Everest for the Time-Pressed Executive
On the fourth week of their historic assault on Everest in 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were still establishing base camp after the long trek from Kathmandu. It would…
Blog Archives
How Wanaka Became NZ’s New Adventure Capital
With its bungee jumps, giant swings, jet boats and ski fields, Queenstown isn’t known as the adventure capital of the world for nothing. Until recently, nearby Wanaka was typically likened to a more low-key…
Joseph Parker to Box Dillian Whyte in London
Joseph Parker probably did not expect to return to Britain within three months of losing his WBO heavyweight title to Anthony Joshua, but the South Aucklander was back in London, smartly suited up at The…
Q&A with Instapoet Star Hera Lindsay Bird
Acclaimed by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, as “the most arresting and original new young poet”, New Zealander Hera Lindsay Bird, 31, is one of the stars of the new generation of “Instapoets”…
Head to Covent Garden’s GBK on Maiden Lane
“Feeling a bit peckish but don’t know what you’re in the mood for? We’re so spoilt for choice in London it’s hard to know where to start, so here’s a street full of restaurants…
Photographer Cody Ellingham Dreams in Danchi
Art director and photographer Cody Ellingham has explored over 40 “architectural giants” in Tokyo’s Danchi complex, capturing the apartments for a new series, Danchi Dreams. Ellingham’s year-long photographic survey captures the…
Chef of the Year Jess Murphy’s Summer Cooking Tips
Recently named Best Chef in Ireland, Jess Murphy – co-owner of Kai Café and Restaurant in Galway – offers delicious savoury and sweet recipes to make throughout the summer. “Being a New Zealander, I can’t…
US Actress Bryce Dallas Howard Finds Solace in NZ
In a revealing new interview with American television show Entertainment Tonight, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star, Bryce Dallas Howard opens up about the health struggles she faced in her 20s and how New Zealand…
NZ Gives BC Lesson on Proportional Representation
When New Zealand pitched a switch to proportional representation in the early 1990s, it triggered a wave of conjecture and confusion similar to what British Columbia in Canada is experiencing now. New Zealanders voted in…
NZ Female Cricketers Make World’s Best List
A Guardian newspaper panel of 15 experts compiled a list of the globe’s top 20 greatest female players, which includes Dunedin-born Suzie Bates (pictured), 30, Christchurch-born Amy Satterthwaite, 31, and Sophie Devine, 28, from…
Korean War Vet Returns to Battlefield
Snapshots of the 1950s are seared into veterans’ memories: South Korea then was an economic basket case, a devastated land of burned-down villages, desperate poverty and denuded hills. Andrew Salmon from the Asia Times…
Steven Adams One of World’s Highest Paid Athletes
New Zealander Steven Adams, 24, professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA), has made the annual Forbes World’s Highest Paid Athletes list. According to Forbes, “the 100 top-earning…
The Queen Names Activist Catherine Healy a Dame
Catherine Healy, 62, a founder of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, was instrumental in helping this country become the first to decriminalise prostitution in 2003. After 30 years of activism, the queen recognised her…
Dramatic Ocean Views from the Olive House
“If you are looking for an opulent getaway that shows off New Zealand’s epic landscapes, a former olive press building has now been converted into a luxury lodge with 360-degree views of the Kaikoura…
Wanderlust-Inspiring Luxury New Zealand Hotels
“With its unparalleled natural beauty, innovative culinary scene, and unique luxury accommodation, there is no mystery as to why New Zealand has become the destination of choice for some of the world’s most discerning…
Chasing Waves on a 13,000km Motorbike Trip
In March, Byron Bay friends Torren Martyn and Ishka Folkwell travelled throughout New Zealand on motorbikes looking for the country’s best surf spots. Surfer magazine caught up with the pair for a synopsis of…
On Stage at London’s All Points East with Lorde
New Zealand super star Lorde’s recent performance at London’s inaugural All Points East festival incited “sheer pandemonium”, according to DIY magazine. “Lorde follows on the North Stage, and proceeds to provide an…
Early Māori Village Found in Gisborne Tells Story
While much early Māori history is documented through songs and stories – from tales of Kupe, who Māori consider to be the first adventurer to navigate to New Zealand to the deep roots of the…
UMO Frontman Ruban Nielson on Musical Eclecticism
