Discovering New Zealand’s Newest Dark Sky Reserve
The stars have long held a special resonance within Māori culture. Now, the plight of a small seabird has triggered Kaikōura to seek dark sky status – and the results are awe-inspiring, finds The…
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Kim Cadzow’s Rapid Rise Through Pro Peloton
Every pathway into professional cycling is different, but few are as unique and as varied as New Zealander Kim Cadzow’s, who until just a few years ago was a swimmer-turned-triathlete with a string of…
Thomasin McKenzie Gets the Accent Right in Eileen
Thomasin McKenzie takes it as a compliment when people don’t know she’s from New Zealand. The 23-year-old actor – who broke through with 2019’s Jojo Rabbit and 2021’s Last Night in Soho – regularly…
Mixed Win in Florida for Lydia Ko
New Zealander Lydia Ko and Australia’s Jason Day have won the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in Florida, the ABC News reports. Ko, 26, and Day, 36, posted their second-straight round of 6-under-par 66 to finish…
Photographer Hōne Naera-Scott on a Journey
Dwelling in foreign territory is something fashion photographer Hōne Naera-Scott is used to, Ticia Almazan writes in a story for Vogue Philippines. “Up until my early 20s, I was always just trying to be…
My Back Garden Does Look Like it Belongs to Bilbo
If The Lord of the Rings had you yearning for New Zealand, or Julia Roberts on a bike made you fall in love with Bali, you’re not alone. But did you grab your passport…
Capital City a Top Spot for 2024
Wellington has been named one of the 12 most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations to visit in 2024 by US-based Vacationer Magazine. “The city is known for its iconic red Wellington Cable Car and ‘Windy Wellington’ nickname due…
Electric Plane Set to Deliver Mail Across NZ
Parcels and letters will soon be distributed by electric aircraft between regions of New Zealand as the sparsely populated country embarks on a “new age of propulsion” in its attempts to decarbonise its reliance…
Chill Out with Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi has always seen cinema as something optimistic. Growing up in a poor area of New Zealand, where he was born to an Ashkenazi mother and Māori father, movie theatres offered the future…
Māori Wardens Want People to Feel at Ease
The strategies used by the Indigenous community policing alternative, the Māori Wardens, are in stark contrast to more muscular tactics pitched by the incoming government, Natasha Frost reports for The New York Times. Christopher Luxon,…
Journalist John McBeth a Legend in Asia
Whanganui-born John McBeth, one of Asia’s pre-eminent journalists with a record of scrupulous and ground-breaking reporting, has died. He was 79. This obituary is published by The Diplomat. “Over a career spanning more than 62…
Birnam Wood Makes NY Times 2023 Best of List
“Each year, we pore over thousands of new books, seeking out the best novels, memoirs, biographies, poetry collections, stories and more. Here are the standouts, selected by the staff of The New York Times…
Author Anna Smaill Looks in the Mirror
Featuring in The Guardian’s regular column, ‘A Moment That Changed Me’, is New Zealand author Anna Smaill, 44, who describes how she fell in love with clothes. “When I was growing up in Auckland in…
Art Gave Brent Harris a Way Back from Pain
In New Zealand-born Brent Harris’s surreal painting I Weep My Mother’s Breasts (1996) two identical young men shed pendulous tears that end in nipples. Magic realism comes to mind: a Diego Rivera painting or…
Jenni Kayne Pairs Interior with Sandy Exterior
“Positioned astride dramatic sand dunes,” the New Zealand family home of interior designer Jenni Kayne “is a new construction designed to do anything but stand out”, Lauren Mechling writes for Elle Decor. “To hear…
LOTR Chainmail Production a Two-Year Odyssey
“There’s a lot of chainmail in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Men’s Journal journalist Griff Griffin writes. “Think of the hundreds of soldiers who wear it into battle, from Orcs…
Luminary Award Bestowed Upon Jane Campion
New Zealander Jane Campion has been honoured with Next Generation Indie Film’s 2023 Luminary Award. The director accepted the award at the third annual gala, which took place at the end of October in…
Christmas at Margot Henderson’s Place
In a festive story published by The Observer, Wellington-born chef Margot Henderson describes her Christmas, and the meal to celebrate on the day. “As a child in New Zealand, I found it so exciting to…
Sevens Coach Andrew Douglas Has Big Plans
Hong Kong Sevens head coach New Zealander Andrew Douglas has said that two recent matches against Germany represented the first step towards “re-establishing Hong Kong in international rugby”, South China Morning Post journalist Paul…
