Alice Mabin Captures Historic Cattle Drive in Bestselling Book
New Zealander Alice Mabin is as comfortable on the back of a horse as she is behind a camera and is living her dream in a world where those two loves collide, battling the…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Rob Tucker’s Still Lifes a Highlight of NY’s Outsider Art Fair
According to Vogue, 27-year-old Devonport artist Rob Tucker’s still-life paintings were one of the highlights at New York’s Outsider Art Fair on from 29 January through 1 February. Tucker uses whatever materials he…
Bloody Good Film: A Biting New Zealand Comedy Takes America
Film Comment, the magazine of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, has its January/February cover boy a blood-drenched Jemaine Clement from What We Do in the Shadows. Co-written, co-directed and co-starring Clement…
Te Papa’s Autochrome Collection Illuminates the Everyday
Lissa Mitchell, curator of historical documentary photography at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, explores the work of three photographers creating autochromes in early 20th-century New Zealand. Mitchell’s writing features on the…
Peter the Great’s Hobbit Premieres in China
Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson was joined by Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor (pictured far left) in Beijing for the Chinese premiere of the final Hobbit installment on 19 January. This was Jackson’s final stop on his…
Graeme Simsion and Wife Anne Buist Literary Double Act
Auckland-born author Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist are Australia’s hottest literary couple, according to the Age, spurring on each other to keep the words – and surprises – coming. Buist is showing signs of nerves…
New Zealand Baches Get a Luxury Makeover
A bach on the beach has long been the embodiment of the New Zealand dream, with the traditional version often a modest structure haphazardly pieced together with corrugated iron and reused timber. Lance and Nicola…
Amos Chapple Couldn’t Resist Shooting in the Coldest Place on Earth
New Zealand photographer Amos Chapple says he shoots travel photos aimed at the news sections of papers and which need a headline to hang a story on. It got down to -31 degrees Centigrade…
Jane Campion’s Sweetie a Beautifully Strange Debut
Writer-director Jane Campion’s “mysterious visual style was showcased” in her 1989 film debut Sweetie, a “left field story about the love-hate relationship between two sisters,” the Guardian’s Luke Buckmaster writes. “Campion has made a career…
Michael Wayne Plant Named One of Six Imaging Ambassadors
Sony UK has announced that New Zealand-born Michael Wayne Plant has been named one of six photographers to join its Imaging Ambassadors programme, which is run on Sony’s behalf by the World…
Oscar Nominations for Screenwriter Anthony McCarten
Among the five Oscar nominations announced for the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything came a nod for New Plymouth-born producer and screenwriter Anthony McCarten. McCarten has been nominated twice as co-producer and…
Poet Lang Leav Offering up More Romance
Best-selling poet and artist Lang Leav has just released her second collection of poems, Lullabies. The New Zealander cemented her name in publishing history with a Best Poetry win at the Goodreads…
Meet the New Zealand Opera Trio That Outsold Lorde
Lorde may be the greatest New Zealand musical export of 2013, but back home, she’s got competition. The members of the improbably popular operatic trio Sol3 Mio, buck all the current trends in the…
Dutch Film Industry Appoints Marten Rabarts
New Zealand-born Marten Rabarts, currently head of development and training at the National Film Development Corporation in India, has been appointed head of EYE International (formerly Holland Film) and will take up…
Trygve Wakenshaw’s Solo Show Kraken Perfectly Executed
New Zealand comic Trygve Wakenshaw’s solo show Kraken, a follow up to his Edinburgh and London 2013 smash hit, Squidboy, is on at the Soho Theatre as part of the 2015 London…
Melanie Lysnkey’s Togetherness Performance a Stand-Out
It’s hard to pinpoint what is brilliant about new comedy series Togetherness, but a good place to start is its casting of Melanie Lynskey, according to Salon television critic Sonia Saraiya. “Lynskey is a New…
A Phenomenal Peter Stichbury Show in NYC
“Anatomy of a Phenomenon,” a one-of-a-kind exhibition from Auckland-born artist Peter Stichbury—2008 winner of New Zealand’s prestigious Wallace Art Award—recently enjoyed a successful month-long run (October 16-November 15, 2014) at…
Eleanor Bishop Creating Challenging Theatre in Pittsburgh
During her first trip to the United States, self-described “feminist artist who creates documentary theatre”, New Zealander Eleanor Bishop, 28, was so moved by a 2012 rape case involving high school students in Steubenville,…
Brendan Cole Promises a Night to Remember
Professional dancer Christchurch-born Brendan Cole, 38, star of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, begins a 48-date tour of the UK and Ireland with his dance spectacular A Night To Remember on 27 January in…
