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Archive >> August 2013
New Zealand Abolishes Software Patents
The New Zealand Legislative has passed a law prohibiting patenting of software, in a move seen as a boost for innovation and competition in the technology sector. CBC News…
Visitors Get Up Close to Lions at Orana Park
Christchurch’s Orana Wildlife Park is making headlines for its unique lion experience that takes visitors inside the lion enclosure for a close encounter with the big cats as they…
New Zealand, the Youngest Country on Earth
Take a look at this incredible video of New Zealand’s sights and discover the beauty of the youngest country on Earth. The video was…
#161 TEDx Nation Branding via Biology
THE GLOBAL LIFE OF NEW ZEALANDERS
From Brian Sweeney,…
Misadventure Tourism Makes for Good Read
Wellington-born performer and writer Tom Doig (left) prefers travel with adversity over leisure, and as Doig says in his new travelogue Mörön to Mörön, a book about him and…
Comedy For Cure Kids: All Blacks Prank
Cory Jane pranks three rookie All Blacks, Beauden Barrett, Dane Coles and Francis Saili to perform in a fake Japanese Noodle advertisement called Honzai…
South Sea Treasure Available Online
New Zealand-born London-based Laura Myers, creative director of new fashion brand Atea, says she wanted her collection to be fashionable, “but not shout-y”. “Think more Emmanuelle Alt than fashion…
Kakapo in Global Ugly Animal Contest
New Zealand’s native kakapo has been thrust into the international spotlight, named as one of just 12 endangered animals to be included on the Ugly Animal Preservation…
Stamps Behind Stories of Terrible Wartime Loss
Aucklander Bruce Chadderton, president of the Philatelic Society of New Zealand, has had his book Descent into the Abyss: The Shoah — a philatelic retelling published by the Society…
Cook Responsible for Beauteous Vancouver Garden
New Zealand-born Alleyne Cook has devoted 23 years of his life to planting and maintaining Vancouver’s Ted and Mary Greig Garden within Stanley Garden which contains an extraordinary botanical…
The Hobbit: Behind the Scenes – Production Video Blog Part 5
Take a look at Peter Jackson’s fifth behind the scenes video blog of the filming of The Hobbit. This…
Pre-schoolers Star in Karen Walker Eyewear Campaign
Iconic New Zealand fashion designer Karen Walker has launched a new campaign for her Spring ’13 eyewear collection featuring four pre-schoolers – Alice-Rose, Claudia, Elise and Tyler – as…
Say Yeah, Nah
Watch this 60-second light-hearted commercial that uses the popular Kiwi expression “Yeah, Nah” to discourage binge drinking and encourage mates to just have a…
Sky Tower Named One of Regions Top Towers
Auckland’s Sky Tower has been named as one of the Asia Pacific’s top ten iconic observation towers by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website. Coming in at number five…
With a Talent Like Catton’s One Can Never Be Sure
New Zealand-raised author Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker nominated The Luminaries is reviewed by Lesley McDowell in The Scotsman this week. “ Catton’s doorstopper of a novel read like a…
Cage and Cusack Star in Impressive Debut
New Zealand-born writer-director Scott Walker’s “impressive debut” The Frozen Ground, starring Nicholas Cage and John Cusack “amounts to an exploitation flick about the hunt for Alaska’s most notorious serial killer,…
Hope for Help from British Construction Workers
An innovative live webcast run by Immigration New Zealand and the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT) hopes to encourage British civil construction and engineering workers to…
Phil Keoghan Retraces 1928 Tour de France
New Zealander Phil Keoghan has paid homage to the first New Zealander to complete the Tour de France team in an effort to raise funds for the United States…
Should Australia Follow Suit in Housing Sector
Is New Zealand’s macro-prudential mortgage tools an option for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), The Guardian’s economics correspondent Greg Jericho writes. The RBA will be watching closely as…
Join the Dean Barker Fan Club in San Francisco
Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker is earning devotees at the America’s Cup, says Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I joined the Dean Barker fan club this…
TEDxAuckland: Brian Sweeney
Watch NZEDGE producer Brian Sweeney’s inspirational talk at TEDxAuckland 2013. In the 18 minute talk Brian discusses nation branding, Punk Eek and New Zealand’s…
Plans for Labyrinth-inspired Puppet Musical
Flight of the Conchords star, Academy and Grammy Award-winner Bret McKenzie, 37, wants to bring back to life the eighties classic storytelling technique of real people and puppets singing…
Yes she can: Helen Clark at TEDxAuckland
Former Prime Minister speaks at TEDxAuckland 2013about women and leadership. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share…
Team New Zealand Win Louis Vuitton Cup
Emirates Team New Zealand has won the Louis Vuitton Cup for the second consecutive time, making Team New Zealand the official challenger to Oracle Team USA in the America’s…
Lydia Ko Wins Canadian Women’s Open
16-year-old Lydia Ko has made history at the CN Canadian Women’s Open, defending her Canadian Open title with a dominating win in Alberta and becoming the first amateur in…
All Blacks Retain Bledisloe Cup
The All Blacks have retained the Bledisloe Cup after 27-16 trouncing of the Wallabies in their Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday night.
New Zealand winger Ben Smith followed…
Dropping Soul-Dub in to Some Far-Flung Corners
Wellington septet Fat Freddy’s Drop “are spreading their infectious grooves all over the world,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Paris Pompor. In a shrinking, fibre-connected world, the band…
Prince George Gets His Own NZ Post Stamp
For the first time in its 170-year history, New Zealand Post is issuing a stamp to celebrate a Royal birth, that of Prince George of Cambridge. While Royal children…
New Zealand’s Friendly Airport
Airports are often the least enjoyable part of travelling – while travellers want to enjoy every last moment of their holiday, there’s only so much an airport can offer….
