Ever since Columbus didn't dip over the precipice and disappear into the cosmos, or the first images of the earth's circumference from space were beamed back out to TV screens, people have taken easy comfort in the spherical outlines of planet earth - but no more - every week across (not around) the planet, thousands of New Zealanders are - upsetting assumptions, rocking equilibriums and putting the edge back into the globe.
Click on logos to read full article
    

     
 

  
ARTS
Architecture | Dance  | Film & TV
Lord of the Rings | Media | Music 
Opera | Russell Crowe | Theatre
Visual Arts/Museum | Writers
INNOVATION
Business | Medicine and Health 
Science & Technology
SOCIETY
Births & Deaths | Te Ao Maori 
Community/General
| Education 
War & Peace | Nature | Spirituality
Politics & Economics | Z-Files
SPORT
America's Cup | Cricket | Golf 
Rugby | Sport General
Watersports
STYLE
Design | Fashion | Taste | Wine
TRAVEL
Adrenalin | New Zealand


Note: links in archived stories may have expired due to the removal of the stories from, or changes to, the websites from which they were derived.


Newzedge Researcher:
CLARE MARSHALL 
newzedge@nzedge.com

Web Publisher
CARLA HOFLER
carla@nzedge.com

Editor
PAUL WARD
paul@nzedge.com

Executive Producer
BRIAN SWEENEY
brian@nzedge.com



 
Read New York Times story
Aotearoa in demand
New York Times article asks ‘what’s next?’ of the post-Rings NZ film industry. Insiders predict a slew of big budget international projects, thanks to the government’s recent promise that it would reimburse 12.5% of the production costs of films with budgets exceeding $10 million. First to benefit from the grant is The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson (Shrek) and co-financed by Walt Disney Studios and Walden Media.
(12 February 2004)
   



   

Go to Guardian story
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 direct the BBC's coverage of the 2002  Commonwealth Games in Manchester - the latter winning both Bafta and RTS awards. "Malcolm was an extraordinarily gifted director," said BBC Director of Sport, Peter Salmon. "From enormous sporting occasions such as the Commonwealth Games to World Darts from Frimley, Malcolm brought originality, flair and confidence to any project he touched."
(6 April 2004)
(Registration site)



Go to BBC Newsround article

Go to BBC Newsround article
Little Sis at #3.

New Zealand-born Daniel Bedingfield's younger sister Natasha enters the UK charts at #3 with her single "Single". The album is quite "streety", it is quite RB-ish, with a bit of regae and a couple of different styles. Very London in that sounds, very multi-cultural, but very soul. "It is like the soul voice is what unites it all".
(May 2 2004)



Read Independent story

Read Independent story
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 post-modernist architect, who was a NZ resident from the early 1970s to his death in 2000. Due to the stench caused by large numbers of visitors to the toilets, the Kawakawa community board has proposed turning them into a non-functioning art work. The international Hundertwasser Foundation calls the idea “a betrayal to Hundertwasser and his legacy to Kawakawa.” Hundertwasser’s former assistant, Richard Smart, agrees: “He was saying you can take the simplest, most boring, most ugly building and make it into something beautiful.”
(28 March 2004)    


Go to Scotman.com artical
Stead's dazzling portrait.
CK Stead's novel about Katherine Mansfield succeeds on several levels, portraying Mansfield as human, flawed, in love, highly intelligent and excited about her career. He believes that what is important is the life and work of our great writers, and not the manner of their death. "A fine achievement, rich in sobriety and purpose, in warmth and dazzling light."
(May 16 2004)
Go to Scotman.com artical


Read Times story
Read Times story
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 world, a feat which part-owner Heather Smith Martin likens to Frodo and Sam successfully returning the ring to Mt Doom.  "
The reception around the world has been really strong," says her husband and business partner, Andrew Martin. "We've got wonderful people involved with the company, so I think we can just keep growing it and making it a really successful New Zealand brand."
(27 February 2004)

   



Read I4U story
Rread I4U story

Humdinga
Alan Gibbs launches the Gibbs Humdinga at the Motor Show in Birmingham. A V8 350 bhp five seater go-anywhere machine, the Humdinga reaching 160 km/h on land and 48 km/h on the water. Says Gibbs, "There is vastly more suitable water for mankind to enjoy than mountains to drive over." Meanwhile the Gibbs Aquada continues its thrill-a-second ride as BBC correspondent David Gregory unstraps himself: "I have never had so much fun in a car." And Virgin Atlantic Airways Chairman Sir Richard Branson has set a new record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle. (90 minutes). Alan Gibbs has slashed the price of the Aquada in half because response has been such that the company will increase production substantially. Ticket price is $190K NZ plus GST, or £75K including VAT.
(19 May 2004)

