Land of plenty
The Financial Times devotes a sizeable spread to the “veritable culinary cornucopia” that is NZ. “‘Used to be that a big night out would be to Barry’s Bistro for Steak Diane and a big…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
All in a Day’s Work
The Economist reports on ructions to repair the dire finances and arcane structure at Oxford University. Proposals by new vice chancellor John Hood to centralize decision-making and change the way in which dons’ work…
Rugby Stalwart Farewelled
Former All Black captain, agricultural economist, and leading NZRU administrator – Bob Stuart, OBE – died in May aged 84. Although Stuart’s best playing years were taken up by military service during WW2, he successfully lead NZ…
Crowe’s Cinderella
Russell Crowe stirs the first Oscar-talk of the season: “An exquisite ode to a working-class hero, “Cinderella Man” takes the almost impossibly perfect elements of the saga of underdog boxer James J. Braddock…
User Friendly
Jeremy Cole’s “handsome” porcelain hanging lamps were name-checked in a Times review of the 17th annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Cole is listed alongside a new wave of designers heralding a tangible shift from “cutting edge” to…
Owen Wilkes: Global Peace Activist
Owen Wilkes, the New Zealand peace activist and global peace researcher, has died in Hamilton aged 65. In a tribute written from Beijing by Peter Hayes, he said “Owen Wilkes was a profoundly wedded…
Golden Oldies Return to the Source
Wellington is to host next year’s World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival, the first time the event has been held in NZ since it was launched there 28 years ago. The festival is expected to attract approximately 5,000,…
Closing the Gap
NZ ranks sixth overall in a new study measuring the gap between genders by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. The top five positions went to Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland. The WEF appraisal of 58 countries…
Save the Kauri Part 2
Belgian researcher Lieven Claessens has discovered another reason to preserve our native kauri forests. According to Claessens’ Dutch-funded study, which was undertaken in the Waitakere ranges, the giant trees help stabilise areas susceptible to landslides and erosion….
First Win the Sweetest
NZ triathlete Samantha Warriner enjoyed her first major victory, taking out the women’s title at the ITU World Cup in Japan. Warriner finished the event in 2 hours 39 seconds, ahead of Japanese competitors Kiyomi Niwata…
Olympus comes to Aotearoa
Hercules, a Hallmark Productions (US) telemovie starring Leelee Sobieski, Sean Astin, and Timothy Dalton, used the NZ countryside as a stand-in for ancient Greece. “The story requires a bigger-than-life place,” says Dalton. “It needs…
It’s got to be Seen to be Believed
A couple of years on and overseas visitors are still taking the Lord of the Rings tour of NZ. Says one US writer, “I knew that the movies were shot here, but I thought that much…
Standring Gets Teeth into International Market
According to Empire magazine, Glenn Standring’s Perfect Creature is NZ’s largest ever international film sale. Set in an alternate 1960s/70s NZ, the highly original vampire tale stars British actors Dougray Scott and…
Liddell to Work on Margins
TBR believes the addition of New Zealander Chris Liddell as Microsoft’s CFO should help usher in an era of growing operating margins and a tightening of the fiscal belt. In TBR’s opinion, the hiring…
Kiwi Culture in Bloom
The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum held a ‘New Zealand Day’ in May, to “celebrate the mix of culture and botanical diversity of NZ through music, against the backdrop of its various plant collections.” Events…
Brave New Voice
Jonathan Lemalu’s debut album, Opera Arias, is bringing the already acclaimed singer further international praise. Chicago Tribune: “Lemalu shines particularly brightly in Mozart’s music, bringing a disarming combination of voice, musicality and personality to…
Academia and Industry United
Cambridge-MIT Institute director, NZer Michael J Kelly, speaks about the importance of combining entrepreneurial and business skills with academic learning in the Guardian.”Governments around the world realise that it shouldn’t be left to chance as to whether…
Leading the Radio One renaissance
Zane Lowe, the NZ-born DJ single-handedly credited with making BBC Radio One cool again, was named Music Broadcaster of the Year at the Sony Radio Academy Awards in London. He also picked up the…
Revell in Sin City
New Zealand-born (1955) composer Graham Revell has scored the soundtrack of the new Robert Rodruguez film Sin City starring Bruce Willis. Revell graduated from the University of Auckland with…
Peter Jackson most powerful
Reports of the list of Hollywood’s power people compiled by Premiere magazine for their June issue have revealed that Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson is the most powerful. According to the reports,…
Farm Charm
Wharekauhau Lodge features in the Independent‘s five best luxury farm stays. The 5,000 acre sheep station is renowned for its Shaker-style cottages and panoramic views of the Wairarapa’s Palliser Bay.
