News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Annette-Campbell White Speaks in Cape Town

Annette-Campbell White Speaks in Cape Town

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) 2018 graduation season wrapped up in mid December with a clear call to graduates from alumnus, philanthropist and trailblazing venture capitalist on male-dominated Wall Street, New Zealand-born Annette-Campbell…

IKEA to Open in New Zealand

IKEA to Open in New Zealand

IKEA Group, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, is expanding into New Zealand – even as it faces stiff competition worldwide from online outlets and traditional department stores that are branching out into home furnishing. IKEA…

England Crazy Not to Hire Warren Gatland

England Crazy Not to Hire Warren Gatland

“At the end of Rugby World Cup 2019, we can expect a fascinating merry-go-round of experienced Test coaches,” according to the Telegraph’s Charlie Morgan. “Should England underperform, Eddie Jones’ two-year contract extension will be…

Distance Runner Bill Baillie Finishes the Race

Distance Runner Bill Baillie Finishes the Race

Nelson-born athlete William “Bill” Baillie, who once held world records in the now obscure 20,000m and one-hour running events, has died in Auckland. He was 84. At the time Baillie broke the records they had…

Young Cyclist Ella Harris Earns Pro Contract

Young Cyclist Ella Harris Earns Pro Contract

Dunedin cyclist Ella Harris is the third woman, and the youngest victor, to win the Canyon-Sram Zwift Academy Programme becoming the latest rider to earn a professional contract through the virtual cycling app. Harris has…

Unusual Coalition Survives in a Febrile World

Unusual Coalition Survives in a Febrile World

In a piece for online policy forum, East Asia Forum, Professor of Strategic Studies at Victoria University, Robert Ayson reviews New Zealand’s “unlikely coalition”. “As 2018 began New Zealand did not have an answer to…

Wonky Donkey Makes UK Christmas Bestseller List

Wonky Donkey Makes UK Christmas Bestseller List

The tale of a three-legged donkey has become a surprise Christmas bestseller thanks to a viral video of a grandmother reading it to her grandson. The Wonky Donkey, written by New Zealander Craig Smith,…

Leave No Trace’s Thomasin McKenzie a Breakout Star

Leave No Trace’s Thomasin McKenzie a Breakout Star

Wellington-born teenager Thomasin McKenzie is named one of the year’s “standout stars” by The Atlantic for her role as ‘Tom’ in director Debra Granik’s celebrated 2018 film, Leave No Trace. “Granik has a way of…

New Zealand Tech Companies Making It Big in US

New Zealand Tech Companies Making It Big in US

As Peter Jackson has shown, it’s perfectly possible to do things on a global scale from New Zealand. But the big money, support and collaboration with other scientists overseas can be a powerful lure,…

Musician Aurian White Earns Global Honour

Musician Aurian White Earns Global Honour

At just 12 years old Sistema Whangārei student Aurian White will be sharing the Northland city with the world. White, a Tikipunga High School student, is one of 10 students selected from Sistema programmes around…

Luxury Lover’s Guide to Queenstown

Luxury Lover’s Guide to Queenstown

“Set beside a glittering lake, surrounded by snow-tipped mountain ranges, Queenstown is a traveller’s paradise on the rise,” writes Mahalia Chang in her Queenstown guide for luxury lovers published on

Where to Spot Wildlife in New Zealand

Where to Spot Wildlife in New Zealand

“Located at the bottom of the planet, New Zealand has a diverse range of landscapes in a country with a population that is tiny by world standards” and “it’s no surprise that New Zealand…

Father and Doctor Matt Widdowson on Parenting

Father and Doctor Matt Widdowson on Parenting

The overwhelming concern of most new parents after they get home from the maternity hospital is will they be able to keep their tiny infant alive, The Irish Times reports. It’s no wonder that…

Inside the Ring With Wrestler Toni Storm

Inside the Ring With Wrestler Toni Storm

Toni Rossall, aka Toni Storm, has swiftly emerged as one of the most exciting members of the WWE roster; the 23-year-old New Zealander is a key member of the NXT UK roster. Storm won…

