Thor: Ragnarok’s Hidden New Zealand and Australia References
“There are fans who are going to want to come back for more just to notice every detail that New Zealand director Taika Waititi stuck in” Thor: Ragnarok, writes Luke Y. Thompson in an…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Karl Rock Surprises Locals With Grasp of Hindi
Karl Rock, a New Zealander currently living in Delhi, has won many Indian hearts with his fluent Hindi, and in his video “Foreigner Surprising Indians with Hindi” specifically. On his website India Survival Guide, Rock…
Maggie Marilyn Can Make a Dress Do Crazy Things
Part sporty part smart, Maggie Marilyn is an ethically responsible label launched in 2016 and has become a go-to for girls who like a statement piece with polish. Harper’s Bazaar asked New Zealand-born Marilyn…
Jon Stevens Takes Best Of Tour to NSW
“After a career spanning decades, rock musician Jon Stevens has finally taken time to reflect on his greatest hits — and take them on the road” with his ‘best of tour’ around Australia. The…
Why You Should Visit New Zealand
“Chances are you’ve met a kiwi or two and you’ve probably seen Lord of the Rings—the country’s friendly population and breathtaking natural beauty is reason enough to visit. But if you still need convincing,…
With FAKY Anna Sawai Is Broadening Her Horizons
Loads of acts around the world are proving that the pop game is now a truly global one, and FAKY continues to show the rising appeal of modern-day Japanese pop with their latest English…
How NZ Peanut Butter Inspired This Couple to Make Their Own
After returning to the UK in 2012, after seven years in New Zealand, Stuart Franklin and his wife Kathryn “found they were missing one thing about New Zealand more than anything else: peanut butter.” …
National Serviceman Ross Cameron’s Close Call
Ross Cameron never saw the bloody conflicts of Vietnam but he almost got the call. The New Zealand-born National Serviceman, who lives in Townsville, Australia, had his birthday come up in his country’s compulsory…
Aspen Chalet Gets the Sandra Nunnerley Touch
Wellington-born New York-based interior designer Sandra Nunnerley’s recent Aspen project, a reinvented ski chalet, features in AD France. The home was designed by American architect Alan Wanzenburg for a former Olympic sailing champion and his family….
Inspiring Model Georgia Pratt Says to Be Your Truth
As anyone who’s spent time in a few fitting rooms knows, finding a great pair of jeans can take a little time – almost as much time as it can take to find your…
New Zealand One of the Friendliest Countries for Expats
“Many experienced expats will tell you that the friendliness of the locals should be one of your key considerations in your search for a new home abroad,” writes Sam Gardner in an article for…
New Zealand on Passport Power Rank Eight
The New Zealand passport has been allocated passport power rank eight in this year’s Global Passport Power Rank. Singapore and South Korea took the first spot in the ranking with their…
New Zealand’s New Big Thing Is Pinot Noir
New Zealand “was once known merely for crisp, grassy sauvignon blanc wines. No longer,” Elin McCoy writes in a report for Bloomberg. “Actor Sam Neill just finished a six-part television documentary on the voyages of…
Magnetic Marlon Plays Brilliant Tiny Desk Session
“Marlon Williams is a handsome devil with a heart-stopping voice, who writes songs about vampires and horror films. This 27-year-old, New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based singer is also a teller of tales,” tastemaster Bob Boilen writes…
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Outside the Box
“Perhaps no other wine style is as instantly recognisable as New Zealand sauvignon blanc,” Christina Pickard writes for Wine Enthusiast magazine. “It put New Zealand wine on the map in all its brash, aromatic…
Skiing’s Remarkable Wells Brothers
Wanaka’s Wells brothers are “skiing’s answer to the Von Trapp family”, according to CNN’s Matias Grez. The four freeskiers are: Jossi, 27, (pictured) Byron, 25, Beau-James, 21, and Jackson, 19. Ever since he can remember,…
At Home with Newsreader Kay McGrath
For a woman who has appeared in living rooms across Queensland almost nightly for 30 years, Channel Seven newsreader New Zealand-born Kay McGrath is a little uncomfortable in her own. “I wish I hadn’t put…
Vicki Lee Takes Music of Vera Lynn Across Sussex
Palmerston North singer Vicki Lee, 64, is touring Sussex, England in February with her tribute to the life and music of centenarian Dame Vera Lynn, known as the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’. The show began life in…
Staring Down the Barrel with Aldous Harding
Aldous Harding’s sophomore album Party has every right to stake its claim as the best album of last year, according to Melbourne-based lifestyle website Broadsheet. The power of Harding’s voice was only hinted at…
How Bisexual Goose Thomas Became an Icon
A memorial was recently held for Thomas the goose, a “New Zealander who spent most of his life as a loving partner, caring father and an icon of the LGBT community”, Yvette Tan writes in a…
