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Archive >> November 2014

Stone Street Studios to Produce Pete’s Dragon

Stone Street Studios to Produce Pete’s Dragon

Walt Disney has confirmed that production of Pete’s Dragon, a remake of the 1977 film and starring Robert Redford, will be based at Peter Jackson’s Stone Street…

Storyteller Wayne Mills Celebrates Reading with Kids’ Lit Quiz

Storyteller Wayne Mills Celebrates Reading with Kids’ Lit Quiz

In a quaint old theatre in Falmouth, Cornwall, a tall gentleman in a top hat stands facing the stage, like a conductor. The man is not just the ringmaster…

How New Zealand Nearly Ditched the Haka

How New Zealand Nearly Ditched the Haka

An exclusive Telegraph report reveals that in 2004 many All Blacks felt the haka was no longer appropriate, and how management and senior players ensured it was maintained.

The choreography…

Maori Martial Arts Rule the Big Screen in The Dead Lands

Maori Martial Arts Rule the Big Screen in The Dead Lands

Matthew Metcalfe’s feature film The Dead Lands, shot entirely in Te Reo Maori and the first to showcase the ancient Maori martial art mau rakau, is due for official…

Peter Jackson to Get Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Peter Jackson to Get Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

New Zealand filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ahead of the release of his new film The Hobbit: The…

UFC 180: A Sit-Down With Mark Hunt

UFC 180: A Sit-Down With Mark Hunt

Before UFC 180, New Zealand born heavyweight mixed martial artist Mark Hunt, known as the ‘Super Samoan’, discusses his amazing comeback story, his long…

WWII Spy Phyllis Doyle Receives France’s Highest Honour

WWII Spy Phyllis Doyle Receives France’s Highest Honour

Ninety-three-year-old former British secret agent Phyllis Latour Doyle, who lives in New Zealand, has received France’s highest decoration for her courage – 70 years after parachuting behind enemy lines…

Artist Max Gimblett to Conquer London with Love

Artist Max Gimblett to Conquer London with Love

One of New Zealand’s most renowned and successful contemporary artists, Max Gimblett will be the subject of his first solo exhibition in the UK, “Love Conquers All,”…

Orphans & Kingdoms Trailer

Orphans & Kingdoms Trailer

In writer/director Paolo Rotondo’s debut feature, three teenagers on the run break into a deluxe Waiheke Island home and find themselves caught in a…

Ironman Legend Cameron Brown Legs It in Taiwan

Ironman Legend Cameron Brown Legs It in Taiwan

New Zealand ironman legend Cameron Brown has won the Ironman 70.3 Taiwan, an international professional half ironman triathlon competition that took place in early November.

Brown, who has won 10…

New Zealand Travel Secrets

New Zealand Travel Secrets

“Travel Enthusiast” Tom McLoughlin of The Huffington Post discusses his top three travel secrets from his tour of New Zealand.

“The world’s finest adventure playground with sweeping mountain panoramas, bright…

Catherine Bell at TEDxAuckland

Catherine Bell at TEDxAuckland

Catherine Bell’s mission in life is to inspire people to cook and eat simple, good food. A passionate foodie and Dish Magazine co-founder, Catherine…

Lorde’s NYC A&R Man’s Lucky Day

Lorde’s NYC A&R Man’s Lucky Day

How does a teenager from Devonport, Auckland get plucked from relative obscurity to become a worldwide chart-topping phenomenon? Once-in-a-generation talent helps, but those gifts need to be paired with…

Estere – Reptilian Journey

Estere – Reptilian Journey

Wellington based singer, songwriter and beat-maker Estere is turning heads with her soul infused tracks, and is proving to be a one-of-a-kind performer, quickly…

Valerie Adams is World Athlete of the Year

Valerie Adams is World Athlete of the Year

Shot putter Valerie Adams, unbeaten since August 2010, has been named female World Athlete of the Year for 2014, the first New Zealander to win the award.

Two-time Olympic champion…

Estère – the New Face of Soul Music

Estère – the New Face of Soul Music

An example of soul music’s possible future is 22-year-old New Zealander Estère, who recently played at the annual Australian World Music Expo (AWME) in Melbourne.

The Wellington-based bedroom artist –…

Living a Kiwi Life – Ep.22 – Rere Rockslide – Epic Waterfall Slip and Slide

Living a Kiwi Life – Ep.22 – Rere Rockslide – Epic Waterfall Slip and Slide

In this episode the couple took on the Rere Rockslide, the worlds most amazing and unbelieveable natural slip and slide! With a coating of…

Tongariro Crossing One of the World’s Best One Day Walks

Tongariro Crossing One of the World’s Best One Day Walks

“Believe the hype.” Andrew Bain writes about the Tongariro Crossing for Traveller magazine, in a list of eleven of the world’s best walks you can do in one day.

