Dean Barker to Lead Japan’s America’s Cup Team
New Zealander Dean Barker has been appointed as skipper and CEO of Japan’s challenge for the 2017 America’s Cup. “This is an incredible opportunity to build a new team from the ground up,” Barker said…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Nielson Family Reunion Perfect Subtext for New UMO Album
“Visionary” New Zealander Ruban Nielson, frontman of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, has tightened up his songwriting, “with the added bonus of synths” on the band’s latest album Multi-Love. “Nielson’s favourite new toy is apparent from the…
FIFA U-20 Final Squads Announced
The final squads have been announced for the FIFA U-20 in New Zealand, which will kick off on May 30, 2015. 504 players have been selected in total by the 24 teams “to follow in…
New Zealand Singer Wins Major International Scholarship
New Zealand Bass-Baritone James Ioelu has won the Victoria League Scholarship in Singing sponsored by the Victoria League in Auckland in association with the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. “We are absolutely delighted to…
Strongest New Home Figures for Almost a Decade
The latest official figures show that the house building rate in New Zealand has increased to the strongest in the last nine years with around 25,000 new building consents a year. Auckland and Christchurch are…
Fear The Walking Dead Teaser Released
AMC has released a pair of sneak peek videos to celebrate the start of production on Walking Dead spinoff Fear The Walking Dead. A behind-the-scenes look at the show, which is set…
Maori Water Rights up for Debate
“Unlike many countries,” The Economist reports, “New Zealand is blessed with abundant fresh water. Its temperate climate, regular rainfall over much of the country, and thousands of lakes and rivers ensure a…
New Zealand Tourism Continues Growing
New Zealand tourism forecasts released at the annual tourism industry conference TRENZ in Rotorua predict continuous growth for New Zealand tourism. Numbers of visitors are expected to increase from 2.9 million in 2014 to 3.8m…
Queenstown Airport Approach Voted the Most Stunning
The airport approach into Queenstown, New Zealand has been voted the most stunning out of 147 global nominations in the 2015 Airport Poll by private charter flight company PrivateFly, which…
Australia’s Top Chef Ben Shewry Saved by a Fisherman
New Zealand-born Ben Shewry’s Melbourne restaurant Attica is admired all over the world over – but success did not make him happy, and he nearly walked away from the kitchen. Until he was saved…
Thomston Challenging Pop Conventions
Aucklander Thomas Stoneman, aka Thomston, who recently made his British debut at the Great Escape festival in Brighton, “is most certainly a talent to watch out for,” according to Clash magazine. The 19-year-old singer’s debut…
Mad Max Stunt Star Dayna Grant Tweets Action Shots
New Zealand stuntwoman Dayna Grant, 39, who doubled for Charlize Theron’s cunning warrior Furiosa in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, posted some behind-the-scenes snapshots on her Twitter page. Esquire shared them with its…
Sean MacPherson’s Marlton One of NY’s Hippest Hotels
In 2013, New Zealand-born hotelier Sean MacPherson “decided to turn his attentions to a Greenwich Village flophouse that used to host the likes of Jack Kerouac back in the literary heyday of New York.”…
Slow West Set in Dauntingly Beautiful Landscape
John Maclean’s “compelling” directorial debut Slow West set in Colorado in 1870 was shot in New Zealand and stars Michael Fassbender. South African-born New Zealander Caren Pistorius plays crofter’s daughter, Rose Ross “who even…
Michaela Anchan’s Woolf Works for Women
When New Zealander Michaela Anchan, 34, decided to launch a career as a freelance writer in Singapore, she discovered few offices in the city-state that were suitable and that fitted her budget. So last…
Jeweller Jessica McCormack Adopts Consignment Policies
In recent years the jewellery industry has experienced a surge of growth, with an explosion of new designers, as well as outlets offering their creations. Some designers have chosen to differentiate themselves by forgoing…
Lorde Immortalised in Wax at Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds in Hollywood has unveiled a wax figure of 18-year-old New Zealand singer Lorde. Human Lorde was quite excited when the wax museum’s Hollywood location revealed her figure. She tweeted out a photo of…
Emirates Returns as Team New Zealand’s Top Sponsor
America’s Cup syndicate Emirates Team New Zealand have received some good news, with the airline announcing it will return as the team’s major sponsor, which could help it reach the starting line of the…
Hurricanes Taking Super Rugby by Storm
The Hurricanes have scored some breathtaking, length-of-the field tries this year, but what they have also done is find a way to win matches when opponents have not allowed them to play the style…
