News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Hucci Puts Life to Trap in New Single

Hucci Puts Life to Trap in New Single

Trap is a genre born and bred in the American South, but it is a sound Britain’s grimiest producers have embraced as their own, including Brighton-based New Zealand-born Ollie O’Neil, aka Hucci. Trap mixes slow,…

Tane Mahuta Puts Down Roots in Melbourne

Tane Mahuta Puts Down Roots in Melbourne

Tourism New Zealand is bringing the rich history of Tane Mahuta to Melbourne’s CBD with a new eight-week campaign, “Every day’s a different journey in Northland”. The out-of-home campaign is focused around a giant art…

Powerlifter Kevin Gray Breaking Big Records

Powerlifter Kevin Gray Breaking Big Records

He might be only 122cm tall, but New Zealand-born Kevin Gray, 32, is a tower of strength and has the powerlifting world in a spin with his amazing feats of strength. Fresh from establishing a…

Chicago-Bound for Mojo Coffee Magnate

Chicago-Bound for Mojo Coffee Magnate

Coffee addict Steve Gianoutsos’ latest venture is his biggest punt yet: Shifting his family of five to Chicago, to unleash the Mojo coffee brand on the US market. Opening his first 140-square-metre café there in…

Cathy Procter’s Bridal Store up for UK Award

Cathy Procter’s Bridal Store up for UK Award

New Zealand-born Cathy Procter, 48, owner of The Dressing Room in Garstang, Lancashire, has been shortlisted for a UK national wedding boutique award. Competing in the Best Bridal Retailer section against some much larger boutiques…

Scotland’s Sean Maitland Gets off to a Good Start

Scotland’s Sean Maitland Gets off to a Good Start

Sean Maitland, 28, rarely gives interviews and that is just the way he likes it. Since arriving in Scotland in 2012, the quietly-spoken Tokoroa-born wing has done his talking on the field, where his…

Author Paul Feenstra on Reading the Signs

Author Paul Feenstra on Reading the Signs

Wellington-born-turned-Long-Beach-resident author Paul Feenstra said a “No Trespassing” sign was the start of his new career in historical fiction writing. On a visit to New Zealand in 2009 after more than 25 years away, Feenstra…

Rising Fashion Star Claudia Li on Forbes Top 30

Rising Fashion Star Claudia Li on Forbes Top 30

New Zealand fashion designer Claudia Li, 28, is included on the Forbes annual “30 Under 30” list in the Arts & Style section. “Li debuted her fall collection in New York Fashion Week in 2015….

Sundance Grand Jury Winner Stars Melanie Lynskey

Sundance Grand Jury Winner Stars Melanie Lynskey

The presciently titled I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, starring New Plymouth-born actor Melanie Lynskey, pulled off a surprise victory at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Awards ceremony taking the grand…

Everything Wrong with the NZ Doomsday Survival Plan

Everything Wrong with the NZ Doomsday Survival Plan

“You know things are getting risky when billionaires start making plans to flee to New Zealand on the off chance civilization might collapse,” writes Outside magazine contributing editor Wes Siler. “The thing is, despite…

Black Caps Defeat Australia in Hamilton

Black Caps Defeat Australia in Hamilton

Australia have relinquished the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and potentially the No 1 ODI ranking, with Mitchell Starc unable to save his batsmen’s blushes in a dramatic 24-run defeat to New Zealand in Hamilton, Pat Cummins…

New Zealand’s Most Romantic Spots

New Zealand’s Most Romantic Spots

“Lush landscapes, star-filled skies and the breathtaking beauty of some of the world’s most untouched natural wonders and pristine beaches all make New Zealand the perfect place to propose to the love of your…

Taika Waititi Talks Thor: Ragnarok

Taika Waititi Talks Thor: Ragnarok

“It came as a large surprise to many when Marvel announced that it would be handing Thor: Ragnarok’s directorial reigns over to New Zealand film director, actor and comedian Taika Waititi,” writes Tiny Diapana…

Karen Walker Shapeshifts For New Eyewear Campaign

Karen Walker Shapeshifts For New Eyewear Campaign

Karen Walker is stepping into the spotlight in her latest campaign for Karen Walker eyewear, reports Georgina Safe in The Australian Financial Review. For her new Transformers eyewear campaign she “takes on…

