September 2014 Archives

Housebound Trailer

Housebound Trailer

When Kylie (Morgana O’Reilly) is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention she becomes privy to unsettling whispers…

Filmmaker Taika Waititi Flourishing out of the Mainstream

Filmmaker Taika Waititi Flourishing out of the Mainstream

He’s best known as the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind hits like Flight Of The Conchords and New Zealand’s highest-ever grossing film Boy. But Taika Waititi had a brush with mainstream Hollywood fame when he starred alongside…

Billboard Names Lorde Hottest Star under 21

Billboard Names Lorde Hottest Star under 21

Billboard has put New Zealander Lorde, 17, at the top of its 2014 edition of 21 Under 21, the magazine’s annual ranking of music’s most powerful minors, “and perhaps the most impressive crop of…

Mount Fyffe – Living a Kiwi Life – Ep. 13

Mount Fyffe – Living a Kiwi Life – Ep. 13

In this episode, the couple hike up the side of Mount Fyffe, just outside Kaikoura, New Zealand. It was a bit of a tramp up the side of the…

Holly Ade-Simpson Lands Sydney Google Internship

Holly Ade-Simpson Lands Sydney Google Internship

Victoria University student Holly Ade-Simpson will join the cream of global tech wizards this summer as she interns at Google’s Sydney headquarters. Google was rated this year by professional networking site LinkedIn as the most…

All Blacks Win Third Successive Rugby Championship

All Blacks Win Third Successive Rugby Championship

The All Blacks have wrapped up their third successive Rugby Championship crown with a comprehensive 34-13 win over Argentina at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata. First half tries to Ben Smith and Israel Dagg gave…

New Zealand in Top 10 on Asian Creative Productivity Index

New Zealand in Top 10 on Asian Creative Productivity Index

A new Creative Productivity Index ranks New Zealand sixth out of 22 Asia Pacific countries which are most efficient at turning creative inputs into tangible innovation. The Creative Productivity Index was developed by…

New Zealand Businesses Opening HQs in Texas

New Zealand Businesses Opening HQs in Texas

New Zealand software maker Project Manager Online Ltd., founded by Jason Westland (pictured), has opened a headquarters in the United States in Austin, Texas with plans to employ at least 80 workers within two…

Kiri Te Kanawa Warns Britain Killing Talent

Kiri Te Kanawa Warns Britain Killing Talent

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, one of the world’s greatest opera stars, has made an impassioned plea for Britain to stop blocking the flow of young singers into opera houses so that the top quality…

Matt Lambert Explains NZ Cuisine to New Yorkers

Matt Lambert Explains NZ Cuisine to New Yorkers

Matt Lambert, executive chef at The Musket Room in New York, explains New Zealand cuisine and the restaurant’s sophisticated take on it to Forbes’ contributor Jenny Nguyen-Barron. Lambert also shares his point of…

Lucy Lawless Plays a Teacher in New Outback Thriller

Lucy Lawless Plays a Teacher in New Outback Thriller

Lucy Lawless stars in ABC political thriller The Code as Alex Wisham, a teacher in a remote indigenous school who protects an Aboriginal boy blamed for the death of a teenage girl. She gets…

Moments in Time – Hokey Pokey

Moments in Time – Hokey Pokey

Hokey Pokey is a popular sweet in New Zealand, and is often used as an example of ‘kiwiana’ culture. But how and where was it first created? Watch a…

Peter Gutteridge – One of NZ Music’s Spiky Heroes

Peter Gutteridge – One of NZ Music’s Spiky Heroes

In a scene of unsung heroes, one of the least sung will be making no more music, changing no more lives from his place on the periphery. Peter Gutteridge – described as “a true…

New Zealand Best Place to Travel on Your Own

New Zealand Best Place to Travel on Your Own

New Zealand is the world’s safest, friendliest, and best place to travel on your own, according to Travel + Leisure magazine. The publication “crunched the numbers from the Global Peace Index, which ranks 162 nations…

The Dead Lands (2014) Teaser Trailer

The Dead Lands (2014) Teaser Trailer

Watch the teaser trailer for a New Zealand 2014 movie, The Dead Lands. An intense story about a a Maori chieftain’s teenage son that must avenge his father’s murder…

