Flax Attack
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…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
King of the Consoles
Peter Jackson has joined yet another elite Hollywood club: director’s who earn as much if not more from helping create video games as they do from making movies. Riding on the success…
“the Most Influential American Criminologist of His Time”
Pioneering criminologist and novelist, Norval Morris, has died in Chicago aged 80. Born in Auckland, Morris studied in Australia, France, and England before embarking on his 30-year academic career at the University of Chicago…
Jews Brothers go global
The Naxos World Label’s Rhythm for Kids album received a glowing review in the Star: ” a mix…
Jolly good fellow
New York-based dancer/choreographer Jeremy Nelson was named a Guggenheim Fellow for 2004 in April. The prestigious award is granted annually to scientists, scholars, and artists at the peak of their achievements. Nelson was born…
Around the World in 58 Days
NZers Mike Beasley and Fraser Brown were part of the 12-strong crew in billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett’s record breaking round-the-world sailing victory. Fossett and co. circumnavigated the globe in 58 days, 9 hours, 32 minutes, and 45…
A Sporting Life
NZ-born BBC sports producer and director, Malcolm Kemp, has died aged 57 of cancer. Kemp’s illustrious career saw him executive produce seven Grand Nationals, the 1994 football World Cup and 1996 European Cup, and…
More than just a pretty face
The NZ High Commission in India hosted a festival promoting cultural exchange between the two nations in Delhi, April 5-28. Entitled Aotearoa: The Land of the Long White Cloud, the event included a film…
The World According to Bob
Bob MacLaren – writer, comedian, and host of the Discovery Channel’s wacky travel show, Bob’s World – interviewed in the Star. “The idea was to take ourselves not just to the level of your…
Edge-Mobile
Kiwi furniture designers David Trubridge, Purple South, and Simon James exhibited at Milan’s 2004 Salone del Mobile in April. The event is the largest and most respected of its kind, drawing over 260,000 visitors…
Export success
Lamb exporting to the UK is set to rise even further following a favourable report by the British government on NZ’s methods of slaughtering stock. According to the report, the standard technique in NZ…
Concord Dawn shifts base
Leading drum’n’bass act, Concord Dawn, have moved their studio from Christchurch to Vienna in a bid to win over the European dance scene. According to the Age, Matt Harvey and Evan Short are “one…
Jane and the Weta
Weta Workshop is collaborating with Toronto-based animation house Nelvana to produce a CGI television series of Martin Baynton’s popular Jane and the Dragon books. The 26-episode series is Weta’s first foray into children’s programming….
Location, Location, Location
1 April 2004 – i-D magazine’s Location issue gives pride of place to NZ’s up-and-coming “kings of creation.” Featured are Huffer designer Steven Dunstan, author Chad Taylor, artists Richard Maloy and Yvonne Todd, musicians…
King of the Castle
The Return of the King has ruled them all at this year’s awards season, having won Oscar glory with 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The final film in the Lord…
Down Under Distillery on Top
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…
Giant Kauri Tragically Felled
NZ mourns the loss of its preeminent cultural historian, Michael King. The author of 34 books – including the groundbreaking autobiographical work Being Pakeha and acclaimed biographies of Dame Whina Cooper, Hone Tuwhare, and…
Working 9 ’til… 9
UK-based digital media company – Mere Mortals – wants to establish a NZ office in two years time, enabling a 24-hour working day for its trans-hemisphere employees. Managing director, David Jeffries, cites NZ’s LotR-enhanced…
History Made by “Best Side Ever”
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…
World Gender Role
Amanda Ellis – formerly head of women’s banking for Westpac Australia – now has a global role leading the World Bank’s work on gender in Private Sector Development. Ms Ellis also serves on the OECD’s international…
Hidden treasures
Time Asia recommends Marlborough’s Old St Mary’s Convent, Wanganui’s Bridge to Nowhere lodge, and The Station in Paekakariki to readers wishing to stay off the beaten track. “There’s plenty of the…
Form vs. function
The possible closure of the famed Freidensreich Hundertwasser-designed public toilets at Kawakawa earned a detailed write-up in the Independent. Officially opened in 1999, the stunning facilities were the final project by the acclaimed Austrian…
Te Reo On Air
BBC notes the launch of NZ’s first nationwide Maori language TV station. The inaugural broadcast comes 13 years after the Supreme Court ruled that the government was legally bound (by the Treaty of Waitangi) to protect its…
Sticking it to the Competition
Both the NZ men’s and women’s hockey teams have qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. It will be the fourth time the women’s team (the Black Sticks) have competed at the Games. Says goalkeeper Helen…
Brothers in arts
An opinion piece in the Age asks: “Why don’t Australian and New Zealand arts sectors cooperate more?” The lengthy article examines the difference between the two nations in regards to arts funding, profiles the…
Ringing in the Changes
Tourism is predicted to overtake dairy as NZ’s top export earner by mid-2004 – a phenomenon largely attributed to Lord of the Rings hype. The country’s newfound status as a must-see destination is confirmed by a…
Comic Genius
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…
“The New Zealand Native Who Helped Open the Door to the Stars”
17 March 2004 – William Pickering, one of the leading figures in US space exploration, died of pneumonia in California aged 92. A graduate of Canterbury University and the California Institute of Technology, Wellington-born…
Good Morning Iraq
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….
