Blog Archives

Undeniably entertaining

Undeniably entertaining

New Zealand director Andrew Niccol’s latest science-fiction film, an adaptation of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer’s book The Host, has premiered in Los Angeles. Meyer specifically asked for Niccol to direct the film. On the…

Neilson Gets ‘Better and Better’

Neilson Gets ‘Better and Better’

New Zealander Ruban Neilson’s playing and song writing just gets ‘better and better’, according to The Observer. Reviewing his group’s latest CD. Unknown Mortal Orchestra II, The Observer’s Kitty Empire praises the bands songs…

Kevin Iro: from ‘Kiwi’ League Legend to Marine Reserve Champion

Kevin Iro: from ‘Kiwi’ League Legend to Marine Reserve Champion

‘At first glance’ Kevin Iro, New Zealand rugby league great, ‘seems a somewhat unlikely ocean champion,’ writes Islands Business. But you don’t play for the ‘Kiwis’ without learning about hard work, and teamwork. That…

Air New Zealand: The Bear Essentials of Safety

Air New Zealand: The Bear Essentials of Safety

Bear Grylls goes wild on Air New Zealand’s safety video.

NZ Home to World’s Largest Waterslide

NZ Home to World’s Largest Waterslide

New Zealanders Jimi Hunt and Dan Drupstee have built the world’s longest waterslide, writes The Daily Mail. Their slide, at 650 meters long, beat the previous record by nearly 440 meters! Two thousand people…

Erakovic Scores WTA Title

Erakovic Scores WTA Title

‘Run up the flags. New Zealand finally has a winner again,’ said Bob Greene of World Tennis Magazine. He was talking about Marina Erakovic winning her first World Tennis Association (WTA) title. The win…

Ryan Nelsen Scores Coaching Position

Ryan Nelsen Scores Coaching Position

Former All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen, has his first-ever coaching job, at Toronto FC. He faces a huge task trying to turn the club around, writes Sonja Cori Missio in The Guardian. Nelsen was…

Chef Peter Gordon Talks NZ Lamb

Chef Peter Gordon Talks NZ Lamb

New Zealand lamb took center-stage in The Independent’s ‘food and drink’ section recently. Kiwi chef Peter Gordon featured, with a video on cooking lamb fajitas. ‘Since the first delivery in 1882, New Zealand Lamb…

Economic Aftermath of Canterbury Quake.

Economic Aftermath of Canterbury Quake.

Two years ago, an earthquake devastated Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, killing 185 people. The city is but one example of how even the wealthiest countries struggle to recover from large-scale catastrophes, according…

Clark Calls for Action

Clark Calls for Action

Helen Clark is calling for swift action to halt a surge of diseases such as cancer and diabetes in the Pacific, writes the Samoa Observer. Ms. Clark, a former New Zealand Prime Minister, is…

NZ Congratulated for Plain Packaged Cigarettes

NZ Congratulated for Plain Packaged Cigarettes

New Zealand will follow Australia’s lead in forcing cigarette makers to sell their products in plain packs, writes Dan Harrison, Health reporter for The Age. ‘Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia announced that she would…

New Zealand Toy Makes World Top 10 List

New Zealand Toy Makes World Top 10 List

A New Zealand toy, The Snow Globe, is one of the world’s top ten ‘best creative toys’, according to  Britain’s Independent newspaper. The ‘Snow Globe’ is made by Seedlings, founded in 2006 by Phoebe…

Rachel Hunter Belle Donne

Rachel Hunter Belle Donne

Rachel Hunter, New Zealand former supermodel and TV presenter, ‘stole the show’ at the Italia Film, Fashion and Art Festival, in Los Angeles, according to The Daily Mail. ‘Rachel Hunter certainly isn’t about to…

Kids TV and Crime Linked

Kids TV and Crime Linked

Otago University Professor Bob Hancox has found that the risk of having a criminal conviction in adulthood increases with every hour that children spend watching TV. The New Zealand study followed a group of…

Sonny Bill Eyes Up World Cup

Sonny Bill Eyes Up World Cup

Sonny Bill Williams, New Zealand’s most versatile sportsman, may be available for New Zealand for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup says Brad Walker, in The Age. Williams plays for the Sydney Rooster rugby…

NZ Women’s Cricket Player Issues ‘Wakeup’ Call

NZ Women’s Cricket Player Issues ‘Wakeup’ Call

Susie Bates, New Zealand women’s cricket captain, was named Player of the Tournament at the 2013 women’s Cricket World Cup. Bates scored 407 runs in the competition, and was named captain of the tournament’s…

Lydia Ko ‘Just Incredible’

Lydia Ko ‘Just Incredible’

Steve Williams says he’s almost lost for words when it comes to fellow Kiwi Lydia Ko’s achievements, according to The Age. Williams has caddied for Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Raymond Floyd and now Adam…

