Writing New Album Therapeutic Says Gin Wigmore
Currently on tour in the US to great acclaim, Gin Wigmore, whose music has featured on the soundtrack to Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy, pauses to talk with Marie Claire about her creative…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
We’re All Thinking Number One
Just about every famous New Zealander, including Lorde, the Flight of the Conchords, Kimbra and Shihad’s Jon Toogood, have packed into Neil Finn’s studio to record Team Ball Player Thing, a fundraising effort for…
Jake Mahaffy’s Rare and Valuable New Film Lauded
Jake Mahaffy’s evocation of a borderline unbearable true-life tragedy, Free In Deed is a bracing, bruising corrective to the “faith-based filmmaking” movement, according to Indiewire. The New Zealand-raised director’s third film, set in and…
How New Zealand Sustains Its Rugby Dynasty
A country of just under four and half million is home to arguably the most dominant team in sport. The Guardian looks at how the All Blacks remain at the pinnacle more than 100…
Richard Branson’s Right-Hand Man Is Josh Bayliss
Auckland-educated lawyer Josh Bayliss, 42, is the global chief executive of Virgin Group, spearheading a web of transport, telecommunications, lifestyle, healthcare and financial services businesses across 34 countries. He runs Virgin for Richard Branson…
Michael Seresin Working on Wine and the Jungle Book
Cinematographer and wine producer Michael Seresin was born in Wellington, emigrated to Europe in 1966 and has been based in west London since 1967, but there’s one thing he still hasn’t acclimatised to, reports…
Forgotten Crowded House Song Helping Refugees
Songs can grow and assume new shapes with time, and pop’s power to engage people has taken Crowded House’s 16-year-old ballad Help is Coming and given it new life as a charitable ode to…
Stephen Taberner’s Choir a Bit on the Spooky Side
Georgian polyphonic singing enthusiast, Christchurch-born Stephen Taberner leads the 16-man Australian choir Spooky Men’s Chorale which recently performed in London at the Islington Assembly Hall. The Guardian’s Robin Denselow reviewed the evening. “It takes a…
Historic Win for Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko made golfing history when she won Sunday’s Evian Championship in France as the youngest winner of a women’s major. The win was her fourth LPGA win of 2015 and the ninth of…
How I Learned to Win the Rugby World Cup
On 23 October 2011, the New Zealand All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup Final against France 8 to 7. It was “culmination of a 37-year career’” for Graham Henry – one of the…
NZ Star Wars Geeks Rule the Galaxy for a Day
Walt Disney’s new Star Wars toys have been released in New Zealand – the first place in the universe for the toys to go on sale in “Disney’s Apple-like round-the-globe rollout of new toys”. “It’s…
Murchison’s Never-Ending Fire
A seemingly typical clear and swift South Island river, the Blackwater has one unmistakable trait: the water carries a whiff of kerosene. It’s faint, but it was enough to give the Blackwater its name,…
Photographer Robin Hammond Witnessing Change
While producing Condemned, an in-depth look at how the mentally ill people are treated in several African nations, New Zealand photographer Robin Hammond believed that the mere act of making their condition visible would…
All Blacks Depart for England to Defend Their Title
The All Blacks have departed for England on Thursday hoping for a number of firsts: “To become the first team to defend the Rugby World Cup, the first New Zealand team to win the…
Christchurch Returning to Cycling Roots
After the 2011 earthquake, Christchuch residents were asked what they wanted from the city once known as ‘Cyclopolis’. They demanded a greener, more people-focused city – and investment in new cycleways means it is…
New Zealand Launches First Chinese Language Week
New Zealand’s first Chinese Language Week has been launched from September 7 until September 13 and will be celebrated during the second week of September each year to coincide with the Chinese Moon Festival. “Learning…
New Zealand Voted Best Destination for Solo Travelers
New Zealand has been ranked the best destination for solo travellers on a list created by Travel and Leisure. Safety and the ability to connect to people and culture while travelling are…
First Images of Holiday Horror Krampus Released
First images of “Michael Dougherty’s new stab at holiday horror” Krampus have been released. Krampus tells the story of Max, who stops to believe in Santa more and more when his “dysfunctional family gathers for…
Pietra Brettkelly’s Doco Premieres in Venice
