Testing times 
Durex has decided to test its new latex-free condom in NZ after its global survey showed that New Zealanders have sex more often and are more adventurous in the bedroom than their international contemporaries. "The overwhelming response to date from Kiwis has certainly proven this," says Durex spokeswoman Victoria Potter. More than 3000 New Zealanders have applied to test the condoms so far. 100 will randomly selected as test subjects at the end of January. 
(17 January 2007)

Spotlight on '85 
The Rainbow Warrior incident is back in the news, with convicted French agents Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart seeking to legally bar TVNZ from screening previously unseen footage of their Auckland District Court appearance. Prieur and Mafart were found guilty of bombing Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour in 1985, killing Portuguese photographer Fernando Pereira in the process. They received a 10-year prison sentence, but were transferred to a French military base in French Polynesia in July 1986, and repatriated to France shortly after.
(15 May 2006)

Scandanavia cleans up
NZ was ranked 19th best place to live according to the UN Development Programme's annual quality of life survey. The report looks at issues such as life expectancy, per capita income, educational opportunities, and human rights considerations. The top five spots went to Norway, Sweden, Canada, Belgium and Australia. 
(25 July 2002)
         

OE to go UN
Kiwis will have plenty of fellow travellers when they travel to the UK for the two year woring holiday scheme. In the past, 96% of applicants came from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, but the scheme is being reformed to attract more people from black Commonwealth nations as well as a possible dozen East European countries.
(30 May 2002)
       

Too smug?
New Zealand is making an official effort to cultivate Asia-literacy, but are individuals are unjustifiably smug in their attitudes to Asia?
(17 May 2001) 
           

AIDS action
New Zealand's health minister Dr Annette King calls on the world not to neglect the small island nations of the Pacific in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
(27 June 2001)
        

Lies, dammed lies and ... number crunching
New Zealander Len Cook, a man with a reputation for plain speaking is intent on making sure the numbers stack up when he takes over as head of the Office of National Statistics.  He has gained a reputation for understanding the importance of linking policy making to good data, but faces the challenge of allaying public doubt after successive governments have fudged statistical data.
(25 May 2000)
             

Canterbury University professor gets back to the streets in response to "Black Bill of Rights"
Dr. Vernon L. Andrews, from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, responds to Byron Bain's article 'Walking While Black' (on racial profiling by police in the US) and the difficulties he has convincing students weaned on The Cosby Show, that there are still racial issues.
(3 - 9 May 2000)
             

Kiwi sweeps up aftermath of war in Kosovo
John Flanagan, a colonel from New Zealand, who heads the UN's mine action coordination centre in Kosovo.  "They [Nato} may have intended to drop six bombs on one target and four go off somewhere else, as much as one kilometre from the intended spot".
(14 March 2000)
           

Terrorist Reaction
Rumours of New Zealand-based terrorist cells targeting the games in Sydney have been around for a while. Last week New Zealand police discovered a lounge in Auckland piled high with maps of Sydney and notes about security at the games. A nuclear reactor in Sydney’s suburbs was highlighted.
(26 August 2000)
             

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Pass the budder
The Guardian explores the new linguistic imperialism and the effects of media on language: a New Zealand researcher has found that, under the influence of programmes like  Eastenders, increased glottalisation of the dialect has occured. "Pass the budder" had been transformed into "Pass the bu-er". 
(18 July 2000)
       

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Kiwi bomb victim determined to rebuild his life
Gary Reid, whose body was devastated by a nail bomb explosion at the Admiral Duncan Pub (London) last year, vows to recover fully and without malice, "I am looking forward to getting an artificial limb and walking again. The only thing that Copeland has done is make my life physically challenging. I have an innate sense of humour and an innate will to live."
(30 June 2000)
      

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Détente New Zealand style
The New Zealand-China Friendship Society is determined to double its efforts to promote friendship and exchange between the peoples of China and New Zealand the People's Daily reports. Chinese Consul in Auckland, Zhao Xianling said that the society formed an important stepping stone to formal diplomatic ties.
(4 June 2000)
           

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FBI feels vengeance of Kiwi Hacker                  
e-summit Calls for Vigilance as the FBI tightened its focus on a small number of suspects.
(21 February 2000)
     

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Licensed to squirt
A unique initiative has seen New Zealand kindergartens offering "licences" for toy guns in a bid to instil the "use guns responsibly" message in youngsters. Police have tacitly endorsed the scheme, but will not be pursuing violations.
(06 September 2000)

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Kiwi to protect London children
Moira Rayner has been appointed Director of the newly formed Office of Children’s Right’s Commissioner for London. She is a New Zealand lawyer with international experience in the field of children’s right’s.
(29 August 2000)
 

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Vowels of allegiance
The Kiwi vowel slur might be a solidarity mechanism, adopted to make late-arriving, open-vowel enunciating Poms feel uncomfortable. Give us fush or give us duth.
(25 November 2000)
              

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Bugger the #*!@&! Domain names
A ban on seven deadly words deemed too offensive to register as part of a domain name has been lifted in New Zealand. Deciding that a censorship role didn't fit in with their purposes, the NZ Internet Society decreed that the previously banned words could be registered. One happy punter purred, "I'm pretty pleased with the 'f' and 's', I must say ... as a collectible."
(6 June 2000)
    

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Six or Sex? looks like fush and chups hasn't affected Kiwi males' performance in bed
In an extensive new study by Shere Hite (the author credited with fuelling the sexual revolution) it was found that "in the English-speaking world Australia generally lagged behind New Zealand on the sex-scale ... a large percentage of Australian women said their men were flops in bed." 
(23 May 2000) 
         

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Gardeners against Government in main-street high noon stand-off 
"Nobody actually recorded a shotgun being fired down the main street without hitting anyone, but it could have happened".  Easter trading hours controversy in New Zealand.
(30 April 2000)
             

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Sir Peter Blake and Louis Vuitton score on the rebound for UNICEF 
Peter Blake is among the stellar collection of artists, writers, stars of show-business, sports, politics and business who have posed for a unquie collection of portraits called Rebonds, published by fashion house Louis Vuitton. The goal is not to win the game but to benefit the world's underprivileged children - all profits go to UNICEF.
(April 2000)  

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New Zealand puts British-based honorary titles to the sword
New Zealand has scrapped the use of the titles ‘Sir’ and ‘Dame’ in favour of a local system of honours. But those with titles, like the mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and the diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, will retain their titles.
(11 April 2000)
              

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Kiwi temps
New Zealanders on the big OE are staffing London's offices: "They usually have stable work histories and excellent IT skills, great interpersonal skills, confidence, and a good work ethic".
(30 July 2001)

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"They know they have an edge"
November's French Vogue goes south seas gothic in fashionable NZ, with the edge providing both spectacular and downtown Aotearoa-style backdrops for a Mario Sorrenti photo shoot, from the volcanic plateau to the local 4-Square. The accompanying essay by Simone Ellis finds, "A culture defined by its people [...] increasingly worldly, NZ urbanites are far less fragile about their identity these days. They are highly educated, they have travelled, they know they have an 'edge'." Edgy interviewees include designer Nicholas Blanchett, photographer Greg Semu, and Pavement co-founder Glenn Hunt. The edition also covers the techno-royal glamour of the America's Cup. Mario Sorrenti and the Vogue crew's visit was produced by Ellis.   
(November 2002)
         

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"Asia is us"
NZ's Asia2000 head Chris Butler on a recent 5-city tour of Asia, Butler spoke of NZ's 40 year evolution towards a post-colonial identity: "Now, instead of relying on the 'Lion of England,' NZ is partnering increasingly more with the 'Tigers of Asia.' " Auckland, where one in nine residents is of Asian descent, was made the primary example of NZ's Asian status. Street signs are often translated into Korean, Japanese and Chinese, and the annual Lantern Festival brings over 100,000 spectators and the participation of more than 300 schools. As Butler says, "Asia is not only our future - it is our present."
(6 September 2002)
     

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Black and white or rainbow nation?
Kathy Marks visits Waitangi and gives an outside perspective on the state of the nation 162 years after the treaty: "New Zealand is truly a bicultural nation, and the sense of two races living side by side is reflected in the structures and institutions [...] telephone calls are often answered with "Kia Ora" instead of "Hello"." Contrasting Aotearoa's relationship with its indigenous people with Australia's, she finds the edge a place of reconciliation, integration, and diversity.
(01 June 2002)
      

