New Zealand | Guardian (The)
31 July 2004
Guardian Travel discovers Sir Richard Hadlee’s preferred holiday destination, Hanmer Springs. Hadlee explains his choice in the accompanying interview: “I’ve been going since I was nine, when the whole family would decamp there for holidays. It’s quiet…
Politics and Economics | Washington Times
29 July 2004
Cabinet minister John Tamihere has spoken out in the defense of heterosexual “red-blooded blokes” and been heard around the world. Excerpts of his speech at Epsom’s St Peter’s College appeared in the Washington Times, as well as…
New Zealand | BBC News
29 July 2004
NZ’s Antarctic Heritage Trust has unveiled plans to restore and protect huts built by early explorers of the South Pole, including Scott’s Discovery Hut and that of Norwegian-born Carstien Borchgrevink. Norway and the UK have been asked…
New Zealand | Guardian (The)
29 July 2004
A Guardian feature uncovers the Wairarapa’s latest tourist attraction: Stonehenge Aotearoa. Built by NZ’s Phoenix Astronomical Society, the henge is a map and calendar for the southern hemisphere’s skies. “The whole objective here is that people can come out…
Business | Age (The)
26 July 2004
Age profiles Paul Hakes of Wellington’s Hakes Marine: the man behind super-maxi yacht, Zana. Hakes’ latest project is a 12m racing boat, which he hopes to successfully export to Australia. “It is a modern design, a fast…
New Zealand | Female First
26 July 2004
Female First delves deeper than the usual travel story, focusing primarily on the geographical and cultural make-up of NZ. “NZ comes with a reputation as a unique land packed with magnificent, raw scenery: craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches,…
Politics and Economics | Australian (The) | Gulf News
16 July 2004
An Australian feature by Claire Harvey likened the Israeli passport scandal to the infamous Rainbow Warrior incident of 1985. PM Helen Clark has cut diplomatic ties with Israel until an official apology and explanation is offered stating,…
Golf | New York Times (The)
2 July 2004
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…
Business | Yahoo! News
1 July 2004
NZ company Designer Textiles has won a contract with sports apparel company Nike. Nike has agreed to use Designer Textiles’ merino advanced performance program (MAPP) in manufacturing its ACG range of outdoor sports shoes. The AGC range will…
Rugby | Telegraph (The)
28 June 2004
Ireland was “forced to acknowledge New Zealand’s continuing supremacy” at the IRB U-21 World Championships in Scotland, going down 47-19 to the junior All Blacks. NZ’s stellar performance included a hat-trick of tries by flanker Tony Koonwaiyou….
Watersports | Red Bull Big Waves Event
27 June 2004
Christchurch surfer Doug Young won the ‘Deep Throat’ award at the 2004 Red Bull Big Wave event in South Africa. The ‘Deep Throat’ prize goes to the “hardest charger” – the surfer who braves the biggest, messiest waves without…
Te Ao Maori | Independent (The)
24 June 2004
Three preserved heads (moko mokai) of Maori warriors have been returned to NZ by the Kelingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. The action comes after a worldwide search for Maori remains by Te Papa Tongarewa. Maori specialists…
Z-Files | Independent (The)
19 June 2004
British celebrity gardener, Charlie Dimmock, named NZ as her preferred home-away-from-home in an interview with The Independent. “If I had to to New Zealand. They have an’outdoors’ lifestyle,’ and people are more active.”
