Californian Signings
New Zealand internationals Simon Elliot and Andrew Boyens have been signed with Californian team Chivas USA. Elliott, a standout for New Zealand at the 21 FIFA World Cup, joins Chivas on a free transfer…
February 2011 Archives
Stress-free Cooking
New Zealand cook Annabel Langbein’s television series Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook is now screening on UKTV’s Good Food Channel. The series of 13 episodes has already been sold into 73 markets. “I…
World Cup Hopes
“One could make the argument that Black Caps have punched above their weight at the World Cup just as easily as you could say they are chokers,” Stuart Hess writes for South Africa’s Independent…
Windswept Win
Mount Maunganui surfer Matt Lewis-Hewitt, 19, has won the Championship Moves Pro Junior in Victoria, becoming the first New Zealand male to win an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) event in Australia since Maz…
Football friendly
The All Whites will play against Japan and China in March, beginning its build-up towards qualifying for the 214 World Cup in Brazil. Coach Ricki Herbert said that New Zealand will play China in…
Migratory musings
Fleur Adcock’s Dragon Talk, her first poetry volume since 1997’s Looking Back — which explored “part of the poet’s wider enquiry into geographical and cultural displacement” — is reviewed by British poet Julian Stannard…
Finn Plays SXSW
Musician and songwriter Liam Finn launches his first-ever full band tour beginning with two gigs in Austin at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. Finn’s next album is set for a spring…
Kiwi in Red Sox
A New Zealander teenager is the latest player to be signed to the American baseball empire, the Boston Red Sox. 17-year-old Te Wera Bishop was approached by Pacific Rim scout Jon Deeble after he…
Reel treasure found
Unbeknownst to The New Zealand Film Archives, 75 early American films have been in its possession, including the sole copy known to exist of a silent film directed by cinema icon John Ford, who…
All Blacks: Summer Skills
Take a look at the All Blacks’ second skills video, this time taking place in a typical Kiwi backyard.
German for Float
“With its eagerness for wacky rides and a steady stream of adventure-seeking human guinea pigs, New Zealand was the obvious location” for the 2m monorail Swheeb track, writes the Financial Times’ Tarquin Cooper. “The…
All Blacks Skills: Tricks at Training
Piri Weepu, Cory Jane and Rene Ranger show some amazing skills at an All Blacks training.
Dressing up Rugby
New Zealand International Sevens general manager Steve Walters estimates the competition, now in its 1th year, brought in close to $18 million for Wellington in February. And that doesn’t include the benefits to the…
Robotic Tai Chi
Christchurch-based gaming company Stickmen Studios and researchers at the University of Auckland have teamed up to customise a robot that will help elderly people stay active through interactive games. The robot is called Eldercare…
Wellington storms Berlin
Wellington-raised actress and English teacher Amy Nye, 31, appears as ‘Louise’ in playwright Duncan Sarkies’ 1992 Love Puke at Berlin’s English Theatre through July 1. Also from Wellington, Fingal Pollock, 28, directs “eight characters…
Sustainable style
Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay is included in a Reuters list of “1 green getaways” compiled by “boutique hotel specialists Mr & Mrs Smith (http://www.mrandmrssmith.com)”. “Combine a 6-acre working sheep and cattle farm with…
Guru in Singapore
New Zealand’s Indian Ink theatre company has been collaborating with the Singapore Repertory Theatre presenting Wellington actor Jacob Rajan’s The Guru of Chai, which was on at Singapore’s DBS Arts Centre. Not only did…
Star in the Making
Twenty-year-old Declan O’Donnell scored a hat trick of tries for New Zealand in the Wellington final of the IRB Sevens World Series helping the team beat England 29-14. “If I see a star in…
Total Stand-out
Whangarei basketballer Megan Craig, who was Kamo High School’s Sportswoman of the Year in 28, is now at the University at Albany, studying business management. At a listed 6-foot-9, when Craig takes the court…
Ecosystem Fragility
University of Canterbury researchers say they have linked the modern-day decline of a common forest shrub with the local extinction of two pollinating birds — the bellbird and stitchbird — over a century ago….