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Kiwi Miss Marple uncovers Cult
Repairing the premises, handing out leaflets on city streets, fundraising - not your usual college curriculum. But as some sleuthing students told Michael Durham, Winestead Hall is not your usual college, but an outpost of a cult.
(2 May 2000)
          

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Edge explorer revised and revisited by Aussie historian
Tony Horwitz revisits the James Cook legend and Cook's Star-Trek echoing logbook, "I have gone farther than any man has been before me, as far as I think it is possible for a man to go".  Kupe may have got here a few years earlier in a canoe, but whoever claims whatever mantle, both are incredible feats of edge exploration and the legacy (Hillary et al) lives on in the spirit of the edge.
(10 June 2000)
          

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Home and Away: taking the edge to London
"If you are passionate about where you come from, working abroad can provide the ideal opportunity to promote your native country." The Times profiles Anna Kensington who promotes NZ Tourism in London.  Anna considers London home, for now, but knows the value of the edge: "It is important to see your own country before travelling abroad because then you appreciate it even more."
(7 June 2000)
          

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Double happy
"Deputy chief content producer Peter is celebrating twice. He's not greedy, he just comes from New Zealand. The Kiwi has already raised a glass as the clock struck midnight in his homeland - 14 hours later he is planning to do the same in his local Yorkshire pub."
(31 December 2001)
          

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World of respect
"Every country, if they're lucky, has someone quintessential to that country and how it sees itself. Ed is ours" (Michael King). Sir Edmund Hillary has been honoured at home and abroad as the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing's scaling of Mt Everest. At the festivities in Nepal he was made an honorary citizen. In Delhi he unveiled a road in his name, and Thursay 29 May was declared 'Summit Day' in NZ. His remarkable life as both adventurer and humanitarian has been extensively profiled in all the top broadsheets from the New York Times to The Scotsman, and he is the recipient of the inaugural Life magazine award recognising "those individuals who have helped shape the watershed events of our time."
(29 May 2003)
 

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Beefsteaks ruled by women
Women currently fill the highest offices in New Zealand. Some people find this rather incongruous. "... this progress might be thought a bit of a shock for a country famous for beefy rugby players, not for caring, sharing equality, but New Zealanders seem to have taken it (and even the election last year of the world's first transsexual MP and a pot-promoting Rastafarian colleague) with equanimity."
(25 August 2000)
           

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Cyber-policing
In Porirua, New Zealand, the thin blue line has turned into the thin blue URL in the fight against crime. Police have decided to enlist the use of a website as a way to undermine the local Mongrel Mob gang. So far they've yet to receive any tip offs, and they've mostly gotten e-mails about traffic problems, but they're finding it a very, very useful exercise - if not "a little avant-garde" for one of Wellington's less affluent suburbs.
(8 August 2000)
           

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Your place or mine? NZ cabinet backs gay property rights
Gay and unmarried heterosexual couples are to given the same rights as married people under proposals approved by the New Zealand government.
(3 April 2000) 
              

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Deported to the colonies
London's had enough of Generals Sir Charles Napier and Sir Henry Havelock, but their New Zealand namesakes would be proud to have them.
(30 November 2000)
  

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Habitat for Humanity
Global Village volunteers spend holidays helping some of New Zealand's least-fortunate citizens.
(27 November 2000)
   

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HRH touchdown
The Queen will visit her farthest-flung domain in October, 2001. Her visit will provide "an opportunity for New Zealand to mark the impending Golden Jubilee of the Queen's Reign".
(23 October 2000)
    

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Silence is regulated golden 
Not doing a great deal to dispel the stereotype of the loud-mouthed ocker, an article on the art and science of noise in the Sydney Morning Herald looks at the menace of noise pollution, admitting that Australia's building code has a shabby record when it comes to keeping the neighbours happy. As opposed to New Zealand who, "is the world leader when it comes to quiet homes."
(22 July 2000) 
             

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Innovative Computer mapping to curb crime
New Zealand police are,  introducing a high-tech solution to beat burglaries.  they are using a NZ$6million computer-mapping programme to allow police to zero in on burglars' homes as well as break-in hot spots, said Justice Minister Phil Goff, who has been burgled twice himself.
(8 June 2000)
           

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Police found culpable 
The death of New Zealand anti-fascist protestor Blair Peach in a London demonstration against the National Front in April 1979 "marked one of the most controversial events in modern policing history", writes the Guardian's Paul Lewis. Peach was almost certainly killed by police at the demonstration, according to a secret report recently released. The 130-page report was produced by Commander John Cass, who ran the Met's internal complaints bureau and led the investigation into Peach's death. A campaigner against the far right, Peach, a 33-year-old teacher, died from a blow in Southall, west London. Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said the report made "uncomfortable reading" but unequivocally accepted the finding that a Met officer was likely to be responsible for the death and expressed his "regret". The Met has resisted publishing any material relating to the death of Peach for almost 30 years. Deborah Coles, co-director of Inquest, an organisation that was set up in 1981 partly in response to Peach's death and provides advice on contentious deaths, called on the Met commissioner to concede that the force was responsible for Peach's death. "The whole police investigation into what happened on 23 April 1979 was clearly designed as an exercise in managing the fallout from the events of that iconic day in Southall, to exonerate police violence in the face of legitimate public protest," she said. 
(27 April 2010)

Widow's wish 
Jan Arnold, the widow of legendary mountain guide Rob Hall, who was one of eight people to lose their lives on Mt Everest during a severe storm in 1996, has asked that his body remain on the mountain. A team of 31 Nepalese sherpas left Kathmandu this week on an expedition to remove Hall's body and four or five others, as well as two tonnes of rubbish, from the "death zone" above 8000m on Everest. Jan Arnold believes that her late husband is "where he'd like to have stayed", and does not want people risking their lives to retrieve his body, a close family friend told The Times. Hall had just reached the summit when a severe storm engulfed him and his exhausted American client, Doug Hansen. Although Hall could have saved himself, he bivouacked with Hansen 150 metres below the summit. Hansen died that night. His body was never found. Hall survived another 30 hours. Hall, 36, had reached Everest's summit five times previously, a record for any non-sherpa. 
(22 April 2010)

Oregon legal beagle 
New Zealand-born, US-raised Kevin McCulloch, 27, is Linn County, Oregon's newest deputy county attorney. In 2002 and 2003, McCulloch returned to New Zealand to study political science at the University of Canterbury. "I had always wanted to see the country where I was born. It is beautiful, much like Oregon," McCulloch said. He is a May 2009 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and passed the Oregon State Bar in September. "I am thrilled to be here," McCulloch said. "I had hoped to find a job at the county level. When I saw the job posting, I was floored. I hope to be able to work on a range of legal issues and to do a little bit of everything. We advise the county on legal issues, but we also get to represent the county in the courtroom. I enjoy public speaking." 
(10 April 2010)

Rakaia salmon dance 
Canterbury's Rakaia River will be the setting for an intriguing Native American Indian ceremonial dance, which is to centre on an apology, to be relayed to the river's salmon asking them to return to the rivers of Northern California, home to the Winnemem Wintu tribe. The Winnemem plan to rendezvous with local Maori leaders and stage a four-day ceremony starting March 28 that will culminate with the rare "nur chonas winyupus," or middle water salmon dance. As the Winnemem see it, the tribe's troubles began in early 1940s, with the completion of the Shasta Dam, which blocked the Sacramento River and cut off the lower McCloud River, obstructing seasonal salmon runs, and according to the tribe, breaking a covenant with the fish. "We're going to atone for allowing them to build that dam," said Mark Franco, the tribe's headman. "We should have fought harder." As luck would have it, the United States government once bred millions of Chinook eggs from the McCloud and shipped them around the world in hopes of creating new fisheries, including a batch that went to the South Island of New Zealand, where the fish thrived. 
(20 March 2010)

