Connan Mockasin’s Soft Hair Swampy Psychedelia
Connan Mockasin “a recluse from New Zealand” and Sam Eastgate of UK band Late of the Pier have teamed up to form Soft Hair, “a reverie of swampy psychedelia”, writes NME journalist Ben Homewood in a…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Gunn Returns to the Bush
Award-winning novelist and short story writer Kirsty Gunn returns to the New Zealand of her childhood in Going Bush (Sylph Editions) and My Katherine Mansfield Project (New York Review Books). Gunn, who lives in…
What Sets Conductor Holly Mathieson Apart
Several factors set Holly Mathieson apart, according to the Herald Scotland. Mathieson, 35, who has just made her debut as assistant conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, comes from the Antipodes, for starters,…
Exhibit Celebrates Chinese Perseverance in NZ
Chinese New Zealander sociologist Phoebe Li has curated a photo exhibition in Beijing about Chinese migrants’ 170-year history in our country called, “Recollection of A Distant Shore: A Photographic Introduction to the History of…
Artist Louise McRae a Star of the Other Fair
Former graphic designer and professional equestrian rider, New Zealander Louise McRae, made her Australian debut at Sydney’s recent Other Art Fair with eight new works of recycled timber compositions. Gallery owner Roslyn Oxley said McRae…
Lucy Lawless on the Evolution of Fake Blood
New Zealand-born Lucy Lawless of Spartacus, Battlestar Galactica and Xena: Warrior Princess fame says she has noted major advances in props and fake blood since she began her career. “The technology now is so good….
Astronauts and SAS buying up Armadillo Merino
A British company, founded by New Zealander Andy Caughey, has developed a superfine wool which has been snapped up by the UK’s Ministry of Defence for SAS soldiers battling on the front line. Derbyshire-based Armadillo…
Innovative Oddities Abound at Gibbs Farm
Truly one of New Zealand’s best-kept secret gems, according to travel site Atlas Obscura, is the gigantic sculpture garden known as Gibbs Farm. In 1991, New Zealand-born entrepreneur and art collector Alan Gibbs purchased a…
How to Dad Jordan Watson Recommends Chilling
On the How to Dad YouTube channel, shaggy-haired, bearded and bare foot 28-year-old Aucklander Jordan Watson offers “instructional” videos on how to be a parent – with the help of his two young daughters,…
Victoria’s Secret Welcomes Georgia Fowler
Every year a brand-new set of models is given the opportunity to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and this year’s class, including Aucklander Georgia Fowler, 24, is bolder than ever. With the girls taking…
Sam Neill: From Heartthrob To Vintner
Sam Neill of New Zealand’s Central Otago winery Two Paddocks, who is better known as an actor told the Financial Times’ Jancis Robinson that he “puts all his energy “into making beautiful…
WooJai Lee’s PaperBricks Objects of the Moment
Korean-New Zealander, designer WooJai Lee has given newspapers a second life transforming them into multifunctional blocks. PaperBricks are sturdy, but soft to the touch. Netherlands-based Lee turns discarded newspapers into a pulp, mixes…
Holly Mathieson Conducts Illinois Philharmonic
New Zealand-born Holly Mathieson, who has been named assistant conductor for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, was at the helm of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) for a recent concert at Governors State University…
Kon Dimopoulos Painting Chattanooga’s Trees Blue
Konstantin Dimopoulos is a New Zealand artist heading up an environmental art installation in Chattanooga, Tennessee, titled “The Blue Trees,” which Dimopoulos says is about bringing attention to the plight of old-growth forests around…
Bill Manson Passionate About Wild Food
The Local Wild Food Challenge is a global phenomenon that was launched in New Zealand by personal chef Bill Manson in 2008 and has been celebrated on Martha’s Vineyard since 2010. Manson continues to expand…
Iyia Liu Earns Big on Waist Trainers
Along with a desire to cinch her waist, young commerce graduate, New Zealander Iyia Liu, 23, had a burning entrepreneurial ambition. After noticing the waist trainer – a contemporary version of the 16th century…
Simon Phillips Has the Knack for Musical Theatre
In a wide-ranging career spanning several continents, which to date has seen him employed as artistic director by two Australian state theatre companies and awarded for his direction of theatre and opera, New Zealand-born…
The Naked and Famous Match Sound to Vision
The New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based group The Naked and Famous are pairing a striking visual story with their new album Simple Forms, which was released this month via their own label Somewhat Damaged. Each of…
