April 2018 Archives

Russian Film Fest Prize for Kieran Charnock

Russian Film Fest Prize for Kieran Charnock

New Zealander Kieran Charnock, 26, has won best actor at the Moscow International Film Festival for his role in the independent film Stray. The award was presented by Nastassja Kinski.

Jeremy Brockie Pleased about South Africa Move

Jeremy Brockie Pleased about South Africa Move

Mamelodi Sundowns striker New Zealander Jeremy Brockie, 30, tells Johannesburg-based news site Sowetan LIVE about his decision to relocate with his family to South Africa to join the country’s Premier Soccer League (PSL). Before joining…

Prehistoric Toothless Whale Among Oldest of Its Kind

Prehistoric Toothless Whale Among Oldest of Its Kind

A fossil found in South Canterbury is now one of the earliest members of the filter-feeding family of behemoths known as baleen whales. Modern baleen whales include many of the world’s largest cetaceans, such…

To the Bottom of the World for Single Malt Whisky

To the Bottom of the World for Single Malt Whisky

News website Daily Beast sends drinks writer Dave Broom to one of the world’s southernmost distilleries, the Cardrona Distillery, to see how New Zealand’s whisky industry is developing. “It might seem strange that a country…

Marlon Williams Accompanies Wild Wild Country

Marlon Williams Accompanies Wild Wild Country

Despite working with a “micro-budget”, music supervisor Chris Swanson weaves an inspired sonic accompaniment to the Netflix hit Wild Wild Country, a documentary about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers….

Scots 20 Years Behind NZ in Rugby Psychology

Scots 20 Years Behind NZ in Rugby Psychology

Scottish rugby is 20 years behind New Zealand when it comes to sports psychology, according to Glasgow Warriors assistant coach New Zealander Jason O’Halloran, 46, who has also found that players in Scotland are…

Sampling the Goodness of Nigel Ludlow’s EVOI Wines

Sampling the Goodness of Nigel Ludlow’s EVOI Wines

“Divine providence took its time before arriving on Nigel Ludlow’s doorstep. New Zealand born and educated, initially with a Bachelor of Science Degree in nutrition (useful for his early career as a triathlete), he…

Sailing for Everyone Says Yacht Maker Ron Holland

Sailing for Everyone Says Yacht Maker Ron Holland

The gleaming yachts moored in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour are indelibly tied to wealth. Ron Holland would appear to fit the bill. The sailor’s 33-metre yacht Avalon, which he designed, is valued at a jaw-dropping…

Allbirds Shoe Brand Launches in Canada

Allbirds Shoe Brand Launches in Canada

New Zealander Tim Brown (pictured left) and American Joey Zwillinger, Allbirds founders, chatted with Postmedia News about launching their wool-focused footwear brand in Canada, what their footwear brand is all about – and why…

How the Kiwi Changed New York’s Food Scene

How the Kiwi Changed New York’s Food Scene

New York “first embraced global ingredients in the early ’80s, and the rest of the world followed suit.” And the “Kiwi was the gateway drug,” writes Ligaya Mishan in an article for

Theia – Bye Bye

Theia – Bye Bye

Watch this clip to see and hear Theia’s latest single Bye Bye. The  Christchurch-born artist, Em-Haley Walker, wrote ‘Bye Bye’ in February 2017 alongside US-producer Mike Elizondo.  Theia was a finalist in the 2017…

Bowler Trent Boult Enjoys the Challenge of the IPL

Bowler Trent Boult Enjoys the Challenge of the IPL

New Zealand international cricketer Trent Boult, 28, who has quickly emerged as a leading new-ball bowler in the past few years, spoke to The Telegraph India in the lead-up to the recent Indian Premiere…

Lance O’Sullivan Takes Youths on Trip of Lifetime

Lance O’Sullivan Takes Youths on Trip of Lifetime

Twelve rangatahi Māori from across the country have accompanied New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan and the Kaitaia-based Moko Foundation to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues…

DIY Picks Matthew Young’s New Single

DIY Picks Matthew Young’s New Single

Every weekday, Britain’s DIY magazine brings you one essential new release to get obsessed with. This recent ‘Neu Pick’ comes from Auckland-based Matthew Young. Young is releasing new EP Fruit on 25 May, and its…