Courting kiwis 
Prince William, 27, has officially opened the new $80.7 million Supreme Court building on Lambton Quay in Wellington, now the country's highest court of appeal. Architects Warren and Mahoney modelled the courtroom on a kauri cone and designed it in accordance with sustainable design policies. On the second day of Prince William's first official visit overseas, he finally met a local who didn't want to meet him on the 800ha Kapiti Island reserve. In his case it was a drowsy Little Spotted Kiwi, rooted out of its undergrowth habitat and nocturnal routine the previous evening and kept in a box to be introduced to the prince on his visit to the astonishingly beautiful Kapiti Island reserve. The prince's kiwi, about the size of a small chicken, is the smallest of the six sub-species of the bird and it deployed its defences against the unwelcome intrusion of visitors by unleashing a small shower of feathers, a move designed to distract attention. It is a tactic royals could perhaps consider deploying for themselves. As it was, the prince, gingerly holding the kiwi upside down, merely turned to the accompanying flock of press photographers and beamed knowingly: "At last — me with a kiwi bird." 
(18 January 2010)

Arise Sir Snell 
New Zealand three-time Olympic gold medalist Dr Peter Snell, who is based in Dallas, was honoured twice this year for his athletic career. Snell was knighted in August and his likeness commemorated in a bronze statue unveiled in Whanganui at the site where on January 27, 1962, he broke the world record of 3 minutes, 54.5 seconds in the 1-mile run with a time of 3 minutes and 54.4 seconds. The statue is based on a photograph of Snell crossing the finish line. "It was a tremendous, rewarding experience," Snell said of the knighting ceremony, the first of its kind in almost a decade. "It was certainly unique to have been part of that ceremony, and it's a pleasure to be honored in this way." Snell is director of the UT Southwestern Human Performance Laboratory, where he conducts exercise and metabolic studies on patients with a variety of adverse metabolic conditions. He is interested in exercise training and its impact on athletic performance, aging and health, particularly the prevention of heart disease. 
(17 December 2009)

Phar Lap home to rest 
A bronze statue of Timaru's most famous resident Phar Lap has been unveiled at the entrance to the city's raceway on State Highway 1. Timaru Herald sports editor Stu Piddington talks to the ABC's New Zealand correspondent Kerri Ritchie about the ceremony and Timaru's pride in being the birth place of this very famous horse. Three years ago locals came up with the idea of getting a life-size statue of the thoroughbred. Piddington says today the dream becomes a reality. "In the build up to [the unveiling] there's been a lot of talk, a lot of, I get publicity around it. Last week they launched the specially labelled beer for $10 a bottle, a souvenir edition. So you can't go anywhere in Timaru or South Canterbury without hearing about Phar Lap," Piddington says. The 850kg statue was sculpted by South African born equine specialist sculptor Joanne Sullivan-Gessler who lives in Auckland. 
(25 November 2009)

Anniversary apology 
Air New Zealand will apologise to relatives of the victims of the 1979 Mt Erebus plane crash which killed all 257 on board in Antarctica during a sightseeing flight. Chief executive Rob Fyfe is to use the 30th anniversary of the tragedy to apologise for the way the families were treated after the accident. But he will not apologise for the accident itself or the controversial subsequent investigations, which at first attempted to blame pilot error for the crash. Jackie Nankervis, who was 15 when she lost her father and uncle in the accident, said an apology would be "a step in the right direction". The Erebus disaster, which also killed six Britons, was New Zealand's biggest single tragedy. Sightseeing flights from Auckland to Antarctica were popular day trips at the time, with DC-10s taking passengers on a low-flying sweep over McMurdo Sound before returning to New Zealand. In a recent letter to the Erebus families, Fyfe wrote: "It was the experience of that accident ... that caused me to reflect on many of the gaps and failings that occurred in the days, months and years after November 28, 1979." 
(15 October 2009)

Still the greatest 
Adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary is the "greatest living New Zealander" according to the results of a recent Research New Zealand poll. Despite his death in January 2008, Sir Ed was named by 15 per cent of the 500 respondents. Research New Zealand director Emanuel Kalafatelis said it showed how beloved Sir Edmund was. Sir Edmund conquered Everest in 1953 and so many of us either remember the historic day or grew up with tales of his amazing achievements and the good work he did for the Nepalese people. To find a new hero to match his legendary status is tough. While just over a third said they couldn't name one, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, now at the UN was second with 9 per cent, bucking the trend of sports people dominating our list of icons, Kalafatelis said. Others on the list included Prime Minister John Key on 2 per cent, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Willie Apiata and Peter Jackson. 
(28 September 2009)

Harold in space 
The Life Education Trust's iconic mascot Harold the Giraffe, is set to become the first New Zealander (and giraffe) to go to space. Harold will be part of the NASA's Mission STS-128, lead by Commander Rick Sturckow, pilot Kevin Ford and other members Patrick Forrester, José Hernández, John "Danny" Olivas, Christer Fuglesang and Nicole Stott. While Harold is in space, children can email the space station and ask questions via an educational website (www.haroldinspace.co.nz). Life Education Trust Chairman, Angus Fletcher, is confident the exercise will go a long way to encourage children to be the best they can be. "Harold's trip is a huge deal for the children who know him. They love him and respect the values he brings into the classroom. The fact that he has achieved his dream will reiterate to children that no matter who they are, or where they come from, they are special and if they work hard to make their dreams come true then they will," says Fletcher.  
(11 August 2009)

Best in show 
Rural New Zealand is explored by Canadian freelance journalist Judy Schultz who stumbles upon a Pukekohe A&P show, explores the historic community of Waiuku and samples local wares at Awhitu Country Market in Matakawau. "Getting lost here is half the fun. Backroads are chock-a-block with vineyard cafes, jazz festivals, great beaches. The A and P in the town of Pukekohe lasts the weekend, rain or shine. Every prize pumpkin and domestic animal in the region is trotted out in its Sunday best, cattle all sleek and shiny, from enormous Belgian Blues to hair-in-the-eyes Highlanders. Competition is cutthroat, but there's coffee and meat pies while you wait." 
(20 July 2009)

Pretty as a pair 
The newest and most adorable additions to the Auckland Zoo arrived last month with the birth of two baby Asian Otters. Asian otters are closely related to ferrets and skunks and are the smallest of all 13 species. The babies, who are small enough to fit in your hand, were introduced to the public on July 23. 
(24 July 2009)

By hook or by Hudson
Christchurch car enthusiasts Tony and Lynnette Mallard are touring the United States in a 1934 Hudson making their way toward the Detroit suburb of Pontiac and the 100th anniversary celebration of the Hudson Motor Company in mid-July. Tony Mallard purchased his Hudson for $20 in 1962 and had the vehicle operational by 1968 when he and Lynette married. Their return journey will include a swing up into Canada, then back down to Montana to see Glacier National Park before their journey home on August 22. Driving a 1934 Hudson over 4,000 miles provides an opportunity for the couple to get a clear picture of what America is really like. Tony remarked, "Your national media gives the rest of the world a very negative view — we see and hear all of the bad. But we're finding it very different. We've been made to feel so welcome everywhere and we are so impressed with the way we've been treated in every place we've visited."
(30 June 2009)

Antipodean reminisce 
New Zealanders flocked to London's Clapham Common to celebrate all things pineapple lump and barbeque over music and sauvignon at the three-day Toast festival. The welcome ceremony was hosted by former All Black Zinzan Brooke and was followed by a polo match against Great Britain and a cultural performance from Ngati Ranana, a Maori cultural group based in London. Dave Dobbyn and singer/songwriter Jason Norris also performed. 
(24 June 2009)

Spreading the word 
New Zealand is the most peaceful country in the world and Americans might want to consider moving here suggests The Washington Post. According to the 2009 Global Peace Index released by an Australian-based research group which counts former President Jimmy Carter, Ted Turner and the Dalai Lama among its endorsers, peace is described as "the absence of violence." Professor Kevin Clements, of Otago University in Dunedin, said: "The index is a pretty good reflection of countries people want to live in, because on bicultural issues and a variety of factors we are scoring well. If you look at the top 20, they are all small nations based on strong welfare principles, all with good and relatively uncorrupt governance." Relative tranquility was rated in 144 nations according to 23 "indicators" — including gun sales, the number of homicides, the size of the military, the potential for terrorism and the number of people in jail. 
(3 June 2009)

