Proud of Being a New Zealander: Sir Eion Edgar
Sir Eion Edgar reflects on what makes him most proud to be a New Zealander.
Blog Archives
Proud of Being a New Zealander: Gordon Tietjens
Gordon Tietjens reflects on what makes him most proud to be a New Zealander.
Proud of Being a New Zealander: Mike Stanley
Mike Stanley reflects on what makes him most proud to be a New Zealander.
Proud of Being a New Zealander: Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes reflects on what makes her most proud to be a New Zealander.
Proud of Being a New Zealander: Sir Ray Avery
Sir Ray Avery reflects on what makes him most proud to be a New Zealander.
Proud of Being a New Zealander: Witi Ihimaera on Edmund Hillary
Witi Ihimaera reflects on what makes him most proud to be a New Zealander.
Farewell to the White Mouse
New Zealand heroine and NZEdge hero Nancy Wake has passed away in England, three weeks shy of her 99th birthday. Born in Wellington in 1912, Wake moved to Australia with…
Stateside for Sealegs
Auckland-based Sealegs International, makers of amphibious marine craft, will open its North American flagship showroom at the Hingham Shipyard Marinas in New England this month, the company’s first store outside New Zealand….
Defining Great on Eden Park
New Zealand has beaten Australia 3-14 to claim a record ninth straight Tri-Nations victory, and the Bledisloe Cup, at Auckland’s Eden Park. The World Cup favourites scored tries through Ma’a Nonu, Keven Mealamu and…
Diplomatic to the End
Wellington-born Beryl Smedley — who was a prominent figure in the Diplomatic Service Wives’ Association over several decades, and author of Partners in Diplomacy, an account of the changing role of British diplomatic wives…
Taking Care of Carter
Swathe and swaddle him in bubblewrap and don’t drive over any potholes but every time Dan Carter goes into a tackle, a few more threads get fidgeted out of the upholstery writes Mark Reason…
Silent Hitchcock Discovered
A thirty-minute portion of The White Shadow, a 1923 silent film that is considered to be Alfred Hitchcock’s first credit, has been found amongst a collection of unidentified American nitrate prints in the New…
Making Our Roads Safer
New Zealand has increased its minimum driving age from 15 to 16 in an effort to make its roads safer, as well as banning those under 2 drinking any amount of alcohol and then…
Drilling for Silence
Seventy scientists from around the world will gather in Gisborne from 1-5 August to discuss proposals to study “silent” earthquakes by drilling into the seabed. Silent quakes, also known as slow slip events, occur…
Ensuring World Nourishment
With a rapidly growing world population New Zealand has a key role in ensuring food security and safety for future generations, according to Mark Ward, general manager of Massey University’s The Riddet Institute, which…
Running Them Ragged
“New Zealand produced a dazzling display to run South Africa ragged in an emphatic Tri Nations victory at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium,” reported England’s Daily Mail. The All Blacks crushed the Spring Boks 4-7, with…
Jango Fett Has a Ball
Actor Temuera Morrison surprised Rotorua high school students recently when he made an appearance at their Star Wars-themed ball. According to the New Zealand Herald Morrison — who played bounty hunter Jango Fett in…
Huhu Animates the Edible
Auckland animation company Huhu Studios has signed a multi-million dollar deal to produce six all-new direct-to-video episodes of popular children’s show VeggieTales for America’s Big Idea Entertainment studio. Founder and CEO of Huhu Trevor…
Soprano in the Scrum
New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra has been snapped with a number of burly rugby players, after she was named as the official voice of the Rugby World Cup for audiences in the UK. Westenra’s…
Californian Upset
New Zealand No 1 Marina Erakovic stunned top-seeded and defending champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 at the Stanford Classic in California to reach her second quarterfinal of the year. The 23-year-old…
Love Song to Opera House
New Zealanders musician Neil Finn and opera star Teddy Tahu Rhodes have been included in a line-up of artists chosen to perform sections of Nick Cave’s classic The Ship’s Song for a Sydney Opera…
New Zealand in Vogue
New Zealand is known for its edgy fashion exports such as Kate Sylvester and Zambesi, but a retrospective exhibition on now at Te Papa reveals a lesser known secret: the land of the long…
Farmyard Cancer Link
Researchers from Massey University in Wellington have found that growing up on a farm is linked to an increased risk of developing blood cancer later in life. The academics studied the death certificates of…
Auckland’s Top Five
“ city’s charming, walkable neighbourhoods offer distinct architectural styles and settings, from the iconic clock tower at the University of Auckland, to the Victorian houses backing up to lush Albert Park, with its fig…
Live Action at Comic-Con
Animation/motion-capture combination enabled Steven Spielberg to ‘step in and film like a live-action film’, said Peter Jackson at Comic-Con, who was a surprise guest at…
Grass and Seeds
Wellington reggae-soul group The Black Seeds played at the Australian music festival Splendour in the Grass at Woodford in Queensland on 29 July; keyboardist Nigel Patterson was interviewed ahead of the gig by the…
Sailing World Champion
Tauranga sailor Sam Meech has won the Laser Standard Youth World Championships in La Rochelle, France. Of 12 races sailed in the world championship, Meech won eight and finished second in another three. In…
In Love With His TV
Chief executive of Virgin Media New Zealander Neil Berkett has been placed at number 52 on the MediaGuardian annual top 1 guide to the most powerful people in television, radio, newspapers, magazines, digital media,…
Curing the Post-Tour Blues
New Zealand musician Liam Finn admits that on the back of tours around the world with Pearl Jam, The Black Keys and Wilco, he was cast adrift by his sudden sea change. “I didn’t…
Adventurous Disguise
New Zealand designer Karen Walker’s sunglasses line — her “newest collection rang from some seriously oversized, rounded mad-scientist-type specs to something that looks like a more stylized, larger pair of Wayfarers” —…
From Heights in Heels
One of the most sought-after stuntwomen in Hollywood, New Zealander Zoe Bell crashes through glass, slams into book cases and leaps from tall buildings. She has done stunts on more than 2 films and…
Beijing as Seen Like a Local
Auckland University of Technology media graduate Kim Bowden, who is currently working for three months as an intern at China Daily.com in Beijing, writes about the benefits of getting about the city on bicycle….
