News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Unseen Fiji in print

Unseen Fiji in print

A new book by Wellington documentary photographer Bruce Connew featured in Time magazine’s Pacific edition. Stopover tells the story of Fiji’s Indian sugar-cane workers – the country’s “unseen underclass” – in stunning black and…

The Fickle Grape

The Fickle Grape

NZ actor Sam Neill talks Pinot Noir in a Time magazine profile. The star of Jurassic Park and The Piano established his Two Paddocks vineyard, which solely produces Pinot Noir, in Central Otago in 1993. “Pinot Noir…

Moko in Vogue

Moko in Vogue

A French fashion designer’s use of moko in advertisements for his latest collection has caused a stir in NZ. Jean Paul Gaultier’s campaign shots, featuring male and female models with Maori facial tattooing, have…

Keeper Scores ManU Tryout

Keeper Scores ManU Tryout

NZ soccer goalkeeper Jacob Gleeson flies to England next month to trial for two major Premier League clubs. The 17-year-old Wellingtonian so impressed scouts at the U-17 World Cup in South Korea last month that he secured…

Incredible Journey

Incredible Journey

The NZ bar-tailed godwit is officially the migratory champion of the avian world. The bird has been tracked from its summertime home in NZ to its breeding ground in Alaska, and back again, by…

Designing Women

Designing Women

New Zealand Herald writer Fiona Hawtin reports on the unique nature of the NZ fashion scene for the International Herald Tribune. “Of the 45 labels showing at the seventh New Zealand Fashion Week ……

Nobel Nomination for NZ Institution

Nobel Nomination for NZ Institution

A NZ youth development course is in the running for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Spirit of New Zealand, a ship that takes teenagers on 10-day development workshops, is one of 21 ships…

Hong Kong Follows NZ’s Lead

Hong Kong Follows NZ’s Lead

Hong Kong sees NZ as a role model for renewable energy and environmental technology, according to its government’s website. “New Zealand is renowned for its high environmental standards and its use of new technologies to protect the…

Benchmark Branding

Benchmark Branding

A leading Korean trade group is using NZ as a benchmark for competitive national branding. Research by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has shown the long-term effectiveness of NZ’s “100% Pure New Zealand” and “New Thinking…

A Sweet Alternative

A Sweet Alternative

An LA Times health feature discusses the healing properties of NZ Manuka honey, which is becoming increasingly accepted in international medical circles. Manuka honey has been cleared for use as a wound dressing and…

An Icon Re-imagined

An Icon Re-imagined

NZ-born director Andrew Dominik has followed up his award-winning film Chopper with a psychological Western epic starring Brad Pitt. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford debuted at this month’s…

Been There, Done That

Been There, Done That

A selection of readers’ NZ travel tips appeared in the Guardian‘s travel pages this month. The information was gathered from the newspaper’s “I’ve been there” website, which features six pages of travellers’ suggestions for Aotearoa. The tips…

Conchords Take Flight in UK

Conchords Take Flight in UK

Flight of the Conchords, the HBO series starring NZ comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, is ranked eighth on the Guardian‘s 50 must-see shows. Described as “a downbeat winner”, Conchords debuts on BBC4 this…

Edge Moves

Edge Moves

An American dance professor gained a fascinating insight into NZ culture during an exchange organised by the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Tarin Chaplin wrote about her time in Auckland and Wellington in a…

Saatchi Showdown runner up

Saatchi Showdown runner up

Nelson-born artist Charles Olsen was runner up in the inaugural Saatchi Showdown, an online user-voted art competition run by London’s Saatchi Gallery. Olsen received £750, and priceless media exposure, for…

Back to baddies

Back to baddies

Russell Crowe has impressed critics with his latest role in 3:10 to Yuma. After a string of less successful films, Crowe is back to what he does best: playing “the charming baddie”. A remake…

Film’s Future in Good Hands

Film’s Future in Good Hands

Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern paid Peter Jackson a visit at his Miramar studios on a recent trip to NZ. The pair discussed their favourite movies, the future of special effects and…

Milking It

Milking It

NZ is reaping the benefits of a global milk boom, according to the New York Times. Milk is in high demand and short supply due to a combination of global factors, including climate change, trade policies…

MX Star Takes Second World Title

MX Star Takes Second World Title

Auckland teen Katherine Prumm has won her second consecutive women’s motocross world title at the series final in the Netherlands. The 19-year-old rider dominated the final day of the competition, beating Kawasaki team-mates Livia…

Rowing Champs Bode Well for Beijing

Rowing Champs Bode Well for Beijing

NZ athletes continue to dominate world rowing, with another impressive medal haul at this year’s world championships in Munich, Germany. Single sculler Mahe Drysdale, lightweight sculler Duncan Grant and the men’s four of…

