EDGE #295: Happy Holidays. From Forbes, Startup Daily, ESPN, Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian + More

This newsletter contains the original hyperlinks to the source articles, some links may have now expired. Editor.

News of Global New Zealanders From Brian Sweeney, producer NZEDGE.COM |20 December 2017 | #295 | New York Adrenalin | Conde Nast Traveler 16 December 2017 How New Zealand Invented Adventure Sports New Zealander Henry van Asch was bumming around the ski slopes of Wanaka in the 1980s when his friend A.J. Hackett persuaded him to try a strange new extreme sport – hurling himself off a bridge with just a thick rubber rope around his ankles, writes Mark Ellwood in an article for Conde Nast Traveler… Business | Startup Daily 16 December 2017 Auckland Startup Fergus Raises $3.5 Million Auckland-born job management software start-up Fergus has raised $3.5 million in funding from Australian fund Microequities Venture Capital Fund, a joint venture between Microequities Asset… Science/Tech | LinkedIn 15 December 2017 “Any Business Can Use AR” Says Plattar’s Rupert Deans “By 2022, the Augmented Reality (and Mixed) market is predicted to expand to $117.4 Billion,” writes Angela Mellak in an article published on LinkedIn. To find out more about AI and mixed reality, Mellak interviewed… Fashion | Business Insider 13 December 2017 “The World’s Most Comfortable Shoes” “Whether you know someone who has and loves them, or you’ve just seen enough colorful, plush-looking sneakers walking around to note the style, you’ve likely already come into contact with the San Francisco brand Allbirds,” writes Mara… Rugby | ESPN 13 December 2017 Raelene Castle Named New Rugby Australia Chief Former Netball New Zealand and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs National Rugby League chief executive Raelene Castle is excited by the challenge of turning around rugby’s fortunes in Australia, but doesn’t… Politics & Economics | Hollywood Reporter 13 December 2017 NZ’s Film Industry Worth a Billion to Economy The International New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) is a key contributor to the nation’s economy according to a new economic study released by the New Zealand Film… Agriculture | Cornish & Devon Post 18 December 2017 Farming Couple Matt and Pip Smith Enter New Market Award-winning farming couple, New Zealander Matt Smith and wife Pip, co-owners of Trefranck Farm near Launceston, in the UK have used HSBC funding to acquire 250 pedigree breeding… Music | San Francisco Gate 17 December 2017 Conductor Gemma New Displays Crisp Technique American piano virtuoso Conrad Tao was on the programme with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor New Zealander Gemma New not once but twice – playing Rachmaninoff’s Paganini… Music | Huffington Post 17 December 2017 Ryan McPhun on His Good Band the Ruby Suns Always trust a man in a jumpsuit, writes Sarah Illingworth for The Huffington Post. Ryan McPhun knows how to wear one well she says, and whilst performing musical acrobatics as a one-man act no less… Music | Red Dirt Report 19 December 2017 Dean Wareham and Luna Cover Some Greats “As Luna singer-guitarist Dean Wareham sings a cover of Bob Dylan’s song Most of the Time, I could swear that the New Zealander is channelling the spirit of Lou Reed,” Andrew Griffin writes in a review of the US-based… Sport General | Yahoo 15 December 2017 NBA Star Steven Adams Gets to Work The biggest reason for basketball team Oklahoma City Thunder’s turnaround has not been Russell Westbrook, Paul George or Carmelo Anthony. It’s been New Zealander Steven Adams, whose 22 points per… Rugby | Independent Online 14 December 2017 Sunwolves Coach Jamie Joseph Eyes Top Five The new coach of the Tokyo-based Sunwolves Super Rugby side, New Zealander Jamie Joseph has said he was targeting a top-five finish next season, despite the team being on the wrong… Music | Forbes 18 December 2017 Royals Certifiably Diamond Rated “Just four years after it was first released, Lorde’s breakout single Royals has been certified diamond in the US after moving 10 million units. The New Zealand-born singer-songwriter first released Royals… Nature | Guardian (The) 19 December 2017 Human-Sized Penguin Remains Found on Hampden Beach Remnants of a 1.77-metre-tall penguin who walked on earth 55m to 60m years ago have been found south of Christchurch on what is now Hampden Beach.Measurements of the partial skeleton show that the… New Zealand | Telegraph (The) 20 December 2017 Huka Lodge – Sublime Location and Outstanding Service “Huka Lodge retains its position as the jewel in the crown of New Zealand’s premier luxury accommodation with a world-class combination of sublime location, marvellous food and outstanding service… Film & TV | West Australian (The) 18 December 2017 Home and Away’s George Mason Readies for Finale Long-running Australian soap Home and Away has become famous for its dramatic end-of-year finales and according to New Zealand actor George Mason, who plays Summer Bay’s well-meaning bad boy Ash, this year… Writers | The Independent 20 December 2017 André Spicer Desperately Seeks Self-Improvement Like a couple of lab rats, professors New Zealander André Spicer and Swede Carl Cederström have subjected themselves to every conceivable test in pursuit… Writers | Vice 14 December 2017 Shoshana Sachi Writes Inclusively from Los Angeles Shoshana Sachi, 30, explains what it’s like for a New Zealander being a “triple threat minority” in Hollywood – an immigrant woman of colour in a… Video | Youtube 15 December 2017 The Catlins Have you ever visited The Catlins on New Zealand’s South Island? This short 30 second clip, published by Southland New Zealand, gives you a glimpse of what you’re missing – native forests, high cliffs and golden beaches… See all stories and an 13,000 story archive of international New Zealand news 2000-2017 at NZEDGE/MEDIA. Researched and edited by Jane Nye (Berlin), Henrike Forschler (Auckland). Web published by Henrike Forschler (Auckland). Fern symbol by www.nzflag.com founded by Lloyd Morrison.