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Arts
Maxine Funke’s Pieces of Driftwood Appraised
“Over a decade and four extraordinary albums, Maxine Funke has established herself as New Zealand’s premier purveyor of lightness, of songs whose beauty and mystery are only sharpened by…
Alex Liu Receives MGM Film Script Deal
MGM and The Black List have named Auckland-based Alex Liu, 30, as the third recipient to receive a two-step Guild minimum open script deal as part of their two-year…
Pandemic Responses to Music from The Beths
“Thanks in large part to an early 80s explosion of talent centred on Dunedin, and shared with the world via the Flying Nun label, New Zealand played a pivotal…
Emmy Haul for Peter Jackson’s Beatles Doco
The Beatles: Get Back producer-director New Zealander Peter Jackson has shared the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction series with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and fellow producers Yoko Ono…
Singing Shared Just How Marlon Williams Likes It
Group singing has been central to New Zealander Marlon Williams’ life, journalist and author Jenny Valentish writes for The Guardian. He likens it to a spiritual practice, “without the…
Class Consciousness in Mansfield’s Classic Story
In a recent Forbes column, usually “devoted to Western (and sometimes Eastern) ‘Great Books’ or ‘Classics”’, contributor David Bahr this time examines the “minor Classics”. “These books or authors…
Jane Campion Cinema Appeals for Autistic Cipher
“In the complex, full-formed characters of Jane Campion’s cinema, I found connections with my own recent autism diagnosis,” Lexie Corbett writes in an article published by bi-monthly magazine, Little…
Choreographer Parris Goebel Honoured to Win Emmy
Auckland-born Parris Goebel, 30, has won big at the 2022 Emmy Awards, 1 News reports. She took out the award for Outstanding Choreography for Variety Or Reality Programming for…
Famed Manager Alan Niven recalls G N’ R Days
Former Guns N’ Roses manager Wellington-born Alan Niven, who ushered the band through their Appetite for Destruction era, has shared his first thoughts on meeting the band in 1986,…
Around the Back of the World Tall Dwarfs Alchemised
“The New Zealand duo of Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate have influenced generations of lo-fi rockers. This 55-track box set reminds us why,” Louis Pattison writes in…
Perth’s Co3 to Perform Douglas Wright’s Gloria
In September, Perth’s contemporary dance company Co3, will bring the late New Zealand choreographer Douglas Wright’s “much hallowed work” Gloria “back to life”, Dance Australia editor Karen van Ulzen…
Author Janet Frame On Cover of Turkish Newspaper
A portrait of Janet Frame by American celebrity photographer Jerry Bauer recently featured on the front page of Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet Kitap. Several of Frame’s titles are currently being…
Marlon Williams Finds a Sunnier Mood
On his new album My Boy, New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams experiments with electronic flourishes in search of a lighthearted groove, Rumaan Alam writes in an article published in…
Melanie Lynskey Finds Light in the Dark
After nearly two decades of critically acclaimed performances, Yellowjackets star New Zealander Melanie Lynskey lands her first Emmy nod, Brooke Marine reports for W magazine.
Ever since she starred in…
Cheil’s Malcolm Poynton Talks Ideas That Move
Regarded as one of the world’s top digital minds when it comes to advertising creativity, New Zealand-born Malcolm Poynton, global chief creative officer at Cheil Worldwide, has built teams…
Inspirational Dancer Rodney Bell Tours Meremere
The love of Rodney Bell’s life is his lightweight titanium wheelchair. It is his partner in dance and an extension of his body, allowing him to weave into his…
Conchord Bret McKenzie on His Serious Solo Debut
He has written duets for man and Muppet, parodied Morrissey in The Simpsons, and become Hollywood’s go-to for bringing ‘heart’ to the movies. Now Academy Award-winning Wellington musician Bret…
Haunting Black Grace Dances Different Kind of Buzz
In a New York Times review of their recent Joyce Theater show, Gia Kourlos describes Black Grace’s two Big Apple premieres as at times, “moody” and “breathtaking”.
