News of New Zealanders via Global Media

For the Sake of Britain James Cook Amended NZ Map

For the Sake of Britain James Cook Amended NZ Map

In an extract from a paper called, “Political Captain Cook” by Australian lawyer Margaret Cameron-Ash, Cook’s decision in 1770 to misrepresent Stuart Island as a peninsula is discussed. “Like every military man, Cook knew that…

Keeping the Anzac Memory Alive

Keeping the Anzac Memory Alive

Tableau vivant installation The Unforgotten Soldiers has toured New Zealand as a tribute to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers, who fought 100 years ago in the Gallipoli campaign during World…

Rugby Remembers Anzacs in the True Spirit of Their Sacrifice

Rugby Remembers Anzacs in the True Spirit of Their Sacrifice

The rugby community paid tributes to the Anzacs, who had lost their lives during World War One over the course of the Anzac weekend. On Friday, April 24 at Waikato Stadium, the Ode was read, The…

The Legend of the Anzac Biscuit

The Legend of the Anzac Biscuit

The first published record of the Anzac biscuit, whose origin is “shrouded in myth” was in a New Zealand St Andrew’s Cookery Book published around 1922. The legend of the biscuit is commonly associated with…

Peter Jackson Helps History Come Alive in New Zealand

Peter Jackson Helps History Come Alive in New Zealand

Peter Jackson has helped to create an exhibition to mark the Centenary of the First World War at New Zealand’s Te Papa museum with the support of the country’s government, philanthropists, and…

New Zealand Brothers in Arms to Be Remembered in Australia

New Zealand Brothers in Arms to Be Remembered in Australia

A greater New Zealand focus will be introduced at this week’s Anzac Day services in Mount Gambier. “I don’t know why this hasn’t been done before (…). We really have got to put the ‘NZ’…

Australia and New Zealand to Mark ANZAC Day in Manila

Australia and New Zealand to Mark ANZAC Day in Manila

Australia and New Zealand will jointly commemorate the centenary of the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign in Manila in the Philippines at a dawn service, which will be held in Fort Bonifacio at 5:30 a.m. on…

New Zealand and Australian Leaders Commemorate World War I Centenary in New Zealand

New Zealand and Australian Leaders Commemorate World War I Centenary in New Zealand

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key have dedicated a new memorial to commemorate the centenary of the two countries’ joint involvement in the World War I Gallipoli campaign…

New Zealanders in Gallipoli 100 Surf Boat Marathon

New Zealanders in Gallipoli 100 Surf Boat Marathon

More than 30 surf boat crews from around the world will pay tribute to the sacrifices of young soldiers 100 years ago as they take part in a marathon rowing race off the Turkish…

Sam Neill Remembers Fallen Family in Why Anzac

Sam Neill Remembers Fallen Family in Why Anzac

In one pivotal scene from Sam Neill’s thoughtful and moving examination of the Anzac legend, the ABC documentary Why Anzac, he approaches his grandfather’s grave in Lijssenthoek Cemetery, Belgium for the first time. “This is…

Auckland May Well Be the World’s Edgiest City

Auckland May Well Be the World’s Edgiest City

Innovation happens on the edge and “you cannot get more on the edge than New Zealand,” according to the CEO of Auckland’s economic development group Brett O’Riley. Auckland may be New Zealand’s biggest city but…

Richie Benaud’s career made possible by Timaru pharmicist

Richie Benaud’s career made possible by Timaru pharmicist

The cricketing career of Richie Benaud – Australian captain and the first man to take 200 wickets and score 2,000 runs in Tests – was had a critical intervention by Timaru chemist Ivan James….