Mary Kills People Star Jay Ryan Takes the Risk

Mary Kills People Star Jay Ryan Takes the Risk

Auckland-born actor Jay Ryan, 35, best known for his roles as Jack Scully in the Australian soap opera Neighbours and Vincent Keller in the American television series Beauty & the Beast, now has a…

Lake Tekapo An Ultimate Retreat For Star Gazers

Lake Tekapo An Ultimate Retreat For Star Gazers

“The past few years have seen a rise in astro-tourism with travellers seeking out destinations with the clearest, darkest skies to marvel at galaxies and constellations,” as reported in an article in

British Comedian Sings Wellington’s Praises

British Comedian Sings Wellington’s Praises

“Nowhere has more beautiful scenery than Wellington,” according to British comedian and actor Alan Davies, who first visited the city during a stand-up tour of New Zealand in 1998 and returned earlier this year…

Parris Goebel a Feminist Hip Hop Force

Parris Goebel a Feminist Hip Hop Force

New Zealand-born commercial choreographer and dancer Parris Goebel has been named one of “25 to watch in 2017” by Dance Magazine. The magazine said: “Goebel is the feminist force hip hop has been waiting for….

Ten Memorable Flying Nun Moments

Ten Memorable Flying Nun Moments

To mark a new LP from New Zealand’s The Bats, the Guardian takes a look back at ten of the best moments from the label that spawned them. “Founded in 1981 by Christchurch-based Roger Shepherd,…

Melanie Lynskey Teams up with Elijah Wood

Melanie Lynskey Teams up with Elijah Wood

New Zealand-born actor Melanie Lynskey, 39, stars alongside Elijah Wood in crime thriller I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, which premiered at this month’s Sundance Film Festival. Collider’s Matt Goldberg reviews…

Sarah Robb O’Hagan Appointed CEO of Flywheel Sports

Sarah Robb O’Hagan Appointed CEO of Flywheel Sports

Sarah Robb O’Hagan, the former president of Equinox Holdings has been “named chief executive of Flywheel Sports, the indoor cycling startup that launched in 2010 and has since grown to 41 studios,” reports  Christopher…

Shoe Designer Carrie Cooper’s Heritage Brand

Shoe Designer Carrie Cooper’s Heritage Brand

Offering women extremely versatile footwear was an early goal of New Zealand-born designer Carrie Cooper who studied fine arts before moving to London, Vogue Australia reports. “I always wanted to have a really chic little…

Farming Our Air for Chinese Market

Farming Our Air for Chinese Market

Pulling a trailer packed with dive tanks and a compression motor, the three co-founders of Breathe Ezy drive around the scenic mountains and valleys of New Zealand’s South Island collecting air Phillip Duval, Xu…

Peter Thiel’s Middle Earth Citizenship Dream Revealed

Peter Thiel’s Middle Earth Citizenship Dream Revealed

Silicon Valley tech pioneer, Donald Trump advocate, and newish New Zealander Peter Thiel has generated international headlines for the revelation that he was granted New Zealand citizenship in 2011. Thiel first visited New Zealand…

Cities for Food Lovers

Cities for Food Lovers

Wellington is featured in National Geographic’s “neighborhood guide to the best eats on (almost) every continent” as the best city for food lovers in Oceania.  Best Neighborhood for a Food Frenzy in Wellington: “Wellington’s…

In the Head of AI Scientist Shane Legg

In the Head of AI Scientist Shane Legg

New Zealander Shane Legg, DeepMind Technology’s chief scientist, gives significantly fewer talks and far less quotes to journalists than his other co-founders, CEO Demis Hassabis and head of applied AI Mustafa Suleyman. Legg, 43, remains…

New Zealand Second Best Country For Business

New Zealand Second Best Country For Business

New Zealand has been identified as the second best country for business in 2017 in Forbes’ annual list of the Best Countries for Business. It’s the “11th straight year Forbes has gauged…

Roy Brewster’s Remaking of the Visual World

Roy Brewster’s Remaking of the Visual World

“No right angles.” That was the decree Roy Brewster set for himself and stood firmly by throughout his life. The New Zealander, born in 1905 in Taranaki, instead embraced angles of 120˚; he was…

