Music Man Keeping the Harmonies in Check
Timaru-born emeritus professor William “Bill” Hawker is in Port Macquarie for six weeks as the guest conductor of Hastings Choristers. The academic and musician lives in Akolele on the south coast of NSW. He…
Blog Archives
Get Ready for the Vintage of a Lifetime
New Zealand wines look like they’re about to get even better, according to Forbes.com contributor Larry Olmsted. “Much better. You probably already know Kim Crawford, New Zealand’s famous producer of sauvignon blanc, but now…
Committing to Biculturalism in Education
Newton Central School in Grey Lynn, Auckland, is the subject of a story about how New Zealand, and Newton Central in particular, is making biculturalism in education work. Special advisor on education…
Wild Cards Still Making Music on the Outer Limits
New Zealand underground rock trio The Dead C have been making music at the outer limits for 25 years, using geographic isolation to develop one of the most original strains of underground rock of…
Invitation to Jump the Ditch and Get Hitched
New Zealand fashion designer Annah Stretton is celebrating the fact that same-sex marriage in New Zealand is to be legalised from 19 August by launching ‘Come on Oz, Say “I do”’. The
Clonakilty Women Have Their Say in New Book
New Zealand-born author Alison Wickham, a resident of Clonakilty in Cork, Ireland, launches a self-published book this week called Women Speak, which tells the stories of 14 very different women, now aged from their…
Ada Would Not Have Surfaced Says Campion
Jane Campion has revealed she wanted a bleaker ending for The Piano, with the character of mute Ada McGrath, played by Holly Hunter, drowning with her beloved instrument. It is one of the most…
Multi-talented McLaren Transformed Racing
In his all-too-brief life, New Zealander Bruce McLaren, who died in 1970 at the age of 32, managed an impressive list of successes, writes Jason Stein for Wheelbase Media. “His European driving career began…
Gamers Promote Powerful Women Leads
Game developer New Zealander Lucy Morris, who lives in Düsseldorf, this week participated in a 48-hour game jam – or a fleeting arcade of game developers planning and creating a game over a short…
Dean of New Oxford Business School Reflects on a Year
The New Zealand-born dean of Oxford University’s new Blavatnik School of Government, Ngaire Woods describes the first year as “terrific. Fun. Challenging. Great,” without pause. “It has been a whirlwind.” It might…
Cooking Up Raspberry Pi with the Internet of Things
New Zealand developer Nathan Broadbent was inspired to hack into his microwave after reading a post on Reddit about using matrix barcodes to instruct microwave ovens. Broadbent then cooked a raspberry pie using the…
Madrid Festival Awards for Murder Mystery
New Zealand filmmaker Alex Galvin’s feature film Eternity has won two awards at the Madrid International Film Festival. Eternity won best editing, alongside Nick Swinglehurst and best supporting actor for Wellington actor…
New Zealand’s Answer to The Killing
Jane Campion’s television series Top of the Lake, “set in the staggeringly beautiful landscape of the South Island”, has been called New Zealand’s answer to The Killing. Obstreperous and tunnel-visioned, detective Robin Griffin has…
Magasiva, Moon and Paquin Make the Crush Cake List
New Zealand, “more like Babeland”, according to blogger Laura Vincent who writes about who she fancies for Vice magazine’s regular column, “Crush Cakes”. “Though my crushing is as vast as the majestic Lake Taupo,…
Fit Runs in the Family
Originally from Opotiki, Grant Goes, 32, Dubai’s 2012 Fittest Man, has just completed the gruelling Give Me 3000 challenge, in which he completed 300 repetitions of 10 key exercises in under five hours. The…
Another Win for IndyCar Racer Dixon in Canada
New Zealander Scott Dixon has won the 31st IndyCar race of his career with victory in the first of two street races in Toronto. The Honda Indy Toronto win has moved Dixon into a…
Who Invented This Country?
