UMO Frontman Ruban Nielson Keeps it Dumb
On 2015’s Multi-Love, New Zealand-born Ruban Nielson, 38, frontman of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, saw his personal life laid out and analysed. Now, on the band’s fourth LP Sex & Food, he’s trying to keep…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Mitchell McClenaghan to Star in Netflix Series
Former Black Cap Hastings-born Mitchell McClenaghan, 31, will be among the players featured in a new Netflix reality series on the most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians. The streaming…
Roger Donaldson On ‘Sleeping Dogs’ And ‘Cocktail’
“Cocktail, No Way Out, The Bounty, Species, The World’s Fastest Indian, Dante’s Peak – director Roger Donaldson’s resume is brimming with crowd-pleasing Hollywood movies, some of them seminal,” writes Simon Thompson in an article…
Ben Shewry Has Transformed Australian Dining
“The restaurant’s name will be a single word: stark, vaguely industrial, somewhat meaningless. There will be some sort of sculptural tartare on the menu, and probably a kingfish ceviche. Saltbush and kangaroo and finger…
Sperm Race Helping Save Sugar-Lapping Hihi
“It’s likely you’ve never heard of a hihi, let alone seen one in the wild. Also known as stitchbirds, these colourful little critters are a true taonga. They’re only found in New Zealand, and…
Unique Zenkuro Sake Brewery Turning Heads
New Zealand is famous for its award-winning wines, but now the country’s first and only sake brewery, Zenkuro Sake in Queenstown, is making a name for itself on the world stage.
US-Based Radio Exec Andrew Jeffries Loves LA
Private shows by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Coldplay are all in a day’s work for Los Angeles based New Zealander Andrew Jeffries, who is executive vice president for programming across the West…
Sweet Country’s Sam Neill Marks Milestone
As is the case with many a beloved screen actor, everyone has their own mental image of Sam Neill, Karen Han writes for the Village Voice. For some, it’s of the prickly paleontologist Dr…
Chef Mark Simmons Runs the Show at NY’s Kiwiana
At the height of global protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration ban last year, New York restaurateur and chef Mark Simmons decided to add a personal message to the bottom of his customer bills…
Why Wayne Pivac Is Most Sought-After Coach in Rugby
Under New Zealand-born coach Wayne Pivac, there is a resurgence in Llanelli rugby. The Scarlets have been flying, according to Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones. Recently, Stradey Park was packed to the rafters and…
Jamie McClennan Takes His Family on Tour
New Zealand-born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jamie McClennan and Scottish singer Emily Smith have been making country folk music together for 15 years. Now they tour for the first time with their two young children…
Neil Finn to Join Fleetwood Mac
Legendary band Fleetwood Mac has announced that Neil Finn of Crowded House and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will replace departing guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The band’s firing of Buckingham over the group’s…
Photographer Michael Anderton Moves to Kildare
New Zealander Michael Anderton, who has set up a photographic gallery in Allenwood, has said that moving to the West Kildare village inspired him to develop his photography hobby. As a younger man he lived…
New Zealand in Time-Lapse
New Zealand’s striking and incredibly diverse landscape has helped it become the setting for many famed film series that include the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Travel + Leisure magazine reports, and…
Dairy Farmer Richard Watson Embraces AI Technology
In the two months since US-based New Zealand dairy farmer Richard Watson strapped 200 remote-control-sized transmitters around his cows’ necks, an artificial-intelligence system named Ida has pinged his phone with helpful alerts: when his…
Lorde Scripts a Party and Then Brings It
Lorde’s “fast-paced, yet emotionally resonant show at TD Garden” in Boston “was a superlative showcase” for her second album Melodrama, Maura Johnston writes in a review of the recent concert for The Boston Globe. “Lorde,…
Glowworms Are Stars of the New Zealand Night
“If you want to experience a starry night in New Zealand even when it’s cloudy, there’s an option. When foul weather hides the Southern Cross and the Magellanic Clouds of the southern skies, you…
Brent Williams Charts Journey Through Depression
Ten years after his symptoms first took hold of him, New Zealander Brent Williams has written a graphic novel that is part memoir and part self-help book. Out of the Woods: A Journey Through…
Air New Zealand Second in TripAdvisor Airline Ratings
Air New Zealand has been named the world’s second best airline in TripAdvisor’s Top 10 airlines ranking, “in which Australia’s national carrier Qantas is notably absent,” writes James Fernyhough in…
New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration
“The New Zealand government will grant no new offshore oil exploration permits in a move that is being hailed by conservation and environmental groups as a historic victory in the battle against climate change,”…
Jessica McCormack’s Mayfair Magic at Any Budget
The 19th-century Mayfair townhouse filled with contemporary art and antiques; the gobstopper-sized diamonds that populate her Instagram feed, the celebrity fan-base including the likes of Liv Tyler and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley…
Karl Urban in Dubai for Comic Con
New Zealand actor 45-year-old Karl Urban “is basically Comic Con personified”, according to Arab News, “with a deep sci-fi fantasy pedigree running from Xena: Warrior Princess through Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Lord of the…
NZ’s Global Winners Celebrated in New Series Dream Catchers
Many Kiwis who touch down in the UK for their OE or holidays “end up staying and living their dreams on the other side of the world.” Inspiring series Dream…
Golfer Lydia Ko Envisions Her Pro Future
Sometimes New Zealander Lydia Ko, 20, likes to imagine the future. More specifically, her professional future. The Auckland-raised golfer talks to ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg about her plans. Ko thinks about what kind of career…
Contesting New Zealand’s Discovery
A history book by New Zealander Winston Cowie called, Conquistador Puzzle Trail, which suggests that the Spanish or Portuguese may have discovered New Zealand before the Dutchman Abel Tasman is causing a new stir….