Go to Guardian story
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 direct the BBC's coverage of the 2002  Commonwealth Games in Manchester - the latter winning both Bafta and RTS awards. "Malcolm was an extraordinarily gifted director," said BBC Director of Sport, Peter Salmon. "From enormous sporting occasions such as the Commonwealth Games to World Darts from Frimley, Malcolm brought originality, flair and confidence to any project he touched."
(6 April 2004)
(Registration site)


Read SF Gate story
Read SF Gate story
"For many NZ is the new utopia"
The flood of US immigrants seeking a better life in NZ continues - with good reason, according to a lengthy San Francisco Gate article. "It's like California, it's like San Francisco, it's like the Old West. But better. For those of us raised with a typical cartography centered on the Northern Hemisphere, NZ has always represented the edge of the earth. But since Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings has turned the NZ capital of Wellington into a burgeoning Wollywood and 9/11 has made escaping to "Middle-earth" look increasingly attractive, NZ has experienced a rush of immigration and foreign real estate investment." Currently, 40% of foreign investments in NZ have US involvement. The figure seems set to rise, thanks to an active recruiting campaign of skilled Americans by the Helen Clark's Labour government.
(20 April 2004)
    



Read Dawn story

Read Dawn story    
History made by "best side ever"
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 of the 5-1 victory. "
It's a wonderful day to create history and we've done it pretty well." Records continued to fall in the ensuing Test series, in which NZ achieved its highest ever score against South Africa (584-8), Scott Styris posted the best score by a NZ batter against South Africa (170), and Chris Cairns made an astonishing 100 runs in one session, racing from 53 to 158 between tea and stumps. Former NZ wicket-keeper, Ian Smith, called the side the "best ever" - high praise indeed coming from a member of NZ's 1980s super-team. Despite the Black Caps' top form, the Test series eventually ended in a draw.
(18-31 March 2004)
  


Jack Foster
Read Runners Web story
Jack Foster, 71

Legendary marathoner Jack Foster died after a cycling accident south of Rotorua. He was the marathon silver medallist at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, where he set his personal best time at the age of 41.
(6 June 2004)


Read BiZBash story
Read BiZBash story
Oh Happy Days
Auckland performance producers, designers, choreographers and maestros-in-general Mike Mizrahi and Marie Adams and a team of 150 created Louis Vuitton's 150th anniversary celebrations around the world with the new LV store at 5th and 57th being the centerpiece: "The real surprise was the mix of performance art-style entertainment. Models dressed as old-fashioned travelers carrying Louis Vuitton luggage moved in and out of the video screen wall. Acrobats jumped out of spaces in the wall, down onto hidden trampolines and flipped in synchronicity with the music and each other. And as a finale, a gospel choir belted out "Oh, Happy Day" as a makeshift Eiffel Tower constructed completely of Louis Vuitton luggage rose up from the ground, and the crowd cheered wildly. "
(10 February 2004)


Go to Lord of the Reds' article
Otago is "Lord of the Reds"
"The Pinot Noir grail is to be found in Central Otago," writes British wine expert Janice Robinson in the latest World Atlas of Wine. The availability of Pinot Noir and other New Zealand wines in Tokyo has been greatly enhanced by the opening of Aotea Rangi Restaurant in Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Manager Takeshi Ishiguro returned from a visit to New Zealand so inspired that he opened a restaurant dedicated solely to New Zealand seafoods and wine, including a broad selection of Central Otago Pinots.
(May 14 2004)




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 spate of Rings-related travel stories, in the Scotsman, Boston Herald, Taipei Times. The breathtaking Taranaki backdrop in The Last Samurai is another reason to take the long-haul flight, according to a second Scotsman article.
(22 March 2004)
(CNN link expired)
  