McKellen’s Middle Earth return

McKellen’s Middle Earth return

Sir Ian McKellen returned to NZ in August for the first time since 2003, to perform both Shakespeare’s King Lear and Chekhov’s The Seagull with the Royal Shakespeare Company. McKellen, who reached a…

Titirangi Tate

Titirangi Tate

Architect Chris Tate’s Titirangi dream house featured in the Telegraph‘s property pages this month. Tate’s home sits 13 feet above a gully at its highest point, anchored by 16 poles in the earth. The…

Adventure Sports in Aotearoa

Adventure Sports in Aotearoa

A Telegraph feature on NZ adventure tourism gives a comprehensive overview of the range of activities on offer. Tourist operators specialising in adventure sports have moved beyond Queenstown’s borders and can now be found all over the…

Down Under Planter

Down Under Planter

Next month sees the NZ launch of the Antipode Planter, an award winning upside-down planter by the Matakana-based Morris Design Office. Designed by Patrick Morris, the Antipode Planter won the UK New Designers Award in 2006 and…

China wine and dine

China wine and dine

Aotearoa wine and cuisine has gained a significant foothold in China with the opening of the first restaurant and bar dedicated to premium NZ produce. Located in Guangzhou, China’s third largest city, Back Street…

Decanter Double

Decanter Double

Two NZ wines received top honours in Decanter magazine’s (US) annual World Wine Awards. Central Otago’s Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005 won the International Pinot Noir Over £10 Trophy and Nelson’s Seifried Riesling Sweet Agnes 2006 the…

Tautai heads offshore

Tautai heads offshore

The Auckland-based Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust is hosting its first international exhibition, at The Art Studio in Rarotonga. Titled Longitude, the show features works by 21 artists with Pacific heritage, including photographer Greg…

Tributes Flow for Industry Titans

Tributes Flow for Industry Titans

NZ has lost two of its leading business figures with the deaths of Sir James Fletcher and Nick Nobilo (pictured) on August 29. Fletcher, 92, became Managing Director of construction dynasty Fletcher…

Emotions running high

Emotions running high

Crowded House were praised for their “emotion-drenched performance” at The Greek Theatre in an LA Times review. LA Times: “he group’s exquisitely crafted songs are infinitely rich with melodic and harmonic invention but lyrically…

Order of Merit for Lomu and Fagan

Order of Merit for Lomu and Fagan

Two NZ sports greats were made members of the New Zealand Order of Merit at this year’s investiture ceremony. All Black legend Jonah Lomu and sheep shearing champion David Fagan (pictured) both received…

Golden Vili

Golden Vili

Shot put star Valerie Vili has won gold at the IAAF Athletics World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Vili threw a personal best of 20.54 meters, beating defending champion Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus by six centimetres. “It’s pretty…

The Future of Transport

The Future of Transport

Transport Communications, a new book by two NZ professors, predicts an end to congestion, terrorist threats and increasing fuel prices through the widespread adoption of nanotechnologies and satellite communications over the next 50 years. Authors Chris Kissling…

Senior Iraqi Posting for Shearer

Senior Iraqi Posting for Shearer

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named New Zealander David Shearer as his deputy special representative for Iraq. Shearer will also serve as Iraq’s UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator. “David’s a pretty special guy. He’s hugely regarded…

Lock-up Lodge

Lock-up Lodge

A Napier prison-turned-backpackers features in a Guardian travel story on jail-themed hotels. Decommissioned in 1993, the Napier Prison was reopened in 2002 to offer tours and budget accommodation. Guardian: “You can have it the easy way -…

Auckland films Venice-bound

Auckland films Venice-bound

Two short films by lecturers and a student at Auckland University have been accepted for competition at the Venice Film Festival. Coffee and Allah, written and produced by senior film lecturers Shuchi Kothari and…

Check one-two

Check one-two

Auckland five-piece The Checks featured as the Guardian’s New Band of the Day for August 22. Music critic Paul Lester: “These five New Zealanders may be teenagers, but they sound as old as the…

Nerd chic in Seattle

Nerd chic in Seattle

A San Diego entertainment guide has hailed NZ as “the new Seattle” for its flourishing alternative music scene. The article name-checks HBO show Flight of the Conchords, starring Wellington folk-comedy duo Brett McKenzie and…

Reign of King Tuheitia Officially Begins

Reign of King Tuheitia Officially Begins

King Tuheitia, the seventh Maori monarch, has marked the official start of his leadership after a year of mourning for his mother and predecessor, Queen Dame Te Atairangikahu. Thousands of Maori and dignitaries travelled…