Together for more 
Unite is New Zealand's newest union representing young service sector employees in the fast-food industry, call centres, hotels and the postal service. The Unite union's barnstorming approach has organised thousands of them, led strikes at McDonald's and Starbucks, won significant raises for fast-food workers, and helped spearhead a successful effort by New Zealand's unions to boost the national minimum wage. Thousands of young workers have gained union representation for the first time with the union, many of them Maori and Pacific islanders. The union called on companies to "Supersize My Pay," riffing on the food chains' own sales pitches. The union purchased a bus, decorated it, attached loudspeakers, and travelled from one worksite to the next, making organising and bargaining campaigns very public. Crucial to the union's success has been the appeal of its three key principles — a higher minimum wage, abolition of cheap labour "youth rates," and guaranteed minimum hours of work. 
(May 2009)

Eskimo furore 
The humble Eskimo lolly will remain on New Zealand shelves though lambasted by a Canadian visitor who claimed the confectionary's shape and name was a racist slur against the Inuit. Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons, 21, an Inuit from Canada's Nunavut Territory, told the Taranaki Daily News the word Eskimo, used by confectionery manufacturer Cadbury/Pascall was unacceptable because it had negative racial connotations. In a statement Pascall/Cadbury said Eskimos were "an iconic New Zealand lolly". The company produced almost 19 million individual Eskimos last year, which made it "one of our most sought after". Canterbury University's Dr Nicole Gombay, who studies Inuit politics and culture, says she was shocked to see the Cadbury/Pascall lolly for sale when she arrived in New Zealand three years ago. Dr Gombay said while the sweet's image — a small snowsuited figure — was "a normal representation" of Inuit culture, it was no longer relevant. "It would be like putting an African in mud hut with a grass skirt and a bone in his head." 
(21 April 2009)

Pride of place 
According to the third national Quality of Life survey, nine out of ten New Zealanders rate their quality of life as good or better. Wellingtonians thought they had the best quality of life at 94.9 per cent, followed by Dunedin at 94.2 per cent and Christchurch at 93.1 per cent. The 12 participating councils were North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland, Manukau, Rodney, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Porirua, Hutt City, Christchurch and Dunedin. Researchers for the survey spoke to 500 people in each of the 12 main centers and 2,000 people in the rest of the country. The survey was funded by the councils and the Ministry of Social Development. 
(6 April 2009)

Nabbed online 
Wellington High Court judge Justice David Gendall has granted approval for the serving of papers via Facebook, the first time a New Zealand court has allowed such a step. The social networking site became the medium for serving the papers on a New Zealand citizen in Britain when all conventional methods failed. Facebook was also used by police in the New Zealand alpine resort of Queenstown in January when they posted surveillance camera footage of a bungling burglar. Facebook has become hugely popular since it was launched in 2004 and claims more than 140 million users worldwide. 
(16 March 2009)

Time has flown 
Auckland watchmaker Malcolm Campbell of Timeshop Watch Repairs, who has been in business in a two metre square Lorne Street premises for almost twenty-two years, is now to retire. Campbell told the ABC's Kerri Ritchie: "There's not many of us around now, so a young person in the trade is very rare, but we shall see what happens." A watchmaker for over 50 years, Campbell says business is booming. "Strange thing with watches is that people tend not to throw them away. They just put them in the sock drawer or in the back of a cupboard or in a box somewhere, and 30 or 40 years later they pick them out again and say, "Oh I like that now I think I'll get it serviced because after all it was my Uncle Sydney's or it was Aunty Jane's gold watch so I'd like it going and I might wear it sometimes." 
(1 March 2009)

On a virtual garden stroll 
West Melton gardener Mary, "aka 'Moosey'", is mentioned in The Seattle Times in an article recommending her  virtual garden tour. The publication writes: "A woman whose children call her 'Moosey' has created an easy-to-follow Web site that helps move you through her New Zealand country garden. It also contains helpful sections about flower shows, containers, flower bulbs and more." "Travel is a great way to top off an education, especially for gardeners, who can pick up landscape and planting ideas and advice by seeing others' gardens. But they don't have to leave home to do it. Virtual garden tours on the computer show actual gardens through video or still images, music, narration and text. About the only thing missing is the scent of the flowers as they scroll by." Moosey's Country Garden site was originally launched in 1999. 
(6 February 2009)

Altered stories 
"New Zealand remains a comfortably social democratic society, less dynamic but also less brash or polarised than Australia," writes Guardian political blogger Michael White in a posting which looks at the reintegration of Chinese culture in the Pacific Rim, beginning in the former gold-mining settlement of Arrowtown. "All around the Pacific Rim established states … are trying to create a coherent narrative that does not marginalise the Chinese dimension — or squeeze it into stone huts down by the river. [In New Zealand] they discriminate no longer. So the narrative has had to change and has been marked, in the modern fashion, by historic apologies for past wrongs and inclusive archaeology such as the informative display boards at Arrowtown. After all, Asian tourism is also crucial to the Kiwi economy. Chinese tourists were there the wet morning we visited." 
(16 January 2009)

Minnie Dean memorialised 
Infamous Winton baby-farmer Minnie Dean, the first and last woman to be hanged in New Zealand, will soon have a headstone erected on her unmarked grave in the Winton Cemetery. Dean's Scottish great-great-nephew Martin McCrae has divided the small Southland community by gaining approval for the memorial. Dean, who was born Williamina Irene McCulloch in Greenock, Renfrewshire in 1844, went to the gallows in 1895 for murder after the bodies of three infants were found buried in her garden. McCrae is on a mission to leave physical clues for future generations of his family who may wish to delve into their roots. "My only concern is for the members of my family in an ancestral sense. What they did is not part of the issue for me at all," he says. "Minnie was like the bogeyman of our town when I was a kid," wrote Helen Henderson, a singer-songwriter originally from Invercargill, on why she composed 'The Ballad of Minnie Dean' three years ago. "If you were being naughty, you were told, 'You'd better watch it or I'll send you off to Minnie Dean's farm and you'll never be heard of again'." 
(21 December 2008)

Ditching the dot-matrix
New Zealand's second annual eDay saw more than 15,000 carloads of electronic waste dropped off at 32 centres throughout the country. The event was organised by the Computer Access New Zealand Trust (CANZ). Most of the collection of e-waste, which included monitors, central processing units (CPUs), and printers diverted from landfills, is being shipped to South Korea for recycling. Working computer monitors will be recycled in Auckland. "eDay is helping to plug the gap and buy New Zealand a little more time without generating new problems in our landfills," says Laurence Zwimpfer, national organiser of eDay. Industry-sponsored recycling schemes should be up and running within two or three years, he said.
(3 October 2008)

Facing new partnerships
New Zealand's population makeup may one day number more Asians than Maori according to a new study called, 'Asians in New Zealand: Implications of a Changing Demography', launched in Auckland this month. Authored by Waikato University's Professor Richard Bedford and Dr Elsie Ho, the Asian New Zealand Foundation report has found that the headcount of Asians in New Zealand was increasing due to growing ties with the region. An integral part of the growing relationship with Asia has been the opening up of New Zealand to immigration of talent, capital and visitors from Asia. Statistics New Zealand sees the Asian population reaching 790,000 by 2026, marginally behind the Maori population on an estimated 820,000. 
(8 July 2008)

City of sails' top spot 
Auckland is number five in the 2008 Mercer's WorldWide Quality of Living Survey, making it the most liveable city in the Asia Pacific region. Tourism Auckland's chief executive Graeme Osborne said he is not surprised the city retained its place in the top five and attributed Auckland's success to its "young, progressive and spiritual attitude". "I think we're blessed for natural assets … we have the sophistication of a global city with natural and heritage assets at arm's reach," Osborne said. The rankings are based on 39 key quality-of-living determinants such as political stability, schooling, socio-cultural environment, recreation, housing and natural environment. Zurich was placed first, followed by Vienna, Geneva and Vancouver. 
(11 June 2008)

Home amidst history  
Four hours from Auckland, New Zealand developer Peter Cooper's 400 ha Mountain Landing property boasts white sand beaches, native bush and historical value. "When I first saw the property, I knew that it was a very special place and then I subsequently grew to understand why, in terms of its unique role in New Zealand's pre-European and early European history," Mr. Cooper said. He has registered 43 archaeological sites and areas with the New Zealand Archaeological Association and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Cooper is selling sections of this land for between US$1.7 and 5.5 million, building his own home amongst the 44 residences that will eventually make up the development on the remote beachhead at the tip of Purerua Peninsula. 
(28 May 2008)