Peter Jackson Calls up Protégé Christian Rivers

Peter Jackson Calls up Protégé Christian Rivers

In 2015, Peter Jackson was feeling burned out – and you could hardly blame him. The New Zealand director had just finished work on the Hobbit films, wrapping up production on his supersized fantasy…

New Zealand “Brimming With Unique Accommodation Options”

New Zealand “Brimming With Unique Accommodation Options”

“From eco-friendly glass pods to gravity-defying treehouses, New Zealand is brimming with unique accommodation options for clients to bed down in, writes Abra Dunsby in an article for travel trade newspaper

Blockchain Tech Opportunites Abound for Aotearoa

Blockchain Tech Opportunites Abound for Aotearoa

A new report commissioned by New Zealand’s innovation agency, Callaghan Innovation, suggests the country is fertile ground for blockchain tech. The crown entity has published an opportunity report on blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT)…

Fifteen Minutes With Pop Singer Robinson

Fifteen Minutes With Pop Singer Robinson

Nelson-born artist Robinson, 21, is no stranger to impressing international crowds, having toured Europe earlier this year with Hayley Kiyoko. Now, with singles like the intensely romantic ‘Medicine’ under her belt, the pop singer is…

Rising Star Thomasin McKenzie Wanted to be a Vet

Rising Star Thomasin McKenzie Wanted to be a Vet

When she was a young girl in New Zealand, Thomasin McKenzie wasn’t sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. But she knew what she didn’t want to be. McKenzie sits down…

Australia’s Best Dining Is at Ben Shewry’s Attica

Australia’s Best Dining Is at Ben Shewry’s Attica

“On a recent visit to Melbourne, I was excited to say the least, to be able to secure a much sought after reservation at the award-winning restaurant Attica [owned by New Zealand chef Ben…

The Ultimate Beach ‘Shack’

The Ultimate Beach ‘Shack’

“An unassuming ‘shed’ by the water in New Zealand is secretly hiding a modern home with two bedrooms designed for a family-of-five,” writes Billie Schwab Dunn in an article for

Health & Beauty Elements in Queenstown’s Kawarau Village “Exude Unspoken Magic

Health & Beauty Elements in Queenstown’s Kawarau Village “Exude Unspoken Magic

“Situated on New Zealand’s South Island is Kawarau Village and where you’ll find Doubletree Hotel and Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa. The properties are hugged by the serenity of Lake Wakatipu and set against…

NZ Lodge Makes Condé Nast Traveler 2019 Gold List

NZ Lodge Makes Condé Nast Traveler 2019 Gold List

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Matauri Bay, New Zealand has been featured in the Australia & South Pacific Category on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Gold List,…

Peter Jackson Wants to Restore His Gory Early Films

Peter Jackson Wants to Restore His Gory Early Films

“It’s funny how few of the average theater-goers for Peter Jackson epics, whether it’s The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit or the upcoming Mortal Engines, realize just how debauched the director’s early career…

NZ Luxury Lodge The Lindis AFR’s Must-Travel 2019

NZ Luxury Lodge The Lindis AFR’s Must-Travel 2019

New Zealand’s latest luxury lodge, The Lindis, on New Zealand’s South Island, is one of the best places for Australians to travel to in 2019 according to

The Beths & UMO – Must-Hear Indie Albums

The Beths & UMO – Must-Hear Indie Albums

Two albums by New Zealand artists have made UPROXX’ list of must-hear Indie albums of 2018: Future Me Hates Me (The Beths) and Sex & Food (Unknown Mortal Orchestra). “What happens…

Jilly James Earns Spot at Renowned LA Acting School

Jilly James Earns Spot at Renowned LA Acting School

Aspiring Timaru actress Jilly James, 17, is the first New Zealander to win a globally contested acting scholarship in Hollywood. In February, James will travel to Los Angeles where, along with 15 self-funded students from…

24/7 Geohazards Monitoring Centre Debuts in NZ

24/7 Geohazards Monitoring Centre Debuts in NZ

A new centre providing enhanced monitoring of natural geological hazards manned 24 hours a day in New Zealand has officially opened in Lower Hutt. The National Geohazards Monitoring Centre is a purpose-built facility located on…