Contemplating the Rebuilding of Christchurch Cathedral

Contemplating the Rebuilding of Christchurch Cathedral

“Henry John Chitty Harper was the first bishop of Christchurch. He battled to build the Anglican cathedral that, for more than a century, was the city’s centrepiece, its greatest landmark and an inspiration behind…

Leon Grice and Milou Dogged Diplomats in LA

Leon Grice and Milou Dogged Diplomats in LA

New Zealand’s consul-general to Los Angeles Leon Grice and his Bichon Frisé Milou feature in Monocle’s “Ambassadogs” series. “The eight-year-old, named after Tintin’s companion, has accompanied the Grice’s through Leon’s stints as executive of a…

Astrophysicist David Stevenson Elected Cornell Professor-At-Large

Astrophysicist David Stevenson Elected Cornell Professor-At-Large

New Zealand-born planetary scientist David Stevenson is one of five newly elected professors-at-large in the humanities, social and physical sciences who will visit Cornell University in Ithaca, New York over the next six years. The…

New Zealand’s “Rock Star Economy” Takes Centre Stage

New Zealand’s “Rock Star Economy” Takes Centre Stage

Australians are going to have to get used to New Zealanders going on about how much better their economy is, according to the Guardian. Paul Bloxham, the HSBC economist who first called New Zealand a…

The tide turns in New Zealand’s favour

The tide turns in New Zealand’s favour

For more than 20 years, “the trans-Tasman migration tide” has been a one-way wave – a relentless flow of Kiwis to Australia. Australia was the land of milk and honey, a rich big brother…

New Zealand Breaks Renewable Energy Record

New Zealand Breaks Renewable Energy Record

The share of renewable energy on the grid in New Zealand is the highest it has been in close to 20 years, Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges said. The share of electricity generated from…

Interactive Map Shows Wellington Bathed in Sunshine

Interactive Map Shows Wellington Bathed in Sunshine

Wellington gets more than 2000 hours of sunshine each year and though it is no Los Angeles, which receives more than 3000 hours, according to the Atlantic that’s a substantial amount of sun. This…

Settlements May Be Imperfect but Important Example Says UN

Settlements May Be Imperfect but Important Example Says UN

Last year’s $170 million Ngai Tuhoe settlement is one of dozens the New Zealand government has signed with Maori tribes in a comprehensive, multi-billion-dollar process described in a United Nations report as imperfect but…

White Kiwi Chicks Hatch near Wellington

White Kiwi Chicks Hatch near Wellington

Two rare white kiwi chicks have hatched at Pukaha Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre 125km north of Wellington. Together with their three older siblings the kiwi chicks are likely to be the only white kiwis…

For Brian Sutton-Smith Play Nothing Less than Existential Necessity

For Brian Sutton-Smith Play Nothing Less than Existential Necessity

Wellington-born developmental psychologist Brian Sutton-Smith, who wrote or edited more than 50 books and was among the first academics to treat the study of play as a rigorous discipline, has died in Vermont, in…

New Zealand, Vietnam Agree to Increase Trade

New Zealand, Vietnam Agree to Increase Trade

New Zealand and Vietnam have announced ambitious new trade goals following a meeting between New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Wellington. “New Zealand and Vietnam have agreed…

New Zealand’s Economy on a Seven – Year High

New Zealand’s Economy on a Seven – Year High

New Zealand’s economy is on a seven-year high with 3.3 percent growth in the last year and the size of the economy growing to 238 billion New Zealand dollars in 2014. In comparison Australia…

Brocken Spectre Phenomenon at Girdlestone Peak

Brocken Spectre Phenomenon at Girdlestone Peak

A “spooky” Brocken spectre phenomenon, featuring as part of the Guardian’s “Photo Highlights of the Day,” is seen at Girdlestone Peak on Tarn Ridge in the Tararua mountain range. “As dawn breaks, …

Aurora Australis Lights Up Southern Sky In Sensational Display

Aurora Australis Lights Up Southern Sky In Sensational Display

Due to a rare geomagnetic storm a magnificent light display was visible in certain areas of New Zealand and Australia. The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, was captured clearly over the skies…

Rare Glimpse of Cloudless New Zealand from Space

Rare Glimpse of Cloudless New Zealand from Space

A rare image of New Zealand without a ceiling of cloud has been captured from the International Space Station as it orbits 418km above the South Pacific Ocean. According to NASA, New Zealand is seldom…

New Zealand Researchers Track Blue Whale Songs off Antarctica

New Zealand Researchers Track Blue Whale Songs off Antarctica

A team of researchers from New Zealand and Australia has successfully tracked scores of blue whales off Antarctica during a six-week expedition to the Southern Ocean. Voyage leader Richard O’Driscoll said…