“This was especially…
Charlotte Rampling at Centre of Likeable Juniper
“Juniper is a drama with black comic edges about a fragmented family, and the unexpectedly life-affirming influence of its particularly tetchy matriarch. In the lead role is Charlotte Rampling,…
Sharing Taonga at The Pacific Virtual Museum
Tim Kong, director of The Pacific Virtual Museum, describes how the project is making the cultural heritage of the Pacific visible and accessible to all, in a perspective piece published…
Coast House a Minimalist Retreat in Southland
“ Stacey Farrell’s contemporary retreat is a stealthy passive design that keeps a low profile amidst the natural splendour of New Zealand’s wild south coast,” Jonathan Bell writes for…
Ruined Christchurch Houses Released with Light
“For centuries, crosses and circles have been used to mark houses either visited by disease or targeted for burglary. This act of externalising the interior life of a home…
Black Grace Profiled Ahead of US Shows
“The formidable New Zealand national rugby union team performs a Māori war dance known as the haka before every match. Black Grace, the dance company created by Neil Ieremia,…
Dwell Loves this Cosy Wanaka Holiday Home
US-based Dwell magazine features a Condon Scott Architects-designed Wanaka home in their daily series, ‘Houses We Love’.
“It was on a Japanese ski trip that the owners of this house…
Sam Neill and Friends Return to Jurassic Park
Though nearly three decades have passed since New Zealander Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur epic, that series-starter still manages to resonate…
Nude Tuesday Could Be New Zealand’s Next Big Hit
“Imagine writing a film. Rehearsing it in English and then performing it in gibberish. Then, you get someone else to write the subtitles, so even you don’t know how…
Amazing Hotels Host Monica Galetti Prefers Boutique
New Zealand chef and co-presenter of Amazing Hotels, Monica Galetti, tells The Sunday Times about her favourite places to stay, and how she brings back ingredients from her travels.
“I…
Pop Idol Benee Voice of Pandemic Generation
Fresh off a world tour, in an interview with Dazed magazine, New Zealand singer Benee, 22, opens up about her viral rise to fame on TikTok, writing about Gen…
Washington D.C. Out in Numbers for Aldous Harding
New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, who is currently on tour in the United States, performed songs from her latest album Warm Chris, to a capacity crowd at Washington D.C.’s…
Met’s Arts of Oceania Has Maia Nuku in Charge
New Zealander Dr Maia Nuku is showcasing Oceania to the world at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas Bywater writes in a story for The New Zealand Herald.
Curator…
Ghosts Rose McIver Stands Out in Ensemble Comedy
Rose McIver, the 33-year-old New Zealand native who began acting as a child, recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her interest in finding the emotional relatability in flamboyant…
Country Queen Tami Neilson at Her Imperious Best
“She’s laden with every music award her adopted homeland New Zealand can muster, but the queen of Kiwi country deserves a wider audience,” The Observer’s Neil…
Emotional Homecoming for Tami Neilson
Canada-born, New Zealand-based singer and songwriter Tami Neilson is back in Ontario to tour new album Kingmaker, her first visit since the pandemic began. She talks to Toronto Star…
Adam Christopher Discusses His Star Wars Novels
In an interview with American media website CNET, Auckland-born UK-based author Adam Christopher, 44, reveals how he came up with Rey’s parents’ names and how his latest Star Wars…
Looking at the Origins of Shanty The Wellerman
The sea ballad, “The Wellerman”, the meaning of which is both curious and historical, was born in New Zealand 150 years ago. Jacob Uitti investigates its catchy origins for…
Barden Party Born in a New Zealand Backyard
Shakespeare in the backyard? At the height of New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions, American-New Zealander Laura Irish had an idea. Sarah Yamanaka Waipahu investigates for Spectrum News 1.
“I had just…
London-Based Finnegan Tui on His Unique Sound
New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer Finnegan Tui discusses his new nature-inspired EP Zephyr and how he developed his unique sound with Wonderland magazine journalist Britany Josephs.
