Blog Archives

US Actress Bryce Dallas Howard Finds Solace in NZ

US Actress Bryce Dallas Howard Finds Solace in NZ

In a revealing new interview with American television show Entertainment Tonight, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star, Bryce Dallas Howard opens up about the health struggles she faced in her 20s and how New Zealand…

NZ Gives BC Lesson on Proportional Representation

NZ Gives BC Lesson on Proportional Representation

When New Zealand pitched a switch to proportional representation in the early 1990s, it triggered a wave of conjecture and confusion similar to what British Columbia in Canada is experiencing now. New Zealanders voted in…

NZ Female Cricketers Make World’s Best List

NZ Female Cricketers Make World’s Best List

A Guardian newspaper panel of 15 experts compiled a list of the globe’s top 20 greatest female players, which includes Dunedin-born Suzie Bates (pictured), 30, Christchurch-born Amy Satterthwaite, 31, and Sophie Devine, 28, from…

Korean War Vet Returns to Battlefield

Korean War Vet Returns to Battlefield

Snapshots of the 1950s are seared into veterans’ memories: South Korea then was an economic basket case, a devastated land of burned-down villages, desperate poverty and denuded hills. Andrew Salmon from the Asia Times…

Steven Adams One of World’s Highest Paid Athletes

Steven Adams One of World’s Highest Paid Athletes

New Zealander Steven Adams, 24, professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA), has made the annual Forbes World’s Highest Paid Athletes list. According to Forbes, “the 100 top-earning…

The Queen Names Activist Catherine Healy a Dame

The Queen Names Activist Catherine Healy a Dame

Catherine Healy, 62, a founder of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, was instrumental in helping this country become the first to decriminalise prostitution in 2003. After 30 years of activism, the queen recognised her…

Dramatic Ocean Views from the Olive House

Dramatic Ocean Views from the Olive House

“If you are looking for an opulent getaway that shows off New Zealand’s epic landscapes, a former olive press building has now been converted into a luxury lodge with 360-degree views of the Kaikoura…

Wanderlust-Inspiring Luxury New Zealand Hotels

Wanderlust-Inspiring Luxury New Zealand Hotels

“With its unparalleled natural beauty, innovative culinary scene, and unique luxury accommodation, there is no mystery as to why New Zealand has become the destination of choice for some of the world’s most discerning…

Chasing Waves on a 13,000km Motorbike Trip

Chasing Waves on a 13,000km Motorbike Trip

In March, Byron Bay friends Torren Martyn and Ishka Folkwell travelled throughout New Zealand on motorbikes looking for the country’s best surf spots. Surfer magazine caught up with the pair for a synopsis of…

On Stage at London’s All Points East with Lorde

On Stage at London’s All Points East with Lorde

New Zealand super star Lorde’s recent performance at London’s inaugural All Points East festival incited “sheer pandemonium”, according to DIY magazine. “Lorde follows on the North Stage, and proceeds to provide an…

Early Māori Village Found in Gisborne Tells Story

Early Māori Village Found in Gisborne Tells Story

While much early Māori history is documented through songs and stories – from tales of Kupe, who Māori consider to be the first adventurer to navigate to New Zealand to the deep roots of the…

UMO Frontman Ruban Nielson on Musical Eclecticism

UMO Frontman Ruban Nielson on Musical Eclecticism

In search of a new direction after three critically acclaimed psychedelic indie rock records, 38-year-old New Zealander Ruban Nielson, frontman of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, took to the road to write and record album No…

Rock Up’s Aaran Eade’s UK Climbing Walls a Hit

Rock Up’s Aaran Eade’s UK Climbing Walls a Hit

After growing 87 per cent year-on-year, sales of £2.5 million are expected for the British indoor climbing centre Rock Up in 2018, four years after climber, New Zealander Aaran Eade teamed up with private…

Breaking up Is Easy for Sami and van Beek

Breaking up Is Easy for Sami and van Beek

Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek’s film The Breaker Upperers has opened strongly in New Zealand after warm-hearted reviews at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. This week, their comedy opens the Sydney…