Isaac Burrough Reveals 28m Motor Yacht Concept
Amsterdam-based designer New Zealander Isaac Burrough has released his latest concept, a 28m motor yacht that draws inspiration from the world of product design. Eschewing the more commonplace reference points of architecture and automotive design,…
Scientists Assess Surprise Status of Ross Ice Shelf
New Zealand scientists have peered into one of the least-explored swaths of ocean on Earth, a vast region located off the coast of West Antarctica. It is locked beneath a crust of ice larger…
Boy Fans Will Love The Breakers and Upperers
If you enjoy contemporary New Zealand comedies like Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, then you should put this Taika Waititi-executive produced title The Breaker Upperers on your radar, recommends…
Move Over Norway and Behold Fiordland
“If you’ve never heard of this national park, on New Zealand’s South Island, then you won’t know that it’s one of earth’s most staggeringly jaw-dropping wildernesses,” the Britain’s Daily Mail reports. The publication features…
Superorganism’s Harry Lets Us in on Band’s Mystique
Signing to Domino Records mid-2017, the fun pop eight-piece Superorganism has since kept a pretty exclusive profile, playing only a handful of shows throughout the entire year. With the release of their self-titled debut…
New Zealand’s Role in Apocalypse Now
“If you’re interested in the end of the world, you’re interested in New Zealand. If you’re interested in how our current cultural anxieties – climate catastrophe, decline of transatlantic political orders, resurgent nuclear terror…
Maryanne Redpath at Helm of Berlinale’s Generation
Within 10 years, former artist, teacher and filmmaker New Zealand-born Maryanne Redpath has turned the Berlinale youth section Generation into one of the most popular strands of the film festival, with a gem-packed programme…
Fossil Poop Reveals Critical Role of Giant Birds in NZ’S Ecosystem
“When the first humans landed on what is now known as New Zealand 700 years ago, they didn’t find mammals. Instead, they discovered giant birds called moas, as well as a host of other…
Robyn Malcolm on Cleavage and Credibility
It is something of a surprise to see New Zealander Robyn Malcolm looking positively restrained, wearing a conservative skirt and blouse, for her role as Maxine Pavich in the new ABC television drama series…
Why New Zealand Has So Many Gang Members
“For a quiet country, New Zealand has a peculiar problem with gangs. It is reckoned to have one of the highest membership rates in the world. In a population of 4.7m, police count over…
Pirate Involved in Peter Blake’s Death Recaptured
Brazilian police on a remote Amazon River island have arrested a man involved in the murder of round-the-world sailor New Zealander Sir Peter Blake in 2001. José Irandir Cardoso had been a fugitive for the…
NZ Trail Huts Provide Shelter, Conversation and Community
“I wouldn’t have guessed that backcountry huts would become a focal point of my travels in New Zealand. Sixteen years later, I had come for the forests of Lothlorien, the peaks of the Misty…
Rotorua the Southern Hemisphere’s Yellowstone
“The Rotorua region, one of the world’s most geothermally active areas, is the Southern Hemisphere’s take on Yellowstone – minus bison, bears and backed-up crowds,” journalist M.L. Lyke writes for The Washington Post. “Gases and…
Jacinda Ardern Graces Vogue’s Pages
Jacinda Ardern is clear-eyed about what a prime minister of New Zealand, a country with a population of under five million, can achieve on the world stage. “We’re small,” she tells Amelia Lester reporting…
Former PM Bill English Quits Politics
Former New Zealand prime minister Bill English, 56, has resigned as leader of the National Party, quitting politics after a 27-year career. “Now is the right time for me to step aside and embark on new professional…
Adrian Ramsay: Making Your Dream Home A Reality
“The idea of the dream home is something we all have. But what most of us don’t is someone to realise it for us. Consider then the genius mind of Adrian Ramsay, who prides…
Artist Francis Upritchard Describes Balata
A festive crowd of art-lovers gathered at Lux Art Institute in Encinitas, California recently for the opening of a show by the first of its 2018 resident artists, London-based New Zealander Francis Upritchard. Upritchard’s odd…
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Begin Promotion of New LP
The follow-up to New Zealand band Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s 2015 album Multi-Love, their fourth studio album, Sex & Food is out on 6 April. Bandleader Ruban Nielson described the impetus behind the album, saying he wanted to…
See If You Can Pronounce This Place Name
“Every world traveller knows the struggles of trying to fit into a foreign country’s culture. It requires remembering local customs, practicing appropriate etiquette, and (perhaps the most challenging) learning to speak like a local….