“ a kind…
High Praise for Lorde’s London Night Out
Lorde is Kitty Empire’s ‘Artist of the Week’, The Guardian reviewer deeming the pop singer’s sold-out Alexandra Palace concert a “magnificent night out”.
“By turns tearful and rocking out, the…
What Makes Taika Waititi Run and Run and Run?
The Thor: Love and Thunder director, New Zealander Taika Waititi, can’t say no – to starring in Our Flag Means Death, making a soccer movie, writing a Star Wars…
Bottled Ocean 2122 by George Nuku Shows in Vienna
New Zealand artist George Nuku (Ngāti Kahungunu and Tūwharetoa) has presented his latest work, dubbed Bottled Ocean 2122, as an installation that imagines the state of the world’s oceans…
Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh Awarded at CineEurope
Studiocanal CEO New Zealand-born Anna Marsh has been named International Distributor of the Year at CineEurope, the exhibition conference which took place in June, in Barcelona.
Andrew Sunshine, president of…
Peter Jackson Talks Getting Back The Beatles
There can be no doubt that New Zealand director Jackson, after his intensive review of 130 hours of audio and 57 hours of long-hidden video of the band at…
Susan Te Kahurangi King’s Reputation Rising
In an article on the Christie’s website, specialists Anna Touzin and Isabel Millar select five abstract artists whose reputations are on the rise, all with works coming to auction…
Behind the Mic with Groundbreaker Rikki Swannell
World Rugby talks to New Zealander Rikki Swannell about becoming the first female lead commentator on the men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and her life in sports broadcasting.
As…
Taika Waititi on TIME’s 2022 Most Influential List
New Zealander Taika Waititi, 46, makes TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022. American actor and screenwriter Sacha Baron Cohen explains why.
“You can tell that a film was…
The Boys Star Karl Urban On New Superhero Status
Although Amazon’s The Boys is an ensemble show, Stuart Heritage writes for The Guardian, with a sprawling collection of superheroes and antihero vigilantes, New Zealander Karl Urban has emerged…
New Doco Explores Jane Campion’s Filmography
Drawing upon interviews from throughout the New Zealander’s career, Julie Bertuccelli’s documentary Jane Campion: The Cinema Woman, which premiered at Cannes, explores the process and philosophy of the Power…
Substack’s Hamish McKenzie Always Has Big Ideas
Newsletter company Substack, co-founded by San Francisco-based New Zealander Hamish McKenzie (pictured right), is on a mission to disrupt the attention economy away from “cheap outrage and flame wars,”…
Auē a Striking Tapestry of Fierce Love
Coming-of-age novels set among the Métis community in Canada, the Māori population in New Zealand and the Crow Nation in Montana were recently reviewed by The New York Times….
Peter Jackson Has Hand in Beatles Duet
Paul McCartney and his late Beatles songwriting and singing partner John Lennon haven’t sung together in 53 years, but thanks to New Zealand film director Peter Jackson, they got…
Andrew Dominik’s Latest Nick Cave Doco Transcends
“In his 2016 film One More Time With Feeling, Dominik documented the creative process behind the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album Skeleton Tree, a…
Taika Waititi Portrait Wins Packing Room Prize
Sydney-based artist Claus Stangl has taken out one of Australia’s top art honours with his portrait of Academy Award-winning director Taika Waititi, The Guardian reports.
Stangl won the packing room…
Jurassic Park’s Sam Neil Reunites with Co-Stars
Thirty years is nothing in terms of geologic eras, but it’s a large swath of a lifetime. In 1992, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum first gathered in…
Michael Braithwaite Builds Story of Military Tattoo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has revealed it wants to attract more local audiences to and transform “elitist” perceptions under a new direction for the annual cultural showpiece, arts…
How Chelsea Jade Joined a Dazzling Constellation
With her second album Soft Spot released, Chelsea Jade, 32, is firmly established as a bright star in a constellation of dazzling New Zealand musicians chasing pop careers far…
Author Meg Mason in Running for Women’s Prize
Sydney-based New Zealander Meg Mason, American Louise Erdrich, and Turkish-Briton Elif Shafak are among the contenders for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, offering an ‘escape’ from global crises,…
