a textbook case of how to combine populist rhetoric and nativist discourse in the service of political mobilisation,” according to Hans-Georg Betz, adjunct professor of political science…

Auckland’s Pacific Islanders Take Stock

Auckland’s Pacific Islanders Take Stock

Some Pacific Islands, such as Tokelau and Niue, now have more of their people living in New Zealand than at home, a trend that is predicted to soar with the rising threat of climate…

Helen Clark Says World Needs More Women Leaders

Helen Clark Says World Needs More Women Leaders

In a sit-down interview with CTV National News chief anchor and senior editor Lisa LaFlamme, former prime minister Helen Clark said if more women were in positions of leadership, the world would be a…

Former Journalist Amy Andrew Quits for the Gloves

Former Journalist Amy Andrew Quits for the Gloves

New Zealander Amy Andrew experienced “the greatest moment of her career” not long ago during a sparring session ahead of the Women’s Boxing World Championships in New Delhi. “It was a mixed session. I looked…