Multi-award-winning director and producer Pietra Brettkelly’s documentary A Flickering Truth, filmed in Afghanistan, made its premiere at the 2015 Venice International Film Festival. New Zealand-born Brettkelly’s 2008 film The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins…
On the True Detective Set With DOP Nigel Bluck
Recently rated by Variety magazine as one of 10 cinematographers to watch, New Zealander Nigel Bluck, 43, has been working as director of photography on the second season of popular…
Introverted Dancefloor’s Latest Effort Far from Shy
“Not nearly as introspective as the eponymous album title would have you believe, Bevan Smith’s latest project as Introverted Dancefloor is restrained, yes, but far from bashful,” UK arts magazine the Skinny…
Teen Ayla Hutchinson Impresses at US State Fair
Ayla Hutchinson, 16, may be the youngest and farthest-travelling entrepreneur to showcase at the Minnesota State Fair this year. Hutchinson, who is from Taranaki, conceived of a safer approach to splitting kindling in 2012…
Hello Sailor Frontman Graham Brazier
Dave Dobbyn is one of a number of local artists who have paid tribute to Hello Sailor frontman Graham Brazier (pictured centre), who has died in Auckland aged 63. Dobbyn described Brazier as the consummate…
Coach Joe Schmidt Granted Irish Citizenship
He has long been considered an honorary Irishman in the eyes of rugby fans. But Ireland’s head coach Woodville-born Joe Schmidt, 49, was made an official Irish citizen in a special ceremony organised by…
Racing Star Mitch Evans Proponent of F1 Noise
New Zealander Mitch Evans, 21, one of the leading lights of single-seater junior auto racing, says he believes Formula One’s audiences could accelerate if the series returned to 2.4-litre V8 engines which it dropped…
Flight of the Conchords Musical Is Coming
The upcoming Flight of the Conchords movie is shaping up to be a musical like no other, co-creator Jemaine Clement has promised – albeit tentatively. The film is “definitely a couple of years away,…
Richie McCaw Most Powerful in Rugby Union
Richie McCaw, “arguably the greatest All Black of all time”, has been named the most powerful person in the “50 Most Powerful People in Rugby Union” ranking by The Daily Telegraph. “The flanker’s…
NZ – Rugby World Cup Breeding Ground
“The All Blacks may be favoured to retain the Rugby World Cup but New Zealand’s influence on the global showpiece will extend far beyond its national team”, according to an article on
Kids Design Playground in New Zealand
Local kids have helped to design a new playground as part of the rebuild of the Christchurch city center following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The Christchurch city council consulted the community about the rebuilt…
Three Million Reasons to Celebrate Tourism’s Value to New Zealand
Over three million visitors have travelled to New Zealand in the year ending July 2015, according to data released by Statistics New Zealand. The 7.3 % per cent increase of visitor numbers is good news for…
New Zealand Launches Currency Notes
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has launched new banknotes with new security features, which will go into circulation later this year. “The polymer notes are striking in their design and innovative in their security with the…
New Zealand Kicks off Record Cruise Season
New Zealand is expecting its biggest cruise season with 267,800 passengers in 2015-16. According to Cruise New Zealand the summer season has already begun with the arrival of Sea Princess in Auckland. “The next two…
Otahuna Wins Andrew Harper’s 2015 Reader’s Choice Awards
Otahuna Lodge in Tai Tapu, New Zealand has been voted the world’s Top International Hideaway by readers of one of the world’s most influential luxury travel reader’s polls, Andrew Harper’s…
Final Designs for New Zealand’s New Flag Chosen
“For more than a century, New Zealanders have fought wars and won Olympic medals under a flag with four red stars on a blue background and Great Britain’s Union Jack in the corner”, writes…
Casting for the Elusive Mr Brown on Ruakituri River
“As we cut through the clouds in the small Bay Heliwork chopper, the sky opens to a stunning view of Hawkes Bay and the legendary Ruakituri River where the elusive ‘Mr Brown’…
Janet Frame Travels Home Around the World
Janet Frame’s 1963 novella Towards Another Summer reimagines the New Zealand author’s “roots crisis” and is a sharp drama of fleeing, and missing, home, Catherine Taylor writes for the Guardian. The novella’s theme – taking…
New Zealand Has Some Filmtastic Backdrops
Many of the grander surroundings in Craig Zobel’s new film Z For Zachariah were filmed in New Zealand. Women’s lifestyle site Bustle takes a look back at other notable films shot throughout the country…
Domestic Market Key to Demise of Imperiled Dolphins
