The least of these, my brethren
The president of Black Power’s Whanganui chapter, Damien Kuru, is currently in prison for manslaughter. A jury found him guilty in the killing of Kevin Ratana, a Mongrel Mob member, even though he wasn’t…
Blog Archives
The Two Colossi of Ahuriri, Pat Magill and John Harre
Closing a Community Chapter. The Two Colossi of Ahuriri, Pat Magill and John Harre On Monday 24 April Pat Magill, my kaumatua Pākehā, tangata Tiriti, called a few of us together for a coffee at…
The obligation of citizenship
Denis O’Reilly’s community in Waiohiki, Hawke’s Bay, is one of many still reeling from Cyclone Gabrielle and the flooding. In this update, he writes about the continuing challenges, and why the census matters even…
Tihei mauri ora! Tihei Aotearoa
( Waiohiki Flood Recovery-Givealittle ) I began this kōrero at Waipatu, Heretaunga, in Hastings, in the early morning hours of Saturday, February 18, 2023. The sun had not yet risen, but it will….
A Matter of Better Judgement
Cultural Reports under Section 27 of the Sentencing Act seek to address the entrenched asymmetry or negative disproportionality in criminal justice outcomes for Māori offenders. Its complex. Justice Sir Joe Williams holds that “We tend…
Sermon on the Mahau
KNOX The following sermon, a panegyric for William Knockers Allen, was delivered on 7th November 2022 by Denis O’Reilly from the mahau, the front porch, of the whare Taamaki Makaurau at Ihumatao, Auckland, to members…
Kaynemaile’s Cool Silicon Valley Facade
Not software but hardware, of the coolest kind. Wellington materials science and design innovators Kaynemaile have graced one of Silicon Valley’s newest buildings with their revolutionary architectural mesh. The Lawson Lane campus…
Tangata Tiriti – Learning to Stand Upright
In late June 2022 I joined many other New Zealanders in celebrating Matariki. Maori-led and defined Matariki has emerged as our first recognised indigenous holiday, or if you prefer holy day, seeing that it…
Here we go Again
If we don’t learn from the past, we are doomed to unsuccessfully grapple with present and future social problems. The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern calls these problematics ‘wicked problems’. They are complex. Answers to…
Sort Out the Warriors
It’s a man’s game. Jacinda Ardern should take over the Warriors. After what was looking like becoming a troublesome season for the Labour team, she has made some tough calls over positional play. I’ll…
Artist Max Gimblett goes Oxherding with Lewis Hyde
Auckland born New Yorker and pre-eminent New Zealand artist Max Gimblett has produced his most significant book collaboration with American poet, cultural essayist and MacArthur Fellow Lewis Hyde. Published in September 2020 by the…
Mata Aho Collective in Conversation with Contemporary Hum about Dhaka Art Summit
Mata Aho Collective is a collaboration between four Māori women who produce large scale fiber based works, commenting on the complexity of Māori lives. In the last of their series focusing on the…
Jacinda Ardern “May Be the Most Effective Leader on the Planet”
Influential U.S. news journal The Atlantic says “Jacinda Ardern’s leadership style, focused on empathy, isn’t just resonating with her people; it’s putting the country on track for success against the coronavirus.” Uri Friedman, staff…
Te Whaea: Our Lady of Aotearoa
By Denis O’Reilly. Late last year I attended the unveiling for the late Hon. Parekura Horomia. Helen Clark gave a panegyric for her deceased acolyte. At the time of the tangihana itself, Helen was…
Contemporary HUM: Sharmini Aphrodite on André Hemer Singapore show ‘Images Cast by the Sun’
Online publishing platform Contemporary HUM is excited to announce a new series focusing on New Zealand arts activity in the Asia region. In the first essay of the series, produced in collaboration with our guest…
Ruby Princess and the Great Discontinuity
Denis O’Reilly is a New Zealand community leader and activist. This is his 91st essay for nzedge.com. My time as a bouncer on the door at Ali Baba’s in Cuba St Wellington, circa 1975,…
Charles Ma, City Maker, Leads Thinking in Knight Frank City Wellbeing Index
Auckland-born Charles Ma, 29, is working on an ambitious project to reimagine the way we live with its development of an entire city – Auranga, in southern Auckland at Drury – which will…
Dream Catchers Charts 32 Remarkable New Zealanders Making an Impact in the UK
Dream Catchers is on YouTube! Produced by Hilary Timmins, the full eight episodes celebrating 32 New Zealand innovators and cultural pioneers in the UK has posted online as well as on Air…
Pastry Chef Heather Kaniuk Recommends Auckland’s Top Culinary Spots
Writing for The Financial Times, acclaimed pastry chef Heather Kaniuk recommends the finest fish burgers to sustainable, Māori-inspired dishes in Auckland. Her culinary tour starts at Avondale café Hare and the Turtle for a…
Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira named Kiwibank’s New Zealander of the Year.
