Francis Upritchard’s Barbican Show is Joyful
“New Zealand-born artist Francis Upritchard is renowned for drawing from craft traditions, and her installation ‘Wetwang Slack’ is no exception. Contrasting with the building’s Brutalist architecture,
Blog Archives
Writing Saved Author Janet Frame
Spanning unusual cruelty and extraordinary kindness, authors from New Zealander Janet Frame to Briton Pat Barker explore an unsettling branch of medicine. The Guardian looks at the top ten books about psychiatry and includes Frame’s…
Air New Zealand’s Place on the Global Runway
With a brand promise of ‘liberating from the ordinary’ and plans to surprise, innovate, out-manoeuvre and challenge convention, Air New Zealand stands out on the world’s tarmac with its quirky attitude and humorous ads….
How Teenager Nina Griffiths Began to Heal Kaitaia
At the start of 2016, Kaitaia – population 5000 – had just experienced the loss of six young people to suicide in quick succession. Nina Griffiths, a local high school student, was one of…
Mark de Clive-Lowe Unlocks His Creativity
Auckland-born Mark de Clive-Lowe, 44, is “a jazz artist with both a visionary outlook and an old soul. As a concert pianist deeply steeped in the jazz tradition, he’s courageously committed himself to modern…
Hard-Rocking Band Like a Storm Tirelessly Touring
Known as one of the hardest working bands out there, Like A Storm fought hard to be heard. The three Auckland brothers who founded the group came to the United States knowing no one,…
Richard Kavanagh’s Smart Mirror Adopted by L’Oreal
The interactive invention of top New Zealand hairstylist, Sydney-based Richard Kavanagh is set to transform salon visits here and overseas. Kavanagh’s smart mirror allows customers to shop for their style on screen and provides…
Bunker Buyers and Billionaires Still Seek Shelter
“If the New Zealand government was sending a message when it banned foreigners from buying houses in the country earlier this year, it does not seem to have been heard by the global billionaire…
MP Poto Williams Awarded University Prize
MP Poto Williams has been named the 2018 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year at Southern Cross University’s annual awards recognising exceptional achievement and outstanding service. The New South Wales university welcomed home more than 50…
Swimmer Makes Olympian Grandmother Proud
Seventy years after her grandmother swam in the London 1948 Olympic Games, Auckland swimmer Gina Galloway, 17, took up the torch to represent her country at the Buenos Aires 2018
Mongrelism by Jono Rotman Now in Print
“Arresting. Exquisite. Gripping. Chilling. Disgraceful. Unacceptable. These are all words people have used to describe portraits made by Jono Rotman. Created over the last decade, his project Mongrelism presents an…
Mark Wilson Steps Down as Aviva Chief
New Zealander Mark Wilson, the “straight-talking” chief of the FTSE 100 British insurer Aviva, leaves with immediate effect after six years at the helm. Wilson, 52, will remain at Aviva until…
NZ Boasts a Burgeoning Craft Whisky Movement
New Zealand’s whisky scene is on the rise. Not for the first time either, but this time it’s being built to last, with upstart distilleries making quality, distinctively Kiwi spirits, and an infrastructure of…
Farmer Doug Avery in Scotland Speaking On Drought
New Zealander Doug Avery, known as ‘The Resilient Farmer’, recently spoke about having endured the worst drought “in living memory” at a tour jointly organised by The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland…
Stewart Island and the Elusive Kiwi
“Tell a New Zealander that you’ve been to Rakiura/Stewart Island and chances are they’ll be envious, telling you they can’t wait to visit their wee third-largest island. After intros – kia ora, how ya…
Peter Macky Renews Historic German Train Station
Aucklander Peter Macky, a former lawyer, has nearly completed a 10-year restoration of the first Kaiserbahnhof train station in Halbe, Germany. Macky, who lives six months of the year in Germany, says he stumbled upon…
Lyndsey Lewis Becomes a New American
Twenty-two foreign-born Maine residents, including New Zealand-born Lyndsey Lewis, completed the long journey of becoming US citizens at a naturalisation ceremony in Acadia National Park. According to Lewis, there were “about 15 or 16 different…
DJ Christoph El Truento Announces New Album
New Zealand-born sound explorer, producer and DJ Christoph El Truento has just announced the release of his new album LWMP18 through Berlin-based record label/artist collective C O S M I C | C O…
Jamie Turner is Training the Best in the World
Elite triathlon coach Jamie Turner is an affable New Zealander known for building mentally unbreakable athletes. The 46-year-old former triathlete, now a bit soft around the edges, loves to speak in metaphors gleaned from…