Free to speak 
NZ has been ranked 15th in a survey of press freedom around the world by Reporters Without Borders. The annual survey of 169 countries measures factors such as freedom of speech, freedom of information and diversity of media ownership. Iceland and Norway topped the list for 2007, while Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea were ranked 167th, 168th and 169th respectively. European nations held 18 of the top 20 spots, with NZ and Trinidad and Tobago proving the only exceptions. The UK was ranked 24th, Australia 28th and the US 48th. 
(16 October 2007)

Order of Merit for Lomu, Fagan

Be a tidy Kiwi 
The iconic Bulford Kiwi in Wiltshire, England, has received a makeover courtesy of local military, scouts and civilian volunteers. The 128m high chalk figure was carved into Wiltshire's Beacon Hill at the end of World War I, to commemorate the site's use by the New Zealand Expeditionary Force from 1914 to 1918. The clean-up team scraped the kiwi's grey gravel surface to expose the white chalk below. Due to its massive size, contractors will now complete the job. The Bulford Kiwi is one of several famous chalk figures in Wiltshire, including the Westbury white horse, which is believed to be an ancient memorial to King Alfred's victory over the Danes at the battle of Ethandune in 878 AD. 
(16 June 2007)

Imitation, inspiration or appropriation? 
2006 has seen a rash of advertising and design taking inspiration - with varying degrees of offensiveness - from Maori art and culture. An Italian ad for the Fiat Idea showing a group of black garbed women performing a mock haka has gone to air despite warnings of cultural insensitivity from NZ diplomats. According to Brad Tattersfield of NZ's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, "we advised the advertising company that the use of Ka Mate in this way was culturally insensitive and inappropriate. MFAT advised the advertisers to either use a Maori group or a haka composed for women. However, the advertising company indicated they were proceeding despite this advice." In the US, an American developer's proposal to build a Maori-themed apartment complex in Texas has divided Maori opinion. While activist Ken Mair calls the plan "cultural theft and possibly theft of intellectual property" author Alan Duff thinks Maori have bigger problems to worry about: "Greece is not up in arms because Las Vegas did Ancient Greece themes in their casinos. Why are we so precious about things that don't count?" Finally, cult US fashion brand Paul Frank has released a T-shirt print titled 'Warrior Julius,' depicting its distinctive monkey mascot with a full facial moko. 
(4 July 2006)

For love and money 
British male accountants are being lured to NZ with promises of work and women. According to top UK agency, Think Global Recruitment, the shortage of men in NZ has reached its highest level in 80 years, and Kiwi women in the 20 to 45 age group outnumber men by 35,000. "NZ offers an array of fantastic career and lifestyle opportunities," says Think managing director Abigail Stevens. "A lot of the people we find roles for are between the ages of 25 and 30 and single. They like to work hard but also find time to enjoy the glorious beaches, wide open spaces, great social life and a huge range of sports, including extreme sports."
(4 January 2006)

Surfing rhapsody 
Raglan may be home to "one of the world's best left-hand surf breaks", but the town is also garnering international interest for its relaxed isolation and its arts scene. "Bohemian" Raglan writes the Lonely Planet, is "Perched on the rugged western edge of the North Island, on the road to nowhere." The article recommends Solscape, "Raglan's most spectacular accommodation", a gig at Aqua Velvet or in the town's renovated Victorian pub, the Harbour View Hotel and a visit to "funky" gallery, Jet Collective. "Raglan may be at the end of the road to nowhere, but I'm in no hurry to move on," concludes the author. 
(20 April 2008)

Indian love affair 
More Indian tourists than ever are coming to New Zealand for the expansive scenery, favourable weather conditions and a bit of romance. In 2006-2007, as many as 20,946 Indians spent an average of 13.8 days in New Zealand, showing a growth of 8.3 percent over the previous year. A glowing article in The Economic Times said it was no wonder New Zealand was recently voted Top Country in Wanderlust magazine. A Rajasthani couple told the Times, "New Zealand gives you space and a chance to spend quiet time together. It is serene, romantic and at the same time adventurous and exciting." 
(10 February 2008)

In the pink 

Incredible journey 
After decades of international debate, Auckland University researchers have found the first concrete evidence that Polynesian explorers reached South America before Europeans. The research team, led by archaeologist Elizabeth A. Matisoo-Smith, used genetic analysis and radiocarbon dating of chicken bones found in Chile to show that the fowl originated in Polynesia and not Europe, as was previously believed. The findings show that Polynesians reached the continent no later than 1407 - nearly a decade before its Spanish settlement. "The Polynesian contact probably didn't change the course of prehistory, but I think maybe it makes us recognize the ethnocentrism in our long-standing views of the prehistory of the New World," said American archaeologist Terry L. Jones in the LA Times. "The basic premise has always been that there was only one civilization capable of crossing the ocean and discovering the New World ... [these findings show that] the prehistory of the New World was probably a little bit more complicated than we thought in the past." The Auckland University study was reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 
(5 June 2007)

NZ pathologist testifies in Canada
NZ-based pathologist Dr James Ferris has given evidence in the most high-profile murder case in recent Canadian history. Ferris, a veteran of 40 years forensic investigation, has testified at the trial of Robert William Pickton, the Vancouver pig farmer accused of killing 26 female drug addicts and prostitutes. While working in Vancouver in 1995, Ferris examined a mysterious half skull that he believed could be linked to a future homicide investigation. DNA analysis has since matched the skull to three bones found on Pickton's farm. Ferris has been involved as a pathologist in over 1000 homicide cases in Canada, the US, Hong Kong, Australia and NZ. He worked on Australia's Lindy and Azaria Chamberlain case and gave evidence for the Crown against David Bain at his initial Christchurch trial. 
(4 May 2007)

NZ escapes "affluenza" virus 
NZ gets off relatively lightly in UK psychologist Oliver James's treatise on rampant materialism, Affluenza: How to be Successful and Stay Sane. James defines affluenza as an unhealthy obsession with wealth which has led to epidemic levels of depression, over-consumption and spiritual emptiness in the developed world. To research the book, James interviewed 240 people in the US, Singapore, Australia, China, Denmark, NZ and the UK. After spending three months in NZ in 2004 he found its citizens to be comparatively unaffected by what he terms "selfish capitalism." "The New Zealanders are the most individualistic nation on earth, even more so than the Americans," he writes. "But I suspect New Zealand individualism takes a much more genuine form than that confected in America." The publication of Affluenza in NZ has caused widespread media speculation as to who the prominent interviewees really are. 
(27 January 2007)

66 and still dancing the ACDC way
NZ's "first really iconic out-and-out drag queen" - Carmen Rupe - was honored at the 2002 Gay Games in Sydney. The November 2 opening ceremony at the Sydney Football Stadium devoted a segment entitled "Struggle" to the pioneers of Sydney's gay community (66-year-old Carmen was one of the regular performers at the city's first gay bar, The Purple Onion). Her "racy, funny, and oddly moving story" was recently transformed into an NZSO tribute - Carmen Dances - by noted composer, Jack Body.
(15 October 2002)
    

Re-re-colonisation
"Fleeing grey skies and commuting blues." NZ raised the skills requirements for British migrants this month in response to record numbers seeking permanent residence. "Better lifestyles, cheaper homes and warmer weather" are the top reasons why Brits are flocking Down Under.
(15 September 2002)
     

Counted the neighbours yet?
Statistics New Zealand is making census data available online free of charge. Formerly $3,300 to $25,000 for special software, now users can simply transfer data and use their own software. The US, UK and Canada all provide census info online, but none of the coverage is as complete or versatile.
(June 2002)
       

And God created ... the chainsaw
Tiny farming/forestry town of Tapawera holds church service in honour of chainsaws. Churchgoers "brought their chainsaws with them, placed them on the altar, and afterwards performed an impromptu 'chainsaw orchestra,' complete with Mexican wave … One child drew Jesus holding a chainsaw."
(24 June 2002)
         