Read Post article
Best of the rest
Sunday Business Post writer decides to test the theory that NZ is "the most beautiful place in the world," and finds the statement to be no exaggeration. "There is simply no enviable natural feature that New Zealand does not have, barring a desert or, perhaps, salt flats ... If you cherry-picked the best of the Alps, the Caribbean, Scandinavia and Ireland and crammed it all into two islands the size of Britain, you'd have New Zealand."
(8 February 2004)
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Go to Times story
Black sticks blitz
The NZ women's hockey team emerged victorious from its 4-Test series against India in May. The Kiwis took an unbeatable lead by drawing the third Test after winning the first two. 
(9 May 2004)
   
 


 



 














 


Read LA Times obituary
Read LA Times obituary
"The New Zealand native who helped open the door to the stars"
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 Pickering rose to prominence as Director of the US Air Force's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was in this capacity that he oversaw America's first successful space flight and subsequent decades of planetary discovery. "
Dr Pickering was one of the titans of our nation's space program," said current JPL director, Charles Elachi. "It was his leadership that took America into space and opened up the moon and planets to the world." Similarly glowing epitaphs appeared in the New York Times, Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, and Independent. "[He] brought a vision and passion to space exploration that was remarkable," said NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science, Ed Weiler, in Pickering's official obituary. "His pioneering work is the very foundation we have built upon to explore our solar system and beyond."
(17 March 2004)
(Free registration site)
William Pickering   



Go to IFP website
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 coming of age, and of a proud Maori community's struggle to embrace new ways of thinking.”
(28 February 2004)
   



Read SMH story
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.
(22 February 2004)
    



Read Time article
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 country's dreamscape left for those who want wide-screen scenery but don't care for Middle Earth hype.”
(29 March 2004)
Read Time article
     


Read Guardian story
Garland Coma
New Zealand-born political cartoonist for the Daily Telegraph since 1966, Nicholas Garland has provided 40 woodcut illustrations for the new Novela by son Alex "The Beach" Garland. The book describes the dream-like interior life of a man left permanently semi-conscious after being beaten up on a train. Garland senior, now knighted, drew the original satirical comic strip The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie for Private Eye in the 1960s.
(27 June 2004)



Go to Yen website

'Curvy'
Edge to the curve
NZ artists Claire Hammon and Nadia Hunt took part in the inaugural Curvy Exhibition, organised by Australia's Yen magazine and M-One-11 clothing. Curvy was set up to promote the best of female design worldwide -  encompassing illustration, graffiti, photography, graphics, and animation. After its opening in Sydney, Curvy will show in Auckland,
London, LA, Tokyo, Toronto, Milan, Paris, Barcelona, Singapore and Sao Paulo. The exhibition is also available in book form (pictured above).
(June 2004)
   


 

Read Guardian story
Warner devours Cannibal Dog

Marina Warner recommends Anne Salmond’s The Trial of the Cannibal Dog: Captain Cook in the South Seas as essential holiday reading in the Guardian’s annual summer poll of leading authors, journalists, and critics. “The historian Anne Salmond writes with passion and a sense of human drama rare in the politically sensitive field of empire [Cannibal Dog] is her latest: a magnum opus, it combines stirring adventures on the high seas with eye-opening, original historiography.”
(19 June 2004)
'The Trial of the Cannibal Dog'
    




Read Guardian obituary

"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 in 1964. As well as penning numerous acclaimed works of non-fiction and fiction, Morris founded the Melbourne University Criminology Department, the UN Institute in Tokyo, the Centre for Criminal Studies in Chicago, and the world's preeminent criminology journal, Crime and Justice: A Review of Research. According to the Guardian, "He was an institution-builder of unmatched influence, and his ideas about punishment have transformed the ways people think."
(9 April 2004)    


Go to Bio2004 website
World class
Dr John Bedbrook, President and CEO of American GM crop developer Verdia, has returned to his native NZ as part of the government's World Class New Zealanders business advisory program. Bedbrook recently spoke at the Bio2004 convention in San Francisco.
(June 2004)
    



Read Go article

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 to nurture countless unknown species. The scientists involved compare the magnitude of their undertaking to NASA’s current exploration of Mars.
(16 February 2004)
   



Read Herald story
Far and away
A team of NZ and Japanese astronomers at Mount John Observatory have discovered Earth's most distant planetary neighbour. The planet - which is about the size of Jupiter - was located 17,000 light years away, in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy. Japan's Nagoya University has since promised a new multimillion dollar telescope for the South Island observatory, which is surrounded by clear, dry air perfect for star-gazing.
(26 April 2004)
   