American environmental writer Andrew Revkin, in his regular column for the New York Times, says local nets, not faraway markets are the key to the “deeply imperiled toothed whale” New Zealand’s Maui’s dolphin. “The subspecies…
Gin Wigmore Embodies Casual Tough Girl Style
New Zealand-born musician Gin Wigmore has a fashion sense equally eclectic as her sound, according to style site Paste Magazine. With unfussy platinum blonde locks, a beautifully detailed tattoo sleeve and rings for every…
Lips Argue Against Online Streaming
New Zealander Steph Brown and West Virginia-born multi-instrumentalist and producer Fen Ikner are Lips, an electronic pop act characterised by a girl with giant lips for a head. The duo has just relocated from…
Comedy Show Nominee Trygve Wakenshaw Shines
The “angular New Zealander” Trygve Wakenshaw, who was nominated for best show at this year’s Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy awards, “has the audience in raptures with his wonky physical comedy – and a brilliantly inventive…
Teddy Tahu Rhodes Has a Devil of a Time
New Zealander Teddy Tahu Rhodes, “the drawcard” of State Opera SA’s recent season of Faust, “brings his powerful voice of dark charm to the role of Mephistopheles, an imposing icon of evil,” Adelaide Now…
Locust Jones Permanently Plugged into Chaos
It is a rare and rewarding moment to stumble across an exhibition that is as cohesively considered as Christchurch-born artist Locust Jones’ A Week in the Life of the World, not only in its…
All Blacks Squad Announced
There were few surprises in the All Blacks squad announcement “with coach Steve Hansen naming 17 forwards and 14 backs with the emphasis on the backs being their versatility to cover numerous positions.” “Richie McCaw…
Scott Dixon Wins Fourth IndyCar Championship
Scott Dixon has won Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway to clinch the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. He was awarded the title because he had three victories this season as opposed to Montoya’s two,…
Laura Myers Is Reimaginging ’90s Minimalism
While Laura Myers’ influences are all-American – she cites Carolyn Bessette and Lauren Hutton as totems – the collection has Oceanic roots. Myers, now based in London, was born in New Zealand and spent…
Lydia Ko Wins Canadian Pacific
Lydia Ko has won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open for the third time and first as a professional, beating American Stacy Lewis with a par on the first hole of a playoff. The 18-year-old Ko…
Is this New Zealand’s Best Ever Ski Season?
After a phenomenal start to the season and continuing snowfalls, both Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt ski resorts in New Zealand may stay open longer than the usual. Ordinarily the season runs from mid-June…
New Zealand’s Jonah Lomu Still Talks a Good Game
Jonah Lomu changed the sport of rugby forever – his “emergence at the 1995 World Cup was seismic”. He was a pioneer for rugby union, who “raised interest to levels not witnessed before and…
12 Things To Do in Queenstown
Queenstown offers “an incredible mix of gorgeous views, great food, fun outdoor activities, and more” writes Geoffrey Morrison for Forbes Magazine. The article collates the Top 12 things to do in the…
TIFF Exclusive: Bust a Move With This Clip From ‘Born To Dance’
“While Hollywood has got the dance formula down cold, New Zealand actor/filmmaker Tammy Davisis bring(s) his own unique flavor to the genre”, writes Edward Davis for Indiewire. The New Zealand feature film Born To…
Patrick Bevin Signs Contract with Cannondale-Garmin
Continuing its tactic of working with some of the most promising young riders in the sport, the Cannondale-Garmin team has announced that New Zealand cyclist Patrick Bevin and Irish Ryan Mullen will join the…
5 Reasons You Will Love ‘Fear The Walking Dead’
The Walking Dead spinoff Fear The Walking Dead featuring Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis is “a worthy successor” – “the atypical spinoff that preserves and deepens the tone of its original show”, according to Adweek,…
McLaren Stalwart, Kiwi Phil Kerr
New Zealander Phil Kerr, an instrumental figure in the formative years of McLaren, has died in Auckland aged 80. Born in Auckland in 1934, the Kiwi became friends with Bruce McLaren when competing in hillclimb…
Shane van Gisbergen Says Rival Drivers are no Wet-Weather Specialists
Shane van Gisbergen says he looks good in wet-weather V8 Supercar races because his Australian rivals are so bad. “I don’t like driving in the rain. I’m just more used to it”, said the young…
Rob Hall’s Final Climb Roars to Life in Everest
It’s been almost two decades since the infamous 1996 tragedy on Mount Everest in which New Zealand guide Rob Hall and seven others perished. The world’s highest mountain has seen more destructive seasons –…