Regulator Grant Barnes Minding a Precious Resource

Regulator Grant Barnes Minding a Precious Resource

Grant Barnes is a New Zealander who says he has a bit of mongrel in him, and says he would not hesitate in taking on any New South Wales irrigator who is found to…

New Zealand Rallies to Save its Iconic Bird

New Zealand Rallies to Save its Iconic Bird

There are 68,000 kiwi left in New Zealand, and they are declining at the rate of 2 per cent per year. A century ago, there were millions. Outside the predator-free zones, kiwi chicks and…

Mothers-to-be on Birth of a New Kind of PM

Mothers-to-be on Birth of a New Kind of PM

In a Guardian article, New Zealand women with babies due this month discuss what it means to have a pregnant prime minister, and how they will balance parenthood, work and a severe lack of sleep. In…

Helen Clark Speaks in Japan on Gender Equality

Helen Clark Speaks in Japan on Gender Equality

Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark stressed in a recent interview with Japan’s national daily newspaper The Mainichi that women need to continue to fight for gender equality, adding that zero tolerance policies…

It: Chapter Two Casts Jay Ryan as Adult Ben

It: Chapter Two Casts Jay Ryan as Adult Ben

Auckland-born actor Jay Ryan, 36, has been cast as the adult version of Ben Hanscom in New Line’s It: Chapter Two, sources confirmed to Variety. Ryan joins Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader, who…

Artist Matthew Couper Fuses Vegas and NZ

Artist Matthew Couper Fuses Vegas and NZ

In Matthew Couper’s exhibition, From Dust to Water, the New Zealand-born Las Vegas-based artist uses the language of symbols – skeletons and cacti, blenders and playing cards – to combine pictorial elements in witty…

Rugby Player James Lowe on Food for Performance

Rugby Player James Lowe on Food for Performance

He’s played for the Māori All Blacks and he’s currently signed to European champions Leinster, so if there is anyone who can talk about fuelling their body for optimal performance it is 25-year-old professional…

Scientists to Lead DNA Hunt for Loch Ness Monster

Scientists to Lead DNA Hunt for Loch Ness Monster

An examination of Loch Ness using DNA sampling techniques will try to establish exactly what lives in the UK’s largest freshwater body – it may also discover whether there is any scientific basis to…

Photographer Derek Henderson Is in Demand

Photographer Derek Henderson Is in Demand

Photographer Derek Henderson rates his career shooting fashion, travel and art photography as mediocre, but a quick look at his credentials and it’s plain to see he’s being coy. Laura Baker interviews the New…

Keith Dawson of Port Macquarie Turns 105

Keith Dawson of Port Macquarie Turns 105

An effervescent Keith Dawson celebrated his 105th birthday on 24 May as he does each year: with family, friends and a tremendous smile. He will proudly tell you he is a New Zealander who…

Barnet Mayor Reuben Thompstone Sworn in

Barnet Mayor Reuben Thompstone Sworn in

New Zealand-born Councillor Reuben Thompstone, a 42-year-old who represents the Golders Green ward, has become the 54th, and youngest-ever, mayor of Barnet, North London. Thompstone has a background in education and has served on the…

Rambert Chief Mark Baldwin’s Final Commission

Rambert Chief Mark Baldwin’s Final Commission

New Zealander Mark Baldwin, the “venerable” artistic director of Rambert, the UK’s leading contemporary dance company, is stepping down from the role to devote more time to choreographic work. Baldwin’s final commission “as the…

Jane Campion Rewatches Her Own Classic

Jane Campion Rewatches Her Own Classic

One of the world’s most unconventional filmmakers, New Zealander Jane Campion talks with The Guardian about the end of the patriarchy, doing away with decorum, and how losing her baby son changed her forever. Twenty-five…

Folk Singer Mel Parsons Touring US

Folk Singer Mel Parsons Touring US

Award-winning singer-songwriter New Zealander Mel Parsons, 36, recently performed as part of the Concerts in the Woods series in Coyle, Washington. “We are very lucky to have Mel Parsons make a stop in Coyle on…

