Words of Praise for Lions Coach
World Cup-winning former All Blacks skipper Graham Henry believes New Zealander Warren Gatland, 49, is the perfect choice as Lions coach. “Warren is an outstanding coach with a wealth of experience,’ says Henry,…
Blog Archives
Britten Bike Revs Up for Isle of Man Lap
One of the most iconic racing motorcycles of all time, the Britten V1000, brainchild of Christchurch-born John Britten, returns to the track on 26 August as part of the inaugural Classic TT Races…
Nature-led and Outstandingly Good
According to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants website, Attica is New Zealand chef “Ben Shewry’s innovative but nature-led Melbourne masterpiece”. Shewry “often rises before dawn to forage on the shore near…
Kentucky Eventing Win for Nicholson
Seven-time New Zealand Olympian Andrew Nicholson, 51, has won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in the United States. Nicholson maintained his lead after the cross-country riding Quimbo, jumping a careful clear round in the…
Shrewd Choice for Poland Cook It Raw
New Zealand chef Ben Shewry is one of a selection of the “world’s finest chefs” to recall their experience of a Cook it Raw event for a recent Observer article. Shewry, who owns…
Record Heights over Franz Josef
“With a 19,500-foot parachute jump over New Zealand’s scenic South Island … one of the highest commercial sky-dives in the world that doesn’t require customised planes and breathing equipment,” The Wall Street Journal’s Chris…
Action-packed US Premieres for Bell
Auckland-born actress and stuntwoman Zoë Bell’s self-produced action/horror film Raze premiered at New York’s TriBeca Film Festival on 21 April. As well, Bell stars in Oblivion, alongside Tom Cruise, which also premiered last week….
Miss Popularity Exceeds Half a Million Likes
Sixteen-year-old Hawkes Bay student Jamie Curry has amassed over 500,000 likes on her Facebook page, Jamie’s World, which she began in July last year. Seven million people a week see videos, photos and status…
Looking on the Bright Side of Life
“The world’s most southerly capital city is a shining example of turning weaknesses into strengths,” David Whitley writes for Middle East newspaper The National. “Hemmed in between harbour and hills, Wellington simply doesn’t have…
Differences of Time on and off Set
Actor and winemaker Sam Neill, 65, talks to the South China Morning Post about corks, cows and why action films are duller than they look. “Making good films and good wines are both very…
Birds with Mirrors Take Flight for Australia
New Zealander Lemi Ponifasio’s dance works have been acclaimed by critics as nothing short of revelatory, spiritual, even. The self-taught choreographer’s productions, starring Polynesian dancers, have been staged to critical acclaim across the…
One of the World’s Best Guided Tours
Active Adventures New Zealand’s Five-Day ‘Kauri’ Essence of the North Island tour features in National Geographic Traveler’s eighth annual “50 of the World’s Best Guided Expeditions” list, which appears in the magazine’s May issue….
Keeping Track of North Korean News
Christchurch researcher Frank Feinstein has dedicated a website, to cataloguing dispatches from North Korea’s state media organization, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The website, called KCNA Watch, catalogues every KCNA English report on…
Ladyhawke Slips on Armani for Indie Cover
“Her songs like ‘Paris is Burning’ or ‘My Delirium’ are well-known all over the world, but hardly anyone knows her real name,” according to Austrian-based magazine, Indie – The Independent Style Magazine. “We…
Berlin Takes a Bite on Friedrichstrasse
Hamish Morrison Galerie in Berlin presents their first solo exhibition by New Zealand artist Billy Apple entitled “Apple sees red”, beginning 26 April. “The title for this exhibition ‘Apple sees red’ – in…
Mayfair Salon Opening for Designer
A brief internship with the jewellery department of Sotheby’s in London at the age of 25, has brought New Zealand fine jeweller Jessica McCormack to opening a 465-square-metre salon – The House –…
Best City in the World for Being Wild
In Wellington, wildlife sightings are a part of daily life, thanks to the city’s green policies and development of countless parks, nature reserves and walking tracks, Adam Bray writes for CNN. Bray recommends a…
She’s About to Be a Very Big Deal
“Listen to … Lorde, aka Ella Yelich O’Connor, a 16-year-old from … because she’s about to be a very big deal,” claims US website BuzzFeed. “Her voice is incredible – something like a…
Ngakau Toa Takes on Globe History in Te Reo
Actor Rawiri Paratene, 59, features in Mike Jonathan’s Troilus and Cressida: The Road to the Globe, which follows Paratene, director Rachel House and their 18-strong cast during the gruelling three month lead-up to…
Veils Frontman Has Accomplished a Cool Rarity
Lead singer and songwriter for London-based band The Veils, New Zealander Finn Andrews, 29, has “accomplished something rare and cool, namely a guitar-based record that transcends easy categorization,” according to Vancouver online news…
Heartfelt as Siegmund at the Met
New Zealand veteran heldentenor Simon O’Neill plays Siegmund in the Metropolitan Opera season of Wagner’s Die Walküre. However, on the evening of The New York Times review, the first of two performances, “O’Neill’s normally…
Fandango is Bigger and Bigger Music
Can the Phoenix Foundation’s latest album Fandango match the five stars of their last release, Buffalo, The Guardian asks in their “Album Stream” column. “Five albums into their career, and the Phoenix Foundation…
New Zealand’s Lamborghini Connection
Bob Wallace, originally from New Zealand, became Lamborghini’s test driver in 1964; he was instrumental in the founding of the Italian car company. For most devoted fans,” The New York Times’ John Lamm writes,…
Putting Pictures to Arnett’s Words
Iconic New Zealand journalist Peter Arnett, 78, who ushered in the era of live television war reporting during the first Gulf War in 1991, will be the subject of a feature-length documentary called,
Cannes Award for Campion
Director of award-winning film The Piano, Wellington-born Jane Campion, 58, will be presented with the Carrosse d’Or from the Society of Film Directors at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Campion will be…
Persistent to the Chequered Flag
It’s hard to ignore New Zealand IndyCar driver Scott Dixon’s consistency, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s Robert Morales. “After an up-and-down first four years in IndyCar, he has not finished lower…
Williamson’s Speech a Marriage Equality Great
Speaking in support of the Marriage Amendment Bill, National Party MP Maurice Williamson delivered what some are hailing as “one of the greatest speeches ever delivered at a marriage equality debate.” After warming up…
Meteoric Rise for Victory Star
Twenty-one-year-old Melbourne Victory attacker Hamilton-born Marco Rojas has won the Johnny Warren Medal as the A-League player of the year, doubling the amount of votes second-placed Italian soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero, 38, received….
