News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Portia Woodman Makes Top 10 Most Influential

Portia Woodman Makes Top 10 Most Influential

Black Ferns winger Portia Woodman, 27, has made the top 10 on a list of rugby union’s most influential people, ahead of any of her male All Blacks counterparts and two spots below All…

Young Surfer Ariana Shewry off to California

Young Surfer Ariana Shewry off to California

In October, Oakura surfer Ariana Shewry will fly to Huntington Beach in California to represent New Zealand at the world junior champs. The 15-year-old recently took visual journalists Andy Jackson and Simon O’Connor on…

Double World Champions: Men Match Women’s Achievement

Double World Champions: Men Match Women’s Achievement

For only the second time in world rugby sevens history, the New Zealand men’s and women’s teams have won their respective World Cups, with the men sealing the rare accomplishment with a 33-12 win…

Finding Keith Murdoch Four Decades On

Finding Keith Murdoch Four Decades On

His closest friends in a remote town in the Australian outback had no idea who he was. Now that former All Black Keith Murdoch is dead at 74, the story of the man who…

Why New Zealand “Still Rules the High Seas of Rugby”

Why New Zealand “Still Rules the High Seas of Rugby”

“The flag which flutters highest on the masthead of world rugby is still all black in colour. It does not have a skull-and-crossbones on it, but when it hoves into view everyone knows its…

Israel Adesanya Might Be the UFC’s next Superhero

Israel Adesanya Might Be the UFC’s next Superhero

Nigeria-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya “is one of the ‘The Last Stylebender’ … It’s a reference to Avatar: The Last…

Wayne Pivac to Succeed Warren Gatland as Wales Coach

Wayne Pivac to Succeed Warren Gatland as Wales Coach

“Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac will succeed Warren Gatland as Wales coach on a four-year deal.” BBC reports. “Gatland is stepping down after the 2019 World Cup in Japan and…

Richard Hadlee’s the Best Bowling of All Time

Richard Hadlee’s the Best Bowling of All Time

New Zealand cricket legend Richard Hadlee has claimed top spot in ESPNcricinfo’s ‘Top 25 Bowling Performances of All Time’. ESPNcricinfo blogger Anantha Narayanan provides a table current up to the West Indies-Sri Lanka St Lucia…

Robert Whittaker Named Fighter of the Year

Robert Whittaker Named Fighter of the Year

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, New Zealand-born Robert Whittaker has been named International Fighter of the Year at the World MMA Awards in Las Vegas, United States. The honour follows a 12-month period that…

Kayaker Paddles from Australia to New Zealand

Kayaker Paddles from Australia to New Zealand

“Scott Donaldson has arrived in New Plymouth after spending two months at sea, covering 2000km,” as reported in The Guardian. “The 48-year-old has become the first person to kayak the…

Raelene Castle Riding the Wave

Raelene Castle Riding the Wave

In Raelene Castle’s six months at the helm of Rugby Australia, Australia’s men and women sevens teams triumphed on home soil, Israel Folau plunged the sport into controversy with a single Instagram comment, Super…

Teen Amelia Kerr Hits Highest Women’s ODI Score

Teen Amelia Kerr Hits Highest Women’s ODI Score

Wellington-born Amelia Kerr, 17, has struck the highest individual score in Women’s ODIs with an unbeaten 232 against Ireland in the third ODI in Dublin. The Tawa College student hit 31 fours and two sixes…

Everest for the Time-Pressed Executive

Everest for the Time-Pressed Executive

On the fourth week of their historic assault on Everest in 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were still establishing base camp after the long trek from Kathmandu. It would…

Joseph Parker to Box Dillian Whyte in London

Joseph Parker to Box Dillian Whyte in London

Joseph Parker probably did not expect to return to Britain within three months of losing his WBO heavyweight title to Anthony Joshua, but the South Aucklander was back in London, smartly suited up at The…

NZ Female Cricketers Make World’s Best List

NZ Female Cricketers Make World’s Best List

A Guardian newspaper panel of 15 experts compiled a list of the globe’s top 20 greatest female players, which includes Dunedin-born Suzie Bates (pictured), 30, Christchurch-born Amy Satterthwaite, 31, and Sophie Devine, 28, from…

