Kia Kaha Cambo
Michael Campbell held off a late charge by Tiger Woods to win the 105th US Open at Pinehurst, his first major championship. He become the first Kiwi to win a major title since Bob Charles…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Six Out of Six Sevens
NZ claimed its sixth successive IRB Sevens World Series victory, ahead of the final leg of the competition in France. By the end of the London Sevens tournament in June, NZ had enough overall points to…
Rugby Stalwart Farewelled
Former All Black captain, agricultural economist, and leading NZRU administrator – Bob Stuart, OBE – died in May aged 84. Although Stuart’s best playing years were taken up by military service during WW2, he successfully lead NZ…
Golden Oldies Return to the Source
Wellington is to host next year’s World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival, the first time the event has been held in NZ since it was launched there 28 years ago. The festival is expected to attract approximately 5,000,…
First Win the Sweetest
NZ triathlete Samantha Warriner enjoyed her first major victory, taking out the women’s title at the ITU World Cup in Japan. Warriner finished the event in 2 hours 39 seconds, ahead of Japanese competitors Kiyomi Niwata…
Right Royal Honour
Rt Hon Justice Thomas Munro Gault is to be the first NZ’er in history to head the Royal & Ancient – the prestigious governing body on the rules of golf recognised everywhere except the U.S. Gault,…
46 South
New Zealand surfing photographer Paul Kennedy plunges into the Deep South to an emerging big-wave scene. “In New Zealand, size comes at a price. The trade-off for being the only part of the country…
Rising Star
The Scotsman hails Kiwi Ryan Nelsen as one of the British Premiere League’s hottest signings. “Nelsen has proven an unbridled success since his arrival from Major League Soccer side DC United in January on a free transfer,…
Underdog Soon to be Top Dog?
With Jamaican bobsled comparisons the order of the day, NZ’s curling team was the underdog favourite at this year’s Ford World Championship in Canada. ‘While many Canadians curl out of plush clubs, Becker’s home ice…
Queen of the Green
17-year-old Kiwi, Enu Chung, is the latest and greatest addition to Berkley University’s women’s golf team. Chung has previously represented NZ in the sport and was voted the country’s female golfer of the year for 2004. Daily…
Airini Surfs Up Rankings
Gisborne’s Airini Mason scored the highest ever placing by a New Zealand female surfer at an international event, finishing third at the Billabong Girls’ Easter Surf Fest in Queensland, Australia. Mason is now ranked 69th on the…
Double All Black
The Age profiles Eric Tindill; the world’s oldest living Test cricketer, NZ’s oldest living All Black, and one of the hallowed few to represent the country in both sporting disciplines. “The elderly gent watching the TV isn’t…
Mark the Great
Mark Greatbatch comes in at number four on the Guardian‘s list of all-time greatest Test cricket rearguards. “He was better known as the man who invented pinch-hitting at the 1992 World Cup, but Mark Greatbatch could knuckle…
Home Turf Heroics
NZ went to the top of the IRB Rugby Sevens table after their third straight victory in the Wellington tournament. The Kiwis beat Argentina 31-7, giving them 52 points in total, ahead of traditional rivals Fiji…
Godley’s Own Country
Godley Lake, NZ, features amongst the Observer‘s crème de la crème of international ski touring routes. “Described as a ‘Symphony on Skis’, this tour involves a traverse of the Southern Alps from east to west via some…
Paradise for Polo Players
Polo-playing Indian MP, Navin Jindal, recommends NZ as a destination for players and holiday makers alike. For obvious reasons, Clevedon in South Auckland (NZ’s polo centre) is given particular attention. “Although it hasn’t to date been a destination…
Citizen Baker
World record holding British swimmer Zoe Baker has switched allegiance to NZ, where she has lived and held citizenship since 1999. “I’m hoping to swim for NZ at the Berlin leg of the World Cup in January,”…
Plays Hard, Plays Fair
All Black captain Tana Umaga received the Pierre Coubertin Trophy from theInternational Committee of Fair Play on December 9. Previous awardees include Martina Navratilova and Nelson Mandela. The trophy recognised his good sportsmanship in helping Welsh…
You Say Chappell-Hadlee I Say Hadlee-Chappell
