What to Do in New Zealand’s South Island
“If New Zealand is on your bucket list, then 2017 may be the year your travel dreams come true,” according to Travelzoo senior editor Gabe Saglie. “The South Island, in particular, is teeming with…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Airbnb Confirms Queenstown on New Trips Platform
Adventure capital Queenstown will be the New Zealand guinea pig for a new wave of tourism – Airbnb Experiences. The global travel company announced the launch of Experiences – allowing people to book “immersive” tours…
Jemaine Clement’s David Bowie-Ode Best in Moana
“He may appear in just one scene, but Tamatoa, the glam rock crustacean voiced by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, is quite possibly Moana’s most appealing character,” according to Slate’s Marissa Martinelli. “Now you…
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Widens Its Scope
“Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is like no other wine on Earth,” according to Los Angeles Times wine critic Patrick Comiskey. “It’s one of the most recognisable, aromatically peremptory wines in the world. So imagine you’re…
Find Your Fortune in Hills of Gold
“When the star-crossed prospectors featured in West Coast, they took their lives in their hands,” Telegraph travel correspondent Lloyd Hook writes. “For…
Marian Fountain’s Sculpture Honours NZ Tunnellers
Hundreds of New Zealand soldiers who dug a network of tunnels beneath Arras in the run-up to the Allies’ spring 1917 offensive in Northern France are to be honoured with the unveiling of a…
Black is Goth Briana Sullivan’s Happy Colour
Auckland University graduate Briana Sullivan, 22, aka Gothic Metal Fairy, is the first New Zealander to be announced 2017 spokesmodel for DarkestGoth, a US-based, online magazine. Originally from New Plymouth, Sullivan says she loves black…
Robin Hammond Trans Image on Cover of Nat Geo
New Zealand-born photojournalist Robin Hammond’s image of transgender girl Avery Jackson, 9, has made the cover of the January 2017 special issue of National Geographic magazine on the shifting landscape of gender. Avery, from Kansas…
Shortland Street’s KJ Apa Hits US TV Screens
Archie’s certainly not a kid anymore. Or at least not the same kid we knew from the old Archie comics, according to USA Today. He’s a hot, ripped 16-year-old, and a New Zealander –…
Eight NZ restaurants Named on La Liste’s Top 1000
Eight of New Zealand’s finest restaurants have been named among the world’s best, included on La Liste’s 1000 outstanding restaurants for 2017, double the amount from the year before, Stuff reports. La Liste…
Why US Poet James Galvin Is like New Zealand
American poet James Galvin’s “Why I Am Like New Zealand” featured in the New York Times recently. Why I Am Like New Zealand My feet stick out from beneath the sheet, Pointing to where death thrives. I am…
Hot House-Hunting in Auckland
Auckland is “going through a building boom,” Ross Hawkins, a salesman with New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty told the New York Times, noting that at the moment you can count 40 or so construction…
Queenstown Public House a San Diego Find
New Zealand-inspired American cuisine is served up at San Diego’s Queenstown Public House. Reviewer Ed Bedford, writing for the San Diego Reader went along for a taste test. “ romantic…
Welcome to New Zealand’s Gateway to Space
New Zealand has become the unlikely frontier in a drive to open a private rocket-launch site, servicing a soaring market for tiny satellites, many the size of a shoebox, Rob Taylor reports for the…
Brendan Cole Talks Strictly Ahead of Liverpool Show
Christchurch-born dancer Brendan Cole, 40, is currently putting together his new tour, All Night Long, which he will take to Liverpool in February. Local newspaper Liverpool Echo talks with Cole about the tour, and…
Dah Lee Dishes up Gourmet Pizza in Phnom Penh
From a kitchen on Phnom Penh’s Sothearos Boulevard stocked with homemade tomato sauce, cheeses and an array of “gourmet” ingredients, veteran restaurateur Chinese-born New Zealander Dah Lee is trying to heighten the Cambodian capital’s…
Gymnast Charlotte Sullivan Impresses in Iowa
Christchurch gymnast Charlotte Sullivan, 18, who represented New Zealand at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has certainly landed on her feet during an eye-catching competitive debut for the University of Iowa, Stuff reports. A…
Chris Liddell appointed to the White House
In an unparalleled achievement for a New Zealander, Chris Liddell has been appointed to one of the most senior roles in the White House, Assistant to the President. He will commence in his new…
Maungawhau and Memories of an Elephant
“At 196m high, the cone of this long-dormant volcano is the highest natural point in the Auckland region,” travel site Atlas Obscura reports. “But that’s not only claim to fame – the stone observation…