Sharon Van Etten’s surprise performance leaves John Campbell in tears

Sharon Van Etten’s surprise performance leaves John Campbell in tears

John Campbell’s colleagues surprised the New Zealand news anchor with the ultimate music fan experience: his very own personal Sharon Van Etten show. Because of his demanding work schedule, Campbell was unable to attend a…

Bruce Neal’s Anzac Tattoo an Internet Hit

Bruce Neal’s Anzac Tattoo an Internet Hit

Lower Hutt army veteran Bruce Neal’s Anzac tattoo – a 19cm design of World War I soldiers marching into the distance in a shape of a fern with the words “Lest We Forget” written…

New Zealand’s English Has a Distinct Linguistic Identity

New Zealand’s English Has a Distinct Linguistic Identity

“New Zealand English is like English, but different. And it’s developing in a direction all of its own,” according to New Zealand copywriter Sam O’Flaherty in a piece for the Guardian. “Tumeke!” “Enough about the…

Join the Red Nosed Kiwi Coffee Caravan

Join the Red Nosed Kiwi Coffee Caravan

Caravan Coffee Roasters, set up by New Zealand chef Miles Kirby with Kiwi friends Laura Harper-Hinton and Chris Ammerman, has launched Coffee Relief to support this year’s Red Nose Day. From the…

Mike Campbell Scores Top Spot in Men’s Health Man Comp

Mike Campbell Scores Top Spot in Men’s Health Man Comp

Sydney-based personal trainer, New Zealander Mike Campbell, 33, has been named in the top six of Australian Men’s Health magazine’s Man competition. The competition calls for blokes who are in top shape and the best…

Panicked Super Rich Buying up NZ Bolt Holes

Panicked Super Rich Buying up NZ Bolt Holes

Hedge fund managers are buying up remote stations and land in places like New Zealand to flee to in the event of civil uprising against growing inequality, it has been claimed. With growing inequality and…

Planting Trees in Public Spaces Leads to Healthier Society

Planting Trees in Public Spaces Leads to Healthier Society

University of Canterbury research has suggested that planting trees in public places could lead to a healthier society. The university research analysed the activities of 12,500 New Zealanders and found people living near parks and…

ACT MLA Meegan Fitzharris Sworn in at Assembly

ACT MLA Meegan Fitzharris Sworn in at Assembly

Incoming ACT Legislative Assembly member New Zealand-born Meegan Fitzharris introduced herself as “the first MLA from Gungahlin” at her maiden speech delivered when the former bureaucrat and government staffer was sworn in…

How Irish Zoologist Suzanne Burns Fell in Love with NZ

How Irish Zoologist Suzanne Burns Fell in Love with NZ

There are many “weird, wild and wonderful aspects to living in New Zealand” that have made Irish woman Suzanne Burns, 40, fall “hopelessly in love with the country.” Burns, a zoologist and wildlife guide…

Revised Views of World War One’s Bloodiest Conflict

Revised Views of World War One’s Bloodiest Conflict

As the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign approaches, the Smithsonian Magazine looks back at one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War I, which claimed the lives of 2721 New Zealand soldiers –…

Arbitration Stars Audley Sheppard and Wendy Miles Made QCs

Arbitration Stars Audley Sheppard and Wendy Miles Made QCs

New Zealand arbitrators, Clifford Chance construction disputes partner Audley Sheppard (pictured) and Boies Schiller & Flexner partner Wendy Miles, feature among the five leading solicitors on the latest Queen’s Counsel list in England and…

Art of Learning Author Lance King Motivating Kids in Bermuda

Art of Learning Author Lance King Motivating Kids in Bermuda

Author of educational programme the Art of Learning, New Zealander Lance King, has been invited to address students and their parents in Bermuda at the country’s oldest school, Warwick Academy. King has delivered his programme…

Meet John Bougen the World’s Best-Travelled Man

Meet John Bougen the World’s Best-Travelled Man

Thirteen years after he began exploring the globe, New Zealander John Bougen expects to be named the world’s best-travelled man by the end of the year. And he knows who to thank. “I had the…

Snowmaker Mark Eldring Skips Summers for Colorado Slopes

Snowmaker Mark Eldring Skips Summers for Colorado Slopes

Snowmaker and groomer Mark Eldring, 32, originally from Mount Maunganui, has experienced one summer in the last nine years opting for winters instead shaping slopes around the world. Eldring is part of a small crew…