Ruban Nielson and Taika Waititi Talk NZ Roots
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Nielson and filmmaker Taika Waititi come together over Skype to talk #PolynesianExcellence, and how their New Zealand roots help them keep it real, with Dazed magazine’s…
New Zealand Clears Historical Gay Sex Convictions
The New Zealand parliament has unanimously passed a bill that is expected to allow about 1000 men to apply to have past convictions for homosexual activity removed from their criminal records. Homosexuality was decriminalised in…
Gamer Andrew Barrow Wins Score Wars in Santa Fe
New Zealander Andrew Barrow, 29, is the new Galaga World Champion after winning the top prize at immersive art gallery Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The objective of Galaga is to rack up…
Britain’s Sunday Times Interviews Jacinda Ardern
This week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to arrive in the UK for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, and will see both Theresa May and the Queen. She knows England…
Māhia World’s Best Spot for Rocket Launching
“The Māhia Peninsula has been a holidaymakers’ haven for decades. It offers sandy beaches, hot springs and scenic trails. And, for those of a technological mindset, it also offers the world’s first private orbital-rocket-launching…
Keith Murdoch a Giant Who Never Made It Home
Keith Murdoch, who has died in Australia, aged 74, played just three Tests for the All Blacks, but his name was etched in New Zealand rugby folklore after he became a recluse in the…
Karen Walker’s Monumental Challenge to Masculinity
Israel Adesanya, 28, a UFC fighter, stars in a new fashion campaign for New Zealand designer Karen Walker, in which the pair tackles the concept of masculinity while promoting Walker’s new eyewear collection. While most…
Escape to Nature in Cosy Pods in New Zealand
“Travellers seeking a mix of rustic, unspoilt charm and relaxation with a touch of luxury” should consider travelling to Te Wepu Intrepid Pods in New Zealand, writes James Gabriel Martin…
In the Two Paddocks Man Cave with Sam Neill
Peaky Blinders star Sam Neill speaks to the Financial Times about his New Zealand oasis, Jacinda Ardern and tech titans buying bolt holes against catastrophe. At Two Paddocks, the vineyard and farm which Neill bought…
Hanging out with India Yelich in New York City
You’d think that spending your adolescence watching your sister – in this case, Lorde – become a world-famous pop princess might make you insecure, but 19-year-old India Yelich says no: She swears she won’t…
8 Degrees’ Brewer Scott Baigent an Irish Favourite
“If you were to run a poll about Ireland’s best loved New Zealander, there’s no doubt that a certain Mr J Schmidt would enjoy a greater landslide than a Russian election victory,” according to…
Ngaio Marsh’s Inspector Alleyn Continues to Impress
Dame Ngaio Marsh’s skilfully completed “continuation novel”, set in a New Zealand hospital, is an exquisite reminder of the brilliance of Marsh’s London detective Inspector Alleyn, Sophie Hannah writes in a review of the…
Model Lili Sumner Shares Top Beauty Secrets
Whether she’s walking the runways of Miu Miu and Sonia Rykiel or gracing the inside pages of W, New Zealand-born model Lili Sumner has quickly become one of the most recognisable faces in fashion. Known…
Treading Grapes With Angela Osborne in California
California didn’t always produce top-quality Grenache, but these Central Coast growers, including New Zealand-born Angela Osborne, are changing that by focusing on varietal bottlings to produce terroir-driven wines on par with top-shelf Pinot Noirs…
Auckland Is Becoming a Global Dining Powerhouse
“Rather than thinking of Auckland as a progressive cultural hub, people envision its glistening harbors, lush green mountains, and untouched islands just off its coastline. But Auckland has become one of the most innovative…
Albert Mateni Brings the Hearts of Men to Life