On the Hunt for Illegal Gold Miners
Prospecting for gold in the South Island is growing in popularity by the year, but amateurs looking for a quick fortune can damage the environment, according to Guardian correspondent Eleanor Ainge Roy. When travelling up…
Immunotherapy Researcher’s Aim for T-Cells
In Seattle, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Christchurch-born Dr Rachel Perret, a postdoctoral research fellow, spends her days – and sometimes her nights – working toward an “off-the-shelf” version of T-cell therapy. The…
New Zealand the Place to Be in 2017
From the Himalayas to the Highlands and south to New Zealand, a panel of travel industry leaders have picked the hottest destinations for the coming year in a feature for the Financial Times. While some…
Lost British Birdsong Discovered in NZ Birds
By comparing recordings of yellowhammer accents in New Zealand and the UK, scientists have discovered how the birds’ song might have sounded in Britain 150 years ago. The study, published in Ecography, examined…
Chef Dane Allchorne Opens Second Kent Inn
Three years ago New Zealander Dane Allchorne and his wife Sarah made their first foray into owning and running a pub and restaurant in Kent, turning a disused 16th century inn into
Arizona Snowmaking Help from Shaz Dagan
New Zealanders Shaz Dagan and her partner Easy Fergus have been heading up the snowmaking and grooming crew at Arizona’s Sunrise Park Resort this winter. Dagan started her career plans like many people – planning…
How the Outback Shaped Michael Chamberlain’s Life
Christchurch-born Michael Chamberlain, who waged a decades-long battle to prove his baby daughter was killed by a dingo in Australia’s most notorious case of injustice has died in New South Wales. He was 72. Lindy…
Camelle Kent Named CEO of Boston’s WellPet
Massachusetts natural pet food company WellPet has named New Zealander Camelle Kent its new chief executive officer. Kent, a graduate of the University of Auckland, said she was honoured to be chosen for the role…
Cox London Carving a Life Force
“In an industrial site in north London, behind an anonymous brick façade, lies an awe-inspiring emporium, with bronze foundry and workshop attached. This is the headquarters of Cox London, a husband-and-wife-led team of designer-makers…
George Ash Driving Australian Music Industry
Meet the third most important person in the Australian music industry – none other than Universal Music Group’s head honcho, New Zealander George Ash. Ash’s pursuit of creating new “revenue streams” for his artists…
Michael Seresin’s House at Waterfall Bay
Top New Zealand-born cinematographer has worked with Alan Parker, Mickey Rourke, and Ryan Gosling, but his holiday house at Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds is far from the hustle of Hollywood, writes Michella…
Vogue Features Derek Henderson’s Crystalline Series
New Zealand-born fine art photographer Derek Henderson has teamed up with local jewellery makers Melanie Kamsler and Tamila Purvis of Maniamania, creating a series of prints with a focus on the brand’s “mainstay material”,…
Tekapo Range a Backcountry Skiing Paradise
New Zealand-born private arts advisor, curator and photographer Helen Klisser During has found the perfect backcountry skiing paradise – in the Two Thumb Mountain Range near Lake Tekapo. Together with four friends (including former New…
New Zealand Debates Tramping Track Fee
“New Zealand’s chief conservation officer, Lou Sanson, caused a stir in October by suggesting that it might be time to start charging tourists for using the country’s wilderness tracks,” The Economist reports. “New Zealanders are…
As Seen in China by Tom Hutchins
Before New Zealander Tom Hutchins died at the age of 86 in 2007, he and fellow photographer American John Turner completed, after two decades of work, a master list of Hutchins’ choice of his…
2017 Will Be the Year of Our Lorde
With Coachella and Governors Ball 2017 festival announcements, it has become clear that New Zealand alt-pop singer Lorde’s comeback is about to happen, according to Billboard. “Most popular artists announce they are returning from an…
Tim Finn Brings Musical Ladies In Black Home
A musical written by New Zealander Tim Finn is heading to Sydney for the very first time as part of the Sydney Festival, which takes over the city from 7-29 January. Finn wrote…
Ariel Pearse Crowned Miss Tourism International
Aucklander Ariel Pearse has beaten 59 other contestants to win the Miss Tourism International 2016/17 crown, presented at the New Year’s Eve final in Putrajaya, Malaysia. According to local publication, The Star, the 24-year-old blew…
Coach Gail Parata at Forefront of Scotland Netball