NZ painter in online art showdown

NZ painter in online art showdown

Nelson-born artist Charles Olsen is one of 12 finalists in the UK-based Saatchi Showdown, established by art collector and impresario Charles Saatchi. Olsen’s oil painting ‘La Sundari’, a portrait of a flamenco…

Home-grown Horror at Frightfest

Home-grown Horror at Frightfest

Two NZ films made the line-up for this year’s Frightfest, the UK’s leading fantasy and horror film festival. “Ovine horror comedy” Black Sheep and “the unclassifiable – and absolutely hilarious” The Devil Dared…

“Imaginative daring” wins literary gong

“Imaginative daring” wins literary gong

New Zealander Kirsty Gunn has won the Sundial Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year award, one of Scotland’s most esteemed literary prizes. Gunn, a professor of creative writing at Dundee University, received the…

A NZ Space Odyssey

A NZ Space Odyssey

A NZ company has plans to launch rockets into space, carrying scientific packages, DNA and human ashes. Auckland-based Rocket Lab, co-directed by Peter Beck and Mark Rocket, will start sending its 17-foot carbon-fiber “Atea” rockets…

Surf Up-and-comer

Surf Up-and-comer

Oakura teen Paige Hareb has been ranked fourth in the world in women’s under-18 surfing since the junior world championships in May. The 17-year-old was also the first New Zealander ever to compete…

Maths Prize for Massey Prof

Maths Prize for Massey Prof

Professor Robert McLachlan of Massey University has become the first mathematician from the Southern Hemisphere to win the prestigious Dahlquist Prize. Presented by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), the Prize is awarded to a…

True Romance

True Romance

Ponsonby Road’s Harrowset Hall was featured in the New York Times travel section this month. Described as “a romantic den of feminine clutter”, Harrowset Hall stocks cotton nightwear, robes and bed linen. The shop…

Fifth Win for Warriner

Fifth Win for Warriner

NZ athletes made another strong showing in the eleventh leg of the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup Series. The event in Tiszaujvaros, Hungary, saw three podium finishes for NZ competitors. Samantha Warriner became the first NZ…

Highland Habitat Reborn

Highland Habitat Reborn

NZ-born wildlife expert Hugh Fullerton Smith is working at the forefront of British eco-tourism as general manager of Alladale Estate. The 23,000 acre Highland property, owned by Scottish millionaire philanthropist Paul Lister, is soon to become Britain’s…

NZ blues great mourned

NZ blues great mourned

NZ blues and soul music great Sonny Day (Hone Wikaira) has died from respiratory complications aged 64. Day launched his career in the late 1950s with his band Sonny Day and the Sharks,…

The Real Deal

The Real Deal

The Guardian gave its readers a heads-up on NZ stuntwoman Zoe Bell, in its regular ‘First Sight’ column. The 28-year-old has forged an impressive career doubling actors such as Lucy Lawless, Uma Thurman and…

Booker number two?

Booker number two?

Lloyd Jones‘ Mister Pip has made the Man Booker Prize longlist, alongside works by Ian McEwan and A N Wilson. The 13 titles were selected from over 100 international entries. “As for…

Marathon Medal Prospect

Marathon Medal Prospect

Auckland runner Nina Rillstone finished third in the New York City Half-Marathon, just seconds behind Kenyans Hilda Kibet and Catherine Ndereba. The NZ record holder made a career best time of 1:10:35 – three seconds…

Après Vous

Après Vous

Queenstown has been named one of the world’s top ten après ski destinations in the Sydney Morning Herald. “The 120 licensed establishments in this lakeside town are brought to you by the letter ‘B’ where…

Castaway tales from edge of the world

Castaway tales from edge of the world

The latest book by Wellington maritime historian Joan Druett uses personal memoirs to recount two very different survival stories on the Auckland Islands, 500km south of NZ. Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked on the…

LonelyGirl signs off

LonelyGirl signs off

NZ internet sensation Jessica Lee Rose has ended her starring role on the hit web drama LonelyGirl15. Rose’s character, Bree, was killed off by a sinister religious cult known as The Order, ending her…

Te Kopi a Top Spot

Te Kopi a Top Spot

The Department of Conservation’s Te Kopi bach at Palliser Bay has been named one of the five best state-run lodges and cabins in the world by the Guardian. “Light-filled and well equipped, the cottage and two…

Stuntwoman turned star

Stuntwoman turned star

NZ stuntwoman Zoe Bell is described as a “bona fide butt-kicker” in an August Marie Claire profile. Bell has gone from doubling Lucy Lawless in Xena and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill to…