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Archive >> November 2016
Hera Lindsay Bird Takes Poetry Beyond the Bookstore
In New Zealand, poetry’s latest “it girl”, Hera Lindsay Bird, is amassing a semi-cult online following for her smart, sassy and explicit takes on everything from female sexuality to…
Auckland’s Lego Christmas Tree
If you’ve been to Aotea Square recently you will have noticed the Christmas tree made entirely of LEGO. Watch this video by Auckland Council…
EDGE #243: Kester Black’s Anna Ross, Soul Machines Raises $7.5m, Kopupaka Reserve, Christie’s Imogen Kerr, Peter Beck Building Business in Space + NZ Attracting Entrepreneurs + more ++
NZ Attracting Entrepreneurs from Across the Globe
New Zealand has been the home to Australian expats for years, and now New Zealander are muscling in on the startup world as low living costs and talented entrepreneurs…
Soul Machines Raises $7.5m in Series A Financing Round
“New Zealand-based artificial intelligence (AI) and avatar company Soul Machines has raised $7.5 million in a Series A financing round led by venture capital firm Horizons Ventures along with…
Burning up the Tarmac with Amelia Watkinson
New Zealand professional triathlete “up-and-comer” Amelia Watkinson, 25, who has just won the IRONMAN 70.3 Thailand, talks with the sports brand about patience, consistency, and using injury to her…
Kester Black’s Anna Ross Wins Acclaim
Australia’s Young Business Woman of the Year has been named and she is New Zealand-born Anna Ross, founder of Kester Black Cosmetics, a brand customers rank better than global…
All Blacks vs. France Highlights
Watch the highlights of the All Blacks vs. France match – the final game of the Northern Tour 2016. The NZ team won 24-19.
All Blacks Beat France 24-19
“World player of the year Beauden Barrett helped stretch New Zealand’s winning streak over France to 10 games with a hard-fought but ultimately comfortable 24-19 victory on Sunday (AEDT),”…
Best One-Day Hike In The World?
“Move over Tongariro, there’s a new ‘best one-day walk in the world’ in New Zealand.” The Pouakai Crossing winds around Mount Taranaki’s northern slopes and “aims to…
Wellington Zoo A Must-Visit
Wellington Zoo in New Zealand has been featured as “one of the most amazing zoos around the world”, as reported in an article in Travelers Today.
“The Wellington…
Drones Delivering Domino’s Pizzas To Customers
Domino’s Pizza has started to deliver pizzas using drones in the town of Whangaparaoa in New Zealand and the company is planning to make it available at more New…
How Pacific Islanders Helped Moana Find Its Way
Fine attention to detail and constant feedback from John Musker and Ron Clements, the writer-director team behind Moana’s cultural advisory group The Oceanic Story Trust, has helped shape the Disney…
New Zealand’s South Island – Drone Footage
Watch this clip and see how Wiebe de Jager captures the beauty of New Zealand’s South Island with a drone. The filming was supported by…
Christie’s Imogen Kerr Making Waves in Art World
To mark Christie’s 250th anniversary, Luxury London met with New Zealander Imogen Kerr who, along with Briton Kate Flitcroft, represents the new generation of female specialists at the renowned…
EDGE #242: World Fantasy Award for Anna Smaill, Morgan Marquis-Boire on digital authoritarianism, Endace’s Medusa system, Lisa Harrow in Coriolanus + Tape Face + more ++
Get Naked with a 3D Fitness Tracker Mirror
New Zealand-born Farhad Farahbakhshian and Briton Ed Sclater of Naked Labs have designed a mirror that lets you see, in real-time, the effect of your workout on your body.
The…
Peter Jackson to Produce Sci-Fi Series Adaptation
Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson will produce an adaptation of British author Philip Reeve’s steampunk series Mortal Engines, the script which the New Zealander has also co-written.
