Helen Clark Comments on 70 Years of the UN
As the UN marks the 70th anniversary of its founding this autumn, those imperfections – and how the UN addresses them – have come to the fore as the organisation struggles to define its…
Tag Archives: Guardian (The)
New Zealand Creates 620,000 Km2 Ocean Sanctuary
“A vast stretch of New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone is being turned into an ocean sanctuary in a landmark deal to preserve one of the most pristine and unique environments on Earth”, according to…
Ma’a Nonu to Win 100th Cap
All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu will make his 100th international appearance in New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup match against Tonga in Newcastle on Friday (Saturday morning New Zealand time). “On behalf of the All Blacks, we…
Bret McKenzie Digs Himself Into a Big Hole
Starring Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords digging himself a massive, literal hole in the ground, the latest single by the New Zealand powerpop group Phoenix Foundation features on the Guardian’s music site. “If…
Sam Cane to Captain All Blacks
Flanker Sam Cane, 23, will captain the New Zealand All Blacks for the first time in the upcoming World Cup match against Namibia. “It is a very special moment for Sam,” Hansen told www.allblacks.com. “He…
Nina Hall Swims in Solidarity with Refugees
New Zealander Nina Hall, who is a post-doctoral fellow at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, recently swam from Turkey to Greece in solidarity with the refugees who are making the dangerous journey…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
How Actor Cliff Curtis Avoids Playing ‘Repetitive Stereotypes’
New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis has played interesting roles over the years. In 1999 he “hit a kind of American cinematic jackpot” with his work on Michael Mann’s The Insider, David O Russell’s Three…
All Blacks Play Classic Game in Bledisloe Decider
“Australia knew the All Blacks would be in a vengeful mood after their defeat in Sydney,” the Observer’s Ian Malin reports. “New Zealand duly handed out a rugby lesson to…
The Phoenix Foundation Give up Their Dreams
The sixth studio album by New Zealand band The Phoenix Foundation has been released and the Guardian offers up readers a track-by-track guide to the record provided by the band. “If the name [of the…
Kim Chambers Makes Swim History in San Francisco
New Zealand’s Kim Chambers has become the first woman to swim the nearly 50km stretch from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge in a feat conquering one of the world’s most dangerous…
Jane Campion’s Daughter Acting up
As the child of New Zealand-born director Jane Campion and Australian filmmaker Colin Englert, Alice Englert – who stars in the BBC’s magician drama Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell – grew up immersed in…
New Zealand Stun Hosts Australia to Top Pool
New Zealand set the Netball World Cup alight when they upset defending champions Australia 52-47 in their pool match in front of a world-record crowd of 16,233. The new-look Silvers Ferns defied pre-tournament sceptics…
Joan Murphy Is Reframing the Fitness Industry
New Zealander Joan Murphy (pictured left) and Briton Pip Black, founders of Frame gym, explain to the Guardian how they have revolutionised London’s attitude to exercise. It’s 8:30am on a Wednesday morning and Joan Murphy…
New Zealander Wins French Scrabble Championship Despite Not Speaking French
New Zealander Nigel Richards has won the French Scrabble championships even though “his command of the language (…) stretches to “bonjour” and being able to count”. Richards, who has been called the Tiger Woods of…
Michel Tuffery Invites Sydney to Siamani Samoa
New Zealand artist Michel Tuffery joined forces with the Royal Samoa Police Band, who were in Sydney playing outside the Pacific Islands for the first time, to mark the 100th anniversary of the end…
Flight of the Conchords Role Models for Success
Flight of the Conchords stars Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are California-born stand-up comedian Arj Barker’s role models, he tells the Guardian. Barker, who is best known for his role as pawnshop owner Dave in…
Everest to Open the Venice Film Festival
“Everest, a new movie about the two rival missions up the mountain in 1996, has been chosen as the opening night film of this year’s Venice film festival – a spot which has recently proved…
People Age at Wildly Different Rates Study Shows
Tests done in Dunedin on physiological markers in nearly 1000 38-year-olds has found that some had biological ages many years older than their birthdates would suggest. The research confirms that people grow old at…
All Blacks Coach Steve Hansen Now a Samoan Chief
Three-times World Rugby Coach of the Year New Zealander Steve Hansen, 56, has been named an honorary high chief, or matai, of Vaiala village in Samoa, a day after his All Blacks team beat…
Andrew Niccol Gets Green Light for Monopoly Script
Writer of The Truman Show, New Zealand-born Andrew Niccol has been hired to script the Monopoly movie, which will be a co-production between the game manufacturer Hasbro and Lionsgate. The companies called it “a film…
UMO Ringleader Ruban Nielson Gets Personal
Ruban Nielson’s private life provided the conditions under which Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s latest LP Multi-Love came together. But the album is much more than the sum of its body parts, the Guardian’s Kate Hutchinson…
