News of New Zealanders via Global Media

New Zealand Wool Used to Redefine Surfboards

New Zealand Wool Used to Redefine Surfboards

New Zealand wool will replace fibreglass in revolutionary new surfboards that will hit the Australian market next year, under the Firewire Surfboards brand ‘Woolight’. The redefined art of making surfboards with the use of wool…

IKEA to Open in New Zealand

IKEA to Open in New Zealand

IKEA Group, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, is expanding into New Zealand – even as it faces stiff competition worldwide from online outlets and traditional department stores that are branching out into home furnishing. IKEA…

New Zealand Tech Companies Making It Big in US

New Zealand Tech Companies Making It Big in US

As Peter Jackson has shown, it’s perfectly possible to do things on a global scale from New Zealand. But the big money, support and collaboration with other scientists overseas can be a powerful lure,…

Maru Nihoniho One of Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech

Maru Nihoniho One of Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech

Metia Interactive founder and managing director, Maru Nihoniho, has been named one of the Top 50 Women in Technology by Forbes. “Founding Metia Interactive in 2003, Nihoniho…

RBS Boss Ross McEwan Addresses Brexit

RBS Boss Ross McEwan Addresses Brexit

Ross McEwan surprised markets in October when Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc made a provision related to Brexit. With Theresa May’s divorce deal from the European Union potentially days away from being defeated,…

Laybuy Founders Take Company to New Heights

Laybuy Founders Take Company to New Heights

New Zealander Gary Rohloff had a great life working in corporate before he co-founded Laybuy, a retail payments platform he started with his son Alex. So why ‘go it alone’? The UK’s Real Business…

Hong Kong-based Anthony Somerset Loves the Outdoors

Hong Kong-based Anthony Somerset Loves the Outdoors

Making highly urbanised, bright young people feel uncomfortable outdoors is what 52-year-old New Zealand-born Anthony Somerset has done for the last three years, having taken over A Team EdVentures in…

How Allbirds Became a $1.4 Billion Company

How Allbirds Became a $1.4 Billion Company

“If you started a company that was valued at $1.4 billion after just two years, you’d probably be pretty proud–of the valuation, your product, and yourself,” writes Cameron Albert-Deitch in an article for

Xero Hits 1 Million Subscribers in AU & NZ

Xero Hits 1 Million Subscribers in AU & NZ

“Listed cloud accounting software provider Xero has hit its next major milestone, surpassing one million subscribers in Australia and New Zealand,” writes Yolanda Redrup in an article for The Australian Financial Review. “Speaking to…

Dan Ammann to Lead Cruise Self-Driving Car Unit

Dan Ammann to Lead Cruise Self-Driving Car Unit

“Days after General Motors CEO Mary Barra unveiled a major restructuring”, “the auto giant said President Dan Ammann will be the new head of its Cruise self-driving car company, which she says is key…

Can Marijuana Save Ruatoria?

Can Marijuana Save Ruatoria?

As New Zealand prepares to legalise the production of medicinal cannabis, companies are racing to secure the first and biggest slices of a market that has proved lucrative in the United States and Canada….

Chicken Magnate Morgan McGlone Looks to Asia

Chicken Magnate Morgan McGlone Looks to Asia

New Zealand-born chef Morgan McGlone, 44, owner of Belles Hot Chicken, a chain of seven fried chicken shops in Sydney and Melbourne, was recently in Singapore promoting his wares in a pop-up restaurant at the city’s…

NZ is a Nice Place to be a Female Entrepreneur

NZ is a Nice Place to be a Female Entrepreneur

“During my trip to New Zealand, from Queenstown in the Southern Alps all the way north to the Bay of Islands, I felt like I was on journey to discover successful women in business….