“Regularly…

Noosa Gets Its Rhythm on with Drummer Nathaniel Combs

Noosa Gets Its Rhythm on with Drummer Nathaniel Combs

Waikiri-born percussionist Nathaniel Combs, 31, has played with world-famous ensembles such as Les Percussion de Guinea, Les Visage de Guinee, and the prestigious Kaloum Lole during time spent in…

Maori Culture Experience in New Zealand

Maori Culture Experience in New Zealand

Rotorua is recognized as the Maori cultural centre of New Zealand, and there are many reasons to visit, Mike Watt explains for the Epoch Times.

“For well over 100 years…

Lorraine Moller Extols Lydiard Technique in Canada

Lorraine Moller Extols Lydiard Technique in Canada

Four-time Olympian and multi-marathon champion Lorraine Moller visits the Canadian city of Saanich for three days in November to teach the famed Arthur Lydiard method of run training.

The philosophy…

NZ Welcomes China’s President in Style

NZ Welcomes China’s President in Style

“They say you can’t beat Wellington on a good day and that’s exactly what greeted China’s president in the New Zealand capital,” writes Jacqueline Le for The Daily Telegraph.

President…

Equine Artist Peter Willams a Kentucky Fixture

Equine Artist Peter Willams a Kentucky Fixture

New Zealander Peter Williams is the resident artist at Keeneland racecourse in Kentucky, a gentleman with an easel, canvas and palette of paints quietly working as the pageantry of…

STIHL: Mercy Dash Ad

STIHL: Mercy Dash Ad

Continuing their story of two bickering brothers who desire to have their fathers chainsaw STIHL have created this very funny ad of just how…

New Zealand Scientists Discover Ancient Toothless Whale

New Zealand Scientists Discover Ancient Toothless Whale

Scientists from the University of Otago have discovered two previously unknown ancient whale species, rewriting the history of marine mammals in the Southern Hemisphere.

The 25 million year old whales,…

New Zealand to Rural Iceland – Extreme Commute

New Zealand to Rural Iceland – Extreme Commute

Every year, several dozen butchers make a lengthy commute – from provincial New Zealand to rural Iceland – for just two months’ work.

Shawn Parkinson (pictured, far left), one of…

The Z-Nail Gang Official Trailer

The Z-Nail Gang Official Trailer

Inspired by actual (and unbelievably crazy) events that took place in the Coromandel during the 1980s, The Z-Nail gang is an inspiring story that…

Lorde’s ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack

Lorde’s ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack

The Wall Street Journal’s John Jurgensen reviews the soundtrack Lorde curated for the latest blockbuster Hunger Games movie, in an article titled “How Lorde Played God on the ‘Hunger…

Luke Nola at TEDxAuckland

Luke Nola at TEDxAuckland

Adman-turned-filmmaker Luke Nola turned his back on a successful advertising career to follow his passion for making things, and created the multi-award-winning reality TV…

Waikato Gang Tribal Huks Feeding Hungry Kids

Waikato Gang Tribal Huks Feeding Hungry Kids

Ngaruawahia gang Tribal Huks has been making approximately 500 sandwiches daily and dropping them off at 25 local Waikato schools, just as American gangs have responded similarly in the…

New Zealand, Germany to Cooperate in Bionic Arm Project

New Zealand, Germany to Cooperate in Bionic Arm Project

Scientists from New Zealand and Germany are to collaborate in developing a bionic joint they say will reduce workplace injuries and help people disabled by strokes.

The exoskeleton a machine…

Benny Tipene – Step On Up

Benny Tipene – Step On Up

New Zealand singer/songwriter Benny Tipene has gone from strength to strength after finishing third in the first series of The X-Factor. In 2014 he…

Kiwis Win Four Nations Title in Wellington

Kiwis Win Four Nations Title in Wellington

New Zealand secured their second Four Nations title as Shaun Johnson shone in a thrilling 22-18 win over Australia at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

New Zealand have proven that they…

NASA Reveals New Zealand “Untouched Sanctuary”

NASA Reveals New Zealand “Untouched Sanctuary”

Nasa has released a series of images of ‘sanctuaries’ around the globe as part of a new book released this week, which includes a stunning image of Mt Taranaki in…

Living a Kiwi Life – Ep. 21 – Lake Waikaremoana

Living a Kiwi Life – Ep. 21 – Lake Waikaremoana

After some much needed sun and surf the couple decided to take a hike along the mountain ridge and shoreline of Lake Waikaremoana, another…

All Blacks Beat Scotland in Tough Challenge

All Blacks Beat Scotland in Tough Challenge

The All Blacks have managed to continue one of the longer streaks in world sport, as Scotland failed for the 30th time to beat the world champions. But it…

Lydia Ko Becomes Youngest LPGA Rookie of Year

Lydia Ko Becomes Youngest LPGA Rookie of Year

New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko has become the youngest winner of the LPGA’s Rookie of the Year award in a season in which she has won twice, secured two…

Shane Cotton Solo Exhibition Opens in Hong Kong

Shane Cotton Solo Exhibition Opens in Hong Kong

One of New Zealand’s foremost contemporary artists, Shane Cotton will present “The Voyage Out”, a solo exhibition of new works on at Hong Kong’s Rossi Rossi gallery until 27…

New Zealand Cricket Fan Wins Fame with One-Handed Catch

New Zealand Cricket Fan Wins Fame with One-Handed Catch

Andrew McColloch is $5000 richer and slightly famous after his incredible one-handed catch at a Twenty20 cricket match went viral.

