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Archive >> May 2004
Harry Potter gets Edge makeover
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has received reviews far outstripping the first two films in the franchise, thanks largely to its radical new director cinematographer team of…
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…
Lovin’ Lovemarks
CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, Kevin Roberts, launches Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, in the USA, UK and Australia. “Roberts new book is not just another one of…
“A fascinating man”
The Scotsman profiles Brian Turner – NZ’s poet laureate, brother to Brian (golf) and Glenn (cricket), and part-time caddie. Turner takes two months off writing each year to hit…
Puckish Psathas
NZ composer John Psathas applauded in the Guardian‘s review of his collaboration with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble in Bath. “This concert, entitled Zeibekiko, threw a puckish girdle round the…
Professor Roy Crawford
The Guardian attributes Professor Roy Crawford leaving Queen’s University Belfast to take up the post of Vice Chancellor at Waikato University to NZ’s current It status: “Oh, Australia must be annoyed. For…
Greenbacks for green ogre
Shrek 2 (directed by Kiwi Andrew Adamson) confounded US box office analysts by taking an incredible US$104.3 million on its first weekend of release – $20 million more than…
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…
Ulmer, Henderson, Cycle to Victory.
New Zealand cyclist Sarah Ulmer took control of the hotly contested 300m individual pursuit when she broke the world record by two 10ths of a second in 3:31.157, to win the…
Oil or nothing
NZ olive oil producers won 5 gold medals at the annual LA Country Wines and Olive Oils of the World competition in May. Serendipity Olive Company won a gold each …
Bruce Reihana: Players’ Player
Former All Black wing, Bruce Reihana, was named the English premier league’s Professional Rugby Players’ Association (PRA) Players’ Player of the Year in May. The 28-year-old Northampton Saints star was the English…
Go Speed Racer
NZ director Roger Donaldson is bringing the life of Invercargill’s legendary motorcyclist Burt Munro to the silver screen, with Sir Anthony Hopkins in the starring role. Entitled The World’s…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
Overnight Express to the Edge
NZ was named Favourite Long-haul Destination in the Guardian and Observer’s annual People’s Choice Awards, for the third time in the past four years. NZ topped the poll with 96.8% of…
Flexible, Shock-proof, and Room for Growth
The NZ economy received a big tick in the annual IMF report. According to the Washington-based lender, a combination of sensible policies and reforms over the last 20 years had “contributed to…
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…
Classics with an edge
NZer Geoff Sewell is the brains (and tenor) behind the hottest act to hit international classical and mainstream charts since Hayley Westenra – Amici Forever: The Opera Band….
Grant Works His Magic
Malcolm Grant – former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, now Provost of University College London – profiled in the Guardian. UCL’s retiring professor of English, John Sutherland, noted his ‘impeccable academic pedigree’…
Edge Adventurer
BBC notes the NZ connection in Shackleton’s legendary voyage, prior to the opening of Te Papa’s Antarctic Heroes – The Race to the South Pole exhibition. Kiwi Frank Worsley…
Tama takes Manhattan
Triumph of Time, the debut album by New York-based musician Tama Waipara, has been well received both locally and internationally. His US label – ObliqSound – is promoting…
Kiwi Stonehenge
June 5 saw the opening of NZ’s very own Stonehenge, erected in the Wairarapa by the Phoenix Astronomical Society. More than simply a replica of its northern predecessor, the Kiwi henge…
Jonah, His Story
Rugby icon Jonah Lomu is back in the news thanks to the release of his highly-anticipated autobiography, Jonah My Story. The Age praises the “simple yet emotionally taut language” Lomu uses to…
Chelsea Flower Gold Show.
The 100% Pure New Zealand Ora – garden of wellbeing, won one of four gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. The garden was designed by Kim Jarrett,…
Cyber-Cinderella story
According to the Washington Post, Auckland band Steriogram represents the future of talent scouting. The band was signed after American freelance scout Joe Berman typed ‘New Zealand indie rock…
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 RnB-ish, with a bit…
Increased Coverage This Season
“Dusseldorf, Reykjavik, Melbourne, Madrid and Hong Kong may as yet be household names only in the households taking part, but Mercedes-Benz Sydney Fashion Week, Air New Zealand Fashion Week…
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,…