Dining in Auckland with Director Taika Waititi
In a cover story for Tatler Asia, New Zealand-born Hollywood director Taika Waititi shares his top picks for restaurants in Auckland that serve delicious food in a laidback, fuss-free atmosphere. Waititi is a lot of…
Chef Vaughan Mabee Globally-Recognised
In a ground-breaking moment for New Zealand’s culinary scene, Amisfield’s executive chef and MasterChef NZ judge Vaughan Mabee, has secured the 44th position in the prestigious Top 100 Best Chef Awards. The Top 100…
Mysterious Ways Set for N American Release
Specialty distributor Ariztical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to New Zealand-set wholesome gay love story Mysterious Ways, with a multi-platform digital release in 2024, Patrick Frater reports for Variety. Written and directed by…
Jacinda Ardern Speaks on Middle East at Harvard
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called on political leaders to “remember our shared common humanity” in addressing the Israel-Hamas war, though stopped short of calling for a ceasefire at a Harvard…
Acquire’s Zane Furtado Makes Under-40 List
New Zealander Zane Furtado, general manager of technology and innovation at Acquire, has been named in Campaign Asia-Pacific’s 40 Under 40 2023 list. Furtado, who is also co-owner of the independent trading desk focused on…
New Zealand Ideal Setting for Mystery
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh, 46, makes the case for New Zealand’s place atop the world of mystery and thrillers, in a story published by CrimeReads. “Several years ago, I was sitting in…
London City Airport’s Robert Sinclair Has New Role
London City Airport boss New Zealander Robert Sinclair is to swap planes for trains, having been named as the new CEO of the HS1 rail line between St. Pancras and the Channel Tunnel, the…
Runner Garth Barfoot the Oldest in NY Marathon
Eighty-seven-year-old Aucklander Garth Barfoot was the oldest participant at this year’s New York City Marathon. Barfoot, who has run dozens of marathons, including last year’s London Marathon, said this was his first time running New…
TIME Titan Title for ExxonMobil’s Dan Ammann
Former General Motors executive New Zealander Dan Ammann, now president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, has been included on the TIME magazine list, 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business for 2023, in…
Kaylee Bell Wins Country Music Award in Nashville
Waimate musician Kaylee Bell, has become the first New Zealander since Keith Urban to win at America’s prestigious CMA Awards, 1 News reports. Her song Keith – a tribute to Whangārei-born Urban – is a global…
Stellar Creator Mark Toia an Advertising Legend
New Zealand-born visionary filmmaker and director Mark Toia has died, at the age of 51, in Brisbane, the Daily Mail reports. Toia’s career took him from filming eye-catching ads for Jeep and Mercedes to investing…
Emilia Wickstead Designing Air NZ’s New Uniforms
Airline uniforms are not just instantly recognisable – they’re a statement, Connor Sturges writes for Condé Nast Traveller. New Zealand’s national carrier is following in the fashionable footsteps of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic,…
Tenth DJ Champ Title for Kalib Strickland
New Zealand DJ Kalib Strickland, 19, who goes by the name DJ K-Swizz, is on a massive high after winning his tenth world DJ championship title, going back-to-back at the Olympics of DJing, the…
New Yorker Editors Rate Catherine Chidgey’s Pet
New Yorker editors and critics choose their “most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about reads” every Wednesday and on a recent week noticed New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey’s latest fiction, Pet. This…
Coronet Peak Star Natalie Urbani Skis a Title
Queenstown’s Natalie Urbani wrapped up the 2023 season with a “whopping 109 days on the mountains, 1,282,575 vertical metres and a total of 3574 runs”, essentially skiing down Mt Everest approximately 145 times, a…
Setting the Scene in Our Flag Means Death
After starting the season with its lovable cast split in two, Our Flag Means Death concluded its second season with the entire crew of the Revenge sailing off together into the literal sunset –…
Beatles Fan Peter Jackson Directs Music Video
Following his acclaimed documentary Get Back, New Zealand director Peter Jackson is continuing his relationship with the Beatles by directing his first ever music video for the band’s final song, Now and Then, Guardian…
New Zealand Curling Team Finds a Home
New Zealander Ben Smith never could have imagined spending the winter at a retirement home in Calgary, Alberta, sipping Caesar cocktails with three of his best friends – Anton Hood (pictured), Brett Sargon and…