Georgia Pratt on Non-Stretch Denim for Every Body

Georgia Pratt on Non-Stretch Denim for Every Body

“I think I’ve had quite a hard time at different phases in my life,” New Zealand model Georgia Pratt tells Vogue, looking back at her long history with denim. “When I was in middle school,…

Heli-Biking in New Zealand is Epic

Heli-Biking in New Zealand is Epic

“A thick layer of fog makes the scene that much more intense as the helicopter touches down. One by one, each mountain biker jogs away from the helicopter. One by one, the bikes are…

TV Host Clarke Gayford on Fatherhood

TV Host Clarke Gayford on Fatherhood

Less than a month away from the birth – which will make Jacinda Ardern the first serving head of government since Benazir Bhutto to have a baby – television host Clarke Gayford, 40, who…

Julian Dennison Isn’t in a Hurry to Grow Up

Julian Dennison Isn’t in a Hurry to Grow Up

The 15-year-old New Zealand actor Julian Dennison talks to GQ magazine about his starring role in Deadpool 2 – even though he’s not old enough to see it. Dennison is not your average teenager, if…

Koru’s Rachel Carrell Reinvigorates UK Childcare

Koru’s Rachel Carrell Reinvigorates UK Childcare

London nannying service Koru Kids has been created by New Zealander Rachel Carrell with the aim of tackling the UK’s “fragmented and backward” childcare market which results in complex arrangements cobbled together by frazzled…

Wellington Most Liveable City Second Year Running

Wellington Most Liveable City Second Year Running

The city shocked many when it was ranked the most liveable city in the world last year, but it won’t surprise Wellingtonians to learn it has kept that number one spot in 2018, mayor…

Pop Singer Robinson Has Nothing to Regret

Pop Singer Robinson Has Nothing to Regret

New Zealand singer-songwriter Robinson, 21, has been likened to other local trailblazers who are known for leading fans along a pathway set out by their own standards while exploring and showcasing their art, Fiona…

Win for Kayaking Duo in Germany

Win for Kayaking Duo in Germany

World Champions New Zealanders Lisa Carrington, 28, and Caitlin Ryan, 26, have won a convincing gold medal in the K2 500m at World Cup 2 in Duisburg, Germany, Radio New Zealand reports. The pair, who…

David Metcalf Puts On Bali Indigenous Celebration

David Metcalf Puts On Bali Indigenous Celebration

Wellington-born professional photographer David Metcalf, who is based in Bali, and Emmanuela Dewi Shinta, founder of Ranu Welum (Living Water), are the founders of the inaugural Indigenous Celebration, which was held recently over three…

Thomasin McKenzie Steals the Film in Leave No Trace

Thomasin McKenzie Steals the Film in Leave No Trace

Debra Granik’s third feature, Leave No Trace, which stretches the theme of life on the margins to breaking point, is already being talked of as one of the year’s best releases, according to The…

Dubai Safari’s Timothy Husband Recovers Exotic Pets

Dubai Safari’s Timothy Husband Recovers Exotic Pets

It has been a busy first six months for Dubai Safari under the stewardship of its technical director, New Zealander Timothy Husband, Nick Webster reports for The National. Too big for owners to manage…

Heartthrob KJ Apa Answers Some Tricky Questions

Heartthrob KJ Apa Answers Some Tricky Questions

KJ Apa, the New Zealand import turned Riverdale star, captured hearts (and Instagram followers) when the show premiered in 2017. Riverdale was just renewed for its third season, so it looks like…

Great Barrier Island Has Star Quality

Great Barrier Island Has Star Quality

The off-grid Great Barrier Island, 90km off the coast of Auckland, is a Dark Sky Sanctuary ideal for star gazing – and the views by day are heavenly too. The Observer’s Chris Hall looks…

Marlon Williams Offers Something for Everyone

Marlon Williams Offers Something for Everyone

Christchurch-born singer-songwriter Marlon Williams is currently touring New Zealand promoting his second studio album Make Way for Love. His recent performance in Melbourne is reviewed by Eve Fisher for The Canberra Times. “The sold-out crowd…