Right Royal Honour
Rt Hon Justice Thomas Munro Gault is to be the first NZ’er in history to head the Royal & Ancient – the prestigious governing body on the rules of golf recognised everywhere except the U.S. Gault,…
Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
In a show of commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, NZ became the first country in the world to levy a public carbon tax. NZers will now pay an extra $2.90 per week for electricity, petrol and…
Miramar the Seat of Power
The June issue of Premiere magazine (US) named Peter Jackson the most powerful person in Hollywood, ahead of Steven Spielberg, Pixar animations duo Steve Jobs and John Lasseter, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks. According…
Frock Stars
NZ designers made one of their strongest showings yet at this year’s Mercedes Australian Fashion Week. Sales for NZ’s top brands were well up, with Kate Sylvester now believed to be Myer’s highest designer…
Kiwis Climb Ranks at Oxford
Julie Maxton will join former Auckland University colleague John Hood at Oxford University next year, as the institution’s first ever female registrar. The 550 year old post is similar to that of a company secretary, with…
Teaser goes down a treat
The global screening of the inaugural trailer for the Chronicles of Narnia caused hysteria amongst fans eager for a glimpse of Kiwi Andrew Adamson’s creation. “The snow-globe fantasyland of the most popular book in…
Serendipity strikes gold
An extra virgin olive oil by Waihopi Valley’s Serendipity Olive estate was awarded a diploma of grand mention at Italy’s prestigious Mastri Oleari International Golden Lion Awards. Serendipity Olive Estate owner Carol Walton: “It is…
Big Boys Taken down
Tourism NZ website New Zealand.com has won the online equivalent of an Oscar – a Webby . The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences named New Zealand.com the top tourism website in the world,…
Supply and Demand
The NZ wine industry continues to break monthly export sales records, with over seven million bottles of wine exported in March and growth continuing into April and May. The staggering 5.2 million litres of wine exported in…
One for the mantelpiece
Sam Neill won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama for his role in Jessica at Australia’s 47th annual TV Week Logie Awards. Neill also presented the Gold Logie, which was…
46 South
New Zealand surfing photographer Paul Kennedy plunges into the Deep South to an emerging big-wave scene. “In New Zealand, size comes at a price. The trade-off for being the only part of the country…
The real super heroes
Kiwi stuntwoman Zoe Bell (Xena, Kill Bill, Catwoman) is the joint subject of an American documentary on women in her profession, entitled Double Dare. The film charts the very different careers of Bell…
Archiball
Artist Martin Ball was the first New Zealand resident artist to be a finalist in Australia’s premier portraiture award, the Archibald Prize, with his painting of artist John Pule. The prize was won by…
NZ Cancer Rates Third Worst in World
New international research from IRAC show NZ men and women have the third highest cancer rates in the world. Male cancer rates are highest in the United States, Hungary and New Zealand, and lowest in Niger,…
War at Gallipoli Re-activated
Peter Jackson and Wellington special effects edge-busters Weta Digital have used their expertise to restore the only film taken of the Anzacs at Gallipoli. The Lord of the Rings director has restored the film to the original…
New Law Embraced
Planet Out feature looks at the newly instated Civil Union Bill in NZ. More than 600 couples registered for a civil union in the first week after the law came into effect. The article quotes GayNZ.com…
Birthplace of a Nation
A record-breaking crowd of more than 20,000 attended this year’s dawn service at Anzac Cove. Also in attendance were Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Helen Clark, John Howard and Prince Charles, each of whom paid moving…
Sir Joh Bows Out
Dannevirke-born and controversial seven-times Premier of Queensland Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen has died aged 94. The maverick politician was one of the most colourful but also divisive leaders in Australian political history. He was religiously, socially and politically…
Boy oh boy
Welby Ing’s Boy won the Best Short Narrative Film award at the 2005 Cinequest Festival in San Jose, which qualifies it for consideration for next year’s Oscars. The film tells the story of a…
Forecast: International Sales
Raglan’s ASR Marine Consulting and Research has created a new computer-based program to predict long wave conditions, in what the company claims is a world first. The forecasting system was developed to help client Port Taranaki better…
Steaming in Seattle
Kiwi Carl Sara was a finalist in the World Barista Championship in Seattle. The prestigious competition was won by Denmark’s Troels Overdal Poulsen.
