Three Medals for Sophie
19-year-old Christchurch swimming star Sophie Pascoe broke a world record and took three medals in the pool at the London Paralympics, two golds and a silver. Pascoe’s first gold saw her set a new…
August 2012 Archives
Exhaling for Beauty
Day one of this Daily Mail reporter’s romantic honeymoon in New Zealand and he and his wife are about to throw ourselves out of a light aircraft at 16,000ft. “Mrs Foy, bless her, is…
Farewell to the Brave
“Portraits of the three soldiers killed 19 August in a massive blast from a roadside bomb in northeastern Bamiyan gazed out from the front pages of virtually every New Zealand newspaper, including the…
Artist of the Week
“Born in New Plymouth, in 1976, the now London-based Upritchard grew up in a hippy environment where the local hub of crafters and alternative therapists was offset by the oil industry,” Skye Sherwin…
In Favour of Marriage
New Zealand lawmakers have overwhelmingly cast a first vote in favour of a gay marriage bill that was given impetus by President Barack Obama’s public support of the issue. The 80 to 40 vote…
Potheads Lose Brainpower
A study of marijuana’s mounting neuropsychological effects over time tracked a group of 1037 children born in New Zealand for 38 years from the times of their births in 1972 and 1973. Adults who…
Koreans Take to Sauvignon
Members of the New Zealand community in Seoul, including Trade Commissioner Graeme Solloway (left) recently celebrated a New Zealand vintage winning the best white wine trophy at this year’s Korea Wine Challenge. The Woven…
These Kids are Feeling Good
A song written by The Flight of the Conchords to raise money for medical research for children, soared straight to No. 1 on iTunes within 90 minutes of release. Their song, Feel Inside (and…
Teen Golfer Makes History
Fifteen-year-old amateur sensation Aucklander Lydia Ko has made golfing history becoming the youngest LPGA champion closing with a 5-under 67 for a three-stroke victory over at Inbee Park to win the Canadian Women’s Open….
Award-winning Silence
New Zealand comedian Sam Wills, 34, who’s solo act The Boy with Tape on his Face has been filling the 700-seat Pleasance Grand theatre since the Edinburgh Fringe Festival started, as won…
Bledisloe Trouncing
For the first time in 50 years the world champion All Blacks kept the Australians scoreless, beating the Wallabies 22-0 at Eden Park and retaining the Bledisloe Cup for the 10th consecutive season. The…
Solving the Problem of Concussion
Thirty-five-year-old former New Zealand, Blues and Auckland scrum-half Steve Devine, who was forced to retire from rugby in 2007, knows all too well how debilitating the long-term effects of concussions can be. In the…
Big on Exports
New Zealand is now the world’s 10th largest wine exporter, despite producing only 1 per cent of the world’s wine, according to the latest figures, which saw exports hit a record $1.18bn in the…
Wonder for Yourself
“It’s difficult to describe the wonder of Milford Sound,” an ‘Escape’ reporter writes for The Australian. “It’s probably best that someone puts a photograph in front of you. Words can’t do it justice. Even…
This Way for a Laugh
Auckland-born Rhys Darby, 38, features in the Guardian’s ‘Portrait of an Artist’ series in which he talks about his best experience performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, at which this year Darby staged This…
Snapping Up the Roles
Former Wellingtonian actress Chelsie Preston Crayford, 25, says her career move to Sydney was not about culture or leaving for a bigger city. In fact, given the choice, she would live back in the…
Multi-tasking on Court
New Zealand point guard Tai Webster has committed to studying and playing at the University of Nebraska. Webster, at 17 years old, is a rising star, having become the youngest player to ever make…
Pyjama Police Alerted
“The city of Gisborne is divided and people are angry,” John Darkin writes in a letter to the Guardian. “It’s not the issue of water ownership that threatens the peace of this normally unflappable…
Brilliantly Immature
“Bounding along without a care in the world, this New Zealand band are aptly named,” the Guardian’s Michael Cragg posts in the website’s ‘New Music’ section. “If the joyously carefree and brilliantly immature Baby…
We’re All Invited
The first recipe New Zealander Margot Henderson tried was the ginger crunch from the Edmonds Cookery Book, the New Zealand household bible, The Guardian’s Rachel Cooke writes. And then there were the snails. “I…
First Win of the Series
The All Blacks have won their first post-World Cup tournament against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship opener beating the Australians 27-19 in Sydney. Australia must win at its Eden Park graveyard on 25…
Kids Love Monkey Avatars
The children’s social-networking site, London-based MiniMonos, which was invented by Wellington entrepreneur Melissa Clark-Reynolds, has just been selected with five other emerging British digital startups as part of the BBC Worldwide business-mentoring programme dubbed…
On a Humane Scale
“New Zealand is everything that people say it is – friendly, beautiful and proportionally urbane,” American teacher Michael Nesset writes for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Nesset, who spent “Spring Break 2012,” travelling the country…
A Question of Morals
University of Otago researchers have challenged a landmark US study, undertaken by Yale University, that indicated infants are born with a moral compass that enables them to recognize “good” and “bad” behaviour. The American…
Being Herself Like Nowhere Else
Ever since a teenage backpacking trip through New Zealand – “one of the best times in my life” – Australian model Miranda Kerr has wanted to return. Beginning last December, Kerr, 29, got her…
Soundtrack to Youth
New Zealander Luke Yeoward, frontman of Melbourne-based band the King Cannons, talks to The Sydney Morning Herald about the inspiration for the group’s debut album, which was released in June. Drawing on…
