Death of an Iron Man
All Black prop Johnny Simpson, who played 33 matches including nine Tests for New Zealand in the late 1940s, has died in Wellington, aged 88. Know as the “Iron Man” for his strength and…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Help from Afar
A conservation awareness “Kakapo Parrot Day” event in Greenwich, Conneticut organised by a local teenager keen to help with the endangered bird’s survival will be held on December 11. Aaron Friedman, a student at…
New face of Milky Bar
Hinetaapora Short, 8, from Rotorua is the world’s first female Milky Bar Kid, beating more than 15 entries in a nation-wide search scoring the highest percentage of more than 11, total votes received. Three…
Iconic competition
Northland builder Iain Cathcart’s Hobbit-inspired letterbox has been named the quirkiest in the country in a competition run by Kaukapakapa nursery owners David and Geraldine Bayly. The concrete sculpture topped with white, New Zealand…
In-tents Experience
The Auckland Theatre Company performance of Cabaret is praised by Los Angeles Times blogger Christopher Smith, who writes that company director and actor Michael Hurst is “fortunate to have a compelling Sally Bowles in…
Better with age
The “exceptional player” Brad Thorn is set to earn his 5th cap for New Zealand against Wales at Cardiff on November 28, after missing the last game due to a hamstring injury. “At 35…
Record Goldie Sale
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has sold one of the finest paintings by renowned New Zealand artist Charles Goldie for the record price of $573, at Auckland’s International Art Centre. The oil on canvas, Forty…
Sea-life haven
“This is Kaikoura: and it’s paradise,” Kip Brook writes for the International Business Times. “It’s just two hours’ drive from Christchurch international airport and is one of the most breathtaking locations of any town…
FBI role for Curtis
Actor Cliff Curtis, 42, takes on the role of a top forensic consultant for the FBI in the ABC Dana Delany-led midseason drama Body of Proof. Rotorua-born Curtis — who also appeared as flight…
Portable cooler mayhem
Daredevils attached to a wheelchair, a scooter and skis leapt from a plane in the skies over Matamata in November launching the 211 Nitro Circus Live New Zealand Tour. Nitro Circus stars Joelene Van…
Bric-a-brac lucky
A painting bought for $5 at a Northland flea market is expected to sell for more than $2, at an auction to be held at Aesthete Gallery in Hamilton on 22 November. The unsigned…
Structural winnings
The Supreme Court of New Zealand in Wellington, designed by New Zealand-based Warren & Mahoney and completed in 29, has won the Institution of Structural Engineers Structural Award in the heritage category, for its…
In the whanau
Producers of smash hit film Boy Ainsley Gardiner and Cliff Curtis took the independent producers of the year kudo at the New Zealand’s Screen Production and Development Agency conference in November. The cousins…
Conchord revival
The Flight of the Conchords are in discussion to bring a live version of the cult television series to Australia and New Zealand next year. US comedian Arj Barker, who plays the philosophising stoner…
There is such a thing
New Zealand dairy company Fonterra has created a new yoghurt tailored for men, filled with fruit, seeds, grains and barley, under the brand name Mammoth Supply Co. Its marketing plays on social stereotypes of…
Leap over loveliness
Crammed in a small plane nearing 4m above the “gorgeously rustic” Bay of Islands, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Steve McKenna is about to throw himself out into the blue. “Peering out of a little…
Kiwis in a League of their own
The Kiwis took an exhilarating victory from the Kangaroos at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, winning the Rugby League Four Nations by four points in the game’s final minutes (with a spectacular final minute try and…
And How Beautiful
“One stunning image outdoes another in the hurtling, circling, swooping cinematography of Ben Seresin, a New Zealander whose palette is restrained but never suppressed,” the Wall Street Journal’s Joe Morgenstern writes in a review…
Impressive on Wheels
A New Zealand mountain biking trip features in the extras of Canadian adventure documentary DVD release, Follow Me, which is paired with a slide show by New Zealander Caleb Smith of Wellington-based mountain bike…
New Asian markets
Owner of Marlborough’s Forrest Estate Winery John Forrest was recently in Seoul, South Korea studying the local market, attending a wine fair, and introducing products to Korean consumers, buyers and retailers. “The group that…
Simple literary lines
The New Zealand Book Council is running an advertisement in cinemas throughout the country with a simple message: “Go home, and read a book.” The ad, which rolls after the film credits, was created…
Factory opening in US
New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra is taking on the tenancy of the Heartland Corporate Center in Shorewood, Illinois. Fonterra’s products will come to the United States from New Zealand via ships and then be…
