Mural of Whero O Te Rangi Bailey Explained
Canadian artist Kevin Ledo is known for his impressive murals of portraits, and this time it’s a portrait of Whero O Te Rangi Bailey, a Maori elder from Parihaka in Taranaki, originally photographed by…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
UAE-Based Professor Nick Ashill Back on His Feet
Five months ago, the dream of United Arab Emirates American University of Sharjah (AUS) dean New Zealander Nick Ashill was to run 5400km across America. The 52-year-old was hoping to spread the word of pulmonary…
Rotorua a New York Times 2018 Must-Visit Place
“Come for the mud baths, stay for the beauty,” the New York Times says of Rotorua in its annual ‘52 Places to Go in 2018’ list. Rotorua is included in the annual list alongside New…
Top 2018 Comedy Acts Include Two NZ Favourites
Flight of the Conchords and Rose Matafeo are two “uproarious” comedy acts Guardian readers are recommended to buy tickets for this year, included alongside the world’s biggest standup Chris Rock and fellow American Maria…
Largest Underwater Eruption Discovered off NZ
Researchers have found that the world’s largest deep ocean volcanic eruption happened 1000km north east of New Zealand. Named as Havre, the deep ocean volcanic eruption was first discovered in 2002. A solidified volcanic rock…
Outsider Fair Preview of Susan Te Kahurangi King
“As the Outsider Art Fair (OAF) – which opens 18 January, and runs through 21 January – rolls into town, the specialised sector it celebrates has plenty to crow about,…
Julian Oliver Mines ZCash in Harvest Project
Julian Oliver is a New Zealander who uses wind power to mine ZCash – a bitcoin cousin – to fund climate research as part of a project called, Harvest. As the poster child for…
Hollywood Directors Like Niki Caro a Force
Never in the history of Hollywood has more than one female filmmaker been at the helm of a feature with a budget of USD$100 million or more – until now. On the heels of…
Beulah Koale’s Role Breakout Performance of ‘17
New Zealand actor Beulah Koale’s role in the 2017 film Thank You For Your Service has been deemed a “breakout” performance of the year by industry publication Variety. “As more people discover this quiet gem…
Christy Prior Wins Snowboard Slope in Aspen
New Zealander Christy Prior (pictured centre) has won the women’s snowboard slopestyle competition at the US Grand Prix in Snowmass, Aspen, boosting her chances at making it to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,…
Anthony McCarten on the Challenge of Churchill
Darkest Hour depicts Winston Churchill in the crucial weeks that defined him as a wartime leader. Screen Daily’s Jeremy Kay talks to writer-producer, New Plymouth-born Anthony McCarten and Working Title’s Eric Fellner about taking…
There Are English Trees in Neil Finn’s Garden
A recent Guardian reader-curated playlist about trees includes songs from the Beach Boys, Esperanza Spalding, the Shamen and Crowded House. “Since time immemorial trees have provided people with shelter, food, lumber and even medicine. They…
Adorable Penguin Melts Hearts in Bluff
Footage of a Fiordland crested penguin in Bluff waddling up to his awaiting human friend Rodney Clark has delighted the internet and amused many New Zealand locals. The video shows Bluff local Clark standing on the…
Bike Trip in NZ Helps US Woman Realise Her Dream
American woman Maggie Schlarb took her two-year-old son on a five-month biking journey in New Zealand and learned valuable lessons to start a company. She tells Entrepreneur magazine how the trip changed her life. “I…
Jumanji Star Rhys Darby’s Profile on Rise in US
In the Jumanji sequel, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, there’s also a cadre of non-playable characters the untested heroes must contend with, one of which is played by New…
Driving from the Tip to the Tail of New Zealand
“Witnessing the sun rise over the ocean – and knowing you’re one of the first people in the world to see its rays that day – gave me an otherworldly sensation,” Minneapolis Star Tribune…
Misfiled Piece of Brontë Brother’s Work Found in NZ
The first Brontë manuscript identified in New Zealand has been restored to its place in literary history thanks to university researchers. The fragment of Branwell Brontë’s work was misfiled as a letter in the…
Emilia Wickstead’s Pre-Fall ‘18 Collection Reviewed
“One thing to say about Emilia Wickstead: She’s one of those London designers who’s become a modern ‘social success’ with her fit-and-flare midis, long sleeves, and talent for colour which chimes the…
Meet the Feebles Had No Taste at All
New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson has gained the reputation of being a genuine class act, thanks to films like Heavenly Creatures, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and his remake of King Kong. But…
Paving Hamilton’s Streets with Beer Bottle Sand
Hamilton has launched a pilot programme that’s repaving roadways with old beer bottles. No, you can’t see a bunch of Budweiser labels when you come to a stop. Instead, the bottles are crushed into…
Jonathan Dower Gets a Kick Out of His Game
New Zealander Jonathan Dower, who is a game artist for Helsinki-based Supercell, didn’t just design how people play the real-time multiplayer game Clash Royale – he helped come up with how it looks, too,…
Nopesisters Abreast of Cancer With T-Message
Inspirational Wellington designer siblings Johanna and Brittany Cosgrove, are sharing profits from their clothing range Nopesisters to help survivors of breast cancer and sexual assault. The trailblazers behind normalising the scars of breast cancer treatment…
The Global Search for Skilled Workers
“New Zealand is undergoing the biggest infrastructure build in the nation’s history,” writes Jeff Kerns in MachineDesign. “As such, a group of private companies and government organizations has launched a…
Anna Wilding Recalls Time in The White House Press Corps
“Marine One had just landed on the South Lawn and Anna Wilding was standing 20 feet away among the press with her camera in hand, ready to capture the 44th president head back into…
Secrets of Real-Life Game of Thrones Revealed
A team of British scientists are set to make the trip to New Zealand this month, all in the hopes of unlocking the secrets hidden in the 600-year-old Canterbury Roll, the only genealogical scroll…
Amazing Race Host Phil Keoghan Amasses 30 Seasons
With the cold of the Northern Hemisphere winter settling in and outdoor activities coming to a standstill, there’s nothing better to get your heart pumping than reality TV favourite The Amazing Race, hosted by…
Kimbra is Pop Music Royalty
Humility and elegance only begin to describe the essence of what makes New Zealander Kimbra such an unstoppable pop music force, according to EDM blog Magnetic Magazine. Kimbra, 27, is pop music royalty. With queen-like…
Competition Winner Liana Roberts-Letiu Validated
As the overall winner of the 2017 Samoa Observer Tusitala short story competition, Samoan New Zealander, Liana Roberts-Letiu, 21, is as intriguing as the title of her short story entry “An Elegant Tantrum”, Elizabeth…
Laughing Kea a Science Story of the Year
Leading scientists pick the dozen most significant discoveries and developments of 2017 – from a steep decline in flying insects to a laughter-like play vocalisation – a warble call – has been discovered in…
NZ Named Asia-Pacific Top Golf Destination
New Zealand had been named top golf destination in the Asia Pacific region by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) for the second time. Held for the first time in 2000, the annual…
What Will Lorde Come up With Next?