New Zealand does not seem of this earth according to Outside Magazine contributing editor Peter Heller, who writes that it’s “like a kid asked a genie to make a world full of everything fun…
Successful Planting of Our Natives in UK Gardens
A selection of New Zealand plants ideal for UK gardens feature in a Guardian picture gallery this week. “If you squint a bit, parts of the New Zealand landscape can look familiar to the…
Lawless Set to Razzle Dazzle in Chicago
Television star Lucy Lawless, 45, will join True Blood’s Stephen Moyer and Les Misérables’ Samantha Barks for a special three-night performance of the Broadway smash Chicago, which will run from 26 July to 28…
Toasted Opens in South London
New Zealand-born chef Michael Hazlewood, together with manager Alex Thorp, has opened Toasted in London’s East Dulwich, where “wine at the heart of a meal in an especially alluring manner”, according…
That’s Showbiz for Wootton Who Takes Up Tabloid Role
Former News of the World showbiz editor Lower Hutt-born journalist Dan Wootton, 30, is joining British tabloid, Sun on Sunday, where he will write a double-page showbiz column as part of moves…
Swiss Army Should Check out This Hybrid Design
Victoria University industrial design student Joe Levy, 20, has “managed to cram in functionality” with his SpoolStool, which serves as everything from a chair, to a foot rest, to a table, to a place…
Historical Mill Still Grinding for a Modern World
New Zealander Michael Shaw is a miller operating one of Scotland’s last surviving fully operational commercial watermills. Golspie Mill in Sutherland grinds peasemeal, rye, bread and plain flour. The original mill was opened…
Hopes for Victory at the Helm of a 72-footer
“Dean Barker has been the helmsman for Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup,” Christopher Clarey begins in a New York Times article a few days out from the first round-robin race of the…
The World Loses a Great Philosopher
New Zealand-born political theorist Kenneth Minogue, a leading figure in Britain’s conservative intellectual life, has died aged 82. Minogue was Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics from 1984 to 1995,…
Tiptoe Through the Caves Amidst Light Fantastic
Waitomo’s wondrous underground labyrinth of caves has been forming over the last 30 million years. “In one of these caverns is a very special animal – one that has evolved to thrive in wind-free…
Deciphering Clues from Ancient Bones in Cambodia
For the past seven years, New Zealand archaeologist Dr Nancy Beavan has been unravelling the mystery of a graveyard in Cambodia dating back to the Angkor era. At Phnom Pel, more than 100 burial…
Double the Win in Sevens Tournament Finals
New Zealand has completed a “remarkable sweep of rugby’s major global titles” this week with the men beating England 33-0 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to win the 2013 Rugby World Cup…
Gatland Rang His Chances and Triumphed
Hamilton-born Warren Gatland “turned a Lions travesty into a triumph” with the team’s 41-16 win over Australia in the third and deciding match, the Lion’s first Test series victory in 16 years. “Only a…
Talented Conductor Directs New Jersey Summer Concerts
Wellington-born Gemma New, assistant conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), is directing three free-admission summer concerts at Mercer County Park, New Jersey. New has been conducting since the age of 15….
Vivid Encounters with Insects in Glass Wings
“It takes just four lines for ‘Alumnae Notes’ to transport us first to the schoolgirl in 40s New Zealand and then to her literary exile in London: ‘Beautiful Ataneta Swainson is dead….
Wistful New York Gallery Debut for Upritchard
New Zealand artist Francis Upritchard’s full-scale New York gallery debut has opened at Anton Kern. Art Daily reports: “London-based who represented her country at the 2009 Venice Biennale – stages eight…
Night to Remember at Melbourne Jazz Club
New Zealand-born pianist and composer, Steve Barry, named Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year at last month’s Bell Awards, performed as a trio with Tom Botting on bass and Tim Firth on drums…
Parker Hulme Story Unfolds in Tabloid-like Detail
Former Hong Kong lawyer New Zealander Peter Graham’s “compelling read”, Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century, is awarded five out of five stars by reviewer Glen Young for northern Michigan publication, Petoskey…
At Home on the Banks of the Mekong
The home of New Zealand doctor Andrew Thomson, who works for the United Nations in Cambodia, features in The New York Times’ section “Great Homes and Destinations” this week. “It was more of a…
Sequencing Genes to See What Makes a Thoroughbred
A piece of champion thoroughbred Phar Lap’s tooth is being sent to the University of Sydney’s veterinary science faculty from Wellington so scientists can analyse his DNA and compare it with other champions like…
Charming Waiters and Creative Cooking Impresses