NZ Stays in Afghanistan

NZ Stays in Afghanistan

New Zealand will keep a small team of military personnel in Afghanistan to help coalition forces after it formally withdraws in April 2013, according to The Washington Post. The group of 27 will be…

New Zealand Telcos Plan Fibre-optic Link with Australia

New Zealand Telcos Plan Fibre-optic Link with Australia

New Zealand’s telecommunications companies will build a new $60 million fiber-optic cable connecting New Zealand with Australia. Telecom, Vodafone and Telstra hope to finish the build by the end of 2014. The cable’s capacity…

NZ Film Brings Home the Prize

NZ Film Brings Home the Prize

The New Zealand film Shopping, by directors Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, has won The Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus for best feature film at the Berlin Film Festival.  ‘An extremely compelling first…

Walker’s Youthful Sophistication

Walker’s Youthful Sophistication

‘Karen Walker pits arty school girls against working women for a youthful but ultra-sophisticated new fall collection,’ writes Olivia Fleming in The Daily Mail.  Walker’s fall 2013 collection is called New Rose. The inspiration…

Sky Tower to Join St. Paddy’s Day Festivities

Sky Tower to Join St. Paddy’s Day Festivities

The Auckland Sky Tower will go green on St Patricks Day, March 17 2013, says the Daily Mail. The ‘greening’ has been organised by the Irish Tourist Board to promote Ireland’s tourism. Other world…

NZ Police Get Tech Savvy

NZ Police Get Tech Savvy

More than 6,000 New Zealand police officers are getting an iPhone, writes Louis Bedigian in Forbes. Almost 4000 of these officers will also receive an iPad. The deal is ‘the most lucrative Apple has…

Samoa Backs Tom Groser

Samoa Backs Tom Groser

Samoa supports New Zealand’s Minister of Trade, Tim Groser as the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General. Deputy Prime Minister Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo gave Samoa’s support at a meeting with Mr Groser, according…

Alice Englert Almost Turned Down Starring Role

Alice Englert Almost Turned Down Starring Role

Kiwi actress Alice Englert almost turned down her role as ‘caster’ Lena Duchannes in Beautiful Creatures. Speaking to Eric Eisenberg, from Cinema Blend.com, Englert said that initially she ‘wasn’t interested. I heard…that it was…

GRAMMY Awards: Gotye and Kimbra

GRAMMY Awards: Gotye and Kimbra

Gotye and Kimbra at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre Telecast Ceremony, ‘Somebody that I used to know’.

Campion Returns a Champion

Campion Returns a Champion

New Zealand director Jane Campion makes a ‘haunting’ and near-perfect return to TV production, according to Andrew Pulver, The Guardian’s Film Editor.  Campion’s return to high-end TV film-making comes with her directing the first…

Sheep, Lizards and Hobbits

Sheep, Lizards and Hobbits

February 6 is New Zealand’s national day. Known as Waitangi Day, it marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between the British Crown and the Maori, New Zealand’s first peoples. Britain’s…

Peace of Mind – Debut Album

Peace of Mind – Debut Album

Anika Moa, Boh Runga and Hollie Smith are three iconic New Zealand songwriters and artists, strong women with voices and personalities to match. Their…

New Zealand Dolphin Faces Extinction

New Zealand Dolphin Faces Extinction

An estimated 55 adult Maui dolphins are left in the world. The Maui is unique to the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It is the world’s rarest and smallest dolphin. And, by…

Spectacular Mud Explosions on White Island

Spectacular Mud Explosions on White Island

Activity on New Zealand’s White Volcano, 50km off the East Coast of the North Island with amazing mud explosions.

Tim Groser Favorite for WTO Director-General

Tim Groser Favorite for WTO Director-General

London bookies Ladbrokes have named Tim Groser, New Zealand’s Trade Minister, ‘joint favourite’ to be the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) new Director-General. Mr Groser is at 3:1 to take out the top job, along…

London Kiwi Chef Brings ‘Balm to the Soul’

London Kiwi Chef Brings ‘Balm to the Soul’

Kiwi chef Tyler Martin hails from New Plymouth. His Fulham restaurant is called Manuka Kitchen. The name is entirely apt, according to Independent food writer John Walsh. Martin and his partner Joseph Antippa’s food…

NZ to Aid UAE

NZ to Aid UAE

New Zealand will help improve food security for the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) and particularly the UAE, Murray McCully, New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a special interview with Gulf News. “New…

New Zealand Extends Hand to Mindanao

New Zealand Extends Hand to Mindanao

Since the 1960s, some 150,000 people have died and more than three million have been displaced on Mindanao Island (Philippines); the result of a bloody conflict between Muslim rebels and government forces. Now, after…

Dog Drives Car on its Own

Dog Drives Car on its Own

In a world first a New Zealand dog is taught how to drive a car on its own.