Go to BBC story
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 native tongue. Programs include daily news and weather reporting with a Maori perspective, subtitled dramas, and traditional cooking shows. “The launch of Maori television is yet another milestone for us and our language,” said academic Huirangi Waikerepuru.
(26 March 2004)   


Flax
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 marketplace. They offer a rainbow of colour and exciting form all year without flowers. This quintessential plant of mid-century modern freeways is coming round again, this time with a whole new look and feel. Its size may have been civilized, but the colours have definitely gone wild.”
(12 April 2004)
  



Read LA Times article

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 New Zealand line draws inspiration from “New Zealand’s extraordinary natural beauty, unspoiled ecosystems, and varied terrain. This fresh, green, outdoor fragrance blends notes of plant leaves, barks, grass, snow, ocean, river, and stone. It is a unique combination of the floral of the lowland rainforests of southwestern New Zealand; the rich, loamy soil that develops under the canopy of the rain forest; and the pure, unspoiled rainwater that makes the lush and varied vegetation possible.”
(26 February 2004)
(Free registration site)
Read LA Times article  




The Black Sticks
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 Clarke, a veteran of the last three challenges: “To go to one is very special. To make a third is fantastic.”
(25 March 2004)
(link expired)
    


Read Business Post article
Ora Garden of well-being
Edge of Eden
A NZ themed garden is to feature at the most prestigious horticultural event of the year - the RHS Chelsea Garden Show, May 25-8. The 100% Pure NZ Ora Garden of well-being is inspired by Maori mythology surrounding Mt Ngongotaha in the central North Island. Designed by
Kim Jarrett and Trish Waugh, the display includes living tree fern sculptures by master carver Lyonel Grant.
(25 April 2004)
 



Read Post article

Read Post article
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 “impressing diners and restaurant reviewers with dishes like kangaroo with coriander falafel, grilled ox tongue and New Zealand snapper,” Farmerie is reportedly turning the heads of female foodies with his “boyish good looks.”
(7 March 2004)
   


Read Observer story
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, but in boxing argot it punches above its weight. It has also achieved the near miraculous feat of persuading us Brits to spend more than £5 on a bottle … People clearly believe that NZ gives them what they pay for.” Atkin’s “4 great wines with the taste of NZ;” 2002 Esk Valley Black Label Merlot/Cabernet/ Malbec, 2002 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay, 2002 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, and 2002 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir. The Star Bulletin’s Roberto Viernes agrees with Atkin’s pronouncement on NZ viticulture’s shifting strengths: “There is no doubt that NZ is already a proven leader among quality producers of sauvignon blanc. Now it is making a splash with pinot noirs that rival the best from California, and in general at better prices.” His picks: Crossings Winery Pinot Noir (Marlborough) and Ata Rangi Pinot Noir (Martinborough).
(22 February 2004)
   



Go to Star article
Northern exposure
Philippine Star travel writer makes a good stab at the North Island, with a two-part article relating his adventures. The first piece covers Auckland and the Waikato, the second, Waitomo, the Coromandel, and Rotorua. Favourite spots include Hot Water Beach, the Otorohanga Kiwi House, and the Waitomo Caves.
(1 February 2004)
   


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Nesta profile
Carol Brown
Pushing the boundaries
Dunedin born dancer/choreographer Carol Brown has won two major European awards; the NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts) Dream Time Award in the UK, and the Ludwig Forum International Art Prize for Innovation in Germany. Brown is renowned for her ground-breaking approach to her medium, which is typified by collaborations with artists of other media and a blurring of traditional dance boundaries. “I see theatre space as both a physical stage for the meeting of bodies and a site for the intersection of bodies of thought,” she says.
(June 2004)
   


 

Go to Berlinale site
Go to Berlinale site
Two Cars, too beautiful
Two Cars, One Night by Taika Waititi was named Best Short Film at Germany’s prestigious Berlinale festival. The film, which also showed at Sundance 2003, explores the relationship which develops between two children while waiting for their parents at a rural NZ pub. Said the Berlinale judges; “This beautifully photographed black-and-white film reflects human codes and behaviour in a charming and poetic way.”
(10 February 2004)   



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. "We have enjoyed a wonderful opportunity to create a fantastical world around the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien," says Weta Workshop founder Richard Taylor. "It is therefore a great treat to be able to create our own world for Jane and her Dragon."
(2 April 2004)
Read Yahoo story
(
link expired)