Jake Millar & Yuuki Ogino Make Forbes ’30 Under 30′

Jake Millar & Yuuki Ogino Make Forbes ’30 Under 30′

Jake Millar and Yuuki Ogino, the founders of global education platform Unfiltered, “have been named on Forbes Magazine’s “30 under 30” list of individuals in education to watch in North America,” as reported…

Tim Brown’s Allbirds Now a Global Brand

Tim Brown’s Allbirds Now a Global Brand

“Coming from New Zealand, the land of 27 million sheep, the idea of wool in footwear seemed like one of those things that should have been done and never had been,” Allbirds co-founder Tim…

Epic Fly Rods in Demand All over the Globe

Epic Fly Rods in Demand All over the Globe

A fiberglass fly rod made by the Wanaka-based Swift Fly Fishing Company is in hot demand all over the world, according to a recent TVNZ report. “We’ve got rods in probably every continent of the…

Koru’s Rachel Carrell Says Invest in Women

Koru’s Rachel Carrell Says Invest in Women

Tech startups and investment remain fairly homogeneous, with ethnic minority and female founders still in the minority. One early-stage UK venture capital firm, Forward Partners, is releasing diversity statistics for its startups for the…

Air NZ and French to Develop Electric Aircraft

Air NZ and French to Develop Electric Aircraft

Air New Zealand and the French plane manufacturer Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) have signed an agreement to explore the possibility of using hybrid or electric aircraft on our domestic and regional routes. Under the…

Gibbs Amphibians to Establish Humdinga Assembly Subsidiary In Qatar

Gibbs Amphibians to Establish Humdinga Assembly Subsidiary In Qatar

“Gibbs Amphibians (Gibbs) is establishing a strategic partnership with the Madaeen Al Doha Group for the supply and assembly of the Gibbs Humdinga amphibian vehicles,” as reported in The Gulf…

Dropping in on Designer Wayne Sørensen

Dropping in on Designer Wayne Sørensen

“Content might be king, but hype is currently retail’s high priest,” according to Forbes contributor Katie Baron, who explores “drop culture” in a feature for the publication. “Luxury is caressing streetwear tactics to stay…

How GM Went From Bankrupt to One of the World’s Best-Run Car Companies

How GM Went From Bankrupt to One of the World’s Best-Run Car Companies

“A decade after the financial crisis, General Motors is led by the best management team it’s ever had and one of the best C-suites in all of business.  CEO Mary Barra, President Dan Ammann…

John Llewellyn Calls Out Global Investment Climate

John Llewellyn Calls Out Global Investment Climate

Former chief economist of US investment bank Lehman Brothers, John Llewellyn, has issued a global warning and “has warned that the conditions for a ‘serious’ financial crisis are ‘intensifying’.” Llewellyn “told investors the combination…

Banker Ross McEwan Cuts to the Chase

Banker Ross McEwan Cuts to the Chase

When New Zealander Ross McEwan dropped in for a surprise visit to a Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) branch in London last month, he was appalled by how scruffy it looked. “It needs a…

Mark Wilson Steps Down as Aviva Chief

Mark Wilson Steps Down as Aviva Chief

New Zealander Mark Wilson, the “straight-talking” chief of the FTSE 100 British insurer Aviva, leaves with immediate effect after six years at the helm. Wilson, 52, will remain at Aviva until…

GirlBoss Founder Wins Facebook Leadership Award

GirlBoss Founder Wins Facebook Leadership Award

“GirlBoss New Zealand founder Alexia Hilbertidou is the first and only Kiwi to be selected for the social media network’s Community Leaders Program,” writes Brittany Keogh in an article for

Air NZ Partners with Larry Page on Electric Air Taxis

Air NZ Partners with Larry Page on Electric Air Taxis

Air New Zealand has announced plans to “partner with Zephyr Airworks, a flying car startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, ‘to make autonomous, electric air travel a reality for all New Zealanders,’” writes…

Startup Soul Machines Puts Human Face on AI

Startup Soul Machines Puts Human Face on AI

New Zealand-based startup Soul Machines has so far created 15 humanoids – disembodied screen presences – like Lia, employed mainly as customer service assistants. They work in seven countries for companies including Royal Bank…

Four-Day Work Week Trial Run Finds ‘No Downside’

Four-Day Work Week Trial Run Finds ‘No Downside’

New Zealand financial services firm Perpetual Guardian “has made a four-day work week permanent protocol after a trial run found “no downside,” company founder Andrew Barnes announced this week,” writes Marisa Dellatto in an…