In search of a new direction after three critically acclaimed psychedelic indie rock records, 38-year-old New Zealander Ruban Nielson, frontman of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, took to the road to write and record album No…
Rock Up’s Aaran Eade’s UK Climbing Walls a Hit
After growing 87 per cent year-on-year, sales of £2.5 million are expected for the British indoor climbing centre Rock Up in 2018, four years after climber, New Zealander Aaran Eade teamed up with private…
Breaking up Is Easy for Sami and van Beek
Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek’s film The Breaker Upperers has opened strongly in New Zealand after warm-hearted reviews at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. This week, their comedy opens the Sydney…
Regulator Grant Barnes Minding a Precious Resource
Grant Barnes is a New Zealander who says he has a bit of mongrel in him, and says he would not hesitate in taking on any New South Wales irrigator who is found to…
New Zealand Rallies to Save its Iconic Bird
There are 68,000 kiwi left in New Zealand, and they are declining at the rate of 2 per cent per year. A century ago, there were millions. Outside the predator-free zones, kiwi chicks and…
Mothers-to-be on Birth of a New Kind of PM
In a Guardian article, New Zealand women with babies due this month discuss what it means to have a pregnant prime minister, and how they will balance parenthood, work and a severe lack of sleep. In…
Helen Clark Speaks in Japan on Gender Equality
Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark stressed in a recent interview with Japan’s national daily newspaper The Mainichi that women need to continue to fight for gender equality, adding that zero tolerance policies…
It: Chapter Two Casts Jay Ryan as Adult Ben
Auckland-born actor Jay Ryan, 36, has been cast as the adult version of Ben Hanscom in New Line’s It: Chapter Two, sources confirmed to Variety. Ryan joins Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader, who…
Artist Matthew Couper Fuses Vegas and NZ
In Matthew Couper’s exhibition, From Dust to Water, the New Zealand-born Las Vegas-based artist uses the language of symbols – skeletons and cacti, blenders and playing cards – to combine pictorial elements in witty…
Rugby Player James Lowe on Food for Performance
He’s played for the Māori All Blacks and he’s currently signed to European champions Leinster, so if there is anyone who can talk about fuelling their body for optimal performance it is 25-year-old professional…
Scientists to Lead DNA Hunt for Loch Ness Monster
An examination of Loch Ness using DNA sampling techniques will try to establish exactly what lives in the UK’s largest freshwater body – it may also discover whether there is any scientific basis to…
Photographer Derek Henderson Is in Demand
Photographer Derek Henderson rates his career shooting fashion, travel and art photography as mediocre, but a quick look at his credentials and it’s plain to see he’s being coy. Laura Baker interviews the New…
Giants Co-Captain Ngawai Eyles Settles In
New Zealand-born Canberra Giants recruit Ngawai Eyles is thriving in her role as a co-captain, declaring she “loves life in the capital” after moving to the city to support her ACT Brumbies partner, flyhalf…
Keisha Castle-Hughes Takes to the Boxing Ring
She shot to fame as the fierce warrior Obara Sand on Game Of Thrones. But New Zealander Keisha-Castle Hughes, 28, will now flex her acting muscles in a different kind of drama, when she…
Keith Dawson of Port Macquarie Turns 105
An effervescent Keith Dawson celebrated his 105th birthday on 24 May as he does each year: with family, friends and a tremendous smile. He will proudly tell you he is a New Zealander who…
Barnet Mayor Reuben Thompstone Sworn in
New Zealand-born Councillor Reuben Thompstone, a 42-year-old who represents the Golders Green ward, has become the 54th, and youngest-ever, mayor of Barnet, North London. Thompstone has a background in education and has served on the…
Rambert Chief Mark Baldwin’s Final Commission
New Zealander Mark Baldwin, the “venerable” artistic director of Rambert, the UK’s leading contemporary dance company, is stepping down from the role to devote more time to choreographic work. Baldwin’s final commission “as the…
Jane Campion Rewatches Her Own Classic
One of the world’s most unconventional filmmakers, New Zealander Jane Campion talks with The Guardian about the end of the patriarchy, doing away with decorum, and how losing her baby son changed her forever. Twenty-five…
Folk Singer Mel Parsons Touring US
Award-winning singer-songwriter New Zealander Mel Parsons, 36, recently performed as part of the Concerts in the Woods series in Coyle, Washington. “We are very lucky to have Mel Parsons make a stop in Coyle on…
Georgia Pratt on Non-Stretch Denim for Every Body
