Mighty Totara of NZ Rugby
All Black and NZ Maori legend Pat Walsh has died of cancer aged 71. Renowned for his versatility, Walsh played 13 Tests in four positions between 1955 and 1963. He served as…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Rotorua Reveals Anti-warming Weapon
A scientific breakthrough in NZ could play a major role in combating global warming. A group of microbiologists at Hells Gate in Rotorua has discovered a new bacterium that eats methane – one of the key…
From death row to Don Giovanni
Star NZ baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes has shown his versatility in an impressive series of Australian opera roles this year. In August, Tahu Rhodes played construction worker Stanley Kowalski in the Australian premiere of…
Fifth Olympics for Kendall
NZ sporting icon Barbara Kendall has earned her fifth Olympic Games spot. Kendall described her early selection for Beijing 2008 as “awesome” after it was announced at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Kendall has already won…
Hottest Aussie from Balclutha
Balclutha-born Dean Tahana has been crowned Australia’s sexiest man. The 29-year-old won the 2007 Mister Manhunt Australia competition, Australia’s biggest competition for male models. “I entered the regionals up in Noosa, Queensland, when…
Surgical Innovation
University of Otago scientists have patented a gel derived from squid that can reduce bleeding and scarring during surgery. The gel, named Chitodex, is a chemically modified form of the polymer chitosan, which is found in…
Painful Memories
Two NZ athletes feature in a list of sport’s 20 worst injuries, as chosen by The Times of South Africa. Cricketer Trevor Franklin is ranked 17th and former All Black captain Buck Shelford 15th in a…
Guilt-free Getaway
Travel writer Caroline Hendrie neutralised the carbon footprint she incurred flying to NZ by staying at the south island’s Wilderness Lodges. Run by ecologist Dr Gerry McSweeney, the Wilderness Lodges scored top marks for eco-credentials…
Tees Please
An NZ couple has launched a line of tasteful tourist tees in Canada. Last year, Lauren McKee and Wynne Pirini left home, and their respective careers in accountancy and construction, to start a creative…
Nearing perfection
The Guardian‘s guide to the world’s greatest music acts beginning with C features Flying Nun luminaries The Chills. The band’s 1994 best-of, Heavenly Pop Hits, is recommended to first-time listeners. The Guardian: “Set…
Tales from a Conflict Zone
NZ nurse Lisa French Blaker has written a book about working for the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in Sudan. In Heart of Darfur (Hodder & Stoughton), French Blaker, 36, recounts…
The Post-industrial Revolution
Wellington-based Ponoko is one of a wave of new companies offering personalised product manufacturing services online. Founded by David ten Have and Derek Elley, the Ponoko website lets customers upload designs for cases and enclosures…
Guitar-based Digi-bongo Acapella-rap-funk-comedy Folk gets Sexy
Wellingtonians of the Year Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement (AKA Flight of the Conchords) have made Salon‘s ‘Sexiest Man Living’ list for 2007. Salon promotes its list as an alternative to People‘s better…
Writing for Change
Icon Books (UK) has just released its third edition of 50 Facts That Should Change the World, the best-selling book by NZ journalist Jessica Williams. 50 Facts aims to shock readers into social…
Humanitarian World Title
NZ charity SurfAid International has won the 27 Humanitarian Award at the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) awards in Toronto. SurfAid International was founded by Wellingtonian Dr Dave Jenkins in 2, to improve…
A Diamond in the Rough
A little-known NZ rugby book has received critical acclaim in the UK. Inside French Rugby: Confessions of a Kiwi Mercenary offers an insight into author John Daniell’s experiences as a professional player, and is described…
A painter’s painter
NZ-born artist Peter Boggs has just wrapped up a critically acclaimed exhibition at Canberra’s Beaver Galleries. Canberra Times critic Sasha Grishin compares Boggs to Giorgio Morandi and Edward Hopper, and describes his latest…
Home-grown Steeds Sweep Melbourne
NZ-bred horses made an extraordinary clean sweep of this year’s Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne. Last year’s Victoria Derby champion, Efficient, was the surprise winner of the Melbourne Cup, streaking past European entries Purple Moon and Mahler…
Equal Opportunity on the Edge
NZ has been ranked fifth in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum. NZ is the only non-Nordic country to make the list’s top five, which is led by Sweden, Norway,…
Home tour for Split Enz
Iconic NZ group Split Enz will tour their home country next year in support of their new live DVD/CD, One Out Of The Bag. Split Enz recorded One Out Of The Bag in 2006…