Startup Soul Machines Puts Human Face on AI
New Zealand-based startup Soul Machines has so far created 15 humanoids – disembodied screen presences – like Lia, employed mainly as customer service assistants. They work in seven countries for companies including Royal Bank…
Milk from Deer Causing a Stir
Excitement is building among New Zealand’s high-end chefs over a new world-first. Deer milk is now being sourced from 70 hinds in Southland to make cheese, desserts and even yoghurt. The company behind the…
Claudia King’s Automio Shaking Up Tech World
New Plymouth-based legal tech startup Automio, which was founded by Claudia King, has made the Forbes’ list of 60 women-led tech companies, “shaking up” technology across the world. Allyson Kapin, a contributor at Forbes, recommends: researching…
Peter Beck is Changing the Launch Equation
Rocket Lab is aiming high. The California-based company, founded in New Zealand by Peter Beck, plans to make space much more accessible via its 17m Electron rocket, which can loft about 225kg of payload…
American Magic Entrust Campaign to Dean Barker
The US syndicate will have renowned New Zealander Dean Barker as helmsman for the America’s Cup in 2021, plus an international crew of sailors for the New York Yacht Club’s first bid for the…
Photographer Robin Hammond Speaks Out at UN
The United Nations has celebrated 70 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at a high-level event on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) persons around…
NZ and Australia Ground Zero for Chinese Influence
Chen Weijian rests on his balcony, listening to the cicadas in a leafy suburb of Auckland, Rob Schmitz reports in an NPR broadcast. He moved from China in 1991, escaping imprisonment for working on…
Paris Inspires Designer Rebecca Taylor
New Zealand fashion designer Rebecca Taylor recently upped and moved her family to Paris. “It was somewhat spontaneous,” Emily Farra writes for Vogue, “but she’s been dreaming of raising her children in the city…
Mind Altering Moments with Unknown Mortal Orchestra
“An hour-long set of psychedelic sonic explorations breathes fire into songs that can border on boring in their studio iterations,” the Sydney Morning Herald’s Matt Teffer writes in a review of a recent
Melanie Brown Is Champion of Our Wine in London
If you are looking to have your eyes opened to the wonders of New Zealand wine, then Melanie Brown is the one to call. Since joining The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone, headed…
Why Countries Are Competing in Happiness Rankings
Move over GDP, happiness is angling to become the metric of the future. Nation states have begun to compete in global happiness rankings and plan policy according to statistics of wellbeing, with New Zealand…
Kester Black’s Anna Ross Designs for Disney
Ethical nail polish company Kester Black has created a one-off custom range in partnership with Disney to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday. Australian city guide Broadsheet talks to founder, New Zealander
Adventures for Absolutely Everyone
“When people ask about my favourite countries to get away from the stresses of today’s contentious world, New Zealand is right up there, offering just about everything a traveller could want: vast stunning landscapes,…
Francis Upritchard Exhibition on at the Barbican
This autumn, to mark the 30th Curve commission at London’s Barbican Centre, New Plymouth-born and London-based artist Francis Upritchard, 42, has created a new, site-specific installation. Drawing from figurative sculpture, craft…
Investigating the Visionary Inventor Richard Pearse
“Richard Pearse, a New Zealander, is remarkable for very nearly being the first to fly under power and control. The more remarkable for also designing and making the engine for the aircraft,” Joseph May…
London’s Oceania Exhibition Gets More Rave Reviews
The new Oceania exhibition has just opened at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. The Guardian’s art reviewer Jonathan Jones was there, deeming the show “dazzling … like having the ocean…
Ocean Rower Kathy Tracey Speaks on Leadership
In 2005, New Zealander Kathy Tracey, along with three women from the UK, pitted themselves against the might of the ocean on a 4700km historic journey. The now 56-year-old founding partner of
Riverdale’s KJ Apa Makes the Cover of GQ
KJ Apa is really going places. Driven, humble, talented, the boy from New Zealand is soon to be everywhere, according to Jake Millar in a cover story written for GQ Australia. Apa, 21,…
WOW is WOW
“The idea, Suzie Moncrieff said, was to ‘take art off the wall and on to the human body’. From Moncrieff’s concept, WOW – World of Wearable…
New Zealand to Get into the Space Junk Business