Steven Adams One of World’s Highest Paid Athletes

Steven Adams One of World’s Highest Paid Athletes

New Zealander Steven Adams, 24, professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA), has made the annual Forbes World’s Highest Paid Athletes list. According to Forbes, “the 100 top-earning…

Rugby Player James Lowe on Food for Performance

Rugby Player James Lowe on Food for Performance

He’s played for the Māori All Blacks and he’s currently signed to European champions Leinster, so if there is anyone who can talk about fuelling their body for optimal performance it is 25-year-old professional…

Giants Co-Captain Ngawai Eyles Settles In

Giants Co-Captain Ngawai Eyles Settles In

New Zealand-born Canberra Giants recruit Ngawai Eyles is thriving in her role as a co-captain, declaring she “loves life in the capital” after moving to the city to support her ACT Brumbies partner, flyhalf…

Win for Kayaking Duo in Germany

Win for Kayaking Duo in Germany

World Champions New Zealanders Lisa Carrington, 28, and Caitlin Ryan, 26, have won a convincing gold medal in the K2 500m at World Cup 2 in Duisburg, Germany, Radio New Zealand reports. The pair, who…

Mikayla Werahiko Glad She Chose Maryland Softball

Mikayla Werahiko Glad She Chose Maryland Softball

Infielder Mikayla Werahiko, 22, was apprehensive when New Zealand national team coach Kevin Gettins first suggested she go to the United States for softball, but she was willing to take a risk, so she…

James Blake Onboard Reporter in Volvo Ocean Race

James Blake Onboard Reporter in Volvo Ocean Race

“Long before Peter Blake was killed by a Brazilian pirate in the Amazon in 2001, he talked at the dinner table with his young son James about the privileges that came with successfully sailing…

Teammates Turn Into Rivals at the Volvo Ocean Race

Teammates Turn Into Rivals at the Volvo Ocean Race

“Fast friends and sailing stars, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have won Olympic gold and the America’s Cup together in the last two years, but their career paths are diverging for the moment in…

Michael Long Wins PGA with Dream Course Round

Michael Long Wins PGA with Dream Course Round

New Zealander Michael Long, 49, has recorded a dream victory at the recent TX Civil & Logistics Western Australia PGA Championship after equalling the course record at Kalgoorlie Golf Course. Starting the final day five…

Jonelle Price Claims First Four-Star Title With Badminton Victory

Jonelle Price Claims First Four-Star Title With Badminton Victory

“Jonelle Price and her star mare Classic Moet have won the 2018 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials,” writes Lucy Elder in an article for Horse & Hound. Price is the…

Dean Barker to Helm NY America’s Cup Bid

Dean Barker to Helm NY America’s Cup Bid

The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) has appointed Aucklander Dean Barker, 45, as helmsman of the US syndicate that will vie for the America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021. The NYYC held the Auld Mug…

Lydia Ko Breaks Victory Drought In Style

Lydia Ko Breaks Victory Drought In Style

“A two-year win drought marked by changes in coaches, caddies and clubs ended for Lydia Ko on Sunday as the former world number one closed out victory at the Mediheal…

Badminton First-Timer Ginny Thompson Ready

Badminton First-Timer Ginny Thompson Ready

Twenty-six-year-old New Zealander Virginia (Ginny) Thompson is having to pinch herself that she is in the UK ready to compete at her first ever Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, which get underway on 2…

Jeremy Brockie Pleased about South Africa Move

Jeremy Brockie Pleased about South Africa Move

Mamelodi Sundowns striker New Zealander Jeremy Brockie, 30, tells Johannesburg-based news site Sowetan LIVE about his decision to relocate with his family to South Africa to join the country’s Premier Soccer League (PSL). Before joining…

Scots 20 Years Behind NZ in Rugby Psychology

Scots 20 Years Behind NZ in Rugby Psychology

Scottish rugby is 20 years behind New Zealand when it comes to sports psychology, according to Glasgow Warriors assistant coach New Zealander Jason O’Halloran, 46, who has also found that players in Scotland are…