Peter Walker’s Coming of Age Novel Absorbing and Ethereal
New Zealand author Peter Walker’s latest novel Some Here Among Us is “an absorbing, ethereal meditation into how the passage of time opens us up”, Peter Carty writes in a review of the book…
Get Interior Design Tips from Expert Sandra Nunnerley
Later this month, New York-based New Zealand interior designer Sandra Nunnerley will answer readers’ questions on the Washington Post’s online feature Home Front about living and decorating with art. Nunnerley runs a design studio in…
At Last Martin Phillipps Is Back
At last, The Chills are back and its something of a miracle to meet Martin Phillipps preparing for his first London show with the band for 18 years, Michael Hann reports in the Guardian. The…
Henry Hargreave’s Photos Examine How the World Eats
New Zealand-born photographer Henry Hargreaves, 35, who has made a name for himself by using food as a vehicle for the provocative, charming and macabre, has launched a new series showcasing the way in which…
Feel Write at Home in Mansfield’s Menton Cottage
Katherine Mansfield’s home in Menton, France is included in a Vanity Fair article about staying in places where “literary idols dashed off their masterpieces”. Included alongside Virginia Woolf’s Sussex country house; John Keats’ Old Mill…
Stephen Daisley’s New Novel the Pick of 2015
New Zealand-born Stephen Daisley’s 2010 debut novel, Traitor, is one of the “best works of fiction” the Australian’s Stephen Romei “has read in recent times” and this year the author’s second novel “will press…
Peter Jackson Wants Off Hollywood Blockbuster Bandwagon
The new Hobbit film made US$90 million in its opening weekend, but in an interview with Esquire magazine director Peter Jackson confesses he doesn’t really like the “Hollywood blockbuster bandwagon.” The third and final installment…
Hotelier Sean Macpherson Clearly Has the Midas Touch
New Zealand-born hotelier Sean MacPherson’s Bowery, Jane, Maritime, Lafayette House and Marlton Hotels will always be some of lower Manhattan’s coolest places to stay, according to Forbes Life contributor Anne Abel. “Now he’s back, in…
Honor Harger Curates First-Ever SE Asia Da Vinci Exhibit
It was a long, emotional night for ArtScience Museum executive director New Zealand-born Honor Harger. She was waiting eagerly for the arrival of Leonardo da Vinci’s works, which had travelled a long way to…
Erebus – Into the Unknown
History has always proved a success topic for film, acting as a means of celebration of those lost and those who have made a difference. The new documentary-film Erebus: Into the Unknown does both…
Tanya Jacobs Ensuring Cirque Du Soleil’s Wardrobe Flies
New Zealand-born wardrobe director Tanya Jacobs has toured with the Cirque du Soleil show Varekai ever since she first began working for the company, overseeing the maintenance of late Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka’s aesthetic…
Former Strictly Star Erin Boag Returns to the Stage
For all its glamour and sparkle, one can’t help but feel that Strictly Come Dancing’s star burns a little less brightly since New Zealand-born Erin Boag departed two years ago, according to the Western…
Jesse Will Gets Taylor Swift’s Approval for Shake It off Cover
New Zealand musician Jesse Will, 24, has became an overnight sensation with megastar Taylor Swift tweeting a glowing endorsement of his Shake It Off cover, calling it the best rendition by another artist. “My…
Marton Csokas Employs Brutal Tactics in New Miniseries
New Zealand actor Marton Csokas plays General Thomas Gage in the History Channel miniseries Sons of Liberty, which premieres on 25 January. Sons of Liberty, a three-part, six-hour series, which was filmed in Romania, tells…
Kapiti Musician Stefan Wolf Wins International Video Award
Kapiti Coast musician Stefan Wolf has won the Best International Video – Pacific award at this year’s Australian Independent Music Video Awards for his lament about lost friendships, On Your Side. The video was filmed…
Brazilian Filmmaker David Schurmann Heads Back to NZ
New Zealand Film and Television School graduate, Brazilian film director David Schurmann, is shooting Little Secret, inspired by the life of his adopted sister Kat Schurmann, and written by Marcos Bernstein, scribe of Walter…
Lorde Finds Sisterhood with Katniss in Mockingjay Songs
Lorde’s low hum that begins her new single, Yellow Flicker Beat takes the viewer from the final shot of the transformed heroine Katniss Everdeen to the closing credits of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay –…
Paul Ewen’ Latest Novel Brilliant Satire of Booker Set
In his second novel New Zealander Paul Ewen “cranks up his deadpan satirical style through one Francis Plug, and catches a vast array of contemporary Booker prizewinners in his firing line,” Ben Myers writes…
Lucy Lawless Plays Evil Queen in Californian Pantomime
