Blog Archives

“It’s Life James, but Not as We Know It”

“It’s Life James, but Not as We Know It”

Time devotes a special issue to DNA and its discoverers, including NZ born scientist Maurice Wilkins. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Prize winning and paradigm shifting findings of Crick, Watson, and Wilkins: “The…

Sir Ed Reflects

Sir Ed Reflects

Sir Edmund Hillary is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his Everest climb with a round of fundraising for The Himalaya Trust. “When I look back over my life, I have little doubt that the most worthwhile…

Owens Squashes the Competition

Owens Squashes the Competition

NZ’s Carol Owens has won her sixth Kuala Lumpur Open Squash Championship, taking her world title count to an impressive 21. Owens crushed Australian rival Natalie Grinham 9-3 9-0 9-2 in the women’s final in Malaysia.

Best man for the job

Best man for the job

NZ-born Alexander Grant is in the director’s chair at Boston Ballet’s Grand Studio, where a performance of Ashton’s Fille is currently under production. The 77-year-old, widely regarded as “one of the great character…

Bush Backlash Begins Down Under

Bush Backlash Begins Down Under

A global wave of protests against America’s proposed war on Iraq began in New Zealand, with thousands taking to the streets across the country. In Auckland, a Greenpeace plane with a banner reading “No war, peace now”…

Italians do it Better

Italians do it Better

“Kirwan’s crew a cut above”. All Black legend John Kirwan has been reincarnated as the golden boy of Italian rugby after coaching the game’s “perennial whipping-boys” to their second ever Six Nations victory, and first against Wales….

Trans-Pacific Soul

Trans-Pacific Soul

NZ-based Samoan group, Pacific Soul, are building a loyal fan base in Hawaii. Star Bulletin: “The soulful foursome performs Samoan-language songs and American-style urban material with equal skill … is a great…

Caddie by Day…

Caddie by Day…

Steve Williams – the NZ-born caddie to Tiger Woods – is gaining sponsorship recognition in his own right. The race car driver has just signed a lucrative deal with Valvoline, whose logo he will wear while…

Peace Fest

Peace Fest

NZ feature The Price of Milk is to screen at the inaugural Kuala Lumpur World Film Festival. The festival, held in conjunction with the 13th Non-Aligned Movement Summit (NAM), is appropriately themed “Peace, Harmony,…

Give Up Your Day Job?

Give Up Your Day Job?

Otago-born Peter Lyons has the attention of the American art world, with shows scheduled for Manhattan’s Richard York Gallery and the St Botolph Club in Boston. The 42-year-old security guard works nights at Boston’s…

Captain Kirk at the Helm

Captain Kirk at the Helm

Former All Blacks captain, David Kirk, has been appointed chief executive of troubled Australian publishing company PMP. Chairman Graham Reaney believes the ex-Rhodes scholar and governmental advisor has what it takes to turn PMP’s fortunes around: “He…

Saint Cruise of Taranaki

Saint Cruise of Taranaki

Tom Cruise – Taranaki’s favourite adoptive son – has come to the financial aid of a local school. The Edge radio station had offered $5,000 to whoever could get the Hollywood star on air….

Principaled Principal

Principaled Principal

NZer Graham Cherry, director of the Baghdad International School, intends to stay on in Iraq despite repeated warnings for Westerners to leave. Cherry: “I have no plans to leave. The school is open. I don’t want…

Sevens Heaven for Home-crowd

Sevens Heaven for Home-crowd

NZ’s rugby sevens team delighted a 32,000-strong crowd in Wellington, beating England 38-26 to win their first home series in four years. NZ now lead the 11-leg International Sevens series with 68 points, followed by Fiji and…

Get Thee to a Nunnery

Get Thee to a Nunnery

Detroit Free Press recommends Marlborough’s Old Saint Mary’s Convent in a feature on romantic getaways “off the beaten track.” “Lavender, vineyards and olive groves surround the property, and there’s a pond you can putter in with a…

On the move

On the move

Teenage singer Hayley Westenra – “the next Charlotte Church” – is making her move on the UK market. The 15-year-old has based herself in Kensington, London, and is currently recording an album for Decca…

Black Caps’ Dark Horse

Black Caps’ Dark Horse

Stephen Fleming will come out looking good no matter where NZ places in this year’s Cricket World Cup. So says Johannesburg’s The Star, which included the Black Caps’ captain in their official “World Hunks XI.” “One…

Round one…

Round one…

“The food is sooooo good — we want to lick our plates. And the breathtaking views – islands, harbours, volcanoes.” Edmonton Journal travel writer is so impressed by his whirlwind North Island tour he’s…

Million Mark

Million Mark

NZ’s population is expected to hit the 4 million mark in the next few months, according to the latest figures released by Statistics New Zealand. Last year the population grew by .5% on account…