New Zealand-born Tongan, Albert Mateni, 26, aims to inspire Pacific youth with his play, Hearts of Men set to debut on 5-14 April at the Mangere Arts Centre in Auckland. Affected by the suicide rate…
Hamish Bond Switches Strokes for Spokes
For eight years New Zealander Hamish Bond was unvanquished, winning double Olympic gold and seven world titles with rowing partner Eric Murray, CNN reports. But what do you do when winning becomes routine? In Bond’s…
NZ Indie Film STRAY Selected for Moscow International Film Festival
“Independent New Zealand feature film, STRAY, has made history by becoming the first New Zealand feature film ever to be selected for the world’s second oldest film festival – the…
Peter Gordon’s “Who’s Cooking Dinner?” “Top Foodie Fundraising Event”
Top foodie fundraising event “Who’s Cooking Dinner” 2018 boasted a line-up of 20 chefs and 15 Michelin stars. At the annual event which was hosted by Leuka, diners in attendance were assigned to…
Jacinda Ardern on Life as a Leader
In a Guardian interview, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reveals how her life has changed and her ambition for a can-do country. This time last year Ardern was known as a young opposition MP…
Getting More Done in a Four-Day Week
On the first long weekend of her employer’s experiment with a four-day working week, Kirsten Taylor freaked out a little bit. Like a housework hurricane, she got through mounds of clothes-washing, weeded the garden,…
Our Illustrious Hall of Famer Sir Bob Charles
Carterton-born “legendary left-hander” Sir Bob Charles, 82, had a “remarkable” golfing career, the Bangkok Post’s Brett Brasier writes in his regular ‘Golf Tips’ column for the newspaper. “My few words on the great golfers that…
Sam Stuchbury Makes Prestigious Forbes List
Sam Stuchbury, 27, is co-founder of The Social Club, an influencer marketing platform in Auckland, and has made the annual Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list, which features 300 young innovators and disruptors across…
Tami Neilson Drops New “Sassy, brassy soul number” ‘Stay Outta My Business’
“Silver Scroll-winning soul artist Tami Neilson has shared a brassy new tune Stay Outta My Business and announced her forthcoming album Sassafrass! will be dropping this June ahead of a…
On Formula One Driver Brendon Hartley’s Comeback
A demotion from the Red Bull programme allowed Palmerston North-born Brendon Hartley to seek new ventures, with the driver going on to forge a reputation in sports car racing that he was never able…
Opiuo to Take 20-Piece Syzygy Orchestra to Colorado
New Zealand-born, Australian-based electro-funk DJ Opiuo (Oscar Davey-Wraight) will travel to Colorado for a headlining show at Red Rocks on 21 April. After last year’s Red Rocks performance before Emancipator, where it was hard to…
Soul Singer Jordan Rakei Caters Directly to Fans
Jordan Rakei’s first SXSW appearance was also his first time setting foot in the state of Texas, one of the few areas of the world he had yet to visit. Born in New Zealand,…
How Flight of the Conchords Took Off
Few comedians ever play London’s O2 Arena and fewer still manage three nights in a row. Those who do tend to have some things in common: a relatable observational style, limited creative ambition and…
Poet Ashleigh Young to Open Bathurst Festival
Wellington author, poet and literary editor Ashleigh Young will open the Bathurst Writers’ and Readers’ Festival on May 4. The festival consists of three days of live streamed sessions direct from the Sydney Writers’ Festival…
Doughnut Maker Adam Wills a Trailblazer in UK
Artisanal doughnut and coffee chain Crosstown Doughnuts, co-founded by New Zealander Adam Wills, is at the forefront of the decadent craze in London. Now with seven locations throughout England’s capital city,
Allbirds Wants Your Next Sneaker to Come From Eucalyptus Trees
“Allbirds, the Silicon Valley startup behind a wildly popular wool sneaker, is pivoting from sheep to trees,” writes Kyle Stock in an article for The Financial Post. The sneaker brand is releasing two…