Marlon Williams Album One of 2018’s Best

Marlon Williams Album One of 2018’s Best

Marlon Williams album Make Way For Love has been ranked among the 50 best albums (#34) of 2018 in an article by ABC News. “What’s Chasing You drew me into Make…

Freediver Jonathan Sunnex a Dominica Drawcard

Freediver Jonathan Sunnex a Dominica Drawcard

World-class freediver and instructor Ngaruawahia-born Dominica-based Jonathan Sunnex, 34, has always had an eye for talent and a vision for success, according to a profile published on the sport’s dedicated website, DeeperBlue.com. In 2011,

Rose McIver Inspired by Duchess in Christmas Role

Rose McIver Inspired by Duchess in Christmas Role

When A Christmas Prince, starring New Zealander Rose McIver in the lead role, debuted on Netflix late last year, it became a cultural phenomenon. Sure, A Christmas Prince might have served as emotional catharsis for…

Vocalist & Poet Kimbra “Meant For the Stage”

Vocalist & Poet Kimbra “Meant For the Stage”

“Kimbra is brave. She came clean with her emotions in her Songs from Primal Heart: Reimagined, as reported in an article on WGN Radio’s website, which reviewed the New Zealand…

Hollywood Movies Are Keeping NZ Busier Than Ever

Hollywood Movies Are Keeping NZ Busier Than Ever

“Hollywood films have shot intermittently in New Zealand for decades, taking advantage of the country’s seasoned film workers, world-famous landscapes and opposite seasons. But Kiwi production veterans say they’ve never seen their crews and…

What Can New Zealand Teach the UK about Brexit?

What Can New Zealand Teach the UK about Brexit?

“Brexit is, to put it mildly, an unusual event,” BBC World Service economics correspondent Andrew Walker writes. “But there are precedents for some aspects of it. New Zealand provides one example.” “The country faced a…

NZ Winemaker Begins Solo Atlantic Crossing

NZ Winemaker Begins Solo Atlantic Crossing

26-year-old New Zealand winemaker Isaac Giesen, has just embarked on a roughly 3,000-mile journey, from the Canary Islands to Antigua. The “solo crossing is a feat accomplished by fewer people than have climbed Mount…

Team USA Readies to Sail in New Zealand

Team USA Readies to Sail in New Zealand

Stars & Stripes Team USA has been accepted as a challenger for the 2021 America’s Cup, promising to have an all-American squad in a competition where nationality has mattered little in recent decades. However,…

New Research Explores How Olympic Games Have Shaped NZ Identity

New Research Explores How Olympic Games Have Shaped NZ Identity

As part of his doctoral thesis, Victoria University of Wellington graduate Micheal Warren explored “the contribution New Zealand’s participation in the Olympic Games has made to national identity.” Phys.org reports. “Micheal…

The Big Fib at the Heart of NZ Picture-Perfect Peaks

The Big Fib at the Heart of NZ Picture-Perfect Peaks

“Roys Peak in Lake Wanaka is one of New Zealand’s most Instagrammed day walks, a three-hour hike that offers sweeping views towards Mount Aspiring and the Southern Alps,” writes Eleanor Ainge Roy in an…

Rocket Lab Launches First NASA Mission

Rocket Lab Launches First NASA Mission

New Zealand-founded spaceflight startup Rocket Lab has launched 13 tiny satellites on its first-ever mission for NASA, just a month after acing its first commercial flight. All of the payloads separated from the Electron’s “kick…

Peter Jackson Earns Rare Blue Peter Gold Badge

Peter Jackson Earns Rare Blue Peter Gold Badge

Sir Peter Jackson has received Blue Peter’s highest accolade – a gold badge. The Oscar-winning director, who is best known for The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit films, joins just a select…

Maru Nihoniho One of Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech

Maru Nihoniho One of Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech

Metia Interactive founder and managing director, Maru Nihoniho, has been named one of the Top 50 Women in Technology by Forbes. “Founding Metia Interactive in 2003, Nihoniho…