Bowler Trent Boult Enjoys the Challenge of the IPL

Bowler Trent Boult Enjoys the Challenge of the IPL

New Zealand international cricketer Trent Boult, 28, who has quickly emerged as a leading new-ball bowler in the past few years, spoke to The Telegraph India in the lead-up to the recent Indian Premiere…

New Zealand Wins Kitakyushu Sevens

New Zealand Wins Kitakyushu Sevens

“New Zealand won the women’s Kitakyushu Sevens for the second straight year Sunday, beating France 24-12 in the final on another disappointing day for host Japan,” as reported in an article in

Mitchell McClenaghan to Star in Netflix Series

Mitchell McClenaghan to Star in Netflix Series

Former Black Cap Hastings-born Mitchell McClenaghan, 31, will be among the players featured in a new Netflix reality series on the most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians. The streaming…

Why Wayne Pivac Is Most Sought-After Coach in Rugby

Why Wayne Pivac Is Most Sought-After Coach in Rugby

Under New Zealand-born coach Wayne Pivac, there is a resurgence in Llanelli rugby. The Scarlets have been flying, according to Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones. Recently, Stradey Park was packed to the rafters and…

Golfer Lydia Ko Envisions Her Pro Future

Golfer Lydia Ko Envisions Her Pro Future

Sometimes New Zealander Lydia Ko, 20, likes to imagine the future. More specifically, her professional future. The Auckland-raised golfer talks to ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg about her plans. Ko thinks about what kind of career…

Gamer Andrew Barrow Wins Score Wars in Santa Fe

Gamer Andrew Barrow Wins Score Wars in Santa Fe

New Zealander Andrew Barrow, 29, is the new Galaga World Champion after winning the top prize at immersive art gallery Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The objective of Galaga is to rack up…

Hamish Bond Switches Strokes for Spokes

Hamish Bond Switches Strokes for Spokes

For eight years New Zealander Hamish Bond was unvanquished, winning double Olympic gold and seven world titles with rowing partner Eric Murray, CNN reports. But what do you do when winning becomes routine? In Bond’s…

Our Illustrious Hall of Famer Sir Bob Charles

Our Illustrious Hall of Famer Sir Bob Charles

Carterton-born “legendary left-hander” Sir Bob Charles, 82, had a “remarkable” golfing career, the Bangkok Post’s Brett Brasier writes in his regular ‘Golf Tips’ column for the newspaper. “My few words on the great golfers that…

On Formula One Driver Brendon Hartley’s Comeback

On Formula One Driver Brendon Hartley’s Comeback

A demotion from the Red Bull programme allowed Palmerston North-born Brendon Hartley to seek new ventures, with the driver going on to forge a reputation in sports car racing that he was never able…

Joe Schmidt Turns Ireland into Formidable Machine

Joe Schmidt Turns Ireland into Formidable Machine

During this year’s Ireland Grand Slam tournament, Joe Schmidt has been the master of almost everything he has surveyed. At times during his five-year tenure as Ireland head coach, the New Zealander has been…

Batsman Kane Williamson on Track to Be World’s Best

Batsman Kane Williamson on Track to Be World’s Best

Mr Williamson sits on his sofa at home in Tauranga trying to watch the television, circa 1993. He lobs a ball, which the child prodigy Kane carefully hits around the living room. Around the world…

Paralympic Skier Adam Hall Earns Triple Honour

Paralympic Skier Adam Hall Earns Triple Honour

New Zealand alpine skier Adam Hall (pictured right), 30, who won a gold and a bronze medal in the men’s slalom and super-combined, respectively, at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, has also been…

Pioneering Umpire Kathy Cross to Retire

Pioneering Umpire Kathy Cross to Retire

New Zealand’s Kathy Cross, 60, who was the first woman to be named on the International Cricket Council (ICC) Umpire’s Panel, will retire from international umpiring after the Twenty20 International series between New Zealand…

Sam Gaze Wins First Race as Elite Athlete

Sam Gaze Wins First Race as Elite Athlete

“New Zealand’s Sam Gaze realised a dream when he won the opening leg of the UCI Mercedes-Benz MTB World Cup in Stellenbosch at the weekend, beating the world champion Nino Schurter in a breathtaking…

