Bucking New Zealand’s Wine Tradition
Scattered across New Zealand’s wine regions are a growing number of Japanese transplants like Hiroyuki Kusuda, 56, whose aim is to prove that these islands can produce some of the finest vintages in the…
Tag Archives: Wall Street Journal (The)
NZ Bans Cigarette Sales for Those Born After 2009
New Zealand has adopted a steadily rising tobacco-purchase age and mandated the near-elimination of nicotine from all cigarettes sold in the country, pushing forward on a plan to create a smoke-free nation as other…
“Genius” Katherine Mansfield’s “frantic creative flourishing” collected in ‘Strange Bliss’
“One of the genuine, if frequently under-recognised, geniuses of 20th-century literature, Katherine Mansfield wrote the majority of her short stories during a frantic creative flourishing between 1920 and 1922 while suffering from the tuberculosis…
Beauty Blogger Madden Kelley Kits Out Posh Pets
New Zealander Madden Kelley, founder of Los Angeles-based high-end canine accessories brand Pagerie, debuted the company’s e-commerce site during the pandemic accompanied by imagery featuring models dressed in neutral tones walking disarmingly chic…
Weta Digital Looks to Become Content Producer
At a time when much of Hollywood is reeling from Covid-19, Weta Digital, the Wellington visual-effects company behind Avatar and Avengers: Endgame, is looking to pull a growth story out of its magic hat,…
New Penguins Book by Lloyd Spencer Davis Published
Napier-born Lloyd Spencer Davis is an award-winning scientist with many Antarctic field seasons behind him, Sara Wheeler writes for The Wall Street Journal. Wheeler reviews Davis’ new book, A Polar Affair: Antarctica’s Forgotten Hero…
Crawford Falconer Tackles Brexit Conundrums
When the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, the British government had no chief trade negotiator and only a handful of people engaged in trade policy. As part of the EU,…
Melanie Lynskey Stars in Stephen King Thriller
“Castle Rock is a giant basket of Easter eggs for King people, but for the rest of us it’s a decent show layered with supernatural secrets waiting to be decoded,” according to John…
Welcome to New Zealand’s Gateway to Space
New Zealand has become the unlikely frontier in a drive to open a private rocket-launch site, servicing a soaring market for tiny satellites, many the size of a shoebox, Rob Taylor reports for the…
NZ Takes the Fight to Pint-Size Predators
A leader in eradication campaigns, New Zealand is launching its most ambitious effort to wipe out the 30 million possums killing our native birds. The Wall Street Journal reports on the progress of the…
Ronald Syme’s The Roman Republic a Masterpiece
New Zealander Sir Ronald Syme’s The Roman Revolution, written under the cloud of fascism, is a compelling account of the decline of the Roman oligarchy in favour of a principate, according to author Joseph…
John Metcalfe Blends Influences on Sycamore
One-time member of post-punk band the Durutti Column, composer, arranger and viola player New Zealand-born John Metcalfe has written “Sycamore,” which draws on the disparate influences of minimalist composer Steve Reich and the electronic…
New Zealand’s All Blacks: Rugby’s All-Time Greats
“The New Zealand All Blacks made it clear this weekend that there isn’t a rugby team in the world that compares with them”, writes Joshua Robinson for the Wall Street Journal. With their winning percentage…
How to Defend Against the Haka
“Watching 23 burly New Zealanders perform the iconic dance before kickoff is one of rugby’s unwritten rules. The All Blacks, the greatest team ever to play the game, have earned that right over a…
New Zealand Ranked Highest for Experience in HSBC Expat Explorer Survey
New Zealand has been ranked highest for experience and second overall in HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, which helps people to compare countries across the globe focusing on three categories: economics, experience and…
Final Designs for New Zealand’s New Flag Chosen
“For more than a century, New Zealanders have fought wars and won Olympic medals under a flag with four red stars on a blue background and Great Britain’s Union Jack in the corner”, writes…
In Defense of the Soccer Mom’s Favorite Wine
Reliable, inexpensive New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the go-to wine for many Americans. Is it worthy? And are some even better than just upscale Pinot Grigio? Lettie Teague, wine columnist for The…
Aucklander Lila Kuka Reclaims Old School Hip
In a bid to be hip, flask manufacturers are turning to their feminine side creating items with pink, glitter and jewels. New Zealander Lila Kuka is a big fan. Kuka began collecting vintage hip flasks…
Ethan Hawke Stars in New Zealand Directed Movie Good Kill