Jesse Ryder Star Player for Essex

Jesse Ryder Star Player for Essex

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder has delivered an outstanding performance for Essex which leaves them on the verge of promotion to the top division of the County Championship. Ryder took career-best figures of 5-24 on…

Kiwi Startup Coco’s Coconut Co Picked up by Givenchy

Kiwi Startup Coco’s Coconut Co Picked up by Givenchy

Coco’s Coconut Co, a small Kiwi startup that produces a premium brand of coconut water called CoAqua, has landed a deal with French fashion brand Givenchy to be their in-store drink. CoAqua will soon be…

New Plymouth Teen Eden Bristowe Opens Vivienne Westwood Show

New Plymouth Teen Eden Bristowe Opens Vivienne Westwood Show

New Plymouth teenager Eden Bristowe has opened Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label show at London Fashion Week wearing a “Yes” badge, in support of Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. The 16-year-old was the first model…

Kimbra – The Making of The Golden Echo Episode 1

Kimbra – The Making of The Golden Echo Episode 1

Watch the first of five short videos about Kimbra as she talks about the sounds and collaborators that inspired her album, The Golden Echo. Kimbra is a New Zealand…

Sailing World Championships “Dominated” by Kiwi Pair

Sailing World Championships “Dominated” by Kiwi Pair

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Championships in Santander were dominated by Kiwi sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke had already secured Gold before starting the 49er skiff event,…

Living a Kiwi Life – Episode 12: Ngarua Caves, Labyrinth Rocks & Castle Hill

Living a Kiwi Life – Episode 12: Ngarua Caves, Labyrinth Rocks & Castle Hill

In this episode, the couple explore the beautiful geological formations of the Ngarua Caves, Labyrinth Rocks and Castle Hill. The Ngarua Caves and Labyrinth Rocks are near Takaka and…

Gemma New to Conduct for LA Philharmonic

Gemma New to Conduct for LA Philharmonic

University of Canterbury graduate Gemma New has been selected by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association as one of two conductors to participate in the 2014/15 Dudamel Fellowship Program. New will be conducting ‘Peter and the…

Rare Giant Squid a Spectacular Scientific Opportunity

Rare Giant Squid a Spectacular Scientific Opportunity

The colossal squid hauled from the depths of Antarctica’s Ross Sea by a New Zealand fishing crew last year has local scientists very excited, as it is one of very few ever examined. The 350kg…

Building the Auckland Harbour Bridge

Building the Auckland Harbour Bridge

Take a look at a video posted by The New Zealand Herald about the building of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in the 50’s. Around 180 skilled workmen were brought…

Prime Minister John Key Wins Third Term

Prime Minister John Key Wins Third Term

Prime Minister John Key will lead New Zealand for a third consecutive term after the National Party won 48 per cent of the vote in this year’s election. Official results show Key’s party will likely…

Cliff Curtis Gives Career-Making Performance as Genesis Potini

Cliff Curtis Gives Career-Making Performance as Genesis Potini

New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis, 46, who gives a career-making performance in fellow New Zealand director James Napier Robertson’s The Dark Horse (now playing the Toronto International Film Festival) is serious about his craft….

Tour of Britain Rider Tom Scully Shares His Food Diary

Tour of Britain Rider Tom Scully Shares His Food Diary

To meet the relentless energy demands of this year’s eight stage Tour of Britain professional cycle race, New Zealander Tom Scully is one of approximately 114 riders who must fuel up each morning, topping…

That Little Emilia Wickstead Point of Difference

That Little Emilia Wickstead Point of Difference

Over the past half decade, New Zealand-born Emilia Wickstead has emerged as London’s go-to designer for occasion dressing. Her ability to find inspiration in 1950s and 1960s couture salons and the candy-coloured society ladies…

Richard “Hannibal” Hayes Gives National Geographic Russia a NZ Tour

Richard “Hannibal” Hayes Gives National Geographic Russia a NZ Tour

Sir Richard “Hannibal” Hayes, legendary helicopter pilot, gave two National Geographic reporters from Russia the ride of their life as they explored New Zealand. Sir Richard is is probably New Zealand’s most legendary helicopter pilot…