Humble Bee Looks at Clean Alternative to Plastics

Humble Bee Looks at Clean Alternative to Plastics

When New Zealander Veronica Harwood-Stevenson, 33, a trained reproductive biologist, gambled her life savings on research into a rare species of bee, she had no way of knowing whether it would pay off. Harwood-Stevenson had…

EDGE #311:  Black Fern Sevens Win Kitakyushu Sevens, Burial at Last for WWI Soldier Killed at Ypres + Roger Donaldson On ‘Sleeping Dogs’ And ‘Cocktail’ ++

EDGE #311: Black Fern Sevens Win Kitakyushu Sevens, Burial at Last for WWI Soldier Killed at Ypres + Roger Donaldson On ‘Sleeping Dogs’ And ‘Cocktail’ ++

News of Global New…

Ardern Joins Khan, Trudeau and Young Fans in London

Ardern Joins Khan, Trudeau and Young Fans in London

In this Guardian ‘photo highlight’ of the day, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau takes a selfie with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, at City Hall during the…

Popular London Chain Caravan to Trial Grab and Go

Popular London Chain Caravan to Trial Grab and Go

London coffee stalwart Caravan, founded by New Zealand trio Laura Harper-Hinton, Miles Kirby and Chris Ammermann, is looking to get a slice of the grab-and-go market. Caravan To Go, or (CTG), will be given its…

London Roaster Kurt Stewart Makes Coffee Accessible

London Roaster Kurt Stewart Makes Coffee Accessible

Former chef New Zealand-born Kurt Stewart, founder of Volcano Coffee Works, arrived in London over two decades ago, and was surprised by how little access there was to decent versions of his favourite drink. “Back…

Scott Dixon Competes on American Ninja Warrior

Scott Dixon Competes on American Ninja Warrior

New Zealand four-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon will enter the realm of reality TV when he auditions in Indianapolis this week for American Ninja Warrior. Dixon, 37, nicknamed “The Iceman,” thought it sounded fun when…

Burial at Last for WWI Soldier Killed at Ypres

Burial at Last for WWI Soldier Killed at Ypres

First World War soldier, New Zealander Captain Henry John Innes Walker, 25, whose remains lay undiscovered for more than 100 years has been given a full military burial after gas engineers uncovered his final…

Ways to Better Water Quality in NZ Lakes and Rivers

Ways to Better Water Quality in NZ Lakes and Rivers

“Two years ago, New Zealanders were shocked when contaminated drinking water sickened more than 5000 people in the small town of Havelock North, with a population of 14,000,” writes Professor Troy Baisden, chair of…

Jacinda Ardern Wears Korowai to Meet the Queen

Jacinda Ardern Wears Korowai to Meet the Queen

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern turned heads at Buckingham Palace last week, wearing a traditional Māori korowai to a state banquet of world leaders. The korowai was loaned to Ardern by the

Black Ferns Sevens Win – Highlights

Black Ferns Sevens Win – Highlights

With their win against France the Black Ferns Sevens have won the HSBC Kitakyushu Sevens. It’s the second year in a row the NZ team is taking home the title. Watch…

New Zealand Wins Kitakyushu Sevens

New Zealand Wins Kitakyushu Sevens

“New Zealand won the women’s Kitakyushu Sevens for the second straight year Sunday, beating France 24-12 in the final on another disappointing day for host Japan,” as reported in an article in

Ivan Mauger Was the King of Speedway

Ivan Mauger Was the King of Speedway

Speedway legend Ivan Mauger, who won a record six world championships during the 1960s and 1970s, has died at his home on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He was 78. When Christchurch-born Mauger came to the…

Rube Goldberg Fan Joseph Herscher Shares Tricks

Rube Goldberg Fan Joseph Herscher Shares Tricks

New Zealander Joseph Herscher’s foolproof way to roast turkey involves an axe, a back massager, various magnets, catapults, and a small dog. His Rube Goldberg machines to facilitate power napping and to remove milk…