Skiing’s Remarkable Wells Brothers

Skiing’s Remarkable Wells Brothers

Wanaka’s Wells brothers are “skiing’s answer to the Von Trapp family”, according to CNN’s Matias Grez. The four freeskiers are: Jossi, 27, (pictured) Byron, 25, Beau-James, 21, and Jackson, 19. Ever since he can remember,…

Athletics Role for Rowing Ireland’s Hamish Adams

Athletics Role for Rowing Ireland’s Hamish Adams

Athletics Ireland has announced the appointment of New Zealander Hamish Adams as its new chief executive officer. Adams, who for the past five years has been Rowing Ireland CEO, will vacate that role and take…

Chris Waller Humbled by Hall of Fame Recognition

Chris Waller Humbled by Hall of Fame Recognition

All Sydney-based trainer Chris Waller wanted to be was a reasonable trainer when he started in the tough game of preparing racehorses in his homeland of New Zealand. Reasonable has been replaced by premier…

Not All Fast Cars for Racer Brendon Hartley

Not All Fast Cars for Racer Brendon Hartley

You may have seen his wedding photos on social media recently, but Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley, 28, generally steers clear of the public eye – at least by F1 driver standards. The Formula 1…

Trainer to World’s Fastest Drivers is Rob Wilson

Trainer to World’s Fastest Drivers is Rob Wilson

When the world’s top drivers need coaching, they turn to coach and veteran pro driver, New Zealander Rob Wilson. At his “second home”, the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground airfield in rural Leicestershire, England, the great…

World Cup-Winning Coach Graham Henry Joins Auckland

World Cup-Winning Coach Graham Henry Joins Auckland

The mastermind of the 2011 Rugby World Cup success, Sir Graham Henry, has returned to the side where he first came to prominence joining provincial side Auckland to assist head coach Alama Ieremia, the…

Speed Flyer Jamie Lee Skims Beauteous Landscapes

Speed Flyer Jamie Lee Skims Beauteous Landscapes

One of the world’s top speed flyers New Zealander Jamie Lee, 25, was recently filmed zooming down the hills surrounding Lake Wanaka just inches from the ground. Taking off from a hilltop with a running…

Houston Half Marathon Win for Jake Robertson

Houston Half Marathon Win for Jake Robertson

Distance runner New Zealand-born Jake Robertson, 28, the new Aramco Half Marathon champion, didn’t know for sure he would be running in Houston, United States until a week prior to the event, when race…

Luchador Johnny Idol a Pin-Up Star in Mexico

Luchador Johnny Idol a Pin-Up Star in Mexico

New Zealand professional wrestling buff Niwa McIlroy, aka Johnny Idol, 24, took a leap of faith and flew to Mexico to make it in the high-flying sporting phenomenon that is lucha libre. Now as Johnny…

Christy Prior Wins Snowboard Slope in Aspen

Christy Prior Wins Snowboard Slope in Aspen

New Zealander Christy Prior (pictured centre) has won the women’s snowboard slopestyle competition at the US Grand Prix in Snowmass, Aspen, boosting her chances at making it to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,…

NZ Named Asia-Pacific Top Golf Destination

NZ Named Asia-Pacific Top Golf Destination

New Zealand had been named top golf destination in the Asia Pacific region by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) for the second time. Held for the first time in 2000, the annual…

Kyle Glogoski Signs with Philadelphia Phillies

Kyle Glogoski Signs with Philadelphia Phillies

Auckland-born pitcher Kyle Glogoski, 18, has signed a contract to play with the Philadelphia Phillies in America’s Major League Baseball (MLB). Glogoski, who currently pitches for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League,…

Diane Limbrey Receives Highest Judo Ref Licence

Diane Limbrey Receives Highest Judo Ref Licence

Whanganui policewoman Diane Limbrey has reopened the record books during a weekend in Hong Kong refereeing at the Asian Judo Open, Whanganui Chronicle journalist Iain Hyndman reports. Limbrey was also there to sit her International…