Heckler good-humoured
500 e-mails and several severed subscriptions and after a visitation by one J.Lomu later Graham offers an open apology. Planting tongue firmly in cheek he concedes amongst other things that that Split Enz are indeed better than Midnight Oil and to finding ug boots "disturbingly comfortable". He wonders whether some Kiwis have a sense of humour but: "I apologise for suggesting that most of NZ could pass for the Middle Ages. Yes, I have been to Hobart on a Sunday. Point taken".
(16 January 2002)    
         

Driving on
Eric Bailey-Balfour, 99, of Timaru passes his "very easy" driving test and gets a cake from the AA.
(18 July 2001)
               

Good behavior pat
Canterbury police are rewarding sober drivers with pats - chocolate cowpats.
(29 December 2000)
     

Sacred route reversed 
Four double-hulled canoes recently left Auckland to sail 4,000km to French Polynesia where they will be joined by a Tahitian crew for a 1200km voyage to the Cook Islands, sailing the reverse of the route New Zealand's first settlers are believed to have taken. French Polynesia is thought by many to have been the departure point for the last great Polynesian migrations to New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island around 700 to 1000 years ago. "It will be the first time since the great migration that a fleet of canoes has sailed from (the French Polynesian island) Raiatea to Rarotonga on that sacred route down to New Zealand," said the project leader and acting president of the Cook Islands Voyaging Society Te Aturangi Nepia-Clamp. The canoes, 22m long with twin 13m masts, were built over the last year and combine the traditional and the hi-tech, with the fibreglass hulls lashed together using wooden beams and rope. The trip to Tahiti is expected to take three weeks with the return journey —  via the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji —  likely to last around two months 
(11 April 2010)

Whiskey windfall 
From the ice outside Shackleton's Antarctic hut a team from the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust have found three cases of Chas Mackinlay & Co's whisky and two containing brandy made by the Hunter Valley Distillery Limited, Allandale abandoned during the explorer's 1907 abortive expedition to the South Pole. Team leader Al Fastier said restoration workers found the crates under the hut's floorboards in 2006, but they were too deeply embedded in ice to be dislodged. The New Zealanders agreed to drill the ice to try to retrieve some bottles, although the rest must stay under conservation guidelines agreed to by 12 Antarctic Treaty nations. Anything related to Shackleton's attempt to reach the Pole is as steeped in emotive significance as the ice which surrounded the cases was in whisky. To find the actual whisky favoured by this ultimate man's man is one thing, to taste the essence of death-defying, pipe-smoking, god-among-men masculinity will be quite another. Extracting the whisky may not be as simple as it sounds as inevitably ice has got into the cases and broken at least some of the bottles, and if the corks have come into contact with the alcohol they will have degenerated. Hopes are high however as liquid can be heard sloshing about inside the boxes and the steady, if chilly, temperature should have helped to preserve the spirit. 
(5 February 2010)

Back on the Lion 
Artist Sarah-Jane Blake, the 26-year-old daughter of the late New Zealand sailing icon Peter Blake, has helped create a documentary about her father for a permanent exhibition on him in the new wing of the Maritime Museum in Auckland. She has also found herself volunteering to race in June from Auckland to Noumea, New Caledonia, on Lion New Zealand, the refurbished 24-metre, maxi on which her father won line honors in the Sydney-Hobart in 1984 before using it in the Whitbread. This is the 25th anniversary of Lion's victory, and Blake will be on board with Conrad Gundry and Sam Cray, who are also children of 1984 crew members. Lion New Zealand skipper, Alistair Moore, acknowledges that it is more a commemorative endeavour than a competitive one. With Lion New Zealand now serving primarily as a floating educational platform for youth, Moore said he felt as if he were being true to the spirit of his role model. "I was an eight-year-old boy who would fanatically draw pictures of this yacht in every textbook I owned," Moore said. "Peter was my hero, absolute hero, and it's quite emotional sometimes, because I know he would be happy with what we're doing, because it's giving something back."
(25 December 2009)

Safety first 
As of November 1, it is an offence in New Zealand to use hand-held cellphones while driving. The ban on making or receiving calls from a cellphone, texting and e-mailing is one of a raft of new road rules under the Land Transport (Road User) Amendment Rule 2009. Motorists can make calls legally if they have a fully voice activated phone, or the device is secured in a fixed mounting. Genuine emergency calls are also allowed. Those caught breaking the law may be given an $80 infringement ticket and 20 demerit points. And you won't get away with the creative methods the Americans are employing to avoid cellphone bans, like wrapping giant rubber band around your head and sliding a hand-held phone underneath. The ban is being introduced here after years of disquiet about mobile phone use by drivers. From 2003–08 there were 482 injury crashes and 25 fatal crashes on New Zealand roads where use of a mobile phone was a factor. 
(1 November 2009)

He takes the long road 
Originally from Takaka, Ewan Kingston has been travelling from the UK to New Zealand by any means possible save for flying since mid-2008, posting his adventures on the Ecologist site, the world's leading environmental affairs magazine. Flying as little as possible on a limited budget, Kingston most recently took a ferry from China to Japan, "unsure if he's taken the most eco-friendly option". Kingston writes: "I've made it from the middle of England to the middle of China without getting in one of those flying metal things. But how could I just trundle through China, closer than I've ever been to the home of another of the world's major civilisations? Seriously, the uncertainty about CO2 emissions from ferries and the physical distance of the trip meant it was a hard decision to make. In the end I took the ferry rather than a plane largely out of principle — to demonstrate that there's a market for slow travel, and because I believe that the journey can always be as rich and wonderful as the destination." 
(September 2009)

By hoki but not forever 
Hoki, found in the dark Pacific depths around New Zealand, is the favourite fried meat for McDonald's Filet-O-Fish burgers, and a fish "whose bounty it seems, is not limitless," writes William Broad for The New York Times. "The hoki may be exceedingly unattractive, but when its flesh reaches the consumer it's just fish — cut into filets and sticks or rolled into sushi — moist, slightly sweet and very tasty. Better yet, the hoki fishery was thought to be sustainable, providing New Zealand with a reliable major export for years to come. But arguments over managing this resource are flaring not only between commercial interests and conservationists, but also among the environmental agencies most directly involved in monitoring and regulating the catch. A lot of money is at stake, as well as questions about the effectiveness of global guidelines meant to limit the effects of industrial fishing." 
(9 September 2009)

Keeping it to himself 
Recent émigré to New Zealand, British media-specialist David Jeffries, 43, says he misses nothing about England in his new hometown of Auckland where he runs the award-winning company Mere Mortals, which also has an office in Newcastle, UK. "Some people might see my move as a backward step: I hear the stereotypes about New Zealand loud and clear," Jeffries told the Financial Times. "It's uncultured, it's at the end of the world, it's Hicksville ... 'Good', I say. I want people to believe that. I don't want them here to spoil the place. I spend my spare time beach walking most days, swimming, going out fishing on a friend's boat, driving my convertible in the sun or having weekend trips away in the camper van. The UK could never offer me what I have here. [Auckland] lifts my soul. It means I'm home, it means I made it, it means "I'm living the dream". Mere Mortals has worked on computer graphics for films including Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Weeks Later and Sunshine. 
(25 July 2009)

Online generation bridge 
Auckland City Libraries and the New Zealand Chinese Association Auckland Inc. have joined forces to develop the first New Zealand Chinese digital communities website, which will be launched at the Rising Dragons, Soaring Bananas International Conference, on July 18 at the University of Auckland Business School. The online community aims to create connections within the Chinese community and assist with bridging the gap between generations of Chinese New Zealanders. Users of the website can upload family history, photographs, videos and stories about life in New Zealand. "This is a landmark project for our Association and one which will ensure Chinese New Zealand stories are kept alive forever," chairman of New Zealand Chinese Association Auckland Inc. Kai Luey said. 
(3 July 2009)