Kimbra Displays Impressive Range On ‘Primal Heart’

Kimbra Displays Impressive Range On ‘Primal Heart’

“If there’s any musical justice, Kimbra’s third studio album should be the one that finally catapults the New Zealander to the acclaim she deserves,” writes Mark Kennedy in a review of her latest album…

How the Flat White Conquered UK Coffee Scene

How the Flat White Conquered UK Coffee Scene

Latte, Americano, cappuccino … the flat white might be relatively new to the scene (and sound less glamorous), but it now amounts for about 10 per cent of UK coffee sales, according to The…

UMO Frontman Ruban Nielson Keeps it Dumb

UMO Frontman Ruban Nielson Keeps it Dumb

On 2015’s Multi-Love, New Zealand-born Ruban Nielson, 38, frontman of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, saw his personal life laid out and analysed. Now, on the band’s fourth LP Sex & Food, he’s trying to keep…

KONO – Love for the Land, Respect for the Sea

KONO – Love for the Land, Respect for the Sea

The latest installment of New Zealand Story’s videos featuring NZ businesses showcases Māori family-owned food and beverage company Kono. Watch the video to find out more.

Mitchell McClenaghan to Star in Netflix Series

Mitchell McClenaghan to Star in Netflix Series

Former Black Cap Hastings-born Mitchell McClenaghan, 31, will be among the players featured in a new Netflix reality series on the most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians. The streaming…

Roger Donaldson On ‘Sleeping Dogs’ And ‘Cocktail’

Roger Donaldson On ‘Sleeping Dogs’ And ‘Cocktail’

“Cocktail, No Way Out, The Bounty, Species, The World’s Fastest Indian, Dante’s Peak – director Roger Donaldson’s resume is brimming with crowd-pleasing Hollywood movies, some of them seminal,” writes Simon Thompson in an article…

Ben Shewry Has Transformed Australian Dining

Ben Shewry Has Transformed Australian Dining

“The restaurant’s name will be a single word: stark, vaguely industrial, somewhat meaningless. There will be some sort of sculptural tartare on the menu, and probably a kingfish ceviche. Saltbush and kangaroo and finger…

EDGE #310: New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration, Remarkable Kiwis Celebrated in Dream Catchers Series + Chef Mark Simmons Runs the Show at NY’s Kiwiana ++

EDGE #310: New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration, Remarkable Kiwis Celebrated in Dream Catchers Series + Chef Mark Simmons Runs the Show at NY’s Kiwiana ++

News of Global New…

Sperm Race Helping Save Sugar-Lapping Hihi

Sperm Race Helping Save Sugar-Lapping Hihi

“It’s likely you’ve never heard of a hihi, let alone seen one in the wild. Also known as stitchbirds, these colourful little critters are a true taonga. They’re only found in New Zealand, and…

Unique Zenkuro Sake Brewery Turning Heads

Unique Zenkuro Sake Brewery Turning Heads

New Zealand is famous for its award-winning wines, but now the country’s first and only sake brewery, Zenkuro Sake in Queenstown, is making a name for itself on the world stage.

Jacinda Ardern On How Her Life Has Changed

Jacinda Ardern On How Her Life Has Changed

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to the Guardian Australia about how her life has changed as a PM, meeting Obama and her ambitions for New Zealand. Watch the interview here.

US-Based Radio Exec Andrew Jeffries Loves LA

US-Based Radio Exec Andrew Jeffries Loves LA

Private shows by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Coldplay are all in a day’s work for Los Angeles based New Zealander Andrew Jeffries, who is executive vice president for programming across the West…

Sweet Country’s Sam Neill Marks Milestone

Sweet Country’s Sam Neill Marks Milestone

As is the case with many a beloved screen actor, everyone has their own mental image of Sam Neill, Karen Han writes for the Village Voice. For some, it’s of the prickly paleontologist Dr…

Chef Mark Simmons Runs the Show at NY’s Kiwiana

Chef Mark Simmons Runs the Show at NY’s Kiwiana

At the height of global protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration ban last year, New York restaurateur and chef Mark Simmons decided to add a personal message to the bottom of his customer bills…