Sir Richard Hadlee had his audience in stitches at the launch of the inaugural Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series in Melbourne. Among other quips, he noted that the event was called the Hadlee-Chappell Trophy back home. The Black Caps…
On Top of the World
The All Blacks resumed their world No.1 ranking after a compelling 45-6 victory over European champions France. “I felt powerless,” said French coach Bernard Laporte. “I had the feeling that we could play for hours and…
Fitzy on the Ball
Sean Fitzpatrick gives a lengthy interview in the Irish Times. The legendary All Black captain is currently based in London as a TV analyst and motivational speaker. He is also a charity ambassador (along with Martina Navratilova,…
Iron-will an Inspiration
The inspiring story of Napier mother-of-four, Tracey Richardson, has made headlines around the world. Two of Richardson’s children have cystic fibrosis and, in 2002, she decided to create awareness for the disease by competing in the…
Coutts’ Cup Runneth Over
Russell Coutts beat American Ed Baird and Australian Peter Gilmour to win the US$30,000 King Edward VII Gold Cup. He now heads the leaderboard of the 2004-05 Swedish Match Tour championship after three of eight races. The…
A Year in Review
Canadian Runners Web featured an email from Kiwi triathlete Bevan Docherty in its news section. “It’s been one of the most amazing years for me, a World cup Win, a World Championship Win, Taking the No.1 ranking…
Hat-trick Plus One
“Not only do Kiwis like winning our major horse race, they are also becoming fond of winning our major car race.” Greg Murphy took top honours for Holden with his fourth Bathurst victory at Mt Panorama. He…
Double Milestone
The Black Caps’ tour of Bangladesh was a resounding success, with NZ winning both the Test and ODI series by comfortable margins. During the second Test captain Stephen Fleming overtook Martin Crowe as NZ’s…
Triumph for Edge Adventurers
NZ team Seagate and US team Nike were joint winners of the Subaru Primal Quest adventure race, held in Washington. The event involved six days of trekking, mountaineering, biking, running, orienteering and kayaking. It was shortened from…
Quick Legs, Quicker Wit
Former All Black Eric Rush interviewed by the Gulf News at the launch of the 35th Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s tournament. Rush joined Dan Crowley and John Bentley as key note speakers for the event. “I’ve…
Precious Metal Keeps on Coming
NZ athletes did us proud at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, netting a total of six gold medals, one silver, and three bronze. The Wheel Blacks won gold in the wheelchair rugby final against…
Champs on Surf and Turf
NZ finished second overall in the world lifesaving championships at Viareggio, Italy, behind Australia and ahead of South Africa. The Kiwis won 17 medals in total, including gold in the men’s beach flags event (Morgan Foster), gold in…
Rhodes Beats the Heat
Brian Rhodes won the men’s open category of the Desaru International Triathlon in sweltering Malaysian conditions, beating last year’s winner Jason Shortis of Australia by nearly five minutes. Fellow Kiwi Stephen Sheldrake finished third. The annual event…
Need for Speed
NZ claimed two world titles at the mountain bike world championships in Le Gets, France, with Vanessa Quin (26) winning the open women’s downhill race and Scarlett Hagen (17) the junior women’s. Hagen’s time was second…
One Step at a Time
Jonah Lomu is making a strong recovery from his July kidney transplant and has already named next year’s rugby sevens world cup as his comeback date. “That’s great news because sevens can provide him with the perfect…
“Star for the Future”
20-year-old Ben Townley won his first motocross world title (and NZ’s second) with a double victory in the MX2 class at the Grand Prix of Ireland. “On the last lap of the first race, my mechanic, Craig…
Inline Edge
NZ athletes excelled at the world inline speed skating championships in Italy, racking up six bronze medals, a silver, and a gold. Shane Dobbin won gold in the 5000m men’s points road race, with brother Kalon…
Wyatt Makes it Four
Jonathan Wyatt won his fourth mountain running world title at Sauze d’Oulx in northern Italy only a week after competing at the Athens Games. His previous victories were in France (1998), Germany (200), and Austria (2002)….