Sign of Intelligent Life
The New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative, which is now a decade old, reports that of the seven billion wine bottles sealed worldwide each year, the number using screwcaps has grown from an estimated…
Singing Before Sleep
“Described by some of his more excitable fans as the Brad Pitt of opera, New Zealand baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes certainly has plenty of stage presence,” Fiona Boxall writes in a lifestyle article for…
Behold the Pink Terraces
Scientists exploring Lake Rotomahana say they have found part of the famed Pink Terraces which were feared destroyed when Mount Tarawera erupted 135 years ago. The Pink and White Terraces, once described as the…
Star Stream
A New Zealand astronomer has led the discovery of a new stream of stars in the Milky Way. Mary Williams from the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (AIP) led an international team of astronomers in the…
Army Band humour
New Zealand’s Army Band will perform at the 6th anniversary of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August. Major Leanne Smith, director of music for the 28-piece Band said they can’t wait to perform…
By Hook or by Jetski
New Zealander Jeremy Burfoot has begun a 32,000km journey on a jetski, setting off from London’s River Thames on August 1 and aiming to be in Auckland by November. Burfoot, an airline pilot, is…
Star Dancer Touring
Christchurch-born Dancing with the Stars judge Brendan Cole was recently in Scotland touring with his own theatre show Live and Unjudged. The professional dancer, known for his snake hips and equally venomous…
Green and Whites Fan
New Zealand forward Ali Williams, who has been working his way back to full fitness playing with Nottingham the past month, says he has been won over by the club. “I’m definitely a Nottingham…
Spaghetti Sensibilities
Writer-director Mike Wallis’ western Good for Nothing was given its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) in February. Santa Barbara Independent reviewer writes that Good for Nothing “is a strange…
Back Row Quality
North Harbour back rower Auckland-born Richard Mayhew, who has been attracting interest from several English sides, has joined Esher Rugby in the UK and has a clause in his deal stating he could leave…
Dignity for Relics
“For decades, New Zealand has campaigned for museums to repatriate the mummified and heavily-tattooed heads of Maori warriors held in collections worldwide — now it must decide what to do with the gruesome but…
On the Back of the Game
A general election has been called for November 26, after the Rugby World Cup 2011. Campaigning is expected to begin in the week of the final, which is to be held at Eden Park…
Berlin Screenings
Outrageous Fortune actor Tammy Davis’ directorial debut Ebony Society screens at this year’s 61st Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation 14plus section, which is aimed at a young audience. Go the Dogs by…
1981 Every February
Thirty years on New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie remembers the infamous underarm bowl delivered by Australian Trevor Chappell at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It’s an image permanently ingrained in the minds of almost every…
Exhilarating Rehabilitation
Aucklander Alan Wallace, who suffered a stroke in June 28 and was left partially paralyzed and unable to speak, has been able to find joy through harness racing, which involves people riding in two-wheeled…
Adventurous Outlook
“Gain a new perspective on the world as you loop-the-loop, twist, turn and feel g-forces unlike ever before while zooming along at more than 3km/h,” Carol Driver writes for TNT Magazine in an article…
Beneath the Kahungunu Flag
Nga mihi. It’s a bit late to be saying Happy New Year and all that, but take my best wishes anyway. Well another sparkling Waitangi Day has passed with the synergy sapping ‘Harawira factor’…
Liberating Spray-Tan
Star of cult HBO show True Blood, Anna Paquin tells Elle that “once you’ve been spray-tanned, bleached, and given the correct push-up bra, it’s like playing dress-up — it’s liberating.” Paquin features in a…
Anticipation Sky High
Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of JR Tolkien’s classic The Hobbit “is already one of the most talked about before shooting,” according to Christopher Wright writing for the site Film Industry Network. “Controversy surrounded the…