Elegant and with Punch
“A track-only racing car built without the restraints of racing regulations, the 12C Can-Am is based on the 12C GT3 racer – but it goes well beyond what the FIA…
Valerie Achieves Olympic Goal
Valerie Adams has had her silver Olympic medal upgraded to gold after rival Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus had failed a drug test. Ostapchuk’s disqualification means Adams is now the holder of back-to-back Olympic golds…
Real Presence in NY
“ is one of the sharpest writers and arrangers in his field, and while the music is airy by design – because that’s what indie-pop is – Milne’s arrangements have…
Looking at the Cold Hard Facts
In a tour de force of glacial geology, Columbia University’s Dr Aaron Putnam and his collaborators have been reconstructing much of the Holocene history of a group of mountain glaciers in New Zealand. Their…
Full Paddle Ahead for Medal
Full paddle ahead for medalNew Zealander Lisa Carrington, 23, stormed to victory in the inaugural K1 200 on Dorney Lake at the London Olympics to give her country its first women’s Olympic gold medal…
Visiting the Fabulous
“Middle-earth may be mythical, but so too is New Zealand,” Mark Johanson writes for International Business Traveler. “The only difference is you can visit the latter. It’s a place where glaciers carve paths through…
Serene Sailing Wins Gold
New Zealand sailors Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie fulfilled a pledge to go one better than the men by winning gold in sailing’s 470 class at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Aleh and Powrie…
Floating Pumice Raft Intrigues
A mass of golf-ball-size pumice rocks almost the size of Belgium has been discovered floating 1000km off the northeast coast of Auckland. The 26,000 square kilometre- stretch of pumice was first spotted by an…
It’s the Cat’s Whiskers
Auckland’s private Kristin School recently secured the rights to the world renowned musical CATS, spending $85,000 on its annual stage production. Executive principal and show producer Peter Clague said the big-budget show would rival…
Olympic BMX Dream Comes True
BMX rider Sarah Walker, 24, has won an Olympic silver medal for New Zealand. Walker, who is from Kawerau, finished fourth over the three-race semi-final to win her place in the final. She barely…
Olympians Visit UK Marae
The New Zealand Olympic team paid a visit to the Hinemihi marae in Surrey, England. Hinemihi was brought to Surrey by Lord Onslow, the former Governor of New Zealand, as a souvenir of his…
Choir Founder Profiled
Dunedin-born Marie Courtis Greathouse, who helped found the San Antonio Choral Society in 1965, is profiled by the San Antonio Express-News website mySanAntonio.com. Greathouse moved to England in her early 20s, where for a time…
Voyage of Discovery
Wellington science historian and writer Rebecca Priestley is blogging about her trip to the Kermadec Islands on the HNZMS Canterbury for the Scientific American. “We’re sailing north along a chain of underwater…
#149: The New Zealand Dream
THE GLOBAL LIFE OF NEW ZEALANDERS From Brian Sweeney, producer NZEDGE.COM | 9 August 2012| #149 |…
Appealing to the Crowds
New Zealand-born screenwriter Mark Staufer has hit his $75k target on crowdfunding site Kickstarter for a project called The Numinous Place, which will be released as an ebook and app for iPhone,…
Backcountry Kicks
“Imagine a contest where a helicopter lifts you to the highest peaks in Mount Aspiring National Park, and for two days, you get to ski powder, cliffs, and backcountry kickers,” Megan Michelson writes for…
Chiefs Haka After Winning Super Rugby
The Chiefs perform a haka after winning the 2012 Super Rugby final at Waikato Stadium.
Wartime Pianist Remembered
The New Zealand-born pianist Colin Horsley, who was among the last links to the era of British music-making dominated by Sir Henry Wood, has died on the Isle of Man. He was 92. “From…
Sleeping Giant Awakens
Mount Tongariro, dormant for more than a century, roared into life on 6 August erupting boulders and spreading an ash cloud over the centre of the country. The spew of rocks, fine particles and…
Better Slopes Over Here
New Zealanders and Australians share a “friendly” rivalry until it comes to the snow, writes Rachael Oakes-Ash for The Age in an article comparing the two country’s ski fields. “More than one-third of the…
With the Push of a Button
New Zealand’s first-ever controlled building implosion executed in Christchurch brought down the earthquake damaged Radio Network House in seconds. American demolition experts detonated 130 pounds of explosives to blow up the 14-story building, which…
Lapping Up the Medals
New Zealand supporters in London have been enjoying the unusual experience of being ahead in Olympic medals over Australia. At Kiwi House Jessica Middleton, 24, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the colours of the…
Induction into Hall of Fame
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Opunake-born Peter Snell will be among the 24 inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) Hall of Fame. Snell won the 800m at the 1960 Olympics and…
Boutique More Popular
The New Zealand Brewers Guild says there has been an “explosion” of beer flavours offered by the country’s 68 breweries, with the number of small craft breweries increasing by 50 per cent. New Zealand…
British Make the Move
The latest figures from Statistics New Zealand show that in June almost 40,000 New Zealanders left for Australia, the same amount as April 2012 and the highest ever recorded. But helping to stem this…
Tasting of the Future
British wine expert Robert Joseph describes his first adventure to Marlborough’s Brancott Estate in the Telegraph, charting the vineyard’s journey from the beginning to the present day. “By 2011, when Brancott Estate had become…
