Ngati Filmmaker Remembered
Barry Barclay, New Zealand film director and the first Maori to direct a feature film has died, aged 63, in Rawene. Barclay’s Ngati won best film at Italy’s Taormina Film Festival in 1987 and…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Indian Love Affair
More Indian tourists than ever are coming to New Zealand for the expansive scenery, favourable weather conditions and a bit of romance. In 2006-20007, as many as 20,946 Indians spent an average of 13.8…
NZ Studies Awarded
Dr Ian Conrich, director of New Zealand Studies at the University of London, is the 2008 New Zealander of the Year in the UK. Conrich received the accolade at an awards ceremony…
Dialect Mystery Solved
New Zealanders speak an English dialect made up of quarter Scottish, one quarter Irish and 50 percent cockney, northern and west country English according to Scottish linguists. In a five-year study, mathematicians from New…
Still Steadfast
Anti-apartheid activist New Zealander John Minto has turned down a nomination for an award proffered by South African President Thabo Mbeki. Minto organised protests against the Springbok rugby tour of New Zealand in…
Reclaiming the Moko
Maori heritage claims the walls at the Massachusetts Peabody Essex Museum. Thirty large format images of moko by award-winning Dutch photographer Hans Neleman make up the exhibition. Kimiora Ereatara Hohua describes the story of…
Bilateral War Cries
For 11 years Wairouru has hosted the Singaporean Army who train at the North Island army base under an agreement with the New Zealand Defence Force. This year, 900 Singaporean troops — the largest…
Farewell to a Literary Legend
Hone Tuwhare, one of NZ’s most distinguished and best-loved writers, has died in Dunedin aged 86. Tuwhare was the first Maori poet to be published in English (No Ordinary Sun, 1964) and one…
The World Mourns Our Humble Colossus
Sir Edmund Hillary – adventurer, philanthropist and global icon – has died aged 88. The lanky beekeeper from Tuakau found international fame in 1953 as the first person to scale Mt Everest, together with…
Pacific Perspective on Disarmament
Christchurch anti-nuclear campaigner Kate Dewes is the first New Zealander to be appointed to the UN’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. “It is exciting,” she said in a Christchurch Press interview. “It is…
Gov-Gen Reflects on Changing Nation
NZ Governor-General Anand Satyanand gave an exclusive online interview to Indian TV station NDTV. In it, he discussed NZ’s increasingly multicultural makeup, as well as his own Indian ancestry. “New Zealand, like all countries,…
Award Winning Airmanship
A Te Anau helicopter pilot has been awarded the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) Outstanding Airman Award. Richard “Hannibal” Hayes received the honour for single-handedly putting out a bush fire in Queenstown in November…
Power in Numbers
The New York Times reports on a multi-organisation effort to save NZ’s national symbol from extinction. Founded in 1994, Operation Nest Egg is a combined effort by the Department of Conservation’s Kiwi Recovery Program, non-profit group Save…
Value for Money
NZ private schools are moving ahead of their British counterparts on the global league table for English-speaking education, according to new international research. NZ tops the table for maths and science in the Pisa…
The Great Escapee
The last living New Zealander involved in The Great Escape of World War II has died in Masterton aged 92. Mick Shand was an RAF fighter pilot who fought in the Battle…
Police Laws Go Wiki
The NZ police force has used wiki-style online collaboration to update its 1958 Police Act. In September, they posted the Act online and invited contributors from all over the world to suggest their own…
Renewing Friendships, Broadening Horizons
Helen Clark was the first foreign leader to meet with Kevin Rudd in his new role as Australian prime minister. The pair met for a casual lunch at Rudd’s Brisbane home, where they discussed climate change ahead…
Love Me, Love My Food
Canterbury University researcher Annie Potts coined the new buzzword “vegansexuality” in a paper published in May. Potts, a director of the New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, surveyed 157 vegans and vegetarians on all…
Dilemma for Cat Fanciers
NZ-based psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson has weighed in on the cats versus birds debate in a New York Times magazine feature. The issue of cats killing native birds in the US came to national attention…