Air NZ Boeing 747-400 Takes Final Flight

Air NZ Boeing 747-400 Takes Final Flight

Air New Zealand’s last Boeing 747-400 affectionately referred to by pilots as “Daddy’s yacht” has completed its final flight in teal livery, as the airline ushers in a new generation of long-haul aircraft. The 16-year-old…

Strictly Star Erin Boag Says Motherhood Her New Priority

Strictly Star Erin Boag Says Motherhood Her New Priority

For 17 years, Auckland-born ballroom dancer Erin Boag, 39, and British partner Anton Du Beke, 48, have been tripping the light fantastic together, in a journey that has seen them rise through the amateur…

Makeup Artist Aaron De Mey Minimalist at London Fashion Week

Makeup Artist Aaron De Mey Minimalist at London Fashion Week

New Zealand-born, New York-based makeup artist Aaron De Mey was backstage at Irish designer J.W. Anderson’s show for London Fashion Week crafting pure looks and “matte fragility”. “We’re really trying to amplify a no-makeup state…

Rhys Darby Interview at One Tree Hill

Rhys Darby Interview at One Tree Hill

Take a look at Rhys Darby as he talks about how he became a comedian and his experiences in the performing arts industry. Rhys Montague Darby is an actor…

Denim Designer Simon Miller Reshaping Californian Brand

Denim Designer Simon Miller Reshaping Californian Brand

Wellington-born designer Simon Miller, men’s creative director at premium denim brand Citizens of Humanity in Los Angeles, talks to Monocle about his new role and plans for the label’s future. “I’ve been living my life…

Christchurch’s ‘Cardboard Cathedral’ Symbolises Progress as City Rebuilds

Christchurch’s ‘Cardboard Cathedral’ Symbolises Progress as City Rebuilds

Christchurch’s Transitional Cathedral, known as the ‘cardboard cathedral’, has ‘risen from the ruins’ to become the most recognised building in Christchurch, while ChristChurch Cathedral remains gripped in a battle between modernity and heritage. The ChristChurch…

Ziptrek Ecotours, Queenstown

Ziptrek Ecotours, Queenstown

Check out the promo video for 2014 Ziptrek Ecotours in Queenstown, New Zealand. Ziptrek Ecotours is a world leader in the design, development and operation of zipline-based eco-adventures. Ziptrek…

Possums Adding Value to Elver’s Backpacks

Possums Adding Value to Elver’s Backpacks

“When Kiwi footwear and accessories start-up Elver launched last year the brand faced a dilemma: manufacturers can’t produce small batches without extraordinary costs. The firm decided to capitalize on the availability of…

Vogue’s 15 Must Visit Spots in Wellington

Vogue’s 15 Must Visit Spots in Wellington

Vogue has presented a list of 15 spots to have a perfect day in the “coolest little city in the world: Wellington, New Zealand” “New Zealand’s capital city is no longer just a sleepy layover…

Take Us Back – Titanium

Take Us Back – Titanium

Listen to Titaniums awesome single,Take Us Back. During the single the boys worked along side their friend/producer Vince Harder who helped co-write Take Us Back with Titanium which was…

Holly Spring’s Daughter Her Muse for Award-Winning Photos

Holly Spring’s Daughter Her Muse for Award-Winning Photos

Photography was the furthest thing from Holly Spring’s mind when daughter Violet was struck down with a debilitating bowel condition that almost cost her life. Born with just one hand, her right, the new born…

Wellington Vampire Movie Wins People’s Choice at Toronto Film Festival

Wellington Vampire Movie Wins People’s Choice at Toronto Film Festival

‘What We Do In the Shadows’ was a big hit at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, winning the Grolsch Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award.  Its co-creator, ‘Flight of the Conchords’ star Jemaine Clement,…

The Musket Room Challenges Assumptions of Kiwi Food

The Musket Room Challenges Assumptions of Kiwi Food

Amelia Lester writes for The New Yorker restaurant column this week about Australasian cuisine, with a focus on the Musket Room, the highly acclaimed restaurant of New Zealander Matt Lambert. She writes of the growing…