Stan Walker: Take It Easy

Stan Walker: Take It Easy

The music video for Stan Walker’s track, Take It Easy.

TEDxAuckland: Michelle Dickinson

TEDxAuckland: Michelle Dickinson

Michelle Dickinson speaks at TEDxAuckland 2012 about ‘Nanogirl, my quest to become a superhero’.

New Zealand: ‘It really is Paradise’ Says Bollywood’s Vidya Balan

New Zealand: ‘It really is Paradise’ Says Bollywood’s Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan, one of Bollywood’s biggest superstars, rates New Zealand as her favourite place. She spoke to Filmfare, India’s leading film magazine, about her trip and shared some of her New Zealand photos with…

Titanium: Come On Home

Titanium: Come On Home

Boy band sensation Titanium with their debut single, Come On Home.

NZ’s Got Talent Semi-Final: Clara Van Wel

NZ’s Got Talent Semi-Final: Clara Van Wel

Clara Van Wel performs another original song during New Zealand’s Got Talent Semi-Final 2012.

Willy Moon: Yeah Yeah

Willy Moon: Yeah Yeah

The music video for Willy Moon’s track, Yeah Yeah.

Middle Earth Mania

Middle Earth Mania

The country’s national tourism slogan “100% Pure New Zealand” has become “100% Middle-earth”, and in the days leading up to the premiere of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Wellington will be…

Up on the Plane

Up on the Plane

New Zealand-founded company Gibbs Sports Amphibians will introduce a new off-roader on to the market this week, the Quadski, which is equipped with retractable wheels and a BMW motorcycle engine. Gibbs’ chairman Neil Jenkins…

Local Talent Lights NY

Local Talent Lights NY

New Zealanders Hayley Heartbreak, Elspeth Hoskin and Johnson Witehira, winners of the Chorus NZ national competition for tertiary student artists, recently displayed their artwork on the neon billboards of Times Square in New York….

Wilkommen in Frankfurt

Wilkommen in Frankfurt

With New Zealand the Guest of Honour at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel showcased the country in its Sunday magazine section. “Whenever one thinks of New Zealand, one thinks about kiwis, sheep,…

Rubberman Prevails

Rubberman Prevails

Palmerston North 21-year-old freestyle motorcross champion Levi Sherwood has become the youngest-ever winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters tour championship beating French rider Thomas Pagès on Cockatoo Island in Sydney. “All I came here…

Decades of Aisle Style

Decades of Aisle Style

With Air New Zealand celebrating its 30th anniversary of flights between London and Los Angeles, British lifestyle magazine Female First looks at the fashion of the airline over the decades. “Air New Zealand’s heritage can be…

Through a Pacific Lens

Through a Pacific Lens

Auckland poet Courtney Meredith, 26, was at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week for the launch of her debut book Brown Girls In Bright Red Lipstick. Meredith has been described as leading a generation…

Challenging Perceptions

Challenging Perceptions

Academic and literary biographer Joanne Drayton who spent many of her formative years in Christchurch in the shadow of the infamous Parker/Hulme 1954 murder case, recounts the story in The Search for Anne Perry. Bestselling…

Is This Place for Real?

Is This Place for Real?

“The hill is perfect – steep, shaggy and as green as a radioactive shamrock, like the matching hills around it,” The New York Times describes. “The sheep seem pretty idyllic themselves: polite little nibblers who only…

Women Enter Sevens Fold

Women Enter Sevens Fold

The success of New Zealand’s rugby teams will create high expectations on the country’s women as they embark on the first International Rugby Board (IRB) women’s sevens world series in November, coach Sean Horan…

Anti-corruption Pioneer Remembered

Anti-corruption Pioneer Remembered

Wellington-born activist and writer Jeremy Pope, who has died aged 73, “was one of the pioneers in what is now a global movement to curb corruption and improve integrity in government,” friend and colleague…

Sharing New Methods

Sharing New Methods

Early childhood care and education expert Professor Linda Mitchell from the University of Waikato has been in Dublin discussing New Zealand’s fully integrated, and bicultural, early childhood education services. In 1986, New Zealand became…

Linking Bilingual Minds

Linking Bilingual Minds

Four teachers from New Zealand are spending two weeks in Wales, visiting schools in Cardiff, Swansea, Llandudno and Wrexham, to learn more about bilingual education. The teachers, Piata Allen (left), Nichola McCall (right), Stacey…

No More Allergies

No More Allergies

AgResearch scientists have genetically engineered a cow to produce anti-allergy milk. They hope the technique, which uses a process called RNA interference that reduces the activity of certain genes without eliminating it completely, can…