Michael Bracewell hit a six in the match between Otago Volts…

Swedes Are Funnier than They Think Says Al Pitcher

Swedes Are Funnier than They Think Says Al Pitcher

“One of Sweden’s hottest comedians,” our own Al Pitcher, 42, has launched his new comedy show, Nääämen: It’s Al Pitcher, in Stockholm. Educated in Rotorua, Pitcher has won numerous…

Fireside Chats: The Cast of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Reveals Hollywood’s Vampires

Fireside Chats: The Cast of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Reveals Hollywood’s Vampires

The writing and directing team of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, and their cast mates sat down with the Hollywood Reporter to talk about…

General Motors Dan Ammann Drives for Change

General Motors Dan Ammann Drives for Change

General Motors President Dan Ammann is leading the push to change how the century-old Detroit automaker sells and produces cars around the world.

Born in New Zealand, raised on a…

‘What We Do In the Shadows’ Wins Hawaii Audience Prize

‘What We Do In the Shadows’ Wins Hawaii Audience Prize

“What We Do In the Shadows,” Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s New Zealand-made documentary-style comedy about three flatmates who happen to be vampires won the audience award for best…

#172: Kiwis Rocking the World

#172: Kiwis Rocking the World

The Global Life of New Zealanders

From Brian Sweeney, producer NZEDGE.COM | 14 November 2014 | #172 | New York

New Zealand Tourism Eyes 33% More Indians for World Cup

New Zealand Tourism Eyes 33% More Indians for World Cup

Tourism New Zealand is eyeing a massive 33 per cent growth in Indian travellers to the island Pacific nation this fiscal as it expects an influx of visitors for…

New Zealand All Blacks On FOX 32 Chicago News

New Zealand All Blacks On FOX 32 Chicago News

All Blacks Kieran Read, Victor Vito and Sam Whitelock gave the FOX 32 News team some lessons on the game of rugby and what…

Richie McCaw: The Man Behind The Genius

Richie McCaw: The Man Behind The Genius

“What makes the New Zealand captain the world’s greatest player?” asks The Telegraph in a lengthy feature article.

At Twickenham on Saturday, Richie McCaw eclipsed Sir Colin Meads as the…

Mahi Aroha 2: First, Revive the Spirit

Mahi Aroha 2: First, Revive the Spirit

In the week preceding the 2014 General Election I gave a speech to the AGM of the Council of Social Services in Christchurch. Whenever I’m in Christchurch I feel…

Fat Freddy’s Drop – Shiverman

Fat Freddy’s Drop – Shiverman

Fat Freddy’s Drop have a live jam at the Red Bull Studio, Wellington. The seven piece band formed in the late 1990s, and are…

Sandra Nunnerly Making an Impact with Interior Design

Sandra Nunnerly Making an Impact with Interior Design

A favored interior designer among the New York City’s cocktail party set, New Zealand-born Sandra Nunnerley has brought her distinct eye and original aesthetic to…

Weta’s Richard Taylor Takes on Thunderbirds Challenge

Weta’s Richard Taylor Takes on Thunderbirds Challenge

The idea to adapt half-century-old television series Thunderbirds began 12 years ago when New Zealander Richard Taylor an Oscar-winning visual effects, makeup and costumes wizard, went to the UK…

Living a Kiwi Life – Ep. 20 – Surfing Raglan Road Trip

Living a Kiwi Life – Ep. 20 – Surfing Raglan Road Trip

This time the couple decided to trade mountaineering for surfing and took off to the sun and shine of Manu Bay, Whale Bay, Indicators…

All Blacks Reign Supreme Over England

All Blacks Reign Supreme Over England

The All Blacks gained a fifth consecutive win over England, after the home side led 14-11 at half time.

But the English side made error upon error and suffered a…

Teen Star James Rolleston on Why He’s “Nothing Flash-As”

Teen Star James Rolleston on Why He’s “Nothing Flash-As”

The New Zealand actor James Rolleston who impressed in Taika Waititi’s smash hit Boy is back with two new homegrown films that wowed at the 2014 Toronto International Film…

Classic Weet-Bix TV Ad – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Climb Mount Everest

Classic Weet-Bix TV Ad – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Climb Mount Everest

In this classic Weet-Bix ad two miniature versions of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay make their ascent of Mount Everest. While no one believes…

PM John Key Pushes National Rebranding with New Flag

PM John Key Pushes National Rebranding with New Flag

Prime Minister John Key, recently re-elected to a third term, is a cast-iron monarchist, the Economist writes. “Even so, he is bent on coming up with a new flag…