Read Citizens for NYC story
Roberts New Yorker for NY.
The Citizens for NYC awarded their 2004 New Yorker for New York award to Kevin Roberts at a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, also honouring Walter Cronkite, Nane Annan and Kati Marton. “The Saatchi & Saatchi family exemplifies this spirit of public service that is at the Citizens for NYC’s core.” In accepting, Roberts says he is fortunate to live on the island at the centre of the world, and also the ones on the edge.
(5 April 2004)



Read Post-Gazette story

'Resonance'
Edge dimension
Textile artist Clare Plug contributed two works to the Fiberart International 2004 biennial, which recently moved to New York’s Museum of Arts & Design from the Pittsburgh Centre of the Arts. A review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes her pieces, Resonance and Promenade, as “exceptional … tactile and dimensionally illusional.”
(31 July 2004)
   



Read Age article

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 few artists enjoying a successful trans-Tasman career, and addresses the film industry phenomenon that is Peter Jackson (“Before Peter, people like Jane Campion had to go overseas to build their careers.”) NZ film commission head, Ruth Harley, suggests forming Tasman Inc. to promote industry development on both sides of the ocean: “The Scandinavians do it and so, on a broader scale, does the European industry as a whole. There is already a good level of collaboration, but I don't think that Australians realise the NZ industry is relevant.” Post-Oscars claims of an Antipodean invasion of Hollywood - such as the Guardian's 'The Australasians are coming!' -   hint at a powerful and unified strength amassing Down Under; perhaps it's time to make it official.
(24 March 2004)
   


 

Read Guardian review
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 by Cathcart as "the battleship of physics" in what Popular Science calls "a fascinating story [told] superbly well."
(7 March 2004)
    


Read Silver Bullet story
Read Silver Bullet story
Comic genius
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 acclaimed White Trash and Rolling Red Knuckles series, the latter of which earned him a cult following in Japan. An inspiration to his Kiwi contemporaries, Emond worked with US giants Marvel and DC Comics, and collaborated with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman, hardcore rocker Glen Danzig, and Tundra’s Gordon Rennie. He was working on an animated version of Rolling Red Knuckles for Pirate.Net, a subsidiary of Fox TV, when he died. Silver Bullet described him as “a prolific creator who worked to support up and coming artists and never let success go to his head.” see also NZ Listener obituary
(20 March 2004)
Read Silver Bullet story
    



Read Beirut Financial story

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 version of the system, which is already being used by channels in Australia, Europe, Dubai, Turkey, Beirut, Saudi Arabia and Asia. "That the world's leading weather broadcaster has chosen MetService staff and products to update its weather presentation is a real endorsement of our people and their skills, " said CEO John Lumsden. "The original software development has well and truly paid for itself, and we've got great hopes for this new version, Weatherscape XT."
(13 March 2004)
Read Beirut Financial story
   


Read Guardian obituary
Read Guardian obituary
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 Janet Frame - King was honoured last year as a "giant kauri" of NZ literature at the inaugural Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement, and named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald. His Penguin History of New Zealand has sold a staggering 70,000 copies since its publication last October, highlighting the great esteem in which he is held by everyday New Zealanders as a chronicler of their times. King was killed instantly in a car crash on March 30 - along with his wife Maria Jungowska - just weeks after announcing his full recovery from throat cancer.
(31 March 2004)  


Go to Indystar article
Review of the Market Years
Illinois' Hillsdale College, published an overview of New Zealand Government reforms in the 80s and 90s, penned by former NZ MP Maurice McTigue. The article argued that high living standards result from significant ingenuity operating in a free market environment, not from protectionism, taxation and layers of Government.
(May 15 2004)



Read Business Day story

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 seconds - shaving nearly 6 days off the previous record. Fossett's 38m maxi-catamaran - Cheyenne - was built in Auckland by Cookson Boats.
(7 April 2004)
   


Go to Mongolia site
Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset
A race of extremes
John O’Loghlen (NZ investment banker at Goldman Sachs, NY) and Rosa Volz (Wellington IT worker) were the first non-Mongolian man and woman respectively to finish the 42km Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Marathon, “one of the toughest and most unusual [races] in the world.” Fellow Kiwis John Peterson and Paul O'Connor also took part, with Peterson the first non-Mongolian veteran to cross the finish line. The race’s difficulty lies in its altitudinal extremities: runners climb to 1650m above sea level, to 2300m, back to 1700, up again to 2100 and back down to about 1650. Read O’Loghlen’s account of his experience in the Listener.
(14 June 2004)
   