Tabby Besley to Be Honoured by the Queen for LGBTI Advocacy

Tabby Besley to Be Honoured by the Queen for LGBTI Advocacy

At just 22, Tabby Besley is set to be honoured by the Queen for her work for the LGBTI community, the only New Zealander to be awarded the inaugural Queen’s Young Leader award, a…

Peter Jackson Embarking on WWI Museum Project

Peter Jackson Embarking on WWI Museum Project

Peter Jackson is leaving the battle for Middle Earth behind to dive into some real-world war history curating a collection of artifacts at a new museum in Wellington.  The temporary museum will open in…

Air New Zealand One of World’s Safest Airlines

Air New Zealand One of World’s Safest Airlines

Of 449 airlines monitored by the aviation website AirlineRatings.com, Air New Zealand makes the Top 10 safest for 2015 based on aviation governing body audits and airline incident records, among other factors. AirlineRatings.com’s rating…

New Zealand WWI Contingent Enlivened Village

New Zealand WWI Contingent Enlivened Village

During World War I, New Zealand soldiers, many from the Maori Battalion, including a self-declared Niuean prince, arrived in the small East London village of Hornchurch and formed a strong bond with residents. The location…

Sheep Numbers Fall to Their Lowest for 75 Years

Sheep Numbers Fall to Their Lowest for 75 Years

New Zealand has long been the butt of sheep jokes but latest figures show the nation’s woolly flock has slumped to its lowest number since World War II, with numbers dropping by 3.2 per…

Ireland Becomes Data Analyst Christina Tuataga

Ireland Becomes Data Analyst Christina Tuataga

Originally from Auckland, Christina Tuataga, business data analyst at Fidelity Investments in Galway, explains why she chose Ireland as a place to live and work, and how snow still amazes her even after 10…

Meet Dr John Money the Father of F***ology

Meet Dr John Money the Father of F***ology

In an essay excerpted from Fuckology: Critical Essays on John Money’s Diagnostic Concepts, the authors examine the work of trailblazing Morrinsville-born scientist and sexual libertarian Dr John Money. Money, who was based in the United…

Pope Francis Reaches Out to the Edge

Pope Francis Reaches Out to the Edge

In a move that underscores his “campaign to reach out to the peripheries,” Pope Francis on January 4 named 20 new cardinals from far-flung corners of the world including Panama, Thailand, Cape Verde, Mexico,…

Esteemed Middle-earth Location Scout Dave Comer

Esteemed Middle-earth Location Scout Dave Comer

Dave Comer, who selected many of the spectacular New Zealand locations for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies for director Peter Jackson, has died aged 58. Comer started out as a still…

Monocle’s Forecast for NZ in 2015

Monocle’s Forecast for NZ in 2015

There are three challenges New Zealand faces in 2015, according to Monocle magazine. Much of the success of Prime Minister John Key, who led the National party to a landslide in the September elections,…

Maori Feature in New Book Documenting World’s Tribes

Maori Feature in New Book Documenting World’s Tribes

Powerful portraits of Maori feature in a new book about 31 unique tribes by British photojournalist Jimmy Nelson called, Before They Pass Away, “an irreplaceable ethnographic record of a fast disappearing world.” Nelson writes…

Ferryman Alan Brann Working the Waters of the Columbia River

Ferryman Alan Brann Working the Waters of the Columbia River

Alan Brann, known better as Kiwi, ferries passengers and cargo to and from the big ships in the Lower Columbia River at the Port of Astoria in Oregon aboard his boat, Miss Molly. In…

Storyteller Wayne Mills Celebrates Reading with Kids’ Lit Quiz

Storyteller Wayne Mills Celebrates Reading with Kids’ Lit Quiz

In a quaint old theatre in Falmouth, Cornwall, a tall gentleman in a top hat stands facing the stage, like a conductor. The man is not just the ringmaster and question-setter for the

WWII Spy Phyllis Doyle Receives France’s Highest Honour

WWII Spy Phyllis Doyle Receives France’s Highest Honour

Ninety-three-year-old former British secret agent Phyllis Latour Doyle, who lives in New Zealand, has received France’s highest decoration for her courage – 70 years after parachuting behind enemy lines in preparation for D-Day. Motivated in…