Another Academy Award winner,…
Kopupaka Reserve Wins World Landscape of the Year 2016
Kopupaka Reserve – “an Auckland wetlands reserve featuring “woven” timber structures has been named World Landscape of the Year 2016 at the World Architecture Festival,” writes Amy…
Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck Building Business in Space
Self-taught New Zealand-born scientist and CEO of Rocket Lab Peter Beck, 39, explains to accountancy industry magazine Acuity how – and why – he is making space more accessible.
At…
Record Bilateral Trade Figures Mark Bank Of China New Zealand 2nd Anniversary
(SPONSORED CONTENT) “Latest China-New Zealand trade statistics illustrate the value Bank of China (New Zealand) brings to the economic relationship as the bank marks its second full-year of operation…
NZ Folk Singer Who’ll Put A Spell On You
“New Zealand’s Aldous Harding –who was recently recommended by Charlotte Church in the Guardian” is “a folk artist whose performances strike that rare balance between fragility and full-blown possession,”…
Air NZ: Wake up in New Zealand
Watch this new promotional video released by Air New Zealand and get immersed in what you could experience in New Zealand.
NZ Model Set Up Luxury Travel Firm After Dare
“It’s often said that the inspiration for starting a business can come from anywhere. For Stephanie Chai it was a dare,” writes Sarah Porter for the BBC. The…
Bollywood Star on Power-Packed NZ Adventure Trail
Bollywood superstar and adventure junkie Sidharth Malhotra, 31, was in New Zealand recently shooting a social media video highlighting New Zealand’s scenery, adrenalin-packed activities and cultural experiences which will…
Trump Undermines America’s Tattered Authority – Rigg
“Hillary Clinton and the Democrats deserved to lose the presidential election,” writes Bob Rigg, Wellington-based researcher and writer specialising in nuclear issues, the Middle East, Central Asia, and US…
Violinist Benjamin Baker Wins NY Music Prize
Violinist Benjamin Baker, 26, has been named one of four first prizewinners at the 2016 Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions in New York.
The four artists were selected from…
World Fantasy Award for Novelist Anna Smaill
Author Anna Smaill’s debut The Chimes won best novel at the 2016 World Fantasy Awards in Ohio, United States, a “wonderful honour”, the Victoria University lecturer said.
“I’m really happy….
Jacky Scanlan Dyas Wins Person of the Year Award
Jacky Scanlan Dyas, a Kiwi from Gisborne and a corporate partner at Hogan Lovells’ Tokyo office, has won the Person of the Year Award at this year’s British Business…
The Zookeeper’s Wife
Watch the trailer for The Zookeeper’s Wife, which was directed by Niki Caro. The film tells the story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, zookeepers of…
All Blacks Exact Immediate Revenge in Dublin Thriller
“Two weeks after their 18-game winning run was ended by a 40-29 defeat to Ireland in Chicago, New Zealand reasserted their hegemony with a victory that was a lot…
Heavy Metal Drummer Reprints WW2 Book
New Zealand-born author and musician Lawrence Paterson has recently reprinted his fourth book, Hitler’s Grey Wolves: U-Boats In The Indian Ocean, which originally came out in 2004 and explores…
Tape Face Captivates in Milton Keynes
Fresh from a stint on America’s Got Talent, New Zealand comedian Sam Wills, aka Tape Face, recently preformed in Milton Keynes, delivering “a captivating set of skits that …
48 Hours In Wellington
Wellington “is a small city and practically everything in the downtown district is in a straight line between the mountains that rise to the west and the bay to…
Rebecca Taylor Says Logoff and Buy in Store
Rebecca Taylor started her fashion line two decades ago, cutting and sewing at a kitchen table in New York that she had built herself. Since then, the New Zealand-born…
Domino’s Delivers Pizza by Drone in New Zealand
Domino’s Pizza in New Zealand has started to deliver pizzas using drones in Whangaparaoa. Watch this clip to see how it all works.