KJ Apa’s Dark Take on Comic Book Archie

KJ Apa’s Dark Take on Comic Book Archie

Star of American television show Riverdale, New Zealand actor KJ Apa’s take on the high school sophomore Archie goes far deeper than the inevitable love triangle situating him as the “good guy” between BFFs…

Book a Seat at Peter Gunn’s Melbourne Hot Spot

Book a Seat at Peter Gunn’s Melbourne Hot Spot

Melbourne “is quietly stepping up its game as Sydney’s cool little sister,” Vogue Australia journalist Lane Nieset writes. “Sold-out degustation-style supper clubs are now becoming more permanent as Attica alum Peter Gunn moves…

Rugby Boss Vern Cotter Says Scotland on the Up

Rugby Boss Vern Cotter Says Scotland on the Up

It is three years since 54-year-old New Zealander Vern Cotter arrived from French side Clermont Auvergne to take the reigns at Murrayfield. He recalls when his side was the one no one wanted to…

Trio of Films to Screen at Berlin Film Festival

Trio of Films to Screen at Berlin Film Festival

Three New Zealand films will screen at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. Poi E: The Story of Our Song and new-comer, The Inland Road, directed by Jackie van Beek, will both feature in the Generation…

Coromandel NZ’s Favourite Holiday Spot

Coromandel NZ’s Favourite Holiday Spot

With such a stunning country and so many spots to choose from, what is the favoured destination for locals to head to in the upper North Island, the Epoch Times asks. “You won’t find…

At a Loss for Words on Roys Peak

At a Loss for Words on Roys Peak

“In the dead of summer, in the stunning landscape of Wanaka, I finally managed to summit Roys Peak and was met with one of the most astonishing views of my life,” traveller Hannah Cornish…

Marlborough NZ’s Best Wine Destination

Marlborough NZ’s Best Wine Destination

The world’s Sauvignon Blanc capital, Marlborough, has much more to offer than its signature wine, according to Wine Enthusiast Magazine managing editor Joe Czerwinski. “New Zealand’s Marlborough wine region is the country’s vinous powerhouse, responsible…

Central Otago Perfect for Gastronomy Getaway

Central Otago Perfect for Gastronomy Getaway

Travellers flock to the Central Otago region for two reasons, according to Australian wine writer Andrea Frost. They go for the “great outdoors and the even greater wine.” In a feature for US magazine…

Winemaker Andréa McBride’s Perfect Pairing

Winemaker Andréa McBride’s Perfect Pairing

The wedding of New Zealand-born winemaker Andréa McBride and American Fabian John, held at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, features in the San Francisco Chronicle style section. “McBride was not looking for a husband…

Abel Tasman Covers Heaven on Earth

Abel Tasman Covers Heaven on Earth

Hot showers, meals, beds – and your luggage – await at stops along the scenic 60km Abel Tasman Coast Track, Lisa Jackson writes for a Toronto Star travel piece. “Seated at the northern tip of…

London’s Regal Fashion Designer Emilia Wickstead

London’s Regal Fashion Designer Emilia Wickstead

London-based fashion designer New Zealander Emilia Wickstead, 32, talks to Luxury London about motherhood, the royal wardrobe and styling the Duchess of Cambridge. Wickstead found huge success with her whimsical yet regal dresses – her…

Posters Inspired by Taika Waititi’s Hit Film

Posters Inspired by Taika Waititi’s Hit Film

For Little White Lies’ latest creative brief, the film magazine asked its readers to design a wanted poster inspired by Taika Waititi’s “charming” 2016 comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. “We were blown away by the standard…

Baker Dean Brettschneider’s Hands-On Approach

Baker Dean Brettschneider’s Hands-On Approach

Dean Brettschneider, the New Zealand-born self-styled “Global Baker” who recently opened Baker & Cook and Plank Sourdough Pizza in Manila, shared a few tips with the Manila Bulletin which may convince people that…

Pick Your Teacher: Democratic Schooling in the UK

Pick Your Teacher: Democratic Schooling in the UK

The London Nautical School, “a modern, non-selective inner London state school for boys”, is transforming education with students choosing their curriculum and teachers, as reported on Aljazeera. The programme is led by…