Watersports | Seattle Post-Intelligencer
14 June 2004
Team NZ has finally announced its challenge for the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain, thanks to a multimillion dollar sponsorship deal from Dubai-based Emirates Airlines. The syndicate has missed two previous confirmation dates due to lack…
Sport General | Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Marathon
14 June 2004
John O’Loghlen (NZ investment banker at Goldman Sachs, NY) and Rosa Volz (Wellington IT worker) were the first non-Mongolian man and woman respectively to finish the 42km Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Marathon, “one of the toughest and…
Medicine/Health | BBC News
8 June 2004
Professor Peter Molan of Waikato University’s Honey Research Unit was the subject of a BBC feature on the healing power of honey. Molan hopes to take his area of expertise to the world via revolutionary wound dressings,…
War & Peace | Guardian (The)
7 June 2004
The world commemorated the 60th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, with war veterans and international leaders (including PM Helen Clark) gathering in France to pay their respects. NZ lost more soldiers proportionately than any other country…
Rugby | Rugby Heaven
7 June 2004
NZ held on to its world series rugby sevens crown for the fifth year in a row, despite losing 22-19 to England in the final of the London leg. The Kiwis had already reached an unassailable position…
Science/Tech | ABC News
6 June 2004
Minister for research, science and technology, Dr Pete Hodgson, headed an impressive delegation of NZ scientists and executives at the annual Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO) meeting in San Francisco. In the course of the conference NZ and Australia…
Business | Bio2004
1 June 2004
Dr John Bedbrook, President and CEO of American GM crop developer Verdia, has returned to his native NZ as part of the government’s World Class New Zealanders business advisory program. Bedbrook recently spoke at the Bio2004 convention in…
Sport General | Age (The)
22 May 2004
New Zealand cyclist Sarah Ulmer took control of the hotly contested 300m individual pursuit when she broke the world record by two 10ths of a second in 3:31.157, to win the World Championship. Greg Henderson also…
New Zealand | Jakarta Post
16 May 2004
Berni Moestafa, contributor from Jakata, walks part of the South Island. “New Zealand has many faces. It is a sub-tropical forest with lush ferns and unusual old trees, or a strip of perfect white beach, an…
Wine | Japan Times
14 May 2004
“The Pinot Noir grail is to be found in Central Otago,” writes British wine expert Janice Robinson in the latest World Atlas of Wine. The availability of Pinot Noir and other New Zealand wines in Tokyo…
New Zealand | Guardian (The) | Scoop
8 May 2004
NZ was named Favourite Long-haul Destination in the Guardian and Observer’s annual People’s Choice Awards, for the third time in the past four years. NZ topped the poll with 96.8% of the vote, beating Peru, Australia, and…
New Zealand | Wired
3 May 2004
June 5 saw the opening of NZ’s very own Stonehenge, erected in the Wairarapa by the Phoenix Astronomical Society. More than simply a replica of its northern predecessor, the Kiwi henge is a celestial calendar of the…
Cricket | Business Day
1 May 2004
Chris Cairns retired from international Test cricket with a bang on the Black Caps tour of England. In the second Test he beat Viv Richards’ previous record of 84 Test sixes, knocking four sixes and 10 fours…
Science/Tech | Sydney Morning Herald (The)
26 April 2004
A team of NZ and Japanese astronomers at Mount John Observatory have discovered Earth’s most distant planetary neighbour. The planet – which is about the size of Jupiter – was located 17,000 light years away, in the…
War & Peace | Sydney Morning Herald (The)
25 April 2004
Russell Crowe provided the narration for a “ground-breaking” documentary series on Anzac soldiers, recently aired on NZ television and screening in Australia later this year. The series celebrates the bond between NZ and Australian soldiers, from WW1 to…
Design | ThePost.IE
25 April 2004
A NZ themed garden is to feature at the most prestigious horticultural event of the year – the RHS Chelsea Garden Show, May 25-8. The 100% Pure NZ Ora Garden of well-being is inspired by Maori mythology…
New Zealand | BBC News | Observer (The) | Straits Times
20 April 2004
The will to thrill Kiwi-style shows no signs of subsiding, with bungy related features by the BBC and Observer, and one covering the full adventure spectrum – from tandem parapenting to fly-by-wire – in the Straits Times….
Cricket | Guardian (The)
16 April 2004
John Wright led India to a historic Test series win against traditional rivals Pakistan – the side’s first on Pakistani soil. The former NZ player is the first non-Indian to coach the national cricket team. …
Sport General | Age (The)
14 April 2004
“Double internationals – people who represent their country at more than one sport – are rare. Someone who represents his country on the sports field and also stands on it to sing the national anthem is…
Rugby | Iol.co.za
14 April 2004
NZ won its fourth title in six years at the IRB Under-19 World Championship in Durban, with a convincing 34-11 victory over France. NZ made four tries to France’s one, with fullback Miah Nikora supplying 14 points…
Nature | Knox News
12 April 2004
After a brief 1960s hey-day, NZ flax (phormium) has returned as “the drama queen of trendy garden designs” in LA. According to TV horticulturist Maureen Gilmer, “Phormiums are the most exciting new plants to enter the American…
Business | Sydney Morning Herald (The)
31 March 2004
The international success of NZ’s 42BELOW vodka has dealt big brand owners “a hard lesson in what not to do when wooing a global consumer tribe of super groovers with money to burn.” 42BELOW has joined Grey…
Cricket | Dawn.com
31 March 2004
31 March 2004 – The NZ Black Caps have leaped from 8th place to 3rd in world one-day cricket rankings thanks to their first ever series win over South Africa. “It feels great,” said captain Stephen Fleming…
Obituaries | Fox News
20 March 2004
20 March 2004 – Martin Emond, internationally renowned comic-book artist, illustrator, and tattooist, died in LA on March 19 aged 34. Emond created the popular character Switchblade (star of NZ clothing brand Illicit) and…
Business | Washington Times
15 March 2004
NZ company, Argent Networks, has won a US$3.5 million deal to help rebuild Iraq’s telecommunications infrastructure. ArgentEclipse is to be the new customer billing system for the national fixed-line network, which is owned by the Iraqi government….