NZ Study Confirms Environmental Benefits of Building Cycleways

NZ Study Confirms Environmental Benefits of Building Cycleways

“A new study by researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington and Victoria University has confirmed that building cycleways benefits the planet because swapping four wheels for two leads to a reduction in carbon…

NZ Researchers Argue James Bond Has Drinking Problem

NZ Researchers Argue James Bond Has Drinking Problem

Researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago and the UK’s University of Oxford “have published a study in the Medical Journal of Australia’s Christmas issue which they say proves that Ian Fleming’s fictional character…

Terracotta Warriors Exhibition Launches at Te Papa

Terracotta Warriors Exhibition Launches at Te Papa

Te Papa’s latest landmark exhibition Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality has launched. Xinhua reports. “The exhibition features eight warriors standing 180 cm tall, and two full-size horses from the famous…

RBS Boss Ross McEwan Addresses Brexit

RBS Boss Ross McEwan Addresses Brexit

Ross McEwan surprised markets in October when Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc made a provision related to Brexit. With Theresa May’s divorce deal from the European Union potentially days away from being defeated,…

Military Braces for Climate Change Battle

Military Braces for Climate Change Battle

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has identified climate change as one of its biggest security challenges, warning that responding to global warming will increasingly stretch its resources. The NZDF said the impact of climate…

Warren Gatland Potential Successor to Eddie Jones

Warren Gatland Potential Successor to Eddie Jones

Britain’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) interim chief executive, Nigel Melville, is planning to speak to New Zealander Warren Gatland OBE as part of his search for Eddie Jones’s successor as England head coach, The…

Jason Momoa Performs Haka at Aquaman Premiere

Jason Momoa Performs Haka at Aquaman Premiere

Aquaman star Jason Momoa has wowed fans when he led a massive red carpet haka at the film’s premiere on Thursday night. Variety reports. “For the uninitiated,…

Steve Hansen to Step Down After 2019 World Cup

Steve Hansen to Step Down After 2019 World Cup

“Steve Hansen’s all-conquering reign as the New Zealand coach will end after the 2019 World Cup. The 59-year-old, who has been in charge of the All Blacks since 2012 and has had 16 years…

124-Year-Old Telescope to be Restored in NZ

124-Year-Old Telescope to be Restored in NZ

One of the world’s most famous Victorian telescopes will be restored and available for public viewing in autumn 2019 at Lake Tekapo after spending five decades in storage. Dallas Poll, who is restoring the 124-year-old…

Daring Douglas Wright <br>(1956-2018)</br>

Daring Douglas Wright
(1956-2018)

Revered New Zealand dancer and choreographer Douglas Wright died in Auckland on November 14, 2018, aged 62. He was “undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s most magnificent and important artists of…

NZ Leader Grieves For Murdered Tourist

NZ Leader Grieves For Murdered Tourist

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has offered apologies to the family of 22-year-old Grace Millane, after “the young woman’s sudden disappearance morphed into a murder investigation that has gripped this island nation of…

Why Are Whales Stranding in New Zealand?

Why Are Whales Stranding in New Zealand?

While whale strandings are not uncommon, they usually involve just a single animal rather than a whole group. The recent flurry of mass strandings on New Zealand beaches has brought…

Laybuy Founders Take Company to New Heights

Laybuy Founders Take Company to New Heights

New Zealander Gary Rohloff had a great life working in corporate before he co-founded Laybuy, a retail payments platform he started with his son Alex. So why ‘go it alone’? The UK’s Real Business…

Hong Kong-based Anthony Somerset Loves the Outdoors

Hong Kong-based Anthony Somerset Loves the Outdoors

Making highly urbanised, bright young people feel uncomfortable outdoors is what 52-year-old New Zealand-born Anthony Somerset has done for the last three years, having taken over A Team EdVentures in…

How Allbirds Became a $1.4 Billion Company

How Allbirds Became a $1.4 Billion Company

“If you started a company that was valued at $1.4 billion after just two years, you’d probably be pretty proud–of the valuation, your product, and yourself,” writes Cameron Albert-Deitch in an article for