New Zealand director and screenwriter Andrew Niccol’s new film Good Kill explores the post-traumatic stress experienced by drone operating military pilots. The movie, which is set in 2010, stars Ethan Hawke as Tom Egan, a…
Heath Cozens’ Film on Japanese Disabled Wrestlers Premieres
A documentary about a small troupe of Tokyo wrestlers with disabilities made by New Zealander Heath Cozens will premiere at the Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto on 27 April. Five years in the making,…
Lydia Ko Budding Superstar of Women’s Golf
As a phenomenon so far New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko, 17, is on par with the young Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Are we on the brink of…
Rebecca Taylor Forgoes the Runway for Digital-Marketing
After 15 years of runway shows at New York fashion week, New Zealand-born Rebecca Taylor cancelled her autumn 2015 show. She used her roughly US$500,000 annual show budget to deploy a marketing strategy she…
Drew Harré’s Fish La Boissonnerie in Parisian Top Wine Bar List
Former West Aucklander Drew Harré has a hand in one of Paris’ top five wine bars. The Wall Street Journal’s wine columnist Will Lyons recommends Fish La Boissonnerie as “Best for a Late Supper”. “
Antidote To Mythical Bloodsucking
Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows, in which vampires mix with a mockumentary crew, is rapturously reviewed by the Wall St Journal’s Joe Morgenstern. The film, writes Morgenstern, is “a…
Routeburn Track a Spectacle of Jaw-Dropping Scenery
For the ultimate adventure the Wall Street Journal recommends escaping into the “supersize spectacle” of one of New Zealand’s nine Great Walks for a tramp along the 32-km Routeburn Track. Journal correspondent Robin Kawakami (pictured)…
Julian Robertson’s Legacy from Hedge Funds to NZ
Billionaire Julian Robertson is renowned on Wall Street for being a pioneer in the hedge-fund industry in the 1980s and, more recently, for being a philanthropist who is giving much of his fortune away…
The Hobbit: “Peerless Fantasy, Flawlessly Rendered”
“The pleasure is intense, and mixed with awe,” writes Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. “There is majesty here, and not just because we’re…
Ben Shewry Invites the World to Tasmania for Lavish Dinner
Australia’s best chefs, our own Ben Shewry (pictured, right) and locals Peter Gilmore (centre) and Neil Perry, recently hosted one of the most lavish meals in the country’s history, designed to convince international visitors…
Lorde’s ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack
The Wall Street Journal’s John Jurgensen reviews the soundtrack Lorde curated for the latest blockbuster Hunger Games movie, in an article titled “How Lorde Played God on the ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack’.” ““The Hunger Games” has another…
General Motors Dan Ammann Drives for Change
General Motors President Dan Ammann is leading the push to change how the century-old Detroit automaker sells and produces cars around the world. Born in New Zealand, raised on a dairy farm at Eureka in…
Jetpack Maker Charts Flight to Australian IPO
New Zealand jetpack manufacturer Martin Aircraft Co. Ltd. is looking to raise up to A$25 million through a December listing on Australia’s securities exchange. The money will be used to fund further development of…
New Zealand Ranked One of the Best Places to Run a Business
New Zealand is among the highest-ranked economies in the World Bank’s latest “Doing Business” report, which scores 189 nations based on how hard it is to run a company there. New Zealand was ranked second…
Weta Cave Workshop Expands for Tour Groups
Hobbit fever is ramping up in Wellington ahead of the third and final installment of Peter Jackson‘s “Hobbit” trilogy and Weta Workshop is expanding to meet demand. In a bid to cater to growing demand from tour groups…
New Zealanders Spending More on Cider, Less on Sweatpants
New Zealanders drink more cider than ever, wear sweatpants less often, and use smartphones instead of video cameras to capture family memories. These are just some of the lifestyle changes reflected in the government…
Andrew McCarten’s Stephen Hawking Biopic a Comprehendible Hit
New Zealand screenwriter Anthony McCarten’s latest The Theory of Everything, which hits American cinemas on November 7, is “a sensitively directed inspirational biopic centred around the great British physicist Stephen Hawking and his mind-over-body…
Prime Minister John Key Wins Third Term
Prime Minister John Key will lead New Zealand for a third consecutive term after the National Party won 48 per cent of the vote in this year’s election. Official results show Key’s party will likely…
The Musket Room Offers Impeccable New Zealand Cuisine
“The Musket Room serves New Zealand cuisine with an impeccable presentation, adding a bit of whimsy with touches, such as edible flowers. And it is shaking things up with a revamped cocktail menu”…