Americans Look to New Zealand for Second Homes
When Jim Rohrstaff moved to New Zealand in 2014 to help Ric Kayne manage and start his private golf club, Tara Iti, he didn’t know what the future held, Michael Croley reports for The…
Amazing Race’s Phil Keoghan Not Slowing Down
Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race, is a citizen of the world. This New Zealander may call California home at the moment. His stack of passports and ability to land shows that take…
Glasgow’s Tom Jordan Looks Ahead to Scottish Side
After a breakthrough season with Glasgow Warriors, New Zealander Tom Jordan, 25, now has his sights set on international honours for his adopted country, Graham Bean writes for The Scotsman. The Auckland-born stand-off will become…
LA-Based Artist Emma McIntyre Paints Magic
“With vivid hues and dynamic mark-making, conjures up pieces that might change before our very eyes,” Berlin-based writer Olivia Parkes reports for the Art Basel website. “ paintings are full…
M3GAN’s Universal Dance Thrills at Halloween
Universal and Blumhouse’s M3GAN, directed by New Zealander Gerard Johnstone, quickly became a cult classic as the killer AI doll twirled and kicked her way into our hearts after the film’s run earlier this…
Why Australia Trails Us on Indigenous Journey
An exhibition of Australia’s First Peoples art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki has stirred discussion of the two nations’ different Indigenous histories, Frances Mao reports for the BBC. Like Australia, New Zealand is…
Climate Change Already Hurting Māori Communities
Eight months have passed since the powerful Cyclone Gabrielle struck northern New Zealand, killing 11 people and displacing more than 10,000. The storm’s path across the Hawke’s Bay region was indiscriminate: it pummelled low-rent…
New Zealand Concede Cup in Epic Contest
“It was always going to be thunderous. These two fiercely proud nations have been playing rugby union against each other for 102 years but some games are bigger than others. You could see it…
Producer 33 Below Shares New Club Cut
New Zealand-born producer Jack Laven, aka 33 Below, has shared his new single, “Hold Tight”, a hypnotising dancefloor number that’s likely to stay with you for some time, according to James Keith writing for…
Will Young Carves Place in New Zealand Team
“Will Young was playing senior team cricket at 19 but it is only at 30 that he’s carved his place in the national team. In all that time, he’s never given up,” Alagappan Muthu…
Why the Left Stumbled in New Zealand
“It was a coincidence that the New Zealand election fell on the same night as Australia’s ‘Voice’ referendum to recognise its indigenous population. But it is no accident that New Zealand’s Labour party and…
Understanding the Many Meanings of the Fantail
The pīwakawaka is sometimes considered an omen of death, but in Māori tradition, that’s just one part of its story, Roxanne Hoorn writes for travel site, Atlas Obscura. The bird is a much more complex…
Tilt at a Record Fourth World Cup Crown
“To think New Zealand had entered this tournament with questions about their ability to assert themselves up front; this was a frightening display of forward strength, leaving Argentina’s Rugby World Cup dreams buried beneath…
Mitchell Santner Exemplifies Black Caps’ Class
“Whatever side they put on the park, the Black Caps are ruthlessly professional. Their batters are disciplined yet brutal, their bowlers feisty yet frighteningly accurate,” Welsh cricketer Ffion Wynne writes for BBC Sport. “They rarely…
Cal Wilson a Comic Powerhouse
Cal Wilson, the New Zealand stand-up comedian, writer and actor who became a mainstay on Australian television over a 20-year career, has died at the age of 53, Michael Sun reports for The Guardian. Wilson…
Thermal Explorer Highway a Wonderland
“With caves lit up with glow worms, mud pools bubbling, and geysers erupting up from the ground, New Zealand’s North Island is a wonderland of stunning natural phenomena. While temperatures are starting to drop…
Endangered, flightless bird returns to NZ mainland
The iconic and famously cheeky Kākāpō, a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand, is returning to the nation’s largest main island thanks to conservation efforts by conservation groups, indigenous tribes, and central government. Kākāpō are…
New Zealand Swings to the Centre Right in Post-Ardern Era
New Zealand’s Labour party has suffered a humbling defeat after early election results suggested a halving of its parliamentary seats compared with Jacinda Ardern’s triumph in 2020, Nic Fildes writes from Sydney for the…
New Zealand Hold off Ireland in Titanic Battle
“The agony goes on. Ireland must wonder what they have to do to break this quarter-final curse, how long to spend as No 1 in the world, how many grand slams to win, how…