Lots of Ingenuity, Not So Many Cows
Forbes correspondent Rebecca Fannin visited New Zealand in search of old fashion Kiwi ingenuity in the form of start-ups and small businesses hoping to take their ideas international.
Despite having…
Kiwi’s 3D-Printed Cast Could Revolutionalize Recovery
A new prototype cast, researched and designed by Victoria University of Wellington graduate, has been making its way onto international design blogs, and has recently just won the New…
Icebreaker President Reflects on Path to Portland
President and co-founder of Icebreaker, the Wellington-based merino wool clothing brand, Jeremy Moon recently spoke at the inaugural meeting of Athletic and Outdoor Young Professionals about the company’s roundabout…
Flight of the Conchords – Feel Inside (and stuff like that)
The Flight of the Conchords, Jermaine and Bret, were asked to write a charity song for 2012’s Red Nose Day in support of Cure…
Recreating Iconic Doors Mural in Venice Beach
New Zealand-born painter and sculptor Clinton Bopp, who lives in Santa Monica Canyon, has been working on reproducing the Venice Beach mural incorporating Jim Morrison and band members who…
Ten Pounds Gets You Lots of Funny in Edinburgh
One of New Zealand’s youngest professional comedians, award-winning Rhys Mathewson, 22, is making his Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut, with his show “The Best £10 You’ll Ever Spend”.
The List asks…
New Zealand Parliament Passes Controversial Spy Bill 61-59
The New Zealand parliament has narrowly passed a controversial bill that opponents say represents a fundamental threat to democratic rights and freedoms. The new legislation allows the country’s main…
Tauranga Dog Donates Blood to Save Cat’s Life
A Tauranga cat has a dog to thank, after a local vet gave it a transfusion of canine blood in a gamble to save the feline’s life. Kim Edwards rushed…
Making of the Signature “World of Wearable Art” Theme
Take a look at this amazing behind-the-scenes video of the making of the “World of Wearable Art” signature theme music recording sessions held in…
Tributes Pour in After 26-year-old New Zealand Rider Dies in ‘Tragic Accident’
New Zealander Tom Gadsby, a young horse rider, died after falling from his horse during an eventing competition in Cheshire, England on Sunday. Tom, a Kerikeri native, was riding…
Kauri Forests Charm Canadian Visitor
Travelling through Northland on a ten-day tour of the country, National Post writer Maryam Siddiqi decides that ultimately, “the rugged west coast and its glittering green water” left the…
Dame Kiri Becomes Dame Melba on Downton
New Zealand-born opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who has sung for presidents and princes, including in front of a 600-million audience at Prince Charles’s wedding to Lady Diana…
Winner of Best Ad Award 2011 – Lotto Dog
Watch the Best Ad of 2011 featuring a touching story of a loyal dog, Wilson. Combining strong storytelling with a sprinkling of exotic locations…
Who is This ‘Lorde’ Everyone’s Talking About?
Lorde continues to make waves internationally ahead of the launch of her debut album, with US online magazine Vulture writing giving their readers a crash course in who the…
Drive Your McLaren Supercar in Retro-Chic
From the world of Formula One and Can-Am racing, to road-going supercars like the 3-passenger F1 and current MP4-12C, New Zealand-founded McLaren has been amongst the world’s best for…
Compelling Drama Fantasy Blend to Air in US
New Zealand television series The Almighty Johnsons has been bought by American cable channel Syfy, marking the first time a wholly New Zealand-made television drama has aired in the…
Volcano off the Bay of Plenty Coast Erupts
White Island, a volcano off the coast of Bay of Plenty, erupted yesterday morning, sending a plume of steam two kilometres into the air. The eruption happened about 10:23am,…
Sneaky Egg Swap Boosts Kokako Population
The Department of Conservation (DOC) are working hard to save the endangered North Island kokako, using sleight of hand to trick nesting mothers into incubating the eggs of kokako…
Air New Zealand – China’s “Romance Class”
Fall in love with Air New Zealand’s brand new online-exclusive safety video, launched in China to celebrate the airline’s new “Romance Class”. Romance class…
New Zealand Landscape Plays Active Role in Films
“If a country could be eligible for a best actor award, New Zealand could be in the running for every gong going,” writes Megan Lane. In the piece for…
Local Test Flight Gets the Go-Ahead
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted a permit to the Martin Aircraft company, allowing it to test jetpacks with a pilot at the helm in two uninhabited areas…
Grand-Am Victory for Formula 1 Test Driver
Twenty-three-year-old Palmerston North-born Brendon Hartley has won the 70-lap GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series at Road America in Wisconsin. Starworks Motorsport team owner Peter Baron said the kid can…
All Blacks Crush Wallabies in Opening Test
The All Blacks were just too good for Australia, winning 47-29 in the opening 2013 Investec Rugby Championship Test in Sydney, ensuring a torrid debut for new Wallabies coach Ewen…
The Hobbit: Behind the Scenes – Production Video Blog, Part 4
Take a look at Peter Jackson’s fourth behind the scenes video blog in the early stages of the filming…
Smarter Together with Hill Holliday
New Zealander Graham Ritchie, 48, has been named new strategy chief for American advertising agency Hill Holliday, overseeing a department of 38 strategic planners who work on brands such…
New Zealand’s First Same-Sex Marriages Occur Across the Country
Just hours after same-sex marriage laws came into force, New Zealand’s first gay marriages began taking place across the country. 31 couples plan on tying the knot today, but…
Abandoned Sola in the Outback
New Zealand-born soprano Katherine Wiles is starring as Donna Elvira in an outback tour of Mozart’s Don Giovanni by Oz Opera, Opera Australia’s touring arm. Wiles said she was…