Auckland café Ortolana’s “Perfect Brunch” features in The Monocle Food & Entertaining Guide 2013, included as a supplement in the current issue of the magazine. “Ortolana is small and airy – just 80 square…
All Bronzed Up for Bondi Beach Vogue Shoot
Seventeen-year-old Miss Vogue cover model Holly Rose speaks about how she went from an “ordinary girl from New Zealand” to one of the most in-demand models in the southern hemisphere within a year. “I…
Focus on What You Do Best Says Facebook Exec
As the mobile industry evolves, mobile operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) should focus on what they do best, according to New Zealander Vaughan Smith, vice president of corporate development at Facebook, who was…
Tiny Troop of Toddlers Performs the Cutest Haka Ever
Six Ngati Toa children with an average age of two, from Porirua’s Bronwyn’s Place Daycare, have performed what news outlets are calling “the cutest Haka ever”. “It is one of the most awesome sights…
Why Hollywood is Staying in New Zealand
“From James Cameron’s organic farm to Emmy contender Top of the Lake, the idyllic island nation continues to thrive 12 years after Frodo and Co. put it on the movie location map,” The Hollywood…
Mayor Gives Residents a Sense of What Auckland Could Be
Auckland sits at No 10 on Monocle magazine’s annual “Top 25 liveable cities” list, with Copenhagen at No 1, followed by Melbourne at No 2. “Auckland’s mayor Len Brown talks of making his city…
Uninterrupted Writing Time Awarded for Belgian Story
Hastings author Anna Mackenzie, 50, is the first New Zealander to be awarded the writer’s residency in Belgium by Passa Porta, International House of Literature, which is offered to writers worldwide. Mackenzie…
Dancer Bound for Fame in San Francisco
Eighteen-year-old Aucklander Joel Walsham has become the first New Zealander to be awarded a scholarship to prestigious United States dance university, LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Early this year Walsham flew to the United…
Back in the Cells as Fletch in Prison Drama Wentworth
Auckland-born actor, Logie Award-winning Aaron Jeffery, who graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1993, stars in the popular Australian television prison drama Wentworth, which will return to screens for…
Minding the Gap at All London’s 270 Stations
Auckland-born businessman Tim McCready has been to all 270 London Underground stations after spending seven days spread over five months travelling the entire 250 miles of the Tube network. “When I arrived…
Despite Chaotic Intentions Ambience Prevails
New Zealand-born photographer Simon Davidson’s “beguiling” portraits of drag racing shot on the Utah salt flats and at Lake Gairdner in South Australia feature in The Guardian this week. “Through clouds of pungent smoke and…
Royal Favourite Sings Lullabies for Newborn
At 26, New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra has been a favourite of the Royal Family for over a decade, so when Welsh composer Paul Mealor, who was commissioned to write some new…
Early Adopters of Technology Perfect to Test On
When Google chose New Zealand to unveil secret plans for balloon-driven wi-fi network, dubbed Project Loon, it cemented the country’s reputation as a test bed for global tech companies looking to trial their latest…
Wigmore Gets Candid About Stars and Songwriting
Platinum-selling singer-songwriter Aucklander Gin Wigmore, 27, who is currently on tour in the United States, says she is usually “quite cool and collected” around other stars, but was a little less so…
Crossing the Whitewash with Another Win over French
“New Zealand completed a 3-0 series clean sweep of France with a hard-fought but deserved victory at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth ,” the Irish Examiner reported. “Ben Smith’s first-half try helped give…
Building on the Holistic Work of Esteemed Surgeon
British scientists are looking to the work of New Zealander Sir Archibald McIndoe, hoping to find ways to help burns victims regenerate new nerves and skin so that they are only left with minimal…
Speculative Theorist Challenged Course of History
Christchurch-born Michael Baigent, co-author of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, one of the most controversial books of the 1980s, has died in Brighton, England, aged 65. Baigent grew up in Nelson and…
Convoluted Defence History with US Vestige of the Past
The difficult period of New Zealand-US defence relations “is now seen as a relic” according to American Thawley Scholar Jack Georgieff, with “the best in bilateral defense relations” yet to come. “Chuck Hagel raised…
Canadian-based Gallery Executive’s Vision for Remai
New Zealander Gregory Burke, executive director and CEO of the new Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan, Canada, discusses his first week on the job, his past, his challenges and his vision…
World-first Drug Legislation in the Pipeline
Under proposed laws, New Zealand will permit the limited sale of some designer drugs for recreational purpose; the legislation is the first in the world to regulate new recreational drugs based on scientific evidence…
