TO NZEDGE GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Greetings. 1150 words follow.

The NZEdge site has had a spring clean (or autumn if you're here) - check out the pohutukawa-clad cliff on the new front- page http://www.nzedge.com. Big cheers to designer Anna Brown and Project Crimson for the image. http://www.projectcrimson.org.nz/

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TODAY: 
1. Re-Entry Project - stories of returning 
2. ANZAC Day - name your NZ Heroes 
3. Site Updates - Moko, Tim Bevan 
4. Radio interview about NZEDGE 
5. New Books - Posted Love, Full 80 Mins
6. Cookie Time - for serious munchers 
7. Traffic report - through the roof 
8. Upcoming projects - community-raising _____________________________________________

1. RE-ENTRY PROJECT "Somewhere deep inside/ Something's got a hold on me [...] Better Be Home Soon, Crowded House

NZEDGE today launches an online story-telling initiative.

Returning to Aotearoa-New Zealand invokes all kinds of emotions - some expected, some not - some long-lasting, some short lived. Hope, excitement, anticipation, frustration, exaltation, anxiety - a new kind of culture shock mixed with the sensory stimulation that comes with renewed physical presence.

NZEDGE has been largely one-way in its communication with the global community of NZers, until now: it's time for you to talk to us. For those of you who are coming back to NZ, are thinking about home from off- island, or have actually made the move, we want to hear your thoughts. So get busy like the piwakawaka. Here are some thought-starters for responses:

- What have been your motivations/reasons for returning to New Zealand?

- What are the things that get you going and the things that get you down?

- Have you been welcomed back with open arms or have people struggled to understand where you're coming from?

- Are you confident or anxious about finding work as interesting or challenging as you have had overseas?

- What are the sounds, sights, tastes and moments of New Zealand that move you?

- Have you found your memories of paradise in the South Seas to be myth or magic?

- Do you have a student loan issue?

- Do the two degrees of separation help you out or cramp your style?

- What are your hopes and aspirations for New Zealand?

- Is the brain regain happening? For example this week Mark Weldon, NZ Olympic swimmer (92 Barcelona) announces his return to NZ after a nine years doing the grid in New York (McKinsey, Skadden Arps, Columbia Law) to be the new CEO of the New Zealand Stock Exchange).

Whether you're on the Earl's Court two year working visa, an editor who has lived in the States for 10 years, a banker in Hong Kong since 1984, post-grad in the Netherlands, rugby player in Japan or a parent raising kids in San Francisco, let's hear it!

We'd like to share (online or offline) your comments and stories, practical suggestions and advice with others embarking on what we know can be a challenging journey. Responses will not be attributed to the authors when made available by NZEdge. However it would be helpful for others if you would sign off with your occupation, location and age.

Please hit "reply" to send us your thoughts or http://www.nzedge.com/hot/coming_home.html to enter them on-line. All replies received before 14 May 2002 will go into a draw to win one of 5 Nature's Best CD's, as sold online http://shop.nzedge.com/. Winners will be notified by email after this date. _____________________________________________

2. LAST POST ANZAC Day is a time to remember NZ heroes, in war and peace: smokecds.com, NZ's leading on- line music store, and nzedge.com have teamed up to give-away three positively patriotic packs made up of a Gung Ho t-shirt and fine Pacific sounds. To win answer the question: Who is your Greatest New Zealand Hero? And why? Enter on-line http://www.digitalnz.com/nzedge/ or by replying to this e-mail before April 30th. See also http://www.smokecds.com

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3. SITE UPDATES: Three NZEDGE hot spots and people substantially updated:

Moko and Maori culture continues to face-up and face-off in the pages and on the screens of world media, from overseas businesses cashing in on the 'exoticism' of Maori cultural imagery and language to a British museum exhibition show-casing the art and practice of ta moko. NZEdge's most visited essay. http://nzedge.com/hot/ar-moko.html#update

Queenstown-born producer Tim (Four Weddings, Elizabeth, Fargo, Notting Hill) Bevan, along with co-producer Eric Fellner named "most powerful producers in London history" in The Observer - see the expanded wide- screen take on the Bevan story. http://www.nzedge.com/hot/ar-bevan.html

Hem Femme Rebecca Taylor continues to sew her designs into the Big Apple with Sex in the City stylist coming to the show. http://www.nzedge.com/hot/ar-taylor.html

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5. RADIO INTERVIEW ABOUT NZEDGE Last week I had a great conversation with National Radio host Wayne Mowat on his programme "In Touch with New Zealand" about the inspirations, motivations and activities of NZEDGE. The transcript is here: http://www.nzedge.com/intro/radio.html

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5. BIBLIOPHILEDGE We add two new books to the edge emporium - a history of New Zealand love letters and a photo essay on the life of rugby in NZ:

Posted Love, by Sophie Jerram "A secret history: an inspiring and touching glimpse of aroha seen through 170 years of letter writing in New Zealand. The image of NZers as pioneering, industrious and unromantic is put to rest by this remarkable collection of epistolary emotions." http://shop.nzedge.com/product.asp?id=963785

The Full Eighty Minutes, by Brett Whincup and Stephen Rowe: "Rucking for the soul of New Zealand rugby - The Full Eighty Minutes trains a unique, fresh, and contemporary lens on NZ rugby culture. "A rugby book with a difference, and I recommend it." Joseph Romanos, The Listener" http://shop.nzedge.com/product.asp?id=963786

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6. FOR SERIOUS COOKIE MUNCHERS NZedge.com is proud to announce that we are the official on-line supplier of Cookie Time: feeding the global community of Kiwi cookie munchers. The big cookie with the huge chunks of chocolate. Whether as staple of the student diet or corporate power munching these are for serious cookie munchers. $2 per Cookie, delivered world-wide Muncher-class. http://shop.nzedge.com/product.asp?id=963782

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7. TRAFFIC REPORT In March, 55,000 page downloads, 20,000 Hero stories (including a record 2,400 downloads of Nancy Wake's story); YTD traffic up 215% on last year and 750% up on two years ago. Continue to spread the word. _____________________________________________

8. COMING UP Three Hero stories are at different stages of development. We have several TV projects in development. And the templates and software for the NZEdge community-building has been designed and is waiting in the wings in preparation for you to put your hand up and participate. _____________________________________________

BRIAN SWEENEY
Co-founder, Executive Editor
The New Zealand Edge
http://www.nzedge.com
mailto:brian@nzedge.com