Rotorua Takes Root in Nanjing
Rotorua Town is the latest in a series of namesake housing compounds to be built for China’s booming upper class. Located in Nanjing, two hours from Shanghai, Rotorua Town is an upmarket gated…
Kohanga Reo Movement Continues to Inspire
NZ’s thriving kohanga reo movement was the subject of a lengthy Age feature last month. Kohanga reo, or Maori language and cultural immersion schools, have blossomed since the movement’s launch in 1980. There are…
Mighty Totara of NZ Rugby
All Black and NZ Maori legend Pat Walsh has died of cancer aged 71. Renowned for his versatility, Walsh played 13 Tests in four positions between 1955 and 1963. He served as…
Hottest Aussie from Balclutha
Balclutha-born Dean Tahana has been crowned Australia’s sexiest man. The 29-year-old won the 2007 Mister Manhunt Australia competition, Australia’s biggest competition for male models. “I entered the regionals up in Noosa, Queensland, when…
Tales from a Conflict Zone
NZ nurse Lisa French Blaker has written a book about working for the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in Sudan. In Heart of Darfur (Hodder & Stoughton), French Blaker, 36, recounts…
Humanitarian World Title
NZ charity SurfAid International has won the 27 Humanitarian Award at the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) awards in Toronto. SurfAid International was founded by Wellingtonian Dr Dave Jenkins in 2, to improve…
Equal Opportunity on the Edge
NZ has been ranked fifth in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum. NZ is the only non-Nordic country to make the list’s top five, which is led by Sweden, Norway,…
Protest Heard Around the World
NZ-born pro surfer Dave “Rasta” Rastovich led an international protest over Japan’s commercial slaughter of dolphins in November, gaining significant media coverage for his cause. Rastovich, a free surfer for Billabong, is a co-founder of the charity…
Mugabe Expert Comes Full Circle
Stephen Chan, longtime analyst and authority on Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, returned to NZ recently to deliver the 2007 Chapman Lectures at Auckland University, his alma mater. Born in New Zealand to refugee parents, Chan became a well…
Civil Union Milestone
Civil unions in NZ have reached the 1000 mark, according to government officials. The Civil Union Act, which came into effect in April 2005, gives both heterosexual and homosexual couples the same legal rights…
Tokelau Keeps NZ Ties
Tokelau has voted to remain a NZ colony in its second referendum on the issue in 15 months. The vote for self-governance, which required a two-thirds majority,fell short by 16 ballots. “There’ll be another…
Free to Speak
NZ has been ranked 15th in a survey of press freedom around the world by Reporters Without Borders. The annual survey of 169 countries measures factors such as freedom of speech, freedom of information…
Master Carver Shares Message
Maori master carver James Rickard held a workshop at the Victor Oteyza Community Art Space in Baguio City, the Philippines, this month. He spoke about the need for indigenous artists to protect their works…
Tributes Flow for China Expert
Leading Sinologist Professor Elisabeth “Lisa” Croll has died from cancer aged 63. Born in Reefton, on the South Island’s West Coast, Croll gained a BA and MA at Canterbury University before completing a second…
NZ Unites Against Death Penalty
NZ has joined a United Nations effort seeking the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. Co-sponsors of the UN resolution include Brazil, East Timor, Gabon, Mexico, the Philippines and Portugal. “Capital punishment is the ultimate form of…
Ex-M16 Agent Gives Evidence
A former British secret service agent from Ngaruawahia has given evidence at the inquest into the death of Princess Diana. Richard Tomlinson alleges that his former employer, M16, was responsible for the death…
Passchendaele Remembered
NZ and Australian leaders led commemorations at the 90th anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele in Belgium this month. PM Helen Clark and Australian Governor General Michael Jeffery paid tribute to the 10,000 ANZAC…
Queen of the South Pacific
Taumaranui-born soprano Rhonda Bryers has passed away aged 55 at her home in Hawaii. Bryers was one of NZ’s best known singers in the late 1980s, when she won the country’s Entertainer of the…
Wellywood and Bollywood Unite