Reel-time Direction

Reel-time Direction

NZ-born Rodney Charters (The Pretender, Roswell) is the directing force behind the latest US television sensation, 24. Described as “a heart-stopping hit,” the 24 hour-long episodes represent one day in the life of Jack…

Premium quality: South Seas art

Premium quality: South Seas art

Aotearoa-Pasifika artist Michael Tuffery talks to the ABC about recycling identity. Tuffery has recently completed an artist’s residency at Artspace Mackay in Queensland, Australia, where he ran a series of workshops for aspiring artists…

Pays Au Long Nuage Blanc

Pays Au Long Nuage Blanc

Special assignment NZ: Le Monde heads Down Under in search of good wine and finds it in abundance. “NZ, long considered a land of beer-drinkers, has made a sudden and remarkable appearance on the world wine…

Crowe KO’s the Competition

Crowe KO’s the Competition

Empire‘s 2003 awards had a strong NZ flavour, with Russell Crowe picking up Best Actor and Peter Jackson and The Two Towers winning Best Director and Best Film. In other Crowe news, the NZ-born…

Grand Dame

Grand Dame

Dame Judith Mayhew has been elected chairperson of Scotland’s Royal Opera House, the first time the position has been held by a woman. The NZ-born high-flyer previously helmed the Corporation of London, and remains…

Best Beach

Best Beach

Waikiki, Daytona, Copacabana … 90 Mile Beach. Northland’s prized stretch was voted one of the world’s top 20 beaches in an Expedia poll of thousands of British travellers. Winning poll-participant Pete Shannon now has the arduous job…

From Dreams to (Augmented) Reality

From Dreams to (Augmented) Reality

SMH interviews “augmented reality” guru Mark Billinghurst, director of NZ’s Human Interface Technology Lab. HIT works in conjunction with Seattle’s University of Washington designing cutting-edge communications technology reminiscent of Star Wars’ virtual projections. Billinghurst: “Twenty years later, we…

More of Southland’s Finest

More of Southland’s Finest

“If the landscape above the Okaka mountain hut had been the work of a garden designer it would have won Chelsea.” Times writer roams the “enchanted forest” of the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track, Southland’s latest “Great Walk,”…

Clark Talks Creative Countries

Clark Talks Creative Countries

New York Times interviews PM Helen Clark about her role as arts benefactress. As the self-appointed minister of “arts, culture and heritage,” Clark has given the creative industry a much-needed injection of funding and promotional support. Clark:…

Animating America

Animating America

Auckland-based Flux Animation Studio has made impressive inroads to the US market via a reciprocal partnership with New York’s Hornet Inc. The companies first teamed up on Saatchi’s acclaimed Anchorville series, creating a…

#59: 2003 Global Warming

#59: 2003 Global Warming

Edge Message #59 from Brian Sweeney, producer NZEDGE.COM TO NEW ZEALAND EDGE GLOBAL COMMUNITY Welcome to 2003 from the edge. As unsettling winds blow globally, the Aotearoa advantage and geography has never been so prescient….

Brain-gain

Brain-gain

The findings of a team of Auckland University researchers have created hope for sufferers of degenerative brain disease. According to Professor Richard Faull, diseased brains produce new cells to replace dying ones at a previously unknown rate….

Perils of Modern Life

Perils of Modern Life

Who says desk-jobs are easy? NZ medical researchers have discovered a potentially deadly threat to frequent computer users. Dubbed “e-thrombosis,” the blood-clotting disorder has similar effects to those sometimes suffered by long-distance air travellers. The methods of prevention…

Jackson cuts down

Jackson cuts down

Peter Jackson has announced his next film project and it’s not The Hobbit or King Kong. Taking a much-needed break from the epic-scale, Jackson is rumoured to be adapting medical history for the screen…

Te Reo on TV

Te Reo on TV

The government has announced an increase of $7.075 million per annum for the Maori Television Service.  MTS will eventually reach 86% of the population. “It is important to note that this is a greater level of coverage…

Northern exposure

Northern exposure

The Datsuns are taking their acclaimed brand of rock firepower to Canada, with shows scheduled for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Their highly anticipated foray into North America precedes the release of their debut album…

Destruction and Creation

Destruction and Creation

Newsday feature on Nobel-winning NZ scientist Maurice Wilkins documents his epoch-breaking career shift from researching weapons of mass destruction to unearthing the secrets of life itself. Horrified at the results of Hiroshima, Wilkins became (and remains)…

L.A Woman

L.A Woman

After a highly successful tour of NZ, Bic Runga has moved to Los Angeles in the hope of netting new and bigger audiences. A brief but busy tour of Canada saw her open for…

Antarctic Tribute

Antarctic Tribute

A NZ foundation dedicated to the preservation of early Antarctic exploration is to erect a unique memorial museum to Norwegian explorer Carsten E. Borchgrevink. The UN-backed Global Resource Information Database (GRID) wants to preserve Borchgrevink’s cabin -…

Precious Guests

Precious Guests

Gollum and his maker are to share star-billing at the University of Teesside’s annual animation festival. Weta Digital’s lead animator, Jason Schleifer, will be on hand to deliver a series of lectures and workshops.