New Zealand is being drawn into the effort to tackle the space junk problem, Peter Griffin writes for Noted. Menlo Park, California-based space mapping start-up LeoLabs has applied for resource consent to build a…
AI Expert Dr Mahsa Mohaghegh Lectures in US
St. Bonaventure University’s cyber security programme recently hosted artificial intelligence expert and STEM advocate, New Zealander Dr Mahsa Mohaghegh as its Lenna Visiting Professor. Mohaghegh is a professor at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) with a…
Oceans Apart Doco a Tribute to Māori Determination
British art historian James Fox presents Oceans Apart: Art and the Pacific, an “engaging” BBC documentary exploring Māori culture. It is reviewed in The Guardian by Emine Saner. In Oceans Apart, Fox examines artworks that…
Record-Holding Runner Anne Audain Back in Lynchburg
More than 4000 descended on Lynchburg for the annual Genworth Virginia 10 Miler and its sister races to see course record-holder New Zealander Anne Audain return to the Virginia city…
Allbirds Creates Eye Mask for Air New Zealand
Shoes from Allbirds, the Leonardo DiCaprio-backed sustainable brand co-founded by New Zealander Tim Brown, have quickly morphed into a consumer favourite. Now via a partnership with Air New Zealand, the…
NZ Herald Cartoonist Rod Emmerson Receives Award
Rod Emmerson, who is the editorial cartoonist for The New Zealand Herald, has been recognised for his popular artwork after receiving a new award he says “beats a knighthood”. While in California attending a conference for…
Jacinda Ardern Gives Maiden Speech at the UN
The collapse of multilateralism would be “catastrophic,” Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, said in her first speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Opening her address with a Māori salutation,
Marlon Williams Pops Up in Lady Gaga Film
Oscar-nominated Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper’s film, A Star Is Born, featuring Lady Gaga in the lead female role, has been generating steady awards buzz since debuting at the Venice Film Festival last month and…
Designer Emilia Wickstead Sets Her Dream Table
In a style feature for the UK’s Sunday Times, New Zealand-born designer Emilia Wickstead reveals her perfect dinner setting, alongside tables created by American Rosie Assoulin and English jewellery designer Sabine Getty. “The first thing…
Melanie Lynskey Steps into Castle Rock Character
New Zealander Melanie Lynskey, one of the stars of Hulu’s Castle Rock, came of age in a cinematic era of dark quirk, but from Heavenly Creatures to Ever After to Sweet Home Alabama to…
Attica is Melbourne’s Most Prized Possession
Melbourne always seems to be one step ahead when it comes to world-class food hot-spots. From suburban eateries making waves internationally to Asian bars serving up fusion flavours with a heavy side of “vibes”,…
Blonde Poison in Berlin Stars Dulcie Smart
Germany-based actress New Zealander Dulcie Smart performs in the Berlin production of Blonde Poison, on until 3 October at the city’s Brotfabrik theatre. In the one-woman play, Smart plays Stella, an older woman looking…
Musician Julien Dyne Ups the Tempo on Teal
New Zealander Julien Dyne’s forthcoming album Teal is “a joyful exploration of afro-influenced percussive house and electronic soul”, according to Anton Spice writing for Britain’s music and arts enterprise, The Vinyl Factory. “Dyne, whose CV…
Paul Ewen’s Francis Plug Saviour of Comic Fiction
New Zealand-born author Paul Ewen’s creation Francis Plug, sociopathic stalker of literary celebrities, returns in, Francis Plug: Writer in Residence. Ben Myers reviews the book for The Spectator. “Plug first appeared as the unhinged narrator of 2014’s…
Chef Jude Kereama a Reluctant TV Star
New Zealander Jude Kereama starred in a recent run of BBC Two’s Great British Menu – but the Cornwall-based chef really didn’t want to take part. The chef behind Porthleven harbour’s popular Kota and Kota…
Oamaru Farmer Grant McNaughton an Award Nominee
Six young agriculture professionals from both sides of the Tasman – including managing director of McNaughton Farms in Oamaru, Grant McNaughton, 34 – are in the running for the prestigious Zanda McDonald Award. Now in its…
Artist Angela Tiatia Holds On in Tuvalu’s Tides
Auckland-born, Sydney-based artist Angela Tiatia, who was a finalist in the 2018 Archibald Prize, is a person of movement, of restless tides. Her solo show, Holding On, is exhibited at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre…
Scott Dixon Ties With Indy Legend AJ Foyt
The 2018 IndyCar championship in Sonoma, California is New Zealander Scott Dixon’s fifth in Indy cars, tying him with American legend AJ Foyt for most-ever crowns. Dixon is also third now in all-time Indy…