Grand Slam Thank You Ma’am
Rising Kiwi tennis star Marina Erakovic has added two major titles to her belt, winning both the Canadian and US Open’s junior girls’ doubles event with Dutch partner Michaella Krajicek. Earlier this year the pair made…
Riding High
Sydney Morning Herald profiles 20-year-old Kiwi, Michael Walker; “the best jockey to emerge from across the Tasman since Jim Cassidy and Shane Dye.” Since his 1999 debut, Walker has ridden more than 100 winners in each of…
Sport Swap
NZ U-19 rugby coach, Willy Heretaka, is in talks with Kolkata school leaders about establishing an annual student sporting exchange between NZ and India. “These schools have good sporting facilities,” said Heretaka in the Times. “It will…
Top 6 for Black Sticks
The NZ women’s hockey team’s strong showing at the Athens Olympics earned them the final place in November’s six-team Champions Trophy in Argentina. The Black Sticks went to Athens ranked ninth in the world and finished in…
One to Watch
Kiwi boardsailor David Robertson (18) won gold at the Mistral Youth World Championships in Nessebar, Bulgaria. Team-mate Anna Eason finished fifth in the women’s event. Robertson placed first at last year’s National Youth Champs, sixth in the…
Ooh Ah Umaga!
A Rugby Heaven feature charts Tana Umaga’s meteoric rise from early flirtations with rugby league to becoming the All Black’s first Pacific Island captain. “Bob Marley would have seen another rebel in Tana Umaga, a fellow Rastaman,…
Money Makes the Cup Go Around
Alinghi syndicate head Ernesto Bertarelli has provided Team NZ a multimillion dollar “no-strings” loan to ensure their presence at the 2007 America’s Cup. “In view, the regatta would lose some of its appeal without us,” said…
Down but Not Out
Greg Henderson won the 6.25 mile New York City Cycling Championship in miserable conditions, despite suffering a crash half way through the race. “Anything can happen in a crash. It all depends on how you land,”…
Pure Gold
NZ’s Olympic team kept viewers at home on tenterhooks, waiting until the second week of the Games to begin the medal haul. Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell took gold in the double sculls rowing, Sarah Ulmer beat…
In Their Own League
The “Kiwi Super League invasion” continues, with NZ Test centre David Vaealiki signing to Wigan, and Warriors prop Jerry Seu Seu to join the competition next year. Ali Lauitiiti (Leeds), Motu Tony (Castleford), Richard Swain (Hull), David…
Living Legend
Guardian film writer Diana Dobson visits Whangara, home of the Ngati Konohi people and inspiration behind Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider. Rather than touring the location made famous by Niki Caro’s film adaptation, Dobson focuses on the local…
Kiwis Clean Up
NZ riders took top honours at the first British Championship motorcycle race, with Josh Coppins winning the title and 19-year-old Ben Townley finishing in second place. “It was a smooth run all the way and I…
Silver Bullet
Kiwi Jo Aleh won silver at the ISAF World Youth Championships in Poland, finishing second in the Laser Radial class. “I’m stoked!” she said in Scoop. “It was a hard regatta with such different conditions, it’s been tricky sailing…
Pre-Games Victory
Auckland athlete Nathan Richmond won his first ITU World Cup triathlon in Newfoundland, Canada. The Corner Brook event is regarded as one of the toughest on the international circuit. “This win proves that I am a worthy…
AB’s Win “By Strangulation”
The All Blacks beat Australia 16-7 in miserable Wellington conditions to retain the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in seven years. Guardian: “For all the major effect the elements had in ruining this contest as a…
Guardian: “NZ Near One-day Perfection”
The Black Caps cruised to victory in the NatWest ODI tri-series against England and the West Indies, beating the latter by a resounding 107 runs in the final. Daniel Vettori was named Man of the Match for…
Ferns End 15-year Drought
The Silver Ferns crushed traditional rivals Australia in a historic 3-0 series win – their first clean sweep against Australia since 1989. The Ferns won the final match 53-46, after trailing for much of the game. Australian…
Jumping Off Point
Billionaire US adventurer Steve Fossett continues to attempt to break the world glider altitude record from his South Island base in Omarama. Wind levels have been unsatisfactory so far.
Supercaddie
New York Times profiles Tiger Woods’ right-hand man, Kiwi Steve Williams. “If Tiger Woods wanted a meek caddie, he would not have hired Steve Williams … Powerfully built, meticulously prepared and fiercely loyal, Williams has successfully partnered…
All Blacks 3-0 Start for 2004
Two crushing wins over England and a scratchy performance against Argentina started the Graham Henry-coached, Tana Umaga-led 2004 All Blacks. Coverage from The Independent on the victories at Carisbrook, Eden Park, and Hamilton. Next…