Stars in the Making
NZ athletes contributed to an international domination of America’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships in mid-March. Kim Smith – running for Providence – lapped all but one of her competitors in the 5,000m, breaking a…
MetService Nets Big Fish
The NZ MetService has sold a locally made weather graphics system to the BBC for a sum rumoured to be in the millions. The state-of-the-art software package – Weatherscape XT – is the most up to date…
Thunderbirds Are Go!
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…
A Voice to Remember
A Stanford University obituary paid tribute to Susan Okin, the Auckland-born author, lecturer, and activist described by a Stanford University colleague as “perhaps the best feminist political philosopher in the world.” The author of three acclaimed books – Women…
What’s cooking good looking?
NZ-born Brad Farmerie – head chef at Peter Gordon’s Public – was named one of the New York culinary scene’s rising stars, in a Post piece entitled ‘Lord of the Ranges.’ As well as…
Edge Hero Brought to Life
Ernest Rutherford takes centre stage in Irish writer Brian Cathcart’s latest book, The Fly in the Cathedral: How a small group of Cambridge scientists won the race to split the atom. Rutherford is described…
NZ has the Eco Edge
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…
History Goes Digital
4 March 2004 – New York Times reviews ‘Paradise Now,’ a diverse exhibition of contemporary NZ and Pacific art currently on show at the Asia Pacific Society Museum on Park Avenue. Lisa Reihana’s multiple-screen…
Getting lippy
“With a vocal arsenal that ranges from crisp rapping to a powerful singing voice, Natalia ‘Tali’ Scott can outstrip any UK competition.” So says the Independent in a glowing review of…
Belated Honour for White Mouse
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…
The Good Life
Auckland was ranked 5th and Wellington 15th out of 215 cities in the annual quality of life survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Said Mercer director, Rob Knox, “Despite NZ’s geographic location and distance…
Chick to Watch
Massey University fashion graduate, Alice Goulter, profiled in a ‘Behind the Seams’ feature by Australian teen magazine, Chik. At the time of the interview, the 23-year-old was working as Design Assistant at Mossimo Woman,…
DOC Plays Tag
NZ’s Department of Conservation plans to use state-of-the-art satellite tagging in its fight to save the Maui’s Dolphin, whose numbers have plummeted to less than 150. The tags will help researchers better understand the dolphins’ territorial range…
26 Reasons to Love NZ
Australian Harper’s Bazaar gives an A-Z run down of Kiwi style in response to last year’s L’Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week. Beneath the header “small enough to get seriously edgy, big enough to do…
Kiwi Content for Oscars Loot
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,…
Crowning Glory
Return of the King – the third and final film in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series – made a clean sweep of the 2004 Academy Awards, winning 11 Oscars including Best Picture…
International Exposure for Local Brew
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…
Another award for the kete
Niki Caro’s Whale Rider was named Best International Film at the 2004 IFP Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles. The IFP website calls Whale Rider a “radiant story of an exceptional little girl’s…
Riding her wave of success
Whale Rider star, Keisha Castle-Hughes, spoke to the New York Post about her week spent in Hollywood prior to the 2004 Academy Awards – for which she was the youngest ever nominee in the…
Smells Like Green Spirit
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…
You Say Shiraz, I Say Syrah
The Age praises NZ syrah – not to be confused with Australian shiraz. “Like the name itself, Kiwi syrah – see-rahhh – has a wistful quality to it. Delicately perfumed, intensely rich in colour, it is generally…
Talent with Depth
Observer wine critic, Tim Atkin, looks beyond the ubiquitous NZ Sauvignon Blanc, recommending instead our Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, and – above all – Pinot Noir. “NZ may produce only 0.79 per cent of the world’s vino,…
Just in Case You Missed That One..
The Return of the King picked up yet another prize en route to the Oscars; Best International Film at the inaugural Directors Guild of Great Britain awards.
Edge Eco-system
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,…
Brave New World
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…
Briwi Blitzes Brits
16 February 2004 – NZ born Daniel Bedingfield was named Best British Male Solo Artist at the 2004 Brit Awards. The self-proclaimed “Briwi” has had a string of hit singles in both the UK…
Roughing It?
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…