Return to Kapiti
Sixty-nine years after he survived a fatal landing exercise off Paekakariki Beach, former marine American Frank Zalot plans to travel to New Zealand in 212 for a commemoration of American servicemen stationed here in…
Time For a Change
Tiger Woods says goodbye to long-time caddie Steve Williams after twelve years, 13 majors and 72 tournament wins. Woods and Williams, have been together since 1999. “I want to express my deepest…
Pioneering MP
Whetu Trikatene-Sullivan, New Zealand’s longest serving female MP has died in Wellington, aged 79. Trikatene-Sullivan, of Ngai Tahu, was Labour MP for Southern Maori for 29 years, from 1967 till 1996. She famously travelled…
Talent Spotting Down Under
“There’s a lot of incredibly talented people in New Zealand,” legendary American venture capitalist Peter Thiel told the New Zealand Herald recently. “You look around and you see the small businesses and it’s very…
#136: International Velvet
Edge Message #136 from Brian Sweeney, producer NZEDGE.COM | New York City NZEDGE.COM publishes daily on Facebook and Twitter. This newsletter…
Violent Realism
Wellington-born director Lee Tamahori insists that his scripts are already dripping with violence when he gets them. His latest movie, The Devil’s Double tells the story of Latif Yahia, an Iraqi military officer who…
Holy Grail of Inspiration
Auckland-based online fashion diarist Marcella of Fashion Distraction tells trend-spotting site StyleCaster about her inspirations and icons, and gives advice to the would-be style blogger. StyleCaster reporter Kelly Mullins writes: “Coming across…
Back to the Place He Loves
Los Angeles is losing one of the greatest living jazz pianists, and a composer-orchestrator who has few peers, if any, New Zealand native Alan Broadbent. Before Broadbent moves his family to New York this…
Ace Pilot and Farmer
Former Sergeant-Pilot Geoffrey Bryson Fisken, the British Commonwealth’s No. 1 fighter pilot in the Pacific during WW2, has died at age 96 in Rotorua. He had spent much of his postwar years as a…
Cameo Contest Win
Hamilton-born singer Kimbra has won the AU$5, 211 Vanda and Young Songwriting Contest, receiving the honour for her song Cameo Lover ahead of 4 other entries. Now based in Melbourne, Kimbra — real name…
Fluffy Emblem of Hope
An expectant silence hangs over the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Sanctuary as hundreds of spectators await a glimpse of a rare white kiwi, a bird held sacred by Maori, describes The…
Petunia Precedent
A few years back, several New Zealand scientists began tinkering with petunia pigment genes developing biotech varieties with lush dark leaves. The scientists wondered if they could sell their flowers. They wrote to regulators…
Newspaper Man Takes Over
Since joining the Murdoch empire in 1991, native New Zealander Tom Mockridge — former economics editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and now Rebekah Brooks’s replacement as CEO at News International and in charge…
Getting Shirty
The New Zealand Rugby Union says it has no qualms with England wearing a black strip at this year’s Rugby World Cup. The Rugby Football Union said England will wear a black kit in…
Schools of Thought
Auckland’s Macleans College was “a world apart” from Westmont Hilltop High School in the US for trainee teacher Leah Fuller who spent seven weeks on an internship at the Bucklands Beach high school. Many…
Wide Awake and Charged
“It’s a tribute to the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s eclectic, open spirit that, once again, they visit the UK with a programme of work never seen here before,” Guardian reviewer Judith Mackrell writes. “In…
#135: News+New Bio Te Ruki Kawiti, Innovative Warrior
Edge Message #135 from Brian Sweeney, producer NZEDGE.COM | From New York NZEDGE.COM publishes daily on Facebook and Twitter. This newsletter presents a selection of…
Dynamic Blair Now a Tiger
New Zealand test forward Whangarei-born Adam Blair, has signed a four-year deal with the West Tigers, to start in the next NRL season. The signing of the Melbourne back-rower/prop has been one of the…
Welcome to Limboland
“The once bustling central business district resembles a wasteland,” Jonathan Hutchison reports for The New York Times. “Office furniture can be seen sitting inside partially collapsed buildings. Piles of bricks and steel lie along…
Fattening Up for the Swim
Happy Feet, the lost emperor penguin who turned up alone on Kapiti Coast’s Peka Peka Beach a month ago, has been eating up to 2kg of high-grade salmon each day — funded through donations…
Finding Solitude in the North
New Zealand is American musician Moby’s favourite place on the planet to holiday. “My fear is that every person you talk to is going to give that answer, because New Zealand is so beautiful…
Raiding the Global Pantry
Martha Jeffries, producer/director of New Zealand-made food and travel series World Kitchen is a self-confessed foodie with wanderlust, who had a “very Hutt upbringing”, growing up in Pinehaven and attending Sacred Heart…