Helen Clark To Step Down As UNDP Chief In April

Helen Clark To Step Down As UNDP Chief In April

“Helen Clark, the highest ranking woman at the United Nations, is stepping down as director of the UN Development Programme in April”, as reported on Channel News Asia. “It has been an honour…

Britain’s Banking Watchdog Sam Woods Looks Ahead

Britain’s Banking Watchdog Sam Woods Looks Ahead

New Zealand-born Sam Woods, chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), is one of the new generation of City regulators who cut their teeth in the financial crisis. At just 43, with the…

Lydia Ko Wants Golfing Pay Parity

Lydia Ko Wants Golfing Pay Parity

The world’s top woman golfer New Zealander Lydia Ko, 19, wants her stunning achievements as a teenager to narrow the sport’s huge gap in prize money between men and women, according to the Daily…

Scotland’s Labour for Independence Youngest Member

Scotland’s Labour for Independence Youngest Member

The youngest member of the newly relaunched Labour for Independence group New Zealand-born Ben McKinlay, 17, from Earlston in the Scottish Borders, has voiced his full backing for an independent Scotland regardless of the…

Discovering Auckland’s Charms and Idioms

Discovering Auckland’s Charms and Idioms

New Zealanders are “extraordinarily hospitable”; “the natural beauty of New Zealand is second to none; and while Auckland has some worthwhile sights, it’s important to get out of town,” according to Lucas Peterson reporting…

Push for More Electric Cars on NZ Roads

Push for More Electric Cars on NZ Roads

Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said the Government would set aside $2.5m to help stimulate the electric-vehicle market in the country. “The funding will provide up to 50 per cent funding for projects that…

New Zealand the Safe Haven for Super-Rich Preparing for Doomsday

New Zealand the Safe Haven for Super-Rich Preparing for Doomsday

“Some of the wealthiest people in America—in Silicon Valley, New York, and beyond—are getting ready for the crackup of civilization,” writes Evan Osnos in an article in The New Yorker. While some…

Six Not to Miss in New Zealand’s “Cool” Capital

Six Not to Miss in New Zealand’s “Cool” Capital

“Wellington long ago shed its staid, bureaucratic image,” Katherine Rodeghier writes for Chicago’s Daily Herald. “For many laid-back Wellingtonians, the dress code now leans more toward sandals and hiking shorts; backpacks, not briefcases. Nearly…

Thrilling Start to 2017 in Queenstown

Thrilling Start to 2017 in Queenstown

Queenstown and its reputation as the adventure capital of the world, is a centre for every kind of extreme sport imaginable – but it is best-known for bungee jumping. New Zealand is included in…

Zippora Seven’s Croatian Dream Comes True

Zippora Seven’s Croatian Dream Comes True

Model and It-girl Auckland-born Zippora Seven, 25, talks to Harper’s Bazaar about her recent four-day trip to one of Europe’s hidden gems, Dubrovnik in Croatia. Travelling with boyfriend, filmmaker Terence Connors and some friends, Seven…

Financiers Make Debrett’s Most Influential List

Financiers Make Debrett’s Most Influential List

Two New Zealanders have made the 2016 Debrett’s 500 list of most influential people in Britain. CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Ross McEwan (pictured), 59, and Mark Wilson, 50, chief…

Volunteer Sue Thompson’s Cambodian Recipe of Hope

Volunteer Sue Thompson’s Cambodian Recipe of Hope

New Zealander Sue Thompson arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia in July for four days, but stayed on in the city, opening the Kitchen of Hope which provides 100 vegetarian meals to needy children and…

Ulysses One of the Year’s Largest Yachts

Ulysses One of the Year’s Largest Yachts

The Graeme Hart-commissioned 107m megayacht Ulysses was one of the six largest yachts delivered in 2016, according to Business Insider. Built by Norwegian commercial shipyard Kleven as their first yacht, Ulysses has been referred to…

Long-Lasting Significance Of LOTR Trilogy

Long-Lasting Significance Of LOTR Trilogy

On the 15th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, actors Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen reflect on the trilogy’s indelible impression. The film series was…