The NZ and Indian governments are to negotiate a film co-production agreement, whereby resources will be pooled to benefit filmmakers in both countries. “Films made jointly by New Zealand and Indian producers would qualify as works with…
World Environment Day in Wellington
Wellington is to host World Environment Day 2008, the UN Environment Program has announced. The focus of next year’s global celebrations will be encouraging countries, companies and communities to “Kick the habit” and make…
Flag Debate Resurfaces
The debate over NZ’s national flag is in the spotlight again, after PM Helen Clark publicly proposed removing the Union Jack from its design. “I think people could debate the flag the way Canada…
Film Industry Loses Behind-the-Scenes Star
Hundreds of mourners attended a tangi for NZ special effects expert Conway Wickliffe in Te Kuiti on October 14. Wickliffe, 41, was killed in England three weeks ago, during a stunt car…
NZ Sets Pace on Climate Change
A recent Guardian op-ed hailed NZ as “the new climate change pioneer”, after the unveiling of an ambitious new environmental plan by the NZ government. The plan’s stated targets include generating 90% of the country’s electricity from…
NZ Migrants Top Australian Stats
NZ has surpassed Britain as the source of the largest number of permanent migrants to Australia for the first time. According to Australian immigration statistics, NZ arrivals have jumped by 5000 in the past…
Tributes Flow for Leading Philanthropist
Leading NZ philanthropist Sir Roy McKenzie has died aged 84. McKenzie spent most of his life managing the JR McKenzie Trust, which was founded by his father from the profits of the…
NZ Commits to Climate Change Cause
NZ will introduce a carbon trading scheme next year in a bid to cap greenhouse gas emissions at the lowest possible cost to the economy. Under the plan, every industry will be allocated an agreed level…
Guilt-free Fur
NZ possum fur features in a Guardian article on “weird and wonderful” examples of eco-friendly products. Imported from Australia in 1837, possums have been wreaking havoc on NZ’s native flora and fauna ever since. “We support killing…
Real Life Mermaid
Aucklander Nadya Vessey has commissioned a custom-made mermaid tail from Wellington’s Weta Workshop. A keen swimmer, Vessey was born with a condition that prevented her legs from developing properly. She had her first leg…
In the Pink
Air New Zealand will launch its first “Pink Flight” from San Francisco to Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in February next year. Modelled on a similar trip from Auckland to Sydney this…
Moko in Vogue
A French fashion designer’s use of moko in advertisements for his latest collection has caused a stir in NZ. Jean Paul Gaultier’s campaign shots, featuring male and female models with Maori facial tattooing, have…
Nobel Nomination for NZ Institution
A NZ youth development course is in the running for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Spirit of New Zealand, a ship that takes teenagers on 10-day development workshops, is one of 21 ships…
Incredible Journey
The NZ bar-tailed godwit is officially the migratory champion of the avian world. The bird has been tracked from its summertime home in NZ to its breeding ground in Alaska, and back again, by…
Edge Moves
An American dance professor gained a fascinating insight into NZ culture during an exchange organised by the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Tarin Chaplin wrote about her time in Auckland and Wellington in a…
Tributes Flow for Industry Titans
NZ has lost two of its leading business figures with the deaths of Sir James Fletcher and Nick Nobilo (pictured) on August 29. Fletcher, 92, became Managing Director of construction dynasty Fletcher…
Order of Merit for Lomu and Fagan
Two NZ sports greats were made members of the New Zealand Order of Merit at this year’s investiture ceremony. All Black legend Jonah Lomu and sheep shearing champion David Fagan (pictured) both received…
Senior Iraqi Posting for Shearer
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named New Zealander David Shearer as his deputy special representative for Iraq. Shearer will also serve as Iraq’s UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator. “David’s a pretty special guy. He’s hugely regarded…
Reign of King Tuheitia Officially Begins
King Tuheitia, the seventh Maori monarch, has marked the official start of his leadership after a year of mourning for his mother and predecessor, Queen Dame Te Atairangikahu. Thousands of Maori and dignitaries travelled…