Actress Lucy Lawless is currently portraying the evil queen Carabosse in a California-based production of Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight. Through 4 January, at the Pasadena Playhouse, Lawless plays alongside Ben Giroux (Hart of…
Tami Neilson’s Dynamite Deserves to Explode in US
Virtually unknown in the US, New Zealand-based singer Tami Neilson has accrued awards aplenty in recent years, but with her 2014 album Dynamite she has crafted something truly special that deserves to explode with…
Herbst Architects’ Sensitive Retreat Invites the Outside in
A new beach house – “overlooking New Zealand’s breathtaking Whangarei Heads” – designed by Auckland husband-and-wife team Lance and Nicola Herbst is featured on design magazine Wallpaper’s website. “Situated on a cranked ridge line ……
Billy Apple’s Retrospective Not like Anyone Else’s
Ahead of Billy Apple’s 2015 retrospective exhibition Billy Apple®: The Artist Has to Live Like Everybody Else at Auckland Art Gallery, arts publication Yareah Magazine looks back at the life of New Zealand’s most…
Chartbusters Sol3 Mio Poised to Tackle the World
Fresh from performing the New Zealand national anthem in Chicago for a rare rugby match between the USA Eagles and world-champion All Blacks, operatic trio Sol3 Mio are hoping for many more thumping victories…
Hayley Westenra Sings Holiday Favourites for Wisconsin Fans
Acclaimed Christchurch-born soprano Hayley Westenra, 27, who has mesmerised audiences across continents, appeared with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) at the Orpheum Theater on 18 and 19 December singing Christmas favourites. Westenra’s music director, Tim…
Who’s-Who of NZ Sidemen Join Guy Pierce on Debut
An assured, confident debut album draws from Australian actor Guy Pearce’s genuinely appealing voice and a who’s-who of New Zealand sidemen, including Liam Finn regular Jon Mulholland and Tim Finn/Gin Wigmore guitarist Brett Adams. “[The…
The Hobbit: “Peerless Fantasy, Flawlessly Rendered”
“The pleasure is intense, and mixed with awe,” writes Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. “There is majesty here, and not just because we’re…
Melanie Lynskey the Voice of an Irascible Cartoon Bluebird
New Zealand-born actress Melanie Lynskey, who starred alongside Charlie Sheen in television comedy Two and a Half Men, is the voice of bluebird Beatrice in the “beautiful” Cartoon Network 10-part miniseries Over the Garden…
Writing Isn’t Just about Expression Says Author Eleanor Catton
Author Eleanor Catton, who is a participant in The Hindu Lit Fest in January 2015, talks to the Hindu about why writing isn’t just about expression but about impression too. Catton, who has set up…
Empire Reunites Peter Jackson and the Bad Taste Gang
For the January issue of Empire, devoted entirely to bidding “Farewell to Middle-earth,” Peter Jackson and the crew of the 1987 splatter classic, Bad Taste are reunited “to reminiscence about the crazy shoot.” “That year,…
Kimbra Takes A Visit To Sesame Street
New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra has been spotted on one of the world’s most well-known streets and has been seen with some of its most famous residents – Elmo and the Cookie Monster. The effervescent star…
Portrayal of Genesis Earns Cliff Curtis Best Actor Accolades
Cliff Curtis has won best actor at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for his portrayal of Genesis Potini in The Dark Horse, ahead of veteran Australian actor David Gulpilil, who won the prize…
Golden Globe Nomination for Lorde’s Hunger Games Single
Lorde is “blown away” by a Golden Globe nomination for her hit single Yellow Flicker Beat included on the soundtrack to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, which the eighteen-year-old herself curated. “I am…
Battle of the Five Armies Packs Huge Chain Mail Punch
Upon its release in Britain, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was met with great enthusiasm, with UK newspapers agreeing the New Zealand director has completed his trilogy with verve. “Jackson’s…
Susan Te Kahurangi King’s Vociferous Drawings Animate NY
Since the early 1960s, New Zealand artist Susan Te Kahurangi King – who makes her gallery debut in Chelsea, New York – “has been reworking Looney Tunes characters like a rogue animator, abstracting, distorting…
Nine Things We’ve Learned about Peter Jackson’s Epic Saga
“Just as there are nine members of the Fellowship, here are nine things we have learned from Peter Jackson’s six-picture behemoth …” Guardian journalist Ryan Gilbey gives us the rundown. “It’s big. But how big?…
Roger Donaldson Remembers New Zealand Beginnings
Before he became one of Hollywood’s most dependable big-movie helmers with hits for stars such as Eastwood, Pacino, Cruise, Costner, Hopkins, Statham, Brosnan, Roger Donaldson, 69, literally helped invent the film industry in New…
It’s Official, Kimbra Is the Coolest
New Zealander Kimbra is officially the “coolest” according to Nylon magazine, telling their readers that if they’re not already familiar with the singer then, “it’s time to get acclimated.” “Her music has the power to…