Why Wayne Pivac Is Most Sought-After Coach in Rugby

Why Wayne Pivac Is Most Sought-After Coach in Rugby

Under New Zealand-born coach Wayne Pivac, there is a resurgence in Llanelli rugby. The Scarlets have been flying, according to Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones. Recently, Stradey Park was packed to the rafters and…

Jamie McClennan Takes His Family on Tour

Jamie McClennan Takes His Family on Tour

New Zealand-born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jamie McClennan and Scottish singer Emily Smith have been making country folk music together for 15 years. Now they tour for the first time with their two young children…

Neil Finn to Join Fleetwood Mac

Neil Finn to Join Fleetwood Mac

Legendary band Fleetwood Mac has announced that Neil Finn of Crowded House and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will replace departing guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The band’s firing of Buckingham over the group’s…

Photographer Michael Anderton Moves to Kildare

Photographer Michael Anderton Moves to Kildare

New Zealander Michael Anderton, who has set up a photographic gallery in Allenwood, has said that moving to the West Kildare village inspired him to develop his photography hobby. As a younger man he lived…

New Zealand in Time-Lapse

New Zealand in Time-Lapse

New Zealand’s striking and incredibly diverse landscape has helped it become the setting for many famed film series that include the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Travel + Leisure magazine reports, and…

Dairy Farmer Richard Watson Embraces AI Technology

Dairy Farmer Richard Watson Embraces AI Technology

In the two months since US-based New Zealand dairy farmer Richard Watson strapped 200 remote-control-sized transmitters around his cows’ necks, an artificial-intelligence system named Ida has pinged his phone with helpful alerts: when his…

Lorde Scripts a Party and Then Brings It

Lorde Scripts a Party and Then Brings It

Lorde’s “fast-paced, yet emotionally resonant show at TD Garden” in Boston “was a superlative showcase” for her second album Melodrama, Maura Johnston writes in a review of the recent concert for The Boston Globe. “Lorde,…

Glowworms Are Stars of the New Zealand Night

Glowworms Are Stars of the New Zealand Night

“If you want to experience a starry night in New Zealand even when it’s cloudy, there’s an option. When foul weather hides the Southern Cross and the Magellanic Clouds of the southern skies, you…

Brent Williams Charts Journey Through Depression

Brent Williams Charts Journey Through Depression

Ten years after his symptoms first took hold of him, New Zealander Brent Williams has written a graphic novel that is part memoir and part self-help book. Out of the Woods: A Journey Through…

Air New Zealand Second in TripAdvisor Airline Ratings

Air New Zealand Second in TripAdvisor Airline Ratings

Air New Zealand has been named the world’s second best airline in TripAdvisor’s Top 10 airlines ranking, “in which Australia’s national carrier Qantas is notably absent,” writes James Fernyhough in…

Colossal Squid at Te Papa

Colossal Squid at Te Papa

Have you seen the Colossal Squid at Te Papa in Wellington? Watch this clip to hear the museum’s Head of Science Susan Waugh talk about why it’s an audience favourite.

New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration

New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration

“The New Zealand government will grant no new offshore oil exploration permits in a move that is being hailed by conservation and environmental groups as a historic victory in the battle against climate change,”…

Jessica McCormack’s Mayfair Magic at Any Budget

Jessica McCormack’s Mayfair Magic at Any Budget

The 19th-century Mayfair townhouse filled with contemporary art and antiques; the gobstopper-sized diamonds that populate her Instagram feed, the celebrity fan-base including the likes of Liv Tyler and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley…

Karl Urban in Dubai for Comic Con

Karl Urban in Dubai for Comic Con

New Zealand actor 45-year-old Karl Urban “is basically Comic Con personified”, according to Arab News, “with a deep sci-fi fantasy pedigree running from Xena: Warrior Princess through Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Lord of the…

NZ’s Global Winners Celebrated in New Series Dream Catchers

NZ’s Global Winners Celebrated in New Series Dream Catchers

Many Kiwis who touch down in the UK for their OE or holidays “end up staying and living their dreams on the other side of the world.” Inspiring series Dream…