Pago Pago challenge
Fletcher Construction of New Zealand has been awarded a US$7 million contract for the replacement of 33 homes destroyed in last year’s 8. earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa. Fletcher Construction has done business…
Sons change codes
The sons of former Kiwis captain Hugh McGahan and ex-All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga have chosen to play league rather than pursue representative careers in union. Matt McGahan, 17, and Cade Umaga, 16, are…
Postulating intrigues
“A private sale under way ‘outside New Zealand,’ according to the sale’s official Web site (and which we first read about on Jalopnik) has the enthusiast community scratching its collective head and postulating…
Jet-propelled milestone
The Martin Jetpack has been included in Time magazine’s 5 Best Inventions of 21, alongside Google’s driverless Prius and Amtrak’s cattle fat-powered train. New Zealand inventor Glenn Martin spent nearly 3 years developing a…
Welcome to Grimsby
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark, the first female administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the third-highest UN position, will make an appearance at Grimsby Central Hall on November 19 to discuss the…
Taste of Success
“There are several reasons for Man O War’s success,” Air New Zealand Wine Awards judge Eric Arnold writes in an article for Forbes. “It’s the island’s biggest, most established producer; it’s…
In love with Brooke
“In early 28, I fell in love with New Zealand indie-pop-rock sensation Brooke Fraser’s second album, Albertine,” Speakers in Code blogger Jason Gonulsen writes. “I played it everywhere — in my house, in my…
Mozart deters crims
Since 29, in a downtown Christchurch mall, music by Mozart and other classical composers has been played over speakers to deter would-be criminals. The music has led to a steep fall in petty crime,…
Covering the dream
Britain’s got Talent star Susan Boyle performed Crowded House classic Don’t Dream It’s Over on The Oprah Winfrey Show in October with the cover also included on Boyle’s new Christmas album The Gift. “Don’t…
Mood-lit air travel
“Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 777-3ER passenger cabins look more like those inside a private jet than a commercial airliner,” according to Alan Ferguson reporting for The Province. “Redesigned from scratch, the mood-lit cabins…
A really good time
In an extract from the 21-published Lonely Planet title Discover New Zealand, which highlights the very best the country has to offer, the guide says: “You probably already know how ludicrously photogenic New Zealand…
Psychological Primer
Wellington author and English teacher Denis Wright’s debut young adult novel Violence 11 is reviewed in the Los Angeles Times by Susan Carpenter who says the book “is a solid psychological primer that should…
Railway tranquillity
New Zealand’s trains, like the country itself, offer a glimpse of an older world. Travelling from Picton to Christchurch, the Telegraph’s James Owen relishes the chance to slow down and take stock. “‘Here, you…
Karapiro Medals
New Zealanders Eric Murray and Hamish Bond won gold with a narrow win over their rivals at this year’s Rowing World Championships on Lake Karapiro. The coxless pair edged ahead with less than 4m…
Tears over Billy
“I read a picture book called Billy by Kate De Goldi to my daughter a few nights ago, and one of my tear glands experienced a distinct tweak,” British award-winning novelist David Mitchell admits…
Leading the race
Actor Grant Bowler, 42, has been named host of the globetrotting reality television show, The Amazing Race Australia. Auckland-born Bowler has had a big year in film and television, working on projects such as…
Marks a trail blazer
Auckland-born Sean Marks, 35, the first New Zealander to play in the NBA, has been signed with Portland’s Trail Blazers. Marks came out of the University of California-Berkeley and was drafted 44th overall by…
Regatta on the Bay
Four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, 48, returns to San Diego, 16 years after he took the America’s Cup away from the United States, with his own regatta, the RC 44 Championship Tour. The…
Jagger’s good choice
Fashion “It” girl Georgia May Jagger, daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, chose New Zealand designer Karen Walker for the racetrack at Melbourne’s Crown Oaks Day in November. “Georgia definitely made the right…
Debut at Twickenham
Sonny Bill Williams makes his All Black debut against England at Twickenham on November 7 replacing Conrad Smith in the No 13 shirt. The 25-year-old former league international returned to New Zealand in the…
In the Top Three
New Zealand has made the top-three list of the best place to live in the world, following a United Nations human development annual survey. Norway took first place, followed by Australia in second place….