Music that moves you
The acclaimed NZ String Quartet is currently touring the United States’ East Coast. Formed 20 years ago, the Wellington-based group consists of cellist Rolf Gjelsten, first violinist Helene Pohl, violinist Douglas Beilman and violist…
Geddes gets personal
Anne Geddes, the world’s most famous baby photographer, has published an autobiography documenting her 25-year career. Labor of Love is a personal departure for Geddes, whose previous best-selling books have been pictorial collections. “The…
Hyperfactory Enters Hyperdrive
Rich Frank, former president of both Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Television Group, has invested in NZ mobile marketing agency The Hyperfactory. He joins 42 Below vodka’s founder and chairman, Geoff Ross and Grant Baker, and Paul…
Speight’s sails into London
The first Speight’s Ale House outside of NZ has opened in London, after an epic 75-day boat journey. The pub set sail from Dunedin and passed through Samoa, Panama, the Bahamas and New York…
Deluxe Digs
NZ has added another luxury lodge to its collection this month, with the opening of The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. The Hawkes Bay property is set on a 6,000-acre sheep and cattle farm, and…
Chairman of the Internet
NZ lawyer Peter Dengate Thrush has been named chairman of the Internet’s chief governing body. Dengate Thrush will head the LA-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is viewed as the online version…
Hidden Treasures and Rugged Escapades
The London Times ran two travel articles on NZ last weekend. The first asked past and present All Blacks Richie McCaw, Anton Oliver, Reuben Thorne, Tana Umaga and Sean Fitzpatrick to “divulge their secret hot spots”….
Life in the Crosshairs
Man Booker nominee Lloyd Jones talks up his home town of Wellington in a travel article for The Times. He describes the city’s world-famous wind as a source of both embarrassment and pride for its citizens….
Great Whites
US sommelier Jim Clarke explores the exciting developments in NZ white aromatic wines in an article for the San Francisco Chronicle. NZ’s cool climate is proving ideal for growing the grapes made famous by France’s Alsace…
On the up
Auckland juggler Mike Twist is building a name for himself internationally with his uniquely entertaining act. Twist began his career in at the Rainbow’s End theme park in Auckland, and has gone on to…
B_E_E on Global Rradar
NZ’s eye-catching B_E_E products featured in global style authority Monocle this month. Based in Auckland, B_E_E (Beauty Engineered for Ever) produces high quality cleaning products that are as easy on the eye as they are on…
Promise Kept in Bay of Islands
Conde Nast Traveler‘s November edition includes a piece on “the most beautiful place on earth”: the Bay of Islands. UK writer Colin McCabe tells of finally fulfilling a 10-year-old promise to his son, by taking him…
Tauranga on the Make
Monocle magazine devoted a five-page spread to Tauranga in its November issue. The article charts the Bay of Plenty city’s rise from sleepy retirement village to boom town, courtesy of a new wave of…
Six Spots Bluelisted
Six NZ tourist attractions made Lonely Planet’s 2008 Bluelist, an annual collection of the world’s “hottest trends, destinations, journeys and experiences.” Jetboating Queenstown’s Shotover River is featured as one of the great river trips,…
Bags of talent
NZ filmmaker Haydn Butler is the only non-US finalist in an online advertising competition sponsored by Al Gore’s Current TV. Butler’s clip The Bags was selected from more than 300 entries to make the…
Protest Heard Around the World
NZ-born pro surfer Dave “Rasta” Rastovich led an international protest over Japan’s commercial slaughter of dolphins in November, gaining significant media coverage for his cause. Rastovich, a free surfer for Billabong, is a co-founder of the charity…
Auckland Gets Guided
Auckland is one of nine new international locations to earn a Wallpaper City Guide. Released in November, the Auckland guide features Wallpaper‘s customary mix of criticisms and accolades, as well as the odd backhanded compliment. The introduction…
Mugabe Expert Comes Full Circle
Stephen Chan, longtime analyst and authority on Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, returned to NZ recently to deliver the 2007 Chapman Lectures at Auckland University, his alma mater. Born in New Zealand to refugee parents, Chan became a well…
Next Big Things
NZ’s white aromatic wines rival its world-famous sauvignon blanc, according to Telegraph writer Jonathan Ray. Ray vowed not to drink any sauvignon on his week-long tour of NZ wineries, despite being a “sucker” for the…
Civil Union Milestone
Civil unions in NZ have reached the 1000 mark, according to government officials. The Civil Union Act, which came into effect in April 2005, gives both heterosexual and homosexual couples the same legal rights…
Aspartame to Blame?