Kenyan Startup Backup the Internet with a BRCK
New Zealander Reg Orton, one of Nairobi-based BRCK Inc.’s co-founders, is helping to come up with new commercial products specifically designed to address African problems, namely a “backup generator for the Internet.” About a year…
Boeing Delivers First 787-9 Dreamliner to Air New Zealand
New Zealand will be home to the first Boeing 787-9 plane after Air New Zealand officially acquired the first of the 10 new models yesterday. “Boeing is proud to have contractually delivered the first 787-9…
Manhattan Chef a Big Believer in Planting for the Kitchen
Executive chef Matt Lambert, of Michelin award-winning New York restaurant The Musket Room, is a big believer in planting herbs, vegetables and flowers for cooking. At his Manhattan eatery, he grows six types of…
American Focus on New Zealand Start-Ups
Rod Drury has revealed his secret for New Zealand’s start-up success: “global from day one”. Xero founder and entrepreneur Rod Drury told the Wall Street Journal that New Zealand’s small domestic customer base means the…
New Zealand Wine Exports Making Record Figures
New Zealand’s wine exports hit a record high in the year through end-March reaching more than $1.3 billion, led by rising demand for new-world wines from British, American and Canadian consumers. The gain was fueled…
How Do You Go about Kayaking the Cook Strait
In order to kayak across the 22km stretch of the Cook Strait, considered one of the most dangerous waters in the world, general manager at Wellington’s Fergs Kayaks Dave Annear says you’ll need a…
Against The Wind: One of the Greatest Comebacks in Sports History
A major Wall Street Journal feature reported by Stu Woo maps the extraordinary comeback by Jimmy Spithill and Oracle Team USA against Team New Zealand to win the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco…
Ngai Tahu Investments Pay off
For generations, the Ngai Tahu tribe resembled many other indigenous people around the world: impoverished, virtually landless and experiencing a steady erosion of its language and culture. However, Ngai Tahu have now turned their situation…
Atea Setting Itself Apart with Considered Minimalism
A dress designed by New Zealand-born Laura Myers, founder of the London-based brand Atea, is included in a Wall Street Journal feature about new midprice labels setting themselves apart from their trend-chasing…
New Zealand Outpaces Crawling World Economy
In a world still limping its way out of the global financial crisis, The Wall Street Journal has written that New Zealand’s economy is looking remarkably zippy – and even outdoing our much larger…
Zoe Bell Recognised for Changing Places in Film
Waiheke born Zoe Bell is being recognised for her crossover into the mainstream acting industry, in two recent articles on rogerebert.com and the Wall Street Journal. In the articles Bell talks about…
American eyes Downunder
A foreigner’s perspective on home is valuable insight into aspects of our culture we often take for granted. The outsider’s view can also be funny. Read two recent adulatory articles about New Zealand in…
Amounting to a Kind of Debonair Psychedelia
“Dean Wareham ranks high among the most faithful disciples of Lou Reed,” the Wall Street Journal’s Andy Battaglia writes in a review of Wareham’s recent New York show at Brooklyn’s Bell House. “He doesn’t have…
Island Paradise Enticing Auckland Urbanites
“Waiheke Island is now the go-to holiday home destination for wealthy New Zealand urbanites … with the west coast draw the most punters, in particular the beaches near the island’s main town Oneroa and…
New Zealand to Phase in Shark Fin Ban
The New Zealand government has agreed to a full ban on shark finning, though fill implementation of the ban won’t happen for another three years. The Wall Street Journal reports that it is already illegal…
Driving the Kiwi Economy
Many strange things are used to measure economic growth and decline: the lipstick economy, the horse-trading economy, the Playboy economy (curves in recession, skinny in boom times) and even underwear, as Fed chairman Alan Greenspan…
Raglan’s Endless Summer Still Shines
New Zealand’s “surf mecca”, the “legendary” Raglan features this month in both the Wall Street Journal and Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine. “Legend has it this quaint settlement of about 3000 people…
Protecting Our Wine Brands Against Counterfeits
New Zealand winemakers are lobbying for the same legal protection for their brands that French producers won for Champagne two decades ago, because of fears knockoff wines are posing as premium labels exported from…
Kiwi Equities a Good Bet for Global Investors
The New Zealand growth story is attracting strong international interest in Kiwi equities as investors seek to escape volatile markets in Asia and low global interest rates. The Wall Street Journal reports that the…