The Glasgow Sirens, coached by New Zealander Gail Parata, are set to change the game of netball in Scotland, bringing together a lineup of global athletes to represent the country in the UK’s Vitality…
Hockstetter’s Frogs Jump for Joy in New Sanctuary
New Zealand has declared the natural habitat of the very rare Hochstetter’s frog to be a conservation sanctuary, giving the tiny creature a chance to recover its numbers in a 400ha area of land…
NZ Takes the Fight to Pint-Size Predators
A leader in eradication campaigns, New Zealand is launching its most ambitious effort to wipe out the 30 million possums killing our native birds. The Wall Street Journal reports on the progress of the…
Connan Mockasin’s Faking Jazz Together in Spotlight
A Connan Mockasin song features on an Independent list of most-listened-to tracks the UK newspaper’s staff played the most last year on Spotify. “Oddly, my most-listened to track of 2016 wasn’t from this year at all, but…
Auckland: A Multicultural Melting Pot by the Sea
“Surrounded by beaches and volcanoes, with a thriving arts scene in between, local journalist Hannah Spyksma shared her Auckland insider tips, which she describes as “the South Pacific’s melting pot” in an article in…
Munro Belts NZ to T20 Series Win vs Bangladesh
Left-handed batsman Colin Munro, 29, “produced a masterclass of controlled aggression to smash 101 off 54 balls as New Zealand coasted to a 47-run win in the second Twenty20 against Bangladesh” at Bay Oval…
Dunedin Railway Station One of the Most Beautiful
Dunedin’s Railway station has been featured in an article on the most beautiful railway stations, published on German travel site EasyVoyage.de. Designed by George Troup it was New Zealand’s busiest railway station when…
Greeting Card Designer Bev Williams’ Final Prank
New Zealand-born Bev Williams, creator of the bestselling “Spring Chicken” range of greeting cards, has died in Sussex, aged 77. The Daily Mail reported the designer really “did go out with a bang” when…
Flickr’s Best Pictures of 2016
“The photo-sharing site has compiled the 10 best uploaded photos of the world… From a winding road through a forest to an ethereal, peaceful lake it’s clear to see why the images were such a hit. The…
Ferret Smell Could Help Protect Native Birds
Landcare Researchers say that the stench of ferrets could be a useful tool to protect the country’s birds, as the smell helps to attract non-native predators. An experiment at a farm in northern Hawke’s Bay…
Taranaki, New Zealand: One Of Lonely Planet’s Top Regions For 2017
Taranaki, New Zealand has placed second in Lonely Planet’s Top Regions for 2017, reports Glory Moralidad for Travelers Today. “Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2017, the world’s celebrated travel publisher has given it’s…
Kaitaia Begins the Fight of Its Life
Kaitaia has seen four homicides and six suicides in a single year. Now the locals are trying to save their community. The Guardian’s Eleanor Ainge Roy reports on how the remote community of 5000…
Aaradhna Singer Putting NZ R&B Scene On Notice
In 2016, Aaradhna Patel put NZ’s R&B scene on notice with her fourth LP, Brown Girl, going to number one and her refusal to accept the award for Best Hip-Hop Artist at this year’s…
Tim Norton Builds 90 Seconds as Global Nomad
If there’s anyone who embodies how the so-called “sharing economy” is changing the way people live and build a business, it’s the founder and CEO of 90 Seconds, New Zealander Tim Norton. Norton…
Most Luxurious Holiday Rentals
Three luxurious holiday rentals in New Zealand have been featured in a Daily Mail article which lists the most luxurious holiday rentals in the world. At Villa Eteroa, a “modernist bolthole…
Hollywood’s Auckland
Auckland has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter’s Hollywood destinations travel guide. In the article, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Rhys Darby, Karen Walker, Oprah, Lorde and Matt Lambert share their Auckland hotspots. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley recommends…
Neil McGregor Appointed Sembcorp Top Roles
Energy expert New Zealand-born Neil McGregor will take over the position of group president and chief executive at Singapore’s state-linked conglomerate Sembcorp Industries in April 2017. McGregor, 61, is currently heading the energy and resources…
Antimicrobials from NZ Labs Help Make an India
Eco-friendly antimicrobial agents developed by a team of researchers at the University of Auckland could contribute in some of the key identified sectors in the nation-building “Make an India” initiative, according to an Indian-origin…
A Haven For Thrills
“When you really want to get away from it all, there’s no better place to visit than New Zealand’s North Island,” according to an article in thesundaily.my. The article recommends starting in Auckland,…