All Blacks Read The Weather

All Blacks Read The Weather

Take a look as All Blacks TJ Perenara, Collin Slade and Jeremy Thrush give a go at reading the weather ahead of their match against the Springboks at the…

Hairdressing a Terrific Career for Beijing-Based Bill Watson

Hairdressing a Terrific Career for Beijing-Based Bill Watson

Former Wellingtonian Bill Watson, international education and artistic director for Toni & Guy China, is loving life in Beijing. “It’s where things are happening,” he tells New Zealand Herald journalist Janetta Mackay. Watson says working…

Belfast Students Aim to Emulate Burt Munro Record

Belfast Students Aim to Emulate Burt Munro Record

A team of Queen’s University undergraduate engineers will attempt to emulate the 1967 land speed record New Zealander Burt Munro set on his modified Indian Scout motorcycle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The…

Steve Williams Reflects on Stellar Caddie Career

Steve Williams Reflects on Stellar Caddie Career

Steve Williams, one of the world’s most famous caddies, talks to the New York Times about his plans to wind down his dream career after being inducted to the Caddie Hall of Fame this…

Living a Kiwi Life – Episode 11: Abel Tasman Coast Track, Great Walk (1 of 9)

Living a Kiwi Life – Episode 11: Abel Tasman Coast Track, Great Walk (1 of 9)

In this episode, the couple try out the first of 9 New Zealand Great Walks. The Abel Tasman Coast Track is a coastal walkway along beautiful beaches and through…

Webb’s Auction House Offers up Art Bargains

Webb’s Auction House Offers up Art Bargains

“Auckland-based auction house Webb’s leads the way in meeting the growing interest in New Zealand artists,” according to Monocle. “Established in 1976, it now also provides auction services in Wellington and, in 2013, clinched the…

Singer Jackie Bristow Itching to Finish Fourth Album

Singer Jackie Bristow Itching to Finish Fourth Album

New Zealand folk singer Jackie Bristow hasn’t released a new album in four years. But she has a really good excuse: Bristow has been touring non-stop, and consistently appearing on some lofty play bills,…

Secluded Waikato Getaway Carved out of the Hills

Secluded Waikato Getaway Carved out of the Hills

“Long before Peter Jackson re-created Middle-earth in the fertile hills of New Zealand’s Waikato region, Graham Hannah and his young daughter Jessie had a dream,” Rob McFarland writes for the Sydney Morning Herald. “They would…

Scientists Closing to Breeding Eco-friendly Sheep

Scientists Closing to Breeding Eco-friendly Sheep

Scientists at New Zealand’s AgResearch and the US Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute have moved a step closer to developing a breed of sheep that belches less methane as part of a quest…

Nonviolent Peaceforce Worker Maria Duncan Flies into S Sudan

Nonviolent Peaceforce Worker Maria Duncan Flies into S Sudan

Christchurch woman Maria Duncan, 27, who works for Brussels-based organization Nonviolent Peaceforce, has flown into war-torn Bentiu, South Sudan to help protect some 25,000 refugees in a UN camp. Almost all its occupants are displaced…

Good Kill Andrew Niccol’s Sobering 21st Century Riposte to Top Gun

Good Kill Andrew Niccol’s Sobering 21st Century Riposte to Top Gun

In Good Kill, which has its world premiere this month at the Venice Film Festival, New Zealand writer-director Andrew Niccol explores the implications of waging war while staying home, a development that – for…

Surgeon Is Fundamentally a Storyteller

Surgeon Is Fundamentally a Storyteller

Auckland-based author and surgeon Dr Sharad Paul talks to the Bangalore Mirror about his latest novel The Kite Flyers, and about how a doctor came to be writing literary fiction. “I think I am fundamentally…

Song For Everyone

Song For Everyone

Listen to an inspirational song by the For Everyone Charitable Foundation which provides a helping hand to community groups in New Zealand that need it the most. Song For…

Trailblazer Brad Thorn Happy to Be a Leicester Tiger

Trailblazer Brad Thorn Happy to Be a Leicester Tiger

Former All Black forward Brad Thorne, 39, has pitched up at Leicester at the tail-end of a colourful career that’s taken him from Dunedin to Leinster via Japan. But, he tells the Independent’s Chris…