“I think I’ve had quite a hard time at different phases in my life,” New Zealand model Georgia Pratt tells Vogue, looking back at her long history with denim. “When I was in middle school,…
Heli-Biking in New Zealand is Epic
“A thick layer of fog makes the scene that much more intense as the helicopter touches down. One by one, each mountain biker jogs away from the helicopter. One by one, the bikes are…
TV Host Clarke Gayford on Fatherhood
Less than a month away from the birth – which will make Jacinda Ardern the first serving head of government since Benazir Bhutto to have a baby – television host Clarke Gayford, 40, who…
Julian Dennison Isn’t in a Hurry to Grow Up
The 15-year-old New Zealand actor Julian Dennison talks to GQ magazine about his starring role in Deadpool 2 – even though he’s not old enough to see it. Dennison is not your average teenager, if…
Koru’s Rachel Carrell Reinvigorates UK Childcare
London nannying service Koru Kids has been created by New Zealander Rachel Carrell with the aim of tackling the UK’s “fragmented and backward” childcare market which results in complex arrangements cobbled together by frazzled…
Wellington Most Liveable City Second Year Running
The city shocked many when it was ranked the most liveable city in the world last year, but it won’t surprise Wellingtonians to learn it has kept that number one spot in 2018, mayor…
Pop Singer Robinson Has Nothing to Regret
New Zealand singer-songwriter Robinson, 21, has been likened to other local trailblazers who are known for leading fans along a pathway set out by their own standards while exploring and showcasing their art, Fiona…
Win for Kayaking Duo in Germany
World Champions New Zealanders Lisa Carrington, 28, and Caitlin Ryan, 26, have won a convincing gold medal in the K2 500m at World Cup 2 in Duisburg, Germany, Radio New Zealand reports. The pair, who…
David Metcalf Puts On Bali Indigenous Celebration
Wellington-born professional photographer David Metcalf, who is based in Bali, and Emmanuela Dewi Shinta, founder of Ranu Welum (Living Water), are the founders of the inaugural Indigenous Celebration, which was held recently over three…
Thomasin McKenzie Steals the Film in Leave No Trace
Debra Granik’s third feature, Leave No Trace, which stretches the theme of life on the margins to breaking point, is already being talked of as one of the year’s best releases, according to The…
Dubai Safari’s Timothy Husband Recovers Exotic Pets
It has been a busy first six months for Dubai Safari under the stewardship of its technical director, New Zealander Timothy Husband, Nick Webster reports for The National. Too big for owners to manage…
Karl Lagerfeld and Muse Stella Maxwell Team Up
Supermodel and Victoria Secret’s Angel Stella Maxwell, 28, who was discovered at Otago University, has been enlisted by Karl Lagerfeld to be the face of his new make-up range. Lagerfeld, Chanel’s creative director, launched his…
Heartthrob KJ Apa Answers Some Tricky Questions
KJ Apa, the New Zealand import turned Riverdale star, captured hearts (and Instagram followers) when the show premiered in 2017. Riverdale was just renewed for its third season, so it looks like…
Look Forward to Summer Dressing by Emilia Wickstead
The easy elegance of Emilia Wickstead’s resort collection fulfils all Vogue Australia’s holiday desires. The magazine declares the New Zealand-born designer will have you wishing it was summer. In the world of Emilia Wickstead, the…
Great Barrier Island Has Star Quality
The off-grid Great Barrier Island, 90km off the coast of Auckland, is a Dark Sky Sanctuary ideal for star gazing – and the views by day are heavenly too. The Observer’s Chris Hall looks…
Marlon Williams Offers Something for Everyone
Christchurch-born singer-songwriter Marlon Williams is currently touring New Zealand promoting his second studio album Make Way for Love. His recent performance in Melbourne is reviewed by Eve Fisher for The Canberra Times. “The sold-out crowd…
Look Ahead to Summer with FT’s Shannon Gibson
You know the woman. She always looks good. Comfortable and yet elegant, she floats around the office with the nonchalance of someone who knows they’ve nailed their look. Most impressively, she’s got summer style…
Lorde’s Former Manager Scott Maclachlan to Warners
Scott Maclachlan, the artist manager who guided the rise of Lorde from a teenage talent to a global star, has been appointed senior VP of A&R at Warner Music Australasia. Maclachlan, who relocated from the…
Ngā Parirau o te Kārearea a Spectacular EP
New Zealand-born experimental producer Fis and sound artist Rob Thorne’s collaborative EP Ngā Parirau o te Kārearea, a follow up to last year’s acclaimed Clear Stones, is included in Fact magazine’s 25 best albums…