Docherty takes on the world ... and wins
Bevan Docherty won gold at the 2004 Triathlon World Championship in Funchal, Madeira. Fellow Kiwis Hamish Carter and Shane Reed came in at 6th and 7th place, respectively, with Samantha Warriner finishing 13th in the women's event. Debbie Tanner came 5th in the women's under-23 race.
(9 May 2004)
(link expired)    


 

Go to chick site
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, Australia. She has since been promoted to head women’s wear designer, and releases her first range in October.
(March 2004)
(no link avaliable)
  



Read Age story

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 much finer and lighter in structure than the warm, ripe Aussie shiraz we are used to." Recommended are Craggy Range 2001 Le Sol Syrah and 2001 Block 14 Syrah, and Te Mata 2002 Bullnose Syrah and 2002 Woodthorpe Syrah-Viognier.
(24 February 2004)
   


Whale Watch
Up close and personal
Kaikoura features in the Guardian’s top ten whale-watching tours around the world. “Head to [Whale Watch] for an excellent chance of seeing 66-foot sperm whales … humpbacks whales, killer whales (orca), and the small Hectors dolphin, a NZ native arriving during June and July.”
(17 April 2004)
  



Read LA Times story

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 youth hostels in the world, NZ has been the country to watch for innovative services for young travellers.”
(15 February 2004)
(Free registration site)
    



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 


Keisha Castle-Hughes
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 Best Actress category. Her engagements included presenting The Simpsons creators with an animation prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, featuring as a guest on Oprah, and attending the Independent Spirit Awards with Peter Jackson. Castle-Hughes wore a dress by NZ designer Liz Mitchell to the Oscars, with a whale pin in her hair for good luck.
(28 February 2004)
( link expired)
Keisha Castle-Hughes
   


 

Read BBC story
Read BBC story
Homecoming King
2,500 fans took part in a "low-key" ceremony to honour Peter Jackson and fellow Oscar winners at the Wellington Events Centre. Jackson and co each received a glass goblet to add to their already overflowing mantlepieces, as well as a glowing mayoral address. Jackson has been profiled by almost every major news source since his triumph at the Oscars, including CNN and the BBC. Said the BBC, "[His] native NZ has always reserved its greatest adulation for sporting giants like Richard Hadlee and Jonah Lomu but a place must now be found on the victory dais for director Peter Jackson."
(February - March 2004)
   


Read IC Newcastle story
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 reputation for cutting edge technology, strong support of new businesses, and relatively cheap employment costs as reasons behind the move, which he describes as “a life dream.”
(31 March 2004)
   



Read Independent story

Read Independent story
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 the Taranaki-born MC's debut album, Lyric on My Lip. MC Tali honed her skills in Melbourne before making a name for herself in Bristol, one of the toughest and most influential drum&bass scenes in the world. Lyric was produced by Tali's mentor, Roni Size, and released on his acclaimed Full Cycle label.
(5 March 2004)   


Go to Conical homepage
Go to Conical homepage
Tales from the city's edge
Canterbury School of Fine Arts graduates Kent Bell, Sara Givins, Damon MacLeod, Rachel Brown, and Reece Sanders have mounted a joint exhibition at Melbourne's Conical Gallery, running April 23 - May 8. Entitled City Psyche, the show wittily explores the often tenuous relationship between fantasy and reality informing our everyday urban existence.
(23 April 2004)
    


Read NY Times review
Read NY Times review
History goes digital
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 digital video installation, Native Portraits n.19897, is identified as the show’s “standout.” In the piece, Reihana and friends assume different roles and costumes to re-enact (and re-work) the 19th century studio photographs of Maori individuals and families. Says the Times reviewer, “A beautifully executed examination of the intricacies, intimacies, manipulations and betrayals that underlie relationships built on colonialism, Ms. Reihana's piece is highly specific, universally applicable and utterly legible. However, it is far from the only reason to visit this instructive exhibition.”
(5 March 2004)
(Free registration site)   



Read Guardian obituary

Read Guardian obituary
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 Janet Frame - King was honoured last year as a "giant kauri" of NZ literature at the inaugural Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement, and named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald. His Penguin History of New Zealand has sold a staggering 70,000 copies since its publication last October, highlighting the great esteem in which he is held by everyday New Zealanders as a chronicler of their times. King was killed instantly in a car crash on March 30 - along with his wife Maria Jungowska - just weeks after announcing his full recovery from throat cancer.
(31 March 2004)  