Aucklander Lila Kuka Reclaims Old School Hip
In a bid to be hip, flask manufacturers are turning to their feminine side creating items with pink, glitter and jewels. New Zealander Lila Kuka is a big fan. Kuka began collecting vintage hip flasks…
Fifteen Quirky Contenders for a New NZ Flag
New Zealand is appealing to the public to design and vote on a new flag. The Guardian features 15 examples that are are “as weird and wonderful as you’d expect.” “There’s an internet joke, perpetuated…
Jack Body Leaves Us with His Asia-Inspired Music
Te Aroha-born composer and music academic Jack Body, whose work was influenced by the music of Asia, has died in Wellington at the age of 70. Body studied at Auckland University and in Germany and…
New Zealand – One of the World’s Most Peaceful, Least Corrupt Countries
New Zealand has repeatedly been ranked as one of the Top 4 most peaceful countries in the world by the Global Peace Index as well as the second least corrupt country by…
New Zealand International Film Festival Reveals First Titles
The first five titles of the New Zealand International Film Festival Line-up have been released, which include “a whole raft” of “films emerging from Sundance”. Umrika, written and directed by Prashant Nair won…
Michael Fassbender Channels Clint Eastwood in Slow West
Michael Fassbender channels his favourite cowboy Clint Eastwood in his performance in the newly released action western thriller Slow West, which was filmed in New Zealand’s South Island. While filming in New Zealand Fassbender took…
Open Water Swim Accolade for Adventurer Charlotte Brynn
New Zealander Charlotte Brynn has been included on the 2015 list of the world’s 50 most adventurous open water women by the World Open Water Swim Association. Brynn, a New Zealander who lives…
Jacob Tomuri – More Than Tom Hardy’s Mad Max Stunt Double
“Mad Max Fury Road spends two hours denying audiences the chance to catch their breath. Much of that is thanks to the work of star Tom Hardy and his stunt double, Jacob Tomuri”, proclaims Kim…
Ethan Hawke Stars in New Zealand Directed Movie Good Kill
New Zealand director and screenwriter Andrew Niccol’s new film Good Kill explores the post-traumatic stress experienced by drone operating military pilots. The movie, which is set in 2010, stars Ethan Hawke as Tom Egan, a…
New Zealand Listed As One Of The Hardest Countries to Invade
New Zealand, alongside Switzerland and Russia, has been listed as one of the hardest countries in the world to invade. The humorous article in The Independent cited New Zealand’s geographic inaccessibility as the…
Luxury Holiday in New Zealand the Perfect Gift
The best present you could give your mother would be a “trip of a lifetime” to New Zealand, Los Angeles Times correspondent Amanda Jones recommends in an article featuring “über-luxe lodge” Kauri Cliffs, the…
David Clarkson’s Encoded Opens New Canberra Festival
New Zealander David Clarkson, artistic director of Australian company Stalker Theatre, opened the inaugural SEGUE festival in Canberra with a work called, Encoded. Clarkson says the piece – which combines physical theatre, dance theatre and…
Fjords Crucial to Carbon Burial
An Otago University study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, has found fjords could play a very important role as a driver of atmospheric CO2 levels at times when ice sheets are…
Why Grand Designs Kevin McCloud Loves NZ Homes
Presenter of popular UK television show Grand Designs Kevin McCloud has visited New Zealand four times because of his involvement in a competition to build a new residential quarter in Christchurch as part of…
Rugby Convert Paul Lasike Lands NFL Contract
Auckland-born Paul Lasike, 24, a former Chiefs back, has signed a contract with NFL team Arizona Cardinals. Branded a “violent” ball-runner, Lasike was picked up by the Cardinals after impressing as a running back in…
18 Instagram Accounts for Everyone Who Loves New Zealand
New Zealand is known worldwide for its natural beauty and stunning beachscapes. Buzzfeed has published a list of 17 Instagram accounts, which “will give you an overwhelming desire to book a one-way…
Doyle Sails New Zealand Revolutionises Sail Art
Industry-leading New Zealand production facility Doyle Sails Auckland Stratis has launched Stratis Sail Art, which allows photo quality printing on sails for the first time ever. ‘Stratis Sail Art is the next generation…
Luatua to Skipper Blues after Kaino Injury
Steven Luatua has been named skipper of the Auckland Blues for the remainder of the season after a broken finger ended the Super Rugby season for All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino. “I was a…
New Zealand Property Boom Attracts Overseas Buyers
Auckland’s beaches, clean air and environmentally friendly image are clear selling points for foreign property investors. There is no stamp duty or capital gains tax in New Zealand, which makes the country’s property market a…