Veteran NZ journalist Chris Wheeler has published a lengthy denouncement of the food additive aspartame on US sceptic site Rense. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in products such as Diet Coke, Equal, Lemsip and Wrigleys…
Cosmic pop
One-woman Christchurch act Bachelorette is winning over Australian audiences with her “beautifully odd, inter-planetary pop”. Annabel Alpers is currently touring Australia with her new album, Isolation Loops, which she recorded in a remote wooden…
Love, wine and angels in Auckland
Whale Rider director Niki Caro’s new project has made its first pre-sales. The Vintner’s Luck, Caro’s much-anticipated adaptation of the novel by Elizabeth Knox, has sold to Icon in the UK, Dendy in…
The next great American host
NZ television personality Dominic Bowden is taking his hosting skills to the US, where he will front new FOX reality series The Next Great American Band. In NZ, Bowden has hosted Deal or…
NZ daredevil lands Lost role
Stunt-woman Zoe Bell has landed another high profile acting role in the US. Fresh from playing herself in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, Bell has secured a part in the hit TV series Lost….
Tokelau Keeps NZ Ties
Tokelau has voted to remain a NZ colony in its second referendum on the issue in 15 months. The vote for self-governance, which required a two-thirds majority,fell short by 16 ballots. “There’ll be another…
Finding beauty in the everyday
Six NZ ceramic artists, including the collaborative couple Philip Jarvis and Madeleine Child, are exhibiting together at the annual Craft Victoria festival in Melbourne. Titled Best in Show, the exhibition is a playful tribute…
An actor’s dream
Actor Casey Afleck described NZ-born director Andrew Dominick as a “genius” while promoting Dominick’s new film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. “Someone said: ‘The man who made Chopper…
Hot Pick for Virgin Media
Wellington-born Neil Berkett is widely expected to be made chief executive of Virgin Media. Berkett joined Virgin Media as chief operating officer in 2005 and has been acting chief executive of the company since the abrupt departure…
Ongoing impact
A Dutch academic has published a book examining the impact Once Were Warriors has had on NZ culture. Once Were Warriors The Aftermath: The Controversy of Once Were Warriors in Aotearoa New Zealand…
Posthumous gem
The Janet Frame Literary Trust has posthumously published a novella written by the great NZ author in 1963. Dismissed by Frame as “embarrassingly personal”, Towards Another Summer is about a homesick NZ writer who…
Kora impress offshore
Whakatane band Kora is steadily building an international fan base to rival its one in NZ. The five-piece band – which consists of brothers Brad, Stu, Laughton and Francis Kora, and Dan McGruer -…
Black Beauty Strikes at Brno
Team NZ is top of the A1 Grand Prix table after scoring a double victory in Brno, Czech Republic. Black Beauty driver Jonny Reid won both the sprint and feature races, pushing NZ past…
Free to Speak
NZ has been ranked 15th in a survey of press freedom around the world by Reporters Without Borders. The annual survey of 169 countries measures factors such as freedom of speech, freedom of information…
Some Pig
A miniature variant of the NZ kune kune pig has become the must-have pet in Britain. Chris Murray, co-owner of Pennywell Farm in Devon, began breeding the pigs nine years ago. He crossed kune…
Close But No Booker
Wellington author Lloyd Jones has missed out on the Man Booker prize, despite his novel Mister Pip being the bookies’ favourite to win. The award went to Irish author Anne Enright for The Gathering….