How to Honeymoon in New Zealand
Wanting to take their time soaking in jagged mountains, rolling pastures, steep fjords, pristine lakes, raging rivers and scenic beaches, Indonesians Gwen Winarno and Yudha Budhisurya took a road trip in New Zealand while…
Anna Paquin Does Some Detective Work in Bellevue
New Zealander Anna Paquin plays Detective Anna Ryder in the Canadian television series, Bellevue. “Paquin, whose onscreen presence guarantees an otherworldly, alienating grace, is doing more work than is first apparent,” Variety TV critic…
Sriwhana Spong Considers Monuments to Oppression
“A quiet but intensely powerful exhibition at San Francisco nonprofit gallery Kadist refutes the idea that we can shed the pain of the history of oppression by turning away from it,” Charles Desmarais writes…
Inspiring Cancer Story Written by Petra Kotrotsos
Wellingtonian Petra Kotrotsos is not your average 21-year-old, according to Melbourne-based Greek community newspaper Neos Kosmos. A video blogger and aspiring filmmaker, she’s also a cancer veteran, having been through various treatments since she…
Opuio Releases Striking Ginger Lizard Video
New Zealand-born Melbourne-based producer Oscar Davey-Wraight, aka Opiuo, has released the official video for his brand new single Ginger Lizard, which is taken from his forthcoming EP, Syzygy 01 scheduled for release on 2…
Conductor Michael Joel Directs Fine Concert
Under the direction of New Zealand-born conductor Michael Joel, the Lakeland Sinfonia “presented a programme that was well-suited to their strengths,” according to the Westmorland Gazette’s Adrian Mullen in a review of a recent…
Ice Sculptor Tatiana Zimina Competes in China
New Zealander Tatiana Zimina has recently returned from northeast China where she competed in ice and snow sculpting with her partner and two friends in the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. The…
Marlon Williams Leads Fertile Lyttelton Music Scene
There is nothing like some personal trauma to fuel the muse of a songwriter. Acclaimed New Zealand troubadour Marlon Williams, 27, can attest to that, and the results are etched deeply into the grooves…
Virgin Media’s Tom Mockridge Connects UK Homes
Virgin Media, with New Zealander Tom Mockridge at the helm, has connected more than a million homes to its ultrafast broadband network, in the latest sign that the roll-out of high-speed internet services is…
Peter Beck’s Mission to Conquer Space
Rocket Lab entrepreneur Peter Beck’s recent launch into orbit of the 65-sided, carbon-fibre satellite Humanity Star drew a barrage of flak from scientists. But the New Zealander remains undaunted. Beck explains his decision to Ian…
Georgia Fowler Shoot Lauds Harper’s Anniversary
Georgia Fowler, 25, the youngest daughter of Australian golfer Peter Fowler, is quickly becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the world, twice taking to the coveted Victoria’s Secret runway. Fowler (pictured left)…
Athletics Role for Rowing Ireland’s Hamish Adams
Athletics Ireland has announced the appointment of New Zealander Hamish Adams as its new chief executive officer. Adams, who for the past five years has been Rowing Ireland CEO, will vacate that role and take…
Perpetual Guardian Announces Shorter Work Week
New Zealand trustee company Perpetual Guardian is on the cusp of granting its employees the ultimate in work-life balance: four days work for five days pay, Eleanor Ainge Roy reports for UK newspaper The…
Frisky Spokesbird Sirocco Comes out of Hiding
Sirocco, New Zealand’s superstar kakapo, is alive and well in Fiordland, according to the Department of Conservation. The conservation ‘spokesbird’ shot to fame after he got a bit too friendly…
New Zealand Captured in Dreamy Infrared
Interested in producing images on “the fringe of the otherworldly,” California-based landscape photographer Paul Hoi creatively combines science fiction with psychedelia. Using a camera modified for full spectrum infrared, Hoi transforms familiar visuals into…
New Zealand Publicly Funds HIV Protection Drug
New Zealand is about to take a pioneering approach to fighting HIV/AIDS – by publicly funding pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication Truvada, manufactured by US biotech giant Gilead. Taking this drug daily has shown to offer…
Chris Waller Humbled by Hall of Fame Recognition
All Sydney-based trainer Chris Waller wanted to be was a reasonable trainer when he started in the tough game of preparing racehorses in his homeland of New Zealand. Reasonable has been replaced by premier…