Sir James Carroll the Voice of the People
The little known story of the charismatic Irish-Maori politician and New Zealand Wars volunteer, Sir James Carroll’s visit to the Somme in 1916 is retold in the New Zealand Listener. Carroll, born to a Maori…
Standout Commercials for Cheil’s Malcolm Poynton
Global chief creative officer at Cheil Worldwide, New Zealand-born Malcolm Poynton, talks to Adweek in Las Vegas about the “lasting genius” of the “legendary” Dove Campaign for Real Beauty and some of his other…
Musician Roy Montgomery Returns to the Fold
Following a decade long hiatus, Christchurch-based musician Roy Montgomery is about to release a new album – a four LP box set titled RMHQ. Featured in the latest issue of The Wire, Montgomery explains…
Jennifer Flay’s 2016 FIAC Unifies Paris
Steering this year’s edition of Parisian contemporary art fair Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain (FIAC) through a period of significant change and development was New Zealand-born gallerist Jennifer Flay. Flay who was FIAC’s artistic director from…
Michael Aitken Wins Top Science Prize for SMARTS
New Zealand-born entrepreneur Michael Aitken has been awarded an Australian Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for developing software to identify rigging in the financial markets. Aitken, founding CEO of the Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre in…
Everything to Do with Jean Batten Is Gendered
New Zealander Jean Batten was the most celebrated aviatrix of the 1930s. Nicknamed the “Garbo of the Skies” for her movie-star glamour, she appeared on newspaper front pages the world over, and drew adoring…
ABs Beat Wallabies Again at Eden Park 37-10
Australia had the ball but New Zealand scored the tries as they set a new record for consecutive Test victories by a Tier 1 nation, reaching 18 but having come of age long before,…
NZ Is Australians’ Most Desirable Holiday Destination
New research by Roy Morgan Research has found that New Zealand is the “most desirable destination” for Australians followed by the USA, as reported in an article in B&T. “Although New Zealand figures…
The Boundless Beauty Of New Zealand
“Awe-inspiring and thought-provoking, New Zealand is the ideal setting for an immersive experience of food, nature, culture and community,” writes Simone Louis for Verve Magazine India. Louis said she “found it hard to…
Recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Built with Shipping Containers
“Staying true to the design of the original Globe Theatre in London, the Container Globe – a proposal to reconstruct a version of Shakespeare’s famous Globe Theatre with shipping containers – sees…
Hidden New Zealand Gem
“The Catlins region of New Zealand is one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets” and “has such variety, including stunning waterfalls, amazing wildlife and beautiful beaches”, writes Nicola Barnard for The Huffington…
What A Nation Chooses To Remember And Forget
“Early in 2014 a group of school students from a small town in rural New Zealand took a trip to some nearby historical sites. Guided by local Māori elders, the students from Otorohanga College…
Masking Tape Saves Endangered Kiwi
“Using nothing but tape, a fragment of shell and MacGyver-like ingenuity, nature park worker Claire Travers patched up a badly damaged egg sufficiently for the baby kiwi to survive,” as reported in an article…
Top of the Lake – Series With Star Location
“Across the globe and across generations”, there are stories with “settings as important as any character with dialogue,” according to an article in IndieWire. New Zealand’s Top of the Lake is one…
Coloradan Finds Rugby Home Where the Sport Is King
Colorado native Chris Baumann, 29, has racked up plenty of miles over the last few years in his quest to play rugby. Now Baumann (pictured centre, tackling Eben Etzebeth of South Africa, 4) is…
Frances Harrison Recounts Flipside of French Dream
Life in France is not always la belle vie that expats had hoped for when making the “dream move”. New Zealand-born Frances Harrison, English teacher and author of Follow My Heart: Risking it all…
Lawrence Arabia’s Breezy Absolute Truth
Included in a roundup of the best Australian LPs that might have passed you by in the past months, (the Guardian includes a caveat) is Christchurch-born Lawrence Arabia’s latest, Absolute Truth. “The lyrics of musician
Yealands Completes NZ’s Largest Solar Panel Installation
“The Yealands Wine Group has put up New Zealand’s largest solar panel installation at its vineyard in Marlborough as it reinforces its claim to be the most sustainable winery in the world,” as reported in…
OK Tires’ Gurdeep Bains Helps Company Pull Ahead