Keeping an Eye on Endace
Designed by little-known New Zealand company Endace, a powerful piece of technology called the Medusa system, had one main purpose: to vacuum up vast quantities of internet data at…
NZ String Quartet Communicate a Culture
If you were to listen to the New Zealand String Quartet (NZSQ) with your eyes closed, could you tell that they were from halfway around the world? The Hamilton Spectator…
Lisa Harrow’s Coriolanus Role Lauded
A New York Times reviewer describes Auckland-born actor Lisa Harrow’s performance as “superb” in her role as Volumnia in Red Bull Theatre’s “gripping new production” of Shakespeare’s…
Morgan Marquis-Boire Talks Tech Tough in California
New Zealand-born security researcher, hacker and journalist Morgan Marquis-Boire recently spoke on digital authoritarianism at an Ars Technica Live event in Oakland, California, “telling us,” according to the Ars…
All Blacks Vs. Italy Highlights
Watch the highlights of Saturday’s All Blacks vs. Italy match, which New Zealand won 68-10. The All Blacks have recently been awarded the Team of…
Peter Duncan Takes up New Rugby Role in Hong Kong
New Hong Kong Rugby Union president New Zealander Peter Duncan is “honoured” to be in the job after a 16-year hiatus.
Duncan was first involved with the union as Hong…
EDGE #241: Rescue Efforts NZ Earthquake, Air NZ Awarded, Beauden Barrett Player of Year; Weta & Magic Leap; NZ Refuge For the Mega Rich? + Millbrook Best for Golf ++ more
Air New Zealand Named “Most Excellent” Airline for 2017
“Air New Zealand has been named 2017 Airline of the Year by AirlineRatings.com in its Airline Excellence Awards,” writes Maureen O’Hare in an article for CNN. It’s…
Rescue Under Way For Thousands Stranded By New Zealand Earthquake
Following Monday’s 7.5 earthquake near Hanmer Springs on New Zealand’s South Island, which saw two people dead and several injured, “military helicopters and a navy ship dispatched to coastal…
Millbrook Resort Named Best Golf Hotel in Oceania
Millbrook Resort has been named Best Golf Hotel 2016 in Oceania and New Zealand in this year’s World Golf Awards. New Zealand has been named the Best Golfing…
Oamaru’s Underpass for March of the Penguins
A group of Little Blue Penguins have had their own underpass built between their nests and the sea at Oamaru Harbour to protect them from traffic and give them…
Is it Time for Disgruntled Americans to Move?
“The prospect of a Trump presidency led to some prominent Americans – including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – joking, or perhaps half-joking, that they would move to…
Dance Off – Old Men vs Kids by Kingpinz
Watch the official Music Video for Kingpinz single “Dance Off” – Old Men vs Kids. “Dance Off” is the first single to be released off the…
Beauden Barrett Voted World Player of the Year
“New Zealand flyhalf Beauden Barrett has been voted World Player of the Year as the world champion All Blacks swept the major awards at the end of a record-breaking…
A Toast to New Zealand’s Wine
“New Zealand wine regions are at their most spectacular in fall, when the days are long and bathed in late sunshine,” as reported in an article in the Canada…
NZ Cave Has Beautiful Phenomenon That Doesn’t Exist Anywhere Else
“Deep underground in New Zealand’s North Island, a winding underground universe of limestone caves glow with a magical blue-green light. While it might seem like pure fantasy, these caves…
The Green Landscapes Of New Zealand
“From the undeveloped interiors of Caribbean islands to the virgin jungles of southwestern Africa to the temperate rain forests of Oceania and the Pacific Northwest, it is possible to…
The Best of Taranaki
“Tucked away on the central west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, the Taranaki region is both overlooked and under-appreciated. But for more intrepid travellers, the area dubbed ‘the…
New Ghost in The Shell Behind the Scenes Released
“Come 2017, Hollywood veteran Scarlett Johansson will be headlining Paramount’s lavish Ghost in the Shell movie as The Major, an elite cyborg enforcer who spearheads a task force known…
Wine and Fine Lodgings in Hawkes Bay
“It seems everyone in Hawkes Bay on the east coast of New Zealand needs a winery. Inspect any wine map of this bountiful region and the place appears alive…
