Archive >> January 2001

Lang may his lum reek

New Zealand’s now home for Scottish actor John Cairney but he makes a yearly return to Scotland for Burns night.

Scraps of genius

New Zealand-born artist Rosalie Gascoigne used roadside ephemera in her work: “from the grasses, pebbles, discarded roadside trophies, road signs and softdrinks crates, she built an extraordinary body of…

Tools out

Carving New Zealand jade is among the retirement pursuits under consideration by Australian songster Rolf Harris.

Top Two

Two New Zealanders – Fred Hollows and Whakatane-born Lindy Chamberlain – make it into the list of top 100 influential Australians.

Suckler

New Zealand suckler cows may be the key to enhancing upland beef production in Scotland.

One Blind Mouse

Following the lead of New Zealand company Pulse Data, Israeli firm VirTouch has developed a Braille mouse for blind computer users.

Eco-racing Comes Home

Top eco-racing teams have registered for October’s South Island race, including New Zealand’s Team Fairydown. “New Zealand, being the birth place of Expedition Racing, is the perfect location for the top…

Smartwool

New Zealand’s long-fibre merino makes “Smartwool” – outdoor clothing that’s itch-proof, and “works better than anything else you can find”.

Web savvy

Lord of the Rings producers have played it cool with net marketing – giving away photos and info titbits to keep the fans keen. The redesigned Rings site has…

Blanchettes

Maybe it was all the fresh air and vigorous activity? Cate Blanchett says “working on the Lord of the Rings trilogy in New Zealand made her feel especially broody”….

Catch That Pigeon Now

New Zealander Kent Robertson adds his two cents worth on the Trafalger Square pigeons: “I’ve been coming to London for 30 years and feeding the pigeons has always been…

Playing in the Big League

Otago’s Business School makes it into the Financial Times top 100 league.

In Search of Lost Crime

How can a society heal itself? Some places, like New Zealand, opt for compensation for victims, a strategy that can be divisive. Europe prefers legal redress and Africa, Latin America and…

Prehistoric background

New Zealand provided the background – and the KY jelly – for the phenomenly successful Walking with Dinosuars, soon to be followed by The Ballad of Big Al.

Spence of the sixties

The house of Beehive-architect Sir Basil Spence is described as “the best 1960’s space in Great Britain”.

Death Deluxe

John Bougan’s Auckland Memorial Park will provide anything “within reason, and within moral and legal bounds and the Building Act”. One customer has already requested a $150,000 building to house himself…

Lakeside Limerick Learning

The University of Limerick is lending “expertise” to assist Ngati Tuwharetoa and the Taupo District Council in setting up the Lake Taupo University College.

Country & Urban

New Zealand-born country singer/ songwriter Keith Urban’s “Rollercoaster” gets a Grammy nom, while Keith himself fronts Music Row mag and toasts his top-ten success.

 

Girl Power

Women leaders are where it’s at says the The Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasian leadership conference.

Swinging into History

“Ant Gear guaranteed his place in the record books when, at precisely 12am on 1 January, 2000, he teed off at the Manawatu Golf Club in the North Island.” Gear’s wife…

Ringing up the gold

Lord of the Rings has brought the gold into Wellington, the city of “tearooms and sea views”. View the New Zealand setting in the round at the

Kraus purposes

“If women have failed to make ‘universal’ art because we’re trapped within the ‘personal,’ why not universalize the ‘personal’ and make it the subject of our art?” asks Edge-thinker…

Frucor on the Up

“One of last year’s hot floats” in Australia, Frucor, makers of headline energy drink V,  have increased turnover by 55%.

Ice Ice Baby

Extreme sport doesn’t come any cooler: -10º, ice bergs and hurricane-strength winds face three New Zealanders kayaking around the Antarctic peninsula.

Better Late Then Never

“Perhaps we all have a conscience – it just takes some a little longer to find theirs,” said the manager of the Southland Gun Club after receiving anonymous restitution for a…

Over and Out

“After six months and more than 400 bidding rounds, the battle for New Zealand’s third-generation mobile radio spectrum is over, netting the Government over $51 million.”