Taking the mickey 
The Age finds literal mirth in New Zealand's "quirky" place names travelling from the North Island town of Waipu, through several of the "whaka-" and on to Shag River, Pigroot and Cape Fouldwind. "Also of entertainment value, but only if you're in the know," the article includes "is Tutaekuri (literally dog shit) River, Mount Tarawera (burning vagina) and Urewera (singed genitals)." "New Zealand also has the biggest mouthful. Taumata whaka tangi hanga koauau o tamatea turi pukakapi ki maunga horo nuku poka i whenua kitana tahu is acknowledged in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest name in common usage. The name of a 252-metre high hill in the North Island's wine district, Hawke's Bay, it translates as the 'place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as land-eater, played his flute to his loved one'. Unsurprisingly, the locals prefer to leave it at Taumata." 
(19 June 2009)

Sheep jokes abate 
Trans-Tasman relationships have warmed in recent times with Australia becoming "far more inclusive" of New Zealand, "no longer pretending we're not really here" according to the head of the New Zealand Australia Research Centre Professor Philippa Mein Smith. During a recent visit to Canberra, the New Zealand-based historian said she was impressed with the increased presence of New Zealand in different forms. "There's the wine, of course. New Zealand wine was everywhere. But the country was getting a mention in other ways too, on the news, on the street. Australians are just talking and thinking about us more than they were even a few years ago and I think that's great." In the past, Smith says the trans-Tasman relationship had a tendency to be superficial, based around sheep jokes, endless sports-related ribbing and petty sibling rivalries. New Zealand was too often viewed as, in the words of TV comedian Rove McManus, the cousin at the party in the short trousers. 
(5 June 2009)

For the whales 
Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, 19, has joined the Save the Whales Campaign and is urging the New Zealand government to reject Japan's proposal to resume commercial whaling in its waters before a June 22 International Whaling Commission meeting. She said the proposal would effectively lift the IWC's moratorium on commercial whaling, "opening the floodgates for this cruel industry to grow". "Many governments believe that this could act as leverage to control Japan's so-called 'scientific' whaling," Castle-Hughes said. "Unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, it could not guarantee a reduction in the number of whales killed by Japan, Norway or Iceland." Castle-Hughes next appears in Niki Caro's The Vintner's Luck as the vintner's wife Celeste, which will be released in New Zealand this October. At 11, she was the youngest female ever nominated for a best actress Oscar for her performance in Whale Rider.
(8 May 2008)

Alternate landscapes 
From next year, the North and South Islands could be renamed in Maori. A discovery by officials that the existing names had never been adopted in law has increased pressure from Maori nationalists for the names to be dropped. However, some opposed to the idea criticised the suggestion as "political correctness of the worst kind". The New Zealand Geographic Board, the statutory body charged with gazetting placenames, said it stumbled on the anomaly after a member of the public proposed changing the name of South Island to Te Wai Pounamu, the Maori alternative. New Zealand Geographic chairman Don Grant said the board would consult Maori tribes in the next few weeks, then put up suggestions to the wider public in 2010. The names North and South Islands are thought to have been first used by European whalers and other seafarers, who placed geographical simplicity above aesthetic or historical considerations. 
(21 April 2009)

Memories of millions 
Dame Silvia Cartwright, former New Zealand Governor-General and now serving as one of five international judges on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh, has recently criticized Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's disdain for the court and for comments made that he wanted everything wrapped up as soon as possible. There are concerns that the trial of Kaing Guek Eav, or Duch, who ran Tuol Sleng torture centre and prison, could be the first and last the multi-million dollar court hears. "I would pray for this court to run out of money and for the foreign judges and prosecutors to walk out," Hun Sen said. As many as 1.7 million Cambodians perished in the Khmer Rouge reign between 1975 and 1979. "Countries where the rule of law is respected and where their citizens can be sure of a fair trial are those in which the independence of the courts and judges is guaranteed," Justice Cartwright said. "Comments, politically motivated or otherwise, which appear to be an attempt to interfere with that independence are therefore to be deplored." Justice Cartwright has also stressed the link between transparency at the court and donor willingness to contribute more funding for "the perpetually-insolvent tribunal", wrote The Phnom Penh Post in March. Justice Cartwright, who has been living in Phnom Penh since last July, has been preparing for her role by reading a mountain of evidence. "I don't think I have read everything by any stretch of the imagination but, by heaven, I've read a fair bit. It's huge," she says. New Zealander Kerry Hamill, 28, brother of rower Rob Hamill, died at the prison in 1978, where he was taken after his yacht was blown off course. 
(5 April 2009)

The power of the pedal 
New Zealand is considering building a 3,000 km bike path winding through the country in an attempt to stimulate tourism and maintain an industry central to the country's economy. The project would cost around $28 million dollars, and is one of around twenty options that the government is considering as a part of an economic stimulus. Regional councils would have to agree to the route, which would become one of the longest continuous bike routes in the world, alongside the 6,000 km North Sea Cycle Route in Europe and the 4,000 km la Route Verte, in Canada. 
(25 March 2009)

Sensitive subject 
Gisborne-born adventurer Graeme Dingle has said British author Jeffrey Archer is "dreaming" after Archer claimed that George Mallory, not Edmund Hillary, was the first to reach the summit of Everest. Archer's new book Paths of Glory, is a fictionalised account of the life of George Mallory, who died on Everest in 1924, 29 years before Hillary climbed the world's tallest peak with Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Dingle said Archer was reflecting wounded English pride at having been beaten by a colonial: "The English were desperate to get to the top, and they didn't get there, even in 1953. I think the English are pretty sensitive about it." 
(15 March 2009)

A hero honoured 
A Jack Russell Terrier from Manaia has been honored with the PDSA gold medal for sacrificing his life while protecting a group of children from two pit bull terriers. George fought off the dogs while the children ran away, ostensibly saving their lives, but had to be put down shortly thereafter due to the severity of his wounds. He is the first dog from New Zealand to receive the medal, which is the equivalent of the highest civilian honor, known ironically as the George Cross. His owner, Alan Gay, was presented the medal, saying, "He was a brilliant little dog, intelligent. You couldn't insult him. I'd call him 'dipstick' and he wouldn't have anything to do with me.'
(11 February 2009)

Pacific bikies do good 
Auckland Harley Davidson bikers, the Aotearoa Riding Pirates, are currently motoring around Tonga donating supplies to local primary schools, as well as sharing the experience of Maori heritage and culture. At a special meeting with Tonga's Minister of Education Hon. Tevita Palefau during the tour, group member Melinda Seal explained the 10-day goodwill mission. "The school children we have met and visited so far were just fascinated with the motorbikes and we even took pictures of them sitting on it," Seal said. The Aotearoa Riding Pirates include individuals from different backgrounds such as real estate agents, farmers and marketing professionals who in the past two years came together to share their passion for riding Harley Davidson's and adventures. The tour is documented on the Pirates' site: www.aotearoaridingpirates.org. 
(11 February 2009)

A hero honoured 
A Jack Russell Terrier from Manaia has been honored with the PDSA gold medal for sacrificing his life while protecting a group of children from two pit bull terriers. George fought off the dogs while the children ran away, ostensibly saving their lives, but had to be put down shortly thereafter due to the severity of his wounds. He is the first dog from New Zealand to receive the medal, which is the equivalent of the highest civilian honor, known ironically as the George Cross. His owner, Alan Gay, was presented the medal, saying, "He was a brilliant little dog, intelligent. You couldn't insult him. I'd call him 'dipstick' and he wouldn't have anything to do with me.'
(11 February 2009)

Pacific bikies do good 
Auckland Harley Davidson bikers, the Aotearoa Riding Pirates, are currently motoring around Tonga donating supplies to local primary schools, as well as sharing the experience of Maori heritage and culture. At a special meeting with Tonga's Minister of Education Hon. Tevita Palefau during the tour, group member Melinda Seal explained the 10-day goodwill mission. "The school children we have met and visited so far were just fascinated with the motorbikes and we even took pictures of them sitting on it," Seal said. The Aotearoa Riding Pirates include individuals from different backgrounds such as real estate agents, farmers and marketing professionals who in the past two years came together to share their passion for riding Harley Davidson's and adventures. The tour is documented on the Pirates' site: www.aotearoaridingpirates.org. 
(11 February 2009)