Read London Media report

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 described as "revolutionary" by film industry insiders. "What took 5 hours of intensive splicing by sound engineers can now be done automatically by Virtual Katy in a mere 10 minutes," says founder John McKay.
(12 March 2004)
( link expired)


See Stanford university article
See Stanford University article
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 in Western Political Thought (1979), Justice, Gender and the Family (1989), and Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? (1999) – Okin was one of the leading feminist voices in the study of Western family and employment law. She died aged 57.
(12 March 2004)
    


Go to Mercer website
Go to Mercer website
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 from the key markets of Europe, North America and Asia, NZ cities are a great destination for businesses to locate themselves in as they provide political stability, high levels of health care and sanitation, and access to key amenities." Zurich and Geneva topped the list for the second year running.
(2 March 2004)  


 

Read Japan Times story
Read Japan Times story
Edge eco-system
The unique bird-life native to NZ and its surrounding islands is the subject of major articles in the Japan and New York Times. The first, by a Japan-based natural historian, expresses wonder "that a handful of species have not only made it as visitors, but have set up home there, establishing longstanding populations," while the latter addresses the remarkable effort on the part of NZ scientists and citizens to prevent the extinction of national icons such as the yellow-eyed penguin and kiwi.
(19 February  2004)
   


 

Go to Business Day story
Hero's exit for Cairns
Chris Cairns retired from international Test cricket with a bang on the Black Caps tour of England. In the second Test he beat Viv Richards' previous record of 84 Test sixes, knocking four sixes and 10 fours in his 82-run innings. On the last day of the third Test - his birthday - Cairns was agonizingly close to a 10-wicket haul. As it was, he took 12 wickets in the series - double the amount of any other NZ bowler on the tour. Cairns will continue to play one-day internationals.
(May-June 2004)
   




World
26 reasons to love NZ
Australian Harper’s Bazaar gives an A-Z run down of Kiwi style in response to last year’s Loreal New Zealand Fashion Week. Beneath the header “small enough to get seriously edgy, big enough to do it in style,” the article covers everything from Auckland city and upcoming Wellington based designer Angeline Harrington, to “cult” label Zambesi. The ‘E’ section is devoted to all things edgy: “Forget florals. The best NZ design is brooding, dangerous and not afraid to be difficult.”
(March 2004)
(no link avaliable)



Read SMH article

Read SMH article
Fashion's high fliers
Air NZ has launched a much-needed overhaul of its flight attendants' uniforms (last updated in 1991), with Elisabeth and Neville Findlay of Zambesi at the helm. The airline was recently announced as the new naming-rights  sponsor of NZ Fashion Week, so obviously needs to look the part.  
(4 May 2004)
   



Read New Scientist story

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 challenges seriously. Their management of resources should be examples for many others."
(4 March 2004)
   



Read The Jakarta Post article

Walking the South Island 
Berni Moestafa, contributor from Jakata, walks part of the South Island. "New Zealand has many faces. It is a sub-tropical forest with lush ferns and unusual old trees, or a strip of perfect white beach, an underground world of moist … caves; not just about mountains and lakes. There is much to see for a country about twice the size of Java. A third of the land is protected and despite much … wilderness the country is free of dangerous and poisonous animals, all this means to communicate … which the country benefits through a well-developed tourism industry.
(May 16 2004)



Read SMH article

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, Jim Carrey, Angelina Jolie and Uma Thurman, some serious star-spotting could be on the cards.
(29 February 2004)
   


Read Age story
Read Age story
Café crawl
An Age tour of Wellington's thriving café scene includes stops at Fidel's, Pravda, Red Square, Espressoholic, and Lido. According to interviewee and Fidel's owner, Roger Young, "There are some of the best cafés in the world here. It's because the owners are varied and lively, and really enjoy what they do. That's why I do it."
(8 May 2004)
(Registration site)    


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Age story
Kiwi cuisine
The NZ Film Commission party provided the best food at Cannes, according to a festival in the Age. The NZFC flew in six top chefs from Auckland for the event.
(23 May 2004)
  

 

 Design and concept copyright nzedge.com

 


Top of Page


Home | About | Top 10 | Heroes | Features | Gallery | Media  
Contact | Updates | Links | Mailbox | Speeches | Shop