A Lamborghini Huracán zooms through the Mojave Desert, spinning sand in its wake, and though you might expect to find a professional racecar driver behind the wheel of this, the fastest Lamborghini yet, you’d…
Jazz Musician Matt Penman Rearranges Miles Davis
The SFJAZZ Collective, a United States-based jazz ensemble, which originated in 2004, has thrived with shifting arrangements. The Collective, which includes New Zealand-born bassist Matt Penman (seated far left), has a lineup that has…
Connacht Rugby’s Pat Lam Earns Honorary Degree
New Zealander Pat Lam, head coach of Connacht Rugby, and former rugby international has received an honorary degree from NUI Galway for his achievements, which have significantly enriched both Connacht and the wider community. Lam…
New Zealand Wins in World Travel Awards
New Zealand has won several awards in this year’s World Travel Awards – Australasia. Air New Zealand has been named the best airline in the region, Queenstown has been recognized as the top destination…
Helen Clark on Why You Should Never Have a Plan B
The greatest challenge for women is getting into leadership positions, not actually leading, says Helen Clark former Prime Minister of New Zealand and current head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Clark outlines…
Tribal Huks Force Out Ngaruawahia Meth Dealers
The ominous deadline set by the Tribal Huks gang for methamphetamine dealers to leave Ngaruawahia has expired and it showed with the streets left empty last week. Tattooed members of the notorious gang wearing…
Should We Stay Or Should We Go
For much of the past 50 years, Australia was the big, brash neighbour with so much to offer – and New Zealanders came in droves. But now it seems the tide is turning, author…
Wasps Jimmy Gopperth Player of the Month
Wasps inside centre/fly-half New Plymouth-born Jimmy Gopperth, 33, has capped a stellar start to the new season by being named Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Month for September. Gopperth – who recently signed a…
Glenorchy’s Mountain Ranges One of the Most Beautiful Peaks
Glenorchy and its mountain ranges have been included in a list of the most beautiful peaks in the world in an article by Lizzie Mulherin for The Daily Express. “Arguably, one of…
Glowworm Cave in New Zealand
Traveling duo Stoked for Saturday has captured an incredible video of glow-worms in New Zealand’s Waitomo Caves.” The travel bloggers shared how it all came together with National Geographic’s Sarah…
Hundreds of Jellyfish Landings at New Zealand Coastline
“In the last month mass jellyfish landings have been reported on beaches from Nelson in the South Island to Whangarei in the top of the North Island,” writes Eleanor Ainge Roy for
New Zealand Will Surprise You
New Zealand has become a travel favourite for people around the world. While known for its beautiful scenery, it “is so much more than the sum of its varied landscapes,” as reported in an…
Fun Things To Do In Wellington
“Located at the south-western tip of North Island” Wellington is definitely worth a visit,” writes Hanna Hussein for the Straits Times. In her article she recommends the top activities you must do…
Ohau We Love to Ski Here
The tiny Mackenzie High Country ski resort of Ohau has just one lift, but the snow in August and September is brilliant – and, if you pick your week, it can feel like your…
Laying His Mark on George Town Heritage Protection
Co-founder of the George Town Heritage Action Group New Zealander Mark Lay is so dedicated to heritage conservation in the Malaysian city that he walks everywhere with a camera in hand, taking pictures of…
Waikato University to Offer Degrees in China Next Year
“New Zealand’s Waikato University announced that it is the country’s first university approved to teach and award degrees in China,” as reported in Shanghai Daily. In September next year, the university will establish…
Tenor Simon O’Neill Sings Wagner’s Praises
One word not often associated with Richard Wagner, the 19th-century composer of high romantic opera, is “cool” – yet this is the adjective repeatedly invoked by New Zealander Simon O’Neill, 44, who made his…
Meeting with Banker Ross McEwan
Three years ago Ross McEwan set a Kiwi cat among Irish pigeons when, as newly installed chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), he ordered a review into the future of Ulster…
Tui Wordley Still Making Waves at 80
Tutanekai “Tui” Wordley should be an inspiration to every surfer. Not because of the size of the waves he rides or the latest overseas trip he’s made, but because, at 80, he’s still out…
This is the Antrim Coast Road that Andrea Drove
For New Zealander Andrea Bald a recent journey along the Antrim Coast Road in Northern Ireland really was a momentous and breathtaking one as for the first time she got to see the road…