Councils make good
Christchurch and Hutt City are model municipalities and inspirations for their Canadian counterparts, according to the president of Canada's Frontier Centre for Public Policy Peter Holle. "Hutt City is winning business excellence awards against private sector organizations and Christchurch is so efficient that other municipalities look to it for guidance," writes Holle, who lists "six highly effective habits that turned these cities from zeros to heroes." One example is "Christchurch's 'traffic light' system for ensuring its goals are met. If the water fails a test, a red light is lit, and the water treatment people are responsible for making it green again. If they fail, their light goes red, and so on until the person with the ability to solve the problem does so. The city's 2007 Annual Report shows what a result-focused organization looks like: More than nine out of 10 (91 per cent) residents say their overall quality of life is good or extremely good." 
(22 September 2008)

Solomon Islands position 
New Zealander Peter Marshall has been sworn in as the Acting Police Commissioner for the Solomon Islands. Marshall has over 35 years experience across all areas of policing and since 2007 has held the role of Deputy Commissioner of Operations with the Solomon Islands. Marshall was integral in leading the police response to the tsunami and more recently during Operation Parliament. Speaking after the swearing in ceremony, Marshall was enthusiastic about his latest role. "I am very grateful to be the new Acting Commissioner. I will be leading the Police and progressing matters in a timely manner," he said. Marshall has the rank of Assistant Commissioner in the NZ Police and is on secondment to the Royal Solomon Islands Police as part of a bilateral arrangement between the two countries. 
(5 June 2008)

Police laws go wiki 
The NZ police force has used wiki-style online collaboration to update its 1958 Police Act. In September, they posted the Act online and invited contributors from all over the world to suggest their own revisions to NZ's national policing laws. "The idea was to take something that's inherently dry and intellectual and transfer it to something that's cool and innovative," says Superintendent Hamish McCardle, who is in charge of the review. The final web document will go through the usual system of checks and balances before being presented to parliament in an advisory capacity. 
(9 December 2007)

Rotorua takes root in Nanjing 
Rotorua Town is the latest in a series of namesake housing compounds to be built for China's booming upper class. Located in Nanjing, two hours from Shanghai, Rotorua Town is an upmarket gated community featuring buildings, gardens and landmarks based on the NZ city half a world away. Rotorua Town was named by developer Moon Building Group's largest shareholder, Li Shun Xiang. "Rotorua gave him a good feeling," said a Moon employee in a Waikato Times interview. "It relaxed him and made him feel very comfortable. He thinks the Chinese people work too hard and he wanted to bring the Rotorua lifestyle to this area." China already has a London Town and Cambridge Town; Waitomo Town is currently being developed in Tangshan, south of Beijing.
(November 2007)

Tokelau keeps NZ ties
Tokelau has voted to remain a NZ colony in its second referendum on the issue in 15 months. The vote for self-governance, which required a two-thirds majority, fell short by 16 ballots. "There'll be another day," said Tokelau's leader, Kuresa Nasau, in the NZ Herald. The tiny cluster of coral atolls is populated by just 1447 people, and has been under colonial government for 130 years. Despite its official status as a colony, it has effectively governed itself along traditional lines the entire time. However, those in favour of self-governance believe that cutting ties with NZ would open the country up to international aid. "With our current status as a colony, we have no political arrangement to meet China, the US and others," said Nasau. "We do not have any authority to make treaties with others." Over 6000 Tokelauans live in NZ. 
(25 October 2007)

World Environment Day in Wellington 
Wellington is to host World Environment Day 2008, the UN Environment Program has announced. The focus of next year's global celebrations will be encouraging countries, companies and communities to "Kick the habit" and make the transition to a low carbon economy and lifestyle. "New Zealand is among a pioneer group of countries committed to accelerating a transition to a low carbon and carbon-neutral economy," said UN Under-Secretary General Achim Steiner. "We are therefore delighted to be holding the main WED 2008 celebrations in Wellington and in communities across this South Pacific nation." World Environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 and is celebrated annually on June 5. 
(1 October 2007)

Nobel nomination for NZ institution 
A NZ youth development course is in the running for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The Spirit of New Zealand, a ship that takes teenagers on 10-day development workshops, is one of 21 ships that sail under the Sailing Training International banner. Run by the Spirit of Adventure Trust, the Spirit of New Zealand has hosted more than 75,000 young people over the past 35 years. "The purpose of it really is to teach kids about themselves," says Trust spokesperson John Lister. "We don't teach them how to sail the ship, we use the ship and the medium of the sea to find out about them." Sailing Training International is nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with 180 other individuals and organisations. 
(12 September 2007)

"Substantial Miscarriage" in Bain case 
Britain's Privy Council has quashed the convictions of alleged mass-murderer David Bain, set down by the New Zealand Court of Appeal in 1995. The Council ruled that a "substantial miscarriage of justice" had taken place and has ordered a retrial. Bain was convicted in May 1995 aged 22 for the murder of five family members, but the case against him has been mired in controversy ever since. Longtime Bain supporter Joe Karam and his legal team took his case to the Privy Council after failing in a series of attempts to have it retried by the Court of Appeal. According to the Council's Law Lords, the issue of Bain's guilt "is one for a properly informed and directed jury, not for an appellate court. Even a guilty defendant is entitled to such a trial." A decision regarding a retrial will be made by NZ's Solicitor-General, Dr David Collins QC. On Tuesday 15 May, Justice John Fogarty ruled that David Bain be released on bail to live at Karam's property in Te Kauwhata, south of Auckland.
(15 May 2007)

Half-way happy 
NZ ranks 94th out of 178 countries in the inaugural Happy Planet Index, produced by independent British "think-and-do tank" the New Economics Foundation. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) measures human well-being in relation to ecological efficiency, using the three values of life satisfaction, life expectancy and ecological footprint. NZ scored 7.4, 79.1 and 5.5 in each respective category, earning a total HPI rating of 41.9. The top five spots went to Vanuatu, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama, with NZ neighbour Western Samoa coming in at number 14. Britain placed 108th, Australia 139th and the US 150th.
(August 2006)

Camera obscura
When is a pin-hoe camera a pen-hole camera? When the person issuing the instructs has a strong New Zealand accent...
(17 June 2001)
     

Tests of nationhood
"If you asked a random person how one can tell China and France are different nations, almost every test they would probably offer-language, culture, race, religion, cuisine, origins - would fail to distinguish the Kiwis from the Aussies. In the end, you would have to say that Australia and New Zealand form two nations rather than one because their citizens feel that they should be so."
(21 April 2001)
    

Strenuous Endeavour
"How a poor Yorkshire farm boy became a saltwater giant is an incredible tale. Formally speaking, 40-year-old Cook wasn't even a captain when, over considerable objection, he was appointed master of a naval ship to undertake an expedition of scientific inquiry into the Pacific, as well as secretly scouting for prospective British possessions."
(11 March 2001)
       

Fit to judge?
New Zealand research shows juries have "fairly fundamental" misunderstandings of the law in over 70% of cases.
(28 January 2001)
           

Fly away nanny
Free trips home to New Zealand are among the perks offered to nannies in London's tight market.
(26 January 2001) 
         

Girl power
Women leaders are where it's at says the The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasian leadership conference.
(20 January 2001)
           

On top of the world
Sir Edmund Hillary had a brush with altitude sickness, but has made a full recovery, returning to the Nepalese hospital two days after he was discharged to inaugurate a new children's ward. 
(12 April 2001)
             

Argument success
The New Zealand Schools' Debating Team carried their point, finishing sixth at the World Schools' Debating Championships in Johannesburg.
(20 February 2001)
           

Refresher course
"New Zealand celebrates its National Day today. Situated in the South Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia, it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It has an area of 270,534 square kilometers. Its capital is Wellington. Auckland is the country's largest city and leading port..."
(6 February 2001)

Tom the Pole
Stationed in New Zealand in 1901, Irish Navy-man Tom Crean managed to get a place in Scott's Antarctic expedition.
(5 December 2000)
        

Circus ribbons
Wellington performers staged a twelve hour festival in support of international White Ribbon Day, organised to raise awareness of violence against women.
(25 November 2000)

Brain Gain: happy consultants flock in
On-island media has been hyping the "Brain Drain", but check out the opposite story: "Last year, a few of my friends from Gujarat migrated to New Zealand. They are very happy. I was thinking to procure a job in America, go there on a H-1B visa, thereafter obtain a green card and settle there. Now I am thinking to migrate to New Zealand as a computer consultant." Sudhir Shah.
(05 September 2000)