New Zealand Drivers Come First and Second for Porsche in Le Mans 24 Hours Race
New Zealand racers Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley, driving for Porsche, have come first and second in the Le Mans 24 Hours Race ending Audi’s five year winning streak. The winning Porsche “had both pace…
Unknown Katherine Mansfield Poems Found in Chicago Library
Nearly 30 unknown poems by Katherine Mansfield have been discovered in Chicago’s Newberry Library, giving fresh insight into the writer’s most painful and difficult period, the evidence for which she had later destroyed. Gerri Kimber,…
Rugby World Mourns Former All Black Jerry Collins
Reaction has poured in from the rugby world with the death of former All Blacks captain Jerry Collins, a “giant of the world game”, who died in a car crash in France. He was…
UMO’s Third Effort Has Added Whoa Factor
“Oregon-based New Zealander Ruban Nielson is already known for being an offbeat operator, providing psychedelic takes on 70s soul and deeply fried 60s pop on two previous albums,” Guardian reviewer Kitty Empire writes. “For UMO’s…
Have Faith in Lorde She Knows What’s She’s Doing
Lorde’s “gender and her age – coupled with her self-assuredness – are both reasons” the 18-year-old singer “attracts perhaps more than her fair share of scrutiny, including from ‘truthers’ who maintain she’s at least…
Australia’s Top Chef Ben Shewry Saved by a Fisherman
New Zealand-born Ben Shewry’s Melbourne restaurant Attica is admired all over the world over – but success did not make him happy, and he nearly walked away from the kitchen. Until he was saved…
Fifteen Quirky Contenders for a New NZ Flag
New Zealand is appealing to the public to design and vote on a new flag. The Guardian features 15 examples that are are “as weird and wonderful as you’d expect.” “There’s an internet joke, perpetuated…
Lydia Ko to Donate Winnings to Disaster-Struck Nepal
New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko is planning to donate all her winnings from this week’s LPGA tournament to the relief effort in quake-hit Nepal. The winner of this week’s tournament will receive $A 243,400. The golfing…
Rotoroa Island a Bold Wildlife Experiment
Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf is tiny, at just 82 hectares, but don’t let its diminutiveness fool you: big things are happening here. Over the past few years the island has become the…
Jess Cornelius Releases New Track Ahead of Courtney Barnett Tour
“New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Jess Cornelius is the tour de force behind Teeth & Tongue, and returns with a rollicking new track ‘Cupcake’,” Monica Tan writes for the Guardian’s weekly “Mixtape” column. “Although recorded in…
Shushila Takao Stars in Cook Island-Set Thriller Tatau
Like many of the cast of BBC3’s new supernatural thriller Tatau, Shushila Takao is a New Zealander. She stars alongside British newcomers Joe Layton and Theo Barklem-Biggs as Aumea in the television…
Hawke’s Bay – “A Must-Visit Corner of New Zealand”
“If you tell a Kiwi you’re off to (Hawkes Bay), they’ll respond with a knowing smile and a ‘you lucky thing’”, proclaims Will Macpherson in The Guardian. “Rolling, sun-stained hills, the perfect blue of the…
Kody Nielson Is Another Exciting NZ Music Offering
New Zealand’s “most exciting offerings” of late, according to the Guardian, “have been the warped psychedelia of Connan Mockasin and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Completing this trio of peculiarity is Silicon – also known as…
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…
Daryl Gibson has been appointed Waratahs head coach
Daryl Gibson has been confirmed as the new NSW Waratahs’ head coach for the next three Super Rugby seasons on Thursday April 02. That makes the New Zealander the first foreigner to ever hold…
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, …
Melanie Lynskey Reflects on Realism in Latest Roles
From Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures to HBO’s new television show Togetherness, actor Melanie Lynskey reflects on what 20 years – and Charlie Sheen – have taught her about showbusiness. Jackson’s film introduced not only future…
Andrew Reeve’s Craft Beer Business Honest Brew Delivers
A year ago from his small London apartment, New Zealander Andrew Reeve (pictured far left) launched his startup business Honest Brew. Now, he makes and sells his own craft beer and also…
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…
Luke Willis Thompson Exhibits at NY’s New Museum
Walters Prize recipient, Auckland-based Luke Willis Thompson, 27, is one of 51 young artists participating in New York’s New Museum Generational Triennial, a “hotly anticipated” show which will explore the frontiers of digital technology,…
New Zealander James Lucas Wins Oscar for Short Film
Christchurch-raised James Lucas has won an Oscar in the category Best Live Action Short Film, for his “moving” and “well-deserved” The Phone Call, a star-studded film he co-wrote with friend, Briton Mat Kirkby. “Previous nominee…
BBC’s Adrenalin-Fuelled DJ Zane Lowe Looks Ahead to LA
The “faintly tearful” DJ Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1’s “most enthusiastic music fan, explains why his stomach is churning at the thought of saying goodbye,” bowing out of the network after 12 years for…
Hagley Oval Integral to Christchurch’s Regeneration
Cricket’s World Cup and the return of top-level sport to Christchurch’s Hagley Park has been integral to the city’s regeneration since the devastating earthquake of 2011, says the Guardian’s Mike Selvey. “To a visiting eye,…