New Zealand Knoll Ridge Cafe: Best Designed Cafe in the World
New Zealand’s Knoll Ridge Cafe has been named the best designed cafe in the world by London-based design website Design Curial. The New Zealand cafe is perched dramatically on Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand’s largest active…
Kiwi Cow Sold for over €13,000
A New Zealand Friesian dairy cow has sold for NZ$20,000 or €13,285 at an auction. “There were four of five bidders on this cow. It was amazing and it kept on going up and we…
FIFA U-20 World Cup to Promote Grassroots Football in New Zealand
“A plan to utilise the FIFA U-20 World Cup as a platform to boost grassroots football in New Zealand is taking shape”, according to Fifa.com. Following Auckland and Christchurch courses, football festivals to…
iZombie Renewed for Second Season on the CW
DC Comics/Vertigo-based series iZombie has been renewed by the CW for a second season. “Scheduling and an episode count have yet to be determined”, according to an article in The Hollywood Reporter. iZombie stars…
Mark Hunt Looking Forward to His Rematch with Fabricio Werdum
UFC Heavyweight contender Mark Hunt is set to face Stipe Miocic this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 65 in Adelaide and cannot wait for his rematch with interim champ
Keisha Castle-Hughes Makes Memorable Debut on Game of Thrones
New Zealand actress Keisha Castle-Hughes “made a memorable debut on Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones – The Sons of the Harpy, according to the New York Times blog ArtsBeat. Castle-Hughes’ character Obara Sand and…
Nadeesha Godamunne – a Fashion Illustrator with Many Styles
An interview with Nadeesha Godamunne, a full time in-house fashion illustrator/colorist at Ralph Lauren in New York has been featured in the Huffington Post. The fashion illustrator from New Zealand constantly reminds herself “to keep…
Wet Dogs Dry Dogs Captured by Serenah Hodson
New Zealand-born photographer Serenah Hodson’s Wet Dog Dry Dog series captures show dogs in two essential physical and emotional states: dry and pleased, and then wet and oh so grumpy. The idea came about while…
Jess Johnson’s Parallel Realm Finds Home in a Book
Tauranga-born visual artist Jess Johnson has drawn inspiration from some lesser-known belief systems like UFO religion Raëlism, to create an art book for the National Gallery of Victoria’s inaugural art book fair. ” movement was…
Simon Denny One of the Top Reasons to Get to Venice
Some exhibitors at the 56th Venice Biennale have a shot at changing the art world and New Zealand representative Simon Denny is one of them, according to Bloomberg, which includes the Aucklander in a…
NZ an Appealing Choice for 30-Something Singaporeans
New Zealand is becoming an ever more popular choice for Singaporeans in their early 30s looking to emigrate, choosing our country for its space, value for money, healthcare and cost of living. Freelance journalist Surekha…
John Bracewell Tasked with Leading Ireland to Test Status
New Zealander John Bracewell has been tasked with leading Ireland on the final leg towards Test status, with his experience of playing and coaching his native country at international level seeing him win out…
Heath Cozens Grapples with Controversial Sport
New Zealand-born filmmaker Heath Cozens, 41, saw his first Japanese disabled pro wrestling match in 2010. At the time, he didn’t know what to think. Cozens, who spent 18 years in Japan as a video…
Canada Going Wild for NZ’s Grassy Fruity Wines
“In New Zealand, wine is in top gear,” Canada’s Globe and Mail reports. “Exports marked a record high of $1.29-billion last year, up 8.2 per cent over the previous 12 months, according to New…
Billboard Gets a Rush on Gin Wigmore’s New Video
New Zealand singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore, 28, is preparing for the release of her third studio album Blood to Bone with the “intense and uninhibited” video, “New Rush,” Billboard reports. “ Wigmore is giving her…
Danielle Cormack an Ambitious Currency Trader in New Play
Award-winning actor New Zealand-born Danielle Cormack, who came to prominence in Australia with her performances in Underbelly and Wentworth, is currently playing an ambitious currency trader in Boys Will Be Boys at
Simon Denny’s The Innovator’s Dilemma – a Young Ironist’s Work
In a review in the prestigious New Yorker magazine, NZ artist Simon Denny’s exhibition The Innovator’s Dilemma is featured as one of the highlights of the New York arts scene. The exhibition, which is being…
Golf Champion Michael Campbell Calls It Quits
Former US Open Champion New Zealander Michael Campbell, 46, is retiring from golf to concentrate on running his golf academy in Malaga, Spain. Campbell, who won the Open at Pinehurst in 2005, told New Zealand’s…