New Wave Jazz
Acclaimed Kiwi pianist Aron Ottignon launched his debut album, Culture Tunnels, with band Aronas in April. Inspired by Pacific log drumming, the Aronas sound is an innovative take on acoustic jazz. Sydney Morning Herald:…
Woolly Windfall
The NZ Merino Wool Company has won a 7 year contract valued at approximately $NZ40 million to supply U.S apparel manufacturers SmartWool. SmartWool, whose chief business is in outdoor clothing and accessories, recently signed a deal with…
Heaven Scent
NZ’s 2004 Sauvignon Blanc vintage has impressed American critics, with praise coming from numerous top U.S publications. Wall Street Journal: “Mouth-watering sauvignon blanc that just about from the glass, with aggressive green-pepper smells, juicy tastes of…
Rising Star
The Scotsman hails Kiwi Ryan Nelsen as one of the British Premiere League’s hottest signings. “Nelsen has proven an unbridled success since his arrival from Major League Soccer side DC United in January on a free transfer,…
The £55 burger
Hamburgers made with New Zealand meat are being sold by a London restaurant for £55 ($NZ146) each. The 200g ‘burgers, made from meat from cattle of the Japanese wagyu breed, come with fries, and…
Finger on the Impulse
Researchers at Otago University, in conjunction with Germany’s Ruhr-University Bochum, have identified individual neurons in the pigeon forebrain that appear to control impulsive decision-making. The findings could prove invaluable to the understanding of such neuropathologies as drug…
Dinosaurs down under
The fourth installation of Jurassic Park is rumoured to be filming in NZ later this year, with Sam Neill reprising his role as Dr Grant. Visual Effects maestro Stan Winston aims to “raise the…
White Knuckle Fun
NZ’s latest extreme sport – white water sledging – features in the Voice of America. “Instead of a raft, these ‘sledgers’ run the rapids with special flippers and a steerable buoyant board … River sledger Jacob Bradley…
Mutual Milestone
76 Tampa refugees were made NZ citizens on April 8, including the youngest on board Azizullah Mussa (now 17). “I’ve been waiting three years for this day to come. I can call myself a Kiwi now,”…
Regal Eagle Leads the Best
Eagles’s Nest, Bay of Islands, was named NZ’s ‘Number 1 Leading Resort’ at the 11th annual World Travel Awards in Barbados. The luxury homestead has already been voted one of the Top New Hotels in the World…
Underdog Soon to be Top Dog?
With Jamaican bobsled comparisons the order of the day, NZ’s curling team was the underdog favourite at this year’s Ford World Championship in Canada. ‘While many Canadians curl out of plush clubs, Becker’s home ice…
Future Partnership Likely
Helen Clark has fast-tracked a bilateral free trade agreement with Malaysia, which could come into effect as soon as this time next year. Malaysia’s NST: “For the trade experts, is neither too big (which would make…
Front Row Seats
7 middle-aged American couples travel from Queenstown to Christchurch by bike, running out of synonyms for awesome in the process. “If you’re in good enough shape to walk six or seven miles, you can handle the bike…
Ten Not so Easy Steps
Backpacker magazine ran an action-packed ten day tour of NZ in its April issue. “You’ve heard the tales of wild Kiwi adventure, seen the photos of outrageous mountains and fjords, and suspect that life in NZ is,…