The actress was awarded the title by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Other finalists in the running for the award included Peter Beck – the chief executive of RocketLab, and Professor Jane Harding from Auckland University’s…
New Zealand 32nd in Global Rankings for Children Surviving and Thriving
While New Zealand tops global rankings for natural beauty, an absence of corruption and business competitiveness, it ranked only 32th for “flourishing children” according to a just-published report from the WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission, “A…
Bridget Elworthy – building a blooming business from an English manor house
New Zealander Bridget Elworthy is one half of the Land Gardeners, an enterprising duo who have built a blooming business in the heart of Oxfordshire. Bridget and her business partner Henrietta Coutauld spoke with…
New Zealand, India, Collaborate on Leading-Edge Research, Education
New Zealand’s education ties with India have been strengthened by a New Zealand university-led academic workshop at the Indian Institute of Technology, culminating today with a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a New Zealand…
Katherine Mansfield Book Inspired Legendary British Agent in German Concentration Camp
Passages from a book of Katherine Mansfield’s letters published in 1918 helped a condemned British operative survive her death watch in the German concentration camp Ravensbrück. Odette Sansom, the most highly decorated spy of the…
Andrew Barnes Makes The Case For A 4-Day Week Revolution on Greater Boston
Appearing WGBH’s Greater Boston show to discuss his book The 4 Day Week with host Jim Braude, New Zealand entrepreneur and author Andrew Barnes laid out his compelling case that companies should switch…
“Favorite Weirdo” Taika Waititi Wins Oscar Glory for Jojo Rabbit
The multi-talented Taika Waititi – writer, director, lead actor – took out the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday evening in Los Angeles. Adapted from Christine Leunens book “
Entrepreneur Richard Shirtcliffe On Tackling Plastic Ocean Waste Through Designer Furniture
Could commerce be a solution to eliminating the enormous amounts of plastic debris floating in the world’s oceans? Richard Shirtcliffe thinks so. Named as one of ‘The 6 Innovators Changing Denver’s Aesthetic’ by the mile-high…
Permanent Migration
Newly published on online art platform Contemporary HUM, artist Signe Rose writes a letter to her husband sculptor Martyn Reynolds on their life in Vienna as parents and artists, having moved to Austria from…
Star NZ Chef Josh Emmet’s Book, The Recipe, Gets Big Treatment From Insider.com
Josh Emett, New Zealand Michelin Star Chef and author of the cookbook, The Recipe, was interviewed by Business Insider’s Lifestyle reporter Anneta Konstantinides about the best classic recipes every home cook should…
Silver Fern Farms Targets Change In US Consumer Taste With American Retail Launch
Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand’s largest red meat producer, is fresh off of their U.S. market launch with a range of grass-fed beef, lamb, and venison products and has signaled that they are targeting…
What’s for – Decolonial – Dinner?
Online art platform Contemporary HUM’s last publication of 2019 sees Indigenous Canadian artist and curator Tania Willard explore the work of New Zealand artists BC Collective and Louisa Afoa, currently on display in the…
New Zealand Theatre Showcase Presented By NYC’s SoHo Playhouse for 2020
A season of New Zealand theatre is set to hit New York stages next year. Showing at SoHo Playhouse, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, Modern Māori Quartet: Two Worlds and The Contours of…
First Ans Westra Exhibition In The USA Urban Drift: Aotearoa / New Zealand
The first U.S. exhibition by pioneering New Zealand documentary photographer Ans Westra opens at New York’s Anastasia Photo on the Lower East Side on December 5 ‘Urban Drift: Aotearoa / New Zealand’ centres around…
Four-day Work Week At A Tipping Point, Says Andrew Barnes
“I think we’re now at a tipping point,” says Andrew Barnes, author of the book The 4 Day Week to be published in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand in early 2020….
Major Len Lye Exhibition Motion Composer Opens In Europe
The most comprehensive exhibition of Len Lye’s art to be seen in Europe has opened at the Museum Tinguely, Basel, Switzerland. Featuring his kinetic sculptures, paintings, photograms, drawings, models and films, the exhibition occupies…
Michelin Guide’s Top Rating For Josh Emett’s Book The Recipe
The Recipe by New Zealand chef Josh Emett is the sole book inclusion in The Michelin Guide’s “Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for the Foodie.” The portfolio contains 19 “gourmand-level gifts that are sure…
In Wellington Meet Food Hero Monique Fiso
Chef and owner of Wellington restaurant, Hiakai, Monique Fiso has been named a “Hero of Travel 2019” by Australia’s Traveller publication. “Travel is a little like theatre – much of the magic happens behind the…
Taika Waititi Puts on a Tuxedo
His film Jojo Rabbit may be the year’s most unlikely Oscar contender: a Nazi comedy. How will the irreverent director fare amid Hollywood’s sacred rituals? Pop culture reporter Kyle Buchanan investigates for a New York…
Sharna Osborne’s Shots Like Nothing Else in Fashion
The videos and stills made by the New Zealand-born artist Sharna Osborne don’t look like anything else in the fashion world – or at least not like anything else being produced today, this decade,…
Rich Production Incentives Draw Global Projects
For a small country with a film industry that is export-driven, the quality of New Zealand’s incentives is critical, Variety’s Asia bureau chief Patrick Frater reports. Despite the kudos and tourism dollars delivered by producing…
New Zealand Passes Zero Carbon Law
New Zealand has passed a law to reduce its emissions in a bid to become mostly carbon neutral by 2050, Britain’s Independent newspaper reports. The zero-carbon bill aims to tackle climate change by setting a…
Christchurch Opens Its Doors to More US Visitors
American Airlines has announced the first ever direct flight service between the US and Christchurch. Beginning in October of 2020 the carrier will embark on the 13-hour voyage three times a week. The announcement…
Glasgow-Based MOY Pop Star in Waiting
“With only two live shows and two singles behind him, MOY, 23, is already showing signs that he’s a real contender,” Scottish Sun music journalist Jim Gellatly writes. “The New Zealander from Auckland was…
Black Grace Thrill in New York
New Zealand contemporary dance company Black Grace wowed New York Times’ dance critic Brian Seibert during its debut season at the Joyce Theater with “an exhilarating, seemingly inexhaustible energy.” Seibert lauded the “unaffected style…