Science/Tech | London Media
12 March 2004
NZ software company, Virtual Katy, will lend its world-class sound engineering services to London’s Pinewood Studios, for the live-action remake of Thunderbirds. Virtual Katy – which was also used on The Lord of the Rings – is…
New Zealand | National Geographic | New Scientist
4 March 2004
According to New Scientist, NZ is one of few countries actively promoting responsible eco-tourism. National Geographic clearly agrees, awarding NZ 78 points out of 100 in its annual eco-tourism survey. “The NZ Department of Conservation takes these…
War & Peace | Sydney Morning Herald (The)
3 March 2004
3 March 2004 – Nancy Wake, the most decorated female veteran of WW2, was made a Companion of the Order of Australia on March 3. Born in NZ and raised in Australia, Wake was a leading…
New Zealand | Sydney Morning Herald (The)
1 March 2004
This year’s official Oscars goodie-bag – handed out to every presenter, performer and nominee – included a trip for two to NZ, with accommodation at Treetops Luxury Lodge & Estate in Rotorua. With recipients including Julia Roberts,…
Business | Washington Times
27 February 2004
This year’s Oscar nominees sipped on organic coffee supplied by Hawkes Bay company Kea Foods at the pre-awards banquet held at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Kea Foods won the contract ahead of suppliers from all over the…
Z-Files | Los Angeles Times
26 February 2004
A Californian company claims to have captured the essence of Aotearoa in a bottle. The Demeter Fragrance Library produces scented candles and room sprays ranging in weirdness from Chocolate Chip Cookie to Fuzzy Navel. The recently released…
Nature | Japan Times | New York Times (The)
19 February 2004
19 February 2004 – The unique bird-life native to NZ and its surrounding islands is the subject of major articles in The Japan Times and The New York Times. The first, by a Japan-based natural historian,…
Science/Tech | Goasiapacific.com
16 February 2004
A joint Japanese-NZ research expedition hopes to discover new forms of life 1,850m below sea-level off the north-east coast of NZ. The team will venture by submarine to the Brothers Volcano, where warm, mineral-laden water is believed…
New Zealand | Los Angeles Times
15 February 2004
Base Backpacker’s newly launched Sanctuary facilities – luxury, women’s-only levels in its Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch hostels – featured in the LA Times‘ Youth Watch column. “With bungee jumping, backpacker buses and some of the best…
New Zealand | ThePost.IE
8 February 2004
Sunday Business Post writer decides to test the theory that NZ is “the most beautiful place in the world,” and finds the statement to be no exaggeration. “There is simply no enviable natural feature that New Zealand does…
Sport General | State (The)
8 February 2004
The NZ Black Sox beat Canada 9-5 to win the World Softball Championships for the third year running. Mark Sorenson came out of retirement to earn his fourth gold medal, leading his team to victory with a…
Rugby | Star (The)
8 February 2004
NZ cruised to the top of the International Rugby Sevens table with a resounding 33-15 win over Fiji in the Wellington series final. Matua Parkinson, who had assumed the captaincy due to the unavailability of both Karl…
Business | ABC News
1 February 2004
NZ engineering company BECA International has won a lucrative contract from the Marshall Islands government to oversee US-funded construction projects worth US$14 million. Most of the funding has been assigned to new educational and healthcare facilities.
Business | Age (The)
27 January 2004
NZ firm Opus International Consultants has expanded its business in Canada with the purchase of Geoplan Consultants Inc. Opus already has offices in the UK, Malaysia and Australia, and in 2002 won the Trade New Zealand Services Exporter of…
New Zealand | National Post
24 January 2004
National Post travel article muses on the many similarities between NZ and Canada: “The gracious wooden Victorian houses of Wellington could have been stolen from sea captains in the Maritimes. New Zealand’s endless high country sheep ranches…
Adrenalin | Guardian (The)
19 January 2004
NZer Natalie McComb is the only woman in a crew of seven rafters aiming to sail the length of the Nile – a 4,200-mile journey from Uganda’s Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean which has never before…
Cricket | Sports Illustrated
17 January 2004
The Black Caps won a thrilling one-day international series against Pakistan 4-1, with captain Stephen Fleming leading by example. Highlights included an unbeaten century by Scott Styris in the first match, another by…
New Zealand | Guardian (The) | Observer (The)
17 January 2004
The opening in March of NZ’s first and only luxury alpine retreat – the Whare Kea Chalet – rates a mention in both the Guardian and Observer. Guests reach the chalet via a “dazzling” 15…