Lorde’s Melodrama has made it into the top five of the Guardian’s 50 Best Albums of 2017, an LP the UK publication considers, “a work of insight, strength and gloriously self-aware wit.” “On the face…
Mt Taranaki given Same Legal Rights as a Person
The sacred mountain in the North Island is the third geographic feature in the country to be granted a “legal personality” entitled the same legal rights as a person, Eleanor Ainge Roy reports for…
Robin Hammond Image Best Nat Geo Picture
Documentary photographer New Zealand-born Robin Hammond’s image of Avery Jackson, a transgender child from Kansas City in the United States, has been selected as one of the National Geographic’s 57 best images of 2017. The…
Kyle Glogoski Signs with Philadelphia Phillies
Auckland-born pitcher Kyle Glogoski, 18, has signed a contract to play with the Philadelphia Phillies in America’s Major League Baseball (MLB). Glogoski, who currently pitches for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League,…
Anniversary of Ed Hillary’s South Pole First
It was the first few days of 1958 and the two teams of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition were converging on the South Pole. Although it was not meant to be a race, New Zealand…
Jim Anderton a Towering Figure in Politics
One of New Zealand’s senior political figures, former deputy prime minister Auckland-born Jim Anderton, has died in Christchurch, aged 79. The idealistic former president of New Zealand’s progressive Labour Party became disillusioned with the organisation’s…
Organisational Expert Beck Wadworth Shares Tips
Twenty-eight-year-old New Zealander Beck Wadworth founded her own stationery company and blog, An Organised Life, in 2013 – after a fruitless search to find a functional-yet-sleek diary left her with nothing. She shares how…
New Zealand Done Right
New Zealand, an island nation “covered in lush green rolling hills dotted with sheep and tropical flora and fauna” is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. “It’s home to incredible peaks,…
Journey Through Scent with Abel’s Frances Shoemack
When Huffington Post contributor E. Nina Rothe was introduced to Amsterdam-based brand Abel at this year’s Pitti Fragranze, a fragrance fair held in Florence every September, she fell in love. Not just with their…
New Zealand’s Best-Kept Secret
“It’s no secret that New Zealand is homes to some of the world’s most stunning landscapes,” writes Laura Hampson in an article for the Evening Standard. “But for those who…
Looking Back on a Decade of The Naked and Famous
Ten years into being a band, Auckland-formed group The Naked and Famous are finally living up to the first half of their name and baring it all – kind of. Victoria Wasylak of online…
Cycle on Water with Manta5’s Electric Water Bike
“New Zealand-based company Manta5 has created a hydrofoil bike that allows cyclists to glide atop water,” writes Lacy Cooke in an article for Inhabitat. Co-founder Guy Howard-Willis “glimpsed New Zealand’s coastline…
Waiheke Commute One of the More Unusual
Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding or skating, Guardian readers from around the world, who opt to take an alternative route to work, share their stories, including Aucklander James Scroggins who commutes daily from Waiheke Island…
NZ Escape Octopus Immortalized In Kids Book
“How many stories about octopuses escaping from their confines can there be,” writes Jacqueline Cutler in an article published on NJ.com. When she was one page into the kids book “
Hayden McMillan’s Etta one of Melbourne’s Best
A number of Melbourne’s best-known restaurateurs and chefs opened new venues in 2017, and they did not disappoint. This was a year for the industry veteran with a precise and emphatic vision, executed with…
Superorganism Push Pop Into the Next Dimension
From secretive internet sensations to one of the most talked about new bands around, Superorganism’s hyper-modern approach to pop is propelling them further by the day. Superorganism, an eight-piece collective which includes New Zealanders…
Wild Kiwi Experience On Stewart Island
The Kiwi bird might be New Zealand’s national emblem, “but few New Zealanders have even seen the usually nocturnal flightless bird,” as reported in an article in the South China…
Oslo-Based Brady Daniell-Smith’s Debut a Hidden Gem
From hypnotic hip-hop to Japanese psych-rock, Observer critics pick some albums of 2017 that deserve a wider audience, including the work of New Zealand-born Brady Daniell-Smith, who produces the melodies for singer-songwriter Anna Lotterud…