Spending up on fun
“As the brochures proudly boast: ‘Whether you crave adventure daily, or just like to have your pants scared off occasionally, you will find what you are looking for’ in Queenstown,” Alan Ferguson reports for…
Formalised Relationship
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited New Zealand in November “formalising its progressively warm relationship with New Zealand,” writes Wall Street Journal blogger Lucy Craymer from Wellington. “With a strategic agreement that promises…
Kopapa in the West End
New Zealand-born chef-proprietor of London’s Providores and Tapa Room Peter Gordon is set to open a new restaurant, called Kopapa in Convent Garden in December. Dishes will include Turkish poached eggs with whipped yogurt…
Not Just a Number
Black Caps cricket captain Daniel Vettori, 31, became the second player after Stephen Fleming to play 1 Tests for New Zealand when he took the field in the first Test against India in Ahmedabad…
For the working man
DB Breweries is celebrating its 5th anniversary of beer DB Export launching a 9-second black-and-white commercial, developed by Feedthewalrus editor Adam Jenkins via Colenso BBDO. “ tells the true story: in the…
Sticking to his guns
George Fistonich, founder and owner of New Zealand’s self-proclaimed most successful winery, Villa Maria Estate, is living proof of the wisdom of sticking to a quality ethic, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Huon Hooke writes….
McCahon for auction
Colin McCahon’s 1982 canvas I applied my mind is up for sale and will be auctioned on November 17 at Sydney auction house Deutscher and Hackett. Estimated to sell for between $8, and $1,2,,…
Coolest Little Capital
Wellington has been named the ‘Coolest Little Capital City’ in the world by Lonely Planet. The Lonely Planet Best In Travel 211 also named Wellington as the fourth best city in the world to…
Made with wunderlust
Newzedge editor Jane Nye, 33, and her partner Paul Milne, 44, have opened a New Zealand-influenced café in Berlin. Antipodes is reviewed in the latest issue of Exberliner, the German capital’s foremost English-language magazine….
Emissions by the glass
New Zealand wine Mobius Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc will be the first in the world to display its carbon emissions by individual glass servings of 125ml. The carbon emissions, which are calculated to measure the…
Powerful manure
New Zealand-based company Flotech Inc. will soon open its first biogas upgrading system, which converts manure into natural gas, in Canada at an Abbotsford farm southeast of Vancouver. Flotech has a water-scrubbing system…
Gud on youse
In an article entitled: ‘Culubrating thu daggiest ick-cent of all’ Clare Barry writes for The Age: “Back in the ‘7s, when John Clarke called himself Fred Dagg and got around in a black singlet…
Lost in Times Square
Auckland model Zippora Seven, 19, features in an Oyster Magazine fashion spread shot in New York. Fashion blog Dope Ambition describes the shoot: “Seven wanders the streets of Times Square in Oyster Magazine’s editorial…