Look Ahead to Summer with FT’s Shannon Gibson

Look Ahead to Summer with FT’s Shannon Gibson

You know the woman. She always looks good. Comfortable and yet elegant, she floats around the office with the nonchalance of someone who knows they’ve nailed their look. Most impressively, she’s got summer style…

Ngā Parirau o te Kārearea a Spectacular EP

Ngā Parirau o te Kārearea a Spectacular EP

New Zealand-born experimental producer Fis and sound artist Rob Thorne’s collaborative EP Ngā Parirau o te Kārearea, a follow up to last year’s acclaimed Clear Stones, is included in Fact magazine’s 25 best albums…

Mikayla Werahiko Glad She Chose Maryland Softball

Mikayla Werahiko Glad She Chose Maryland Softball

Infielder Mikayla Werahiko, 22, was apprehensive when New Zealand national team coach Kevin Gettins first suggested she go to the United States for softball, but she was willing to take a risk, so she…

Genre-Defying Kimbra Traverses New Territory

Genre-Defying Kimbra Traverses New Territory

There’s something that connects the music of Skrillex and Paul Simon – some place where these opposite ends of the musical spectrum meet. New Zealander Kimbra, 28, is sure of that. As for what…

Next Level Māori Cuisine with Monique Fiso

Next Level Māori Cuisine with Monique Fiso

As part of the month-long Los Angeles Times Food Bowl series, chefs New Zealander Monique Fiso and American Timothy Hollingsworth will collaborate on a dinner featuring a seasonal menu using local ingredients and focused on…

Designer Blair Archibald Nails Fashion Week

Designer Blair Archibald Nails Fashion Week

In a “brilliant debut show” at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, New Zealand-born designer Blair Archibald “announces himself as a serious talent,” Nicholas Carolan writes for Grazia. “Anticipation around Archibald’s Resort 2019 presentation has been quietly…

New Rebecca Taylor Store Opens in California

New Rebecca Taylor Store Opens in California

With $600 in her wallet, New Zealand native Rebecca Taylor moved to New York with dreams of starting a fashion line. She cut and sewed at a Brooklyn kitchen table that she built herself….

Leave No Trace with Thomasin McKenzie Cannes Hit

Leave No Trace with Thomasin McKenzie Cannes Hit

“Debra Granik is the exceptional film-maker who directed Winter’s Bone in 2010, launching the career of Jennifer Lawrence, and now she returns with this deeply intelligent, complex, finely tuned and observed movie, [starring New…

Anthony McCarten Freddy Mercury Biopic Trailer Out

Anthony McCarten Freddy Mercury Biopic Trailer Out

“The first footage of Bohemian Rhapsody will rock you,” according to Esquire magazine. Penned by New Zealand-born Anthony McCarten, the upcoming Queen biopic, starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury follows the formation of the…

Sheryl Sandberg Deems Ardern a Political Prodigy

Sheryl Sandberg Deems Ardern a Political Prodigy

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gives her opinion on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has been named in Time magazine’s list of 100 ‘Most Influential People’, alongside other leaders including London mayor Sadiq…

Autoportrait Wins Deutsche Börse Photography Prize

Autoportrait Wins Deutsche Börse Photography Prize

The 2018 Deutsche Börse photography prize has been awarded to the New Zealander Luke Willis Thompson, 30, for Autoportrait, a film installation about the partner of Philando Castile, who was shot dead by police…

Michael Long Wins PGA with Dream Course Round

Michael Long Wins PGA with Dream Course Round

New Zealander Michael Long, 49, has recorded a dream victory at the recent TX Civil & Logistics Western Australia PGA Championship after equalling the course record at Kalgoorlie Golf Course. Starting the final day five…

Moeraki Boulders Make for Ever-Changing Photo Op

Moeraki Boulders Make for Ever-Changing Photo Op

An image of Otago’s Moeraki Boulders has featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s online version. “Folklore is storied with mystical explanations, but it is believed the coast has been eroded…

Kim Chambers Swims Like No Other

Kim Chambers Swims Like No Other

Kim Chambers, a former ballerina who grew up on a sheep farm in the King Country has done what no other woman has yet achieved: swum the world’s most difficult ocean swim, from the…