Diversionary Tactics

Victoria’s government is using New Zealand’s successful diversion scheme to “break the cycle of crime” for young offenders.  

Super Sonic Sean

The Seattle SuperSonic sign Sean Marks, New Zealand’s biggest b-ball boy.  

Williams Foundation

Kiwi super-caddie Steve Williams will auction “stuff” from Tiger Woods and other top golfers to fund promising New Zealand talent.  

Different way of seeing

“It’s generally accepted that what really great artists do is change the way that we see things, and Rosalie . . . changed the way we see our country,”…

Too Tricky Poneke

The King William’s College quiz is “fiendishly” difficult – but one question should be easy for Wellingtonians.

Pooch Smooch

New Zealand firefighter Trevor Hill has a new best friend – Oscar, the dog he revived with the canine kiss of life.

Private Giant

Dozens of giant squid have washed up on New Zealand beaches, but no one has yet sighted the  monster alive.

Soil Happy

Gardening makes you happy says Judith Kidd of Massey University.

NZ film in NY

“2001: A New Zealand Film Odyssey” currently running in  New York festures “new, rediscovered and undiscovered” New Zealand films, including hot-now The Price of Milk and classics Utu and War…

Good Mooves

“New Zealand’s dairy industry enjoys a strong position from which to attain leadership status in the global marketplace, especially with the recently inked merger pact between its two biggest players,” says…

Virtual COO

New Zealand sport-viewtechies Virtual Spectator have appointed veteran sports exec Alexander Brown as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Coastal Edge

Victoria looks to follow New Zealand’s lead on marine reserves, seen as a “back-up” for species conservation, and a way of replenishing fishing stocks. Prince Charles supports a similar idea in the…

Hakaed Out?

Has over-exposure taken the edge off the AB’s haka?

Big Job for McKinnon

“Turbulence in Zimbabwe, civil war in Sierra Leone, the violent overthrow of prime ministers in Fiji and the Solomons; the Commonwealth’s programme of improving the quality of democracy ran into political…

Old play, new tricks

1975 New Zealand play Mothers and Fathers gets a convincing makeover for Sydney’s Fringe – “even though it’s slightly archaic to think that $50,000 could buy you a dream…

Greenstone Hit

New Zealand historical drama Greenstone infiltrates Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

Cup Challenge

Seattle telecommunications billionaire Craig McCaw is sending a team to challenge for the cup – American sailors well leavened with ex-Team NZites.

Earthy Holiday

Try carrot-pulling as a new past time on a New Zealand farm-stay.

Fez Bus

New Zealand-run Fez Bus service is top pick for transport in Turkey.

Take Your Kit

Tourism New Zealand has a handy pack for travelling Kiwis, useful for defecting question about the number of sheep at home or the name of that atom-splitting guy…

The authors’ luck

The selection of New Zealand novels Baby No-Eyes, The Vintner’s Luck and Believers to the Bright Coast on the short list of six for the new A$40,000 Tasmanian Pacific…

Midsumma Dream

New Zealander Nigel Higgins is the man in charge with making Midsumma, Melbourne’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender festival, the queen of events.  

Tax Miles

Is the New Zealand system of an odometer-based tax on diesel vehicles the best option for funding roads?  

Keep Your Skin On

A New Zealand-developed vaccine “switches off” debillitating skin disease psoriasis.  

Royal Bird

“No one who has seen an albatross on the wing is ever likely to forget the experience,” says Prince Charles. New Zealand’s Chatham Island albatross is down to 4000 pairs.

Extreme Edge of Life

Thermophile archaeons thrive at temperatures hot enough to boil the flesh off your bones. Layers of extremophile life form flourish in multi-coloured rings in Rotorua’s thermal springs.

Maclean, you’ve done it again

Alison Maclean’s Jesus’ Son: “scruffy, loopy and terrifc” on video.

Neil plugged in

New Zealand maestro Neil Finn talks live, performs and announces the launch of his new website.

 

Beating the Sheep

New Zealand’s legendary 20:1 sheep to human ratio is in decline, expected to fall to 10:1 by 2005.

Trailer Lords

“There’s an advert currently going out on Virgin radio encouraging listeners to go to the cinema this Friday. It does urge you go to a film but only because…