Cheese Guaranteed to Please?

Cheese Guaranteed to Please?

NZ scientists have genetically modified cows to produce high-protein milk for the country’s cheese industry. The altered protein-levels would allow cheese-makers to produce more of their product from the same quantity of milk, and at a significantly…

Cheese to Please?

Cheese to Please?

NZ scientists at the Ruakura Research Centre in Hamilton in a radical innovation have genetically modified cows to produce high-protein milk for the country’s cheese industry. The altered protein-levels would allow cheese-makers to produce more from the…

Miles Ahead

Miles Ahead

NZ athlete Nick Willis continues to run rings around his American college-mates. The University of Michigan student clocked the nation’s fastest 3,000m time for the year to date at January’s Red Simmons Invitational. Ironically, it was Willis’…

Inside information

Inside information

Harvard’s popular Let’s Go series has updated its NZ guide to include such hidden gems as Wanaka’s Cinema Paradiso. Writer Mark Kirby: “In the new feature ‘The Local Story,’  was able to give readers a feel…

Out of the Primordial Mud

Out of the Primordial Mud

NY Times travel writer witnesses first hand the impact of Cup-fever on the cosmopolitan City of Sails and the hotel, restaurant, and entertainment legacy it leaves behind. “Auckland feels like a younger, fresher, smaller version of…

Scuba-duper

Scuba-duper

NZ waters crop up three times in the Observer‘s list of the world’s best scuba spots. Hauraki Reef and Kaikoura Canyon are recommended for mammal enthusiasts, while a night-dive at Rikoriko Cave (Poor Knights Islands) comes with…

Rolling With It

Rolling With It

The best supporting location features in the Observer‘s list of 20 dream holidays for the 21st century. “Hobbit fever has made NZ one of the hottest destinations of the new century, and there is still one…

Intellectual melting pot

Intellectual melting pot

Denis Dutton-led website Art & Letters Daily hailed as “a one-stop shopping catalogue of intellectual ideas” in Washington Times. The popular site is unique in its ideological range and lack of personal bias. Dutton:…

Rugby as it Should Be

Rugby as it Should Be

Former All Black captain Ian Kirkpatrick was a guest of honour at the 30th anniversary of 1973’s legendary NZ vs. Barbarians match. Dubbed “rugby’s Mona Lisa,” the Barbarians’ victory is viewed by many as the most thrilling…

Pleasure Island

Pleasure Island

Scotsman travel writer leaves the Southern Alps to Frodo and heads for the sunny shores of Waiheke Island, where bach culture and Gucci collide. “All kinds of homely structures are clinging to the hillside All have…

Crowd Pleaser

Crowd Pleaser

Niki Caro’s Whale Rider continues to charm international viewers, receiving audience awards at both Sundance and Rotterdam. Caro: “As far as I understand, no one’s won at both Toronto and Sundance in the same year…

Bright Spark

Bright Spark

Chad Taylor’s Electric continues to receive great press from leading reviewers. Guardian: “The hypnotic pull of Taylor’s story lies in the zigzag dance of its forlorn characters, casting a murky, uneasy sense of doom….

Hobbits air-borne

Hobbits air-borne

Air New Zealand has launched its second “hobbit plane” with a maiden voyage to Los Angeles. The fuselage features Rings characters Aragorn and Arwen, as well as picturesque NZ scenery, in a canny marketing…

Edge-istential Cinema

Edge-istential Cinema

NZ filmmaker Andrew Niccol is again poised to ” filmgoers into audacious mind games” with his latest feature Simone. Like previous projects Gattaca and The Truman Show, Simone explores the complicity of the media…

Finn-spiration

Finn-spiration

Legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has nothing but praise for Neil Finn, who he collaborated with on Seven World’s Collide. “That experience with Neil was one of the highlights of my musical life so…

The Dream’s Not Over

The Dream’s Not Over

Neil Finn continues to promote One All abroad, with his second successful U.S tour in 6 months. Boston Globe: “Finn’s chief gift is crafting melodies that are the envy of most songwriters. His subtle…

A novel life

A novel life

Margaret Birkinshaw, mother of NZ-edged novelist Fay Weldon and acclaimed author in her own right, has died aged 95. Renowned for her passion, confidence and sense of adventure, many lament her refusal to pen…