Kester Black’s Anna Ross Designs for Disney

Kester Black’s Anna Ross Designs for Disney

Ethical nail polish company Kester Black has created a one-off custom range in partnership with Disney to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday. Australian city guide Broadsheet talks to founder, New Zealander

Ocean Rower Kathy Tracey Speaks on Leadership

Ocean Rower Kathy Tracey Speaks on Leadership

In 2005, New Zealander Kathy Tracey, along with three women from the UK, pitted themselves against the might of the ocean on a 4700km historic journey. The now 56-year-old founding partner of

Take A Taste Of NZ With You When You Leave From Auckland International Airport

Take A Taste Of NZ With You When You Leave From Auckland International Airport

New Zealand chocolate maker, Whittaker’s, has opened their first ever store. Located at Auckland International Airport, just beyond the Customs area, it’s the perfect convenience for any traveler in need of an authentic Kiwi…

Young Leader Chloe Fox Takes Organic Farm’s Reins

Young Leader Chloe Fox Takes Organic Farm’s Reins

New Zealander Chloe Fox, 31, can’t believe her luck. One minute she is living her life’s ambition, working in “the best job ever” growing fresh, healthy crops for an organic vegetable producer. Seemingly the…

Brad Brenneman Making Kyrgyzstan Coffee Connections

Brad Brenneman Making Kyrgyzstan Coffee Connections

New Zealander Brad Brenneman is often credited with kickstarting the coffee revolution in Kyrgyzstan. He opened the first Sierra Coffee shop next to the Russian Embassy in 2012, two years after another revolution that…

New Exec Role for Arts Leader Shelagh Magadza

New Exec Role for Arts Leader Shelagh Magadza

New Zealand-born Shelagh Magadza has been appointed the new executive director of the Chamber of Arts and Culture Western Australia and will take up the role from 23 October. Magadza, who was raised in Zimbabwe,…

Starbucks No Match for NZ’s Domestic Coffee Culture

Starbucks No Match for NZ’s Domestic Coffee Culture

Starbucks’ partner of 20 years in New Zealand is hanging up its apron. Restaurant Brands New Zealand Ltd. is letting its licensing deal expire in October to focus on its core fast food operations…

Kiwi Leadership Network USA Launch & Leadership Speaker Evening

Kiwi Leadership Network USA Launch & Leadership Speaker Evening

Save the date for the Kiwi Leadership Network USA’s official launch event on November 10, 2018 at 6pm at the Official New Zealand Residence in Los Angeles. Former NZ Tennis…

Air New Zealand Australasia’s Leading Airline

Air New Zealand Australasia’s Leading Airline

Air New Zealand has been named the Leading Airline in Australasia for the 10th consecutive year at the 25th annual World Travel Awards for the Asia and Australia regions. Sophie…

NZ Awards First-Ever Medical Cannabis Growing License

NZ Awards First-Ever Medical Cannabis Growing License

With the rise to power of a progressive government coalition of Greens and the Labour Party, cannabis policy is beginning to change in New Zealand, Adam Drury writes for the New York-based monthly magazine,…

NASDAQ Milestone for Carl Sanders-Edwards

NASDAQ Milestone for Carl Sanders-Edwards

Carl Sanders-Edwards, founder of the New Zealand leadership development platform Adeption, has celebrated his graduation from NASDAQ Milestone Makers. Sanders-Edward’s photo and the Adeption logo were displayed on Times Square at the same time. Sanders-Edwards…

Innovative Blister Protection Company Names CEO

Innovative Blister Protection Company Names CEO

“Walk On, the blister protection company known for its luxuriously soft Hyperfine™ merino wool product, has appointed Dr. Mark Davey as its first CEO.” The company, founded by former Milford Track…

Koru’s Rachel Carrell an Employer with Heart

Koru’s Rachel Carrell an Employer with Heart

Fewer young people are working part-time in the UK. But Emma Pettit, 21, is animated on the topic of her summer job, looking after a 10-year-old, doing “fun things”. Childcare, and a stint at…

Keeping Manuka Honey Real

Keeping Manuka Honey Real

In the hills of New Zealand, they call it liquid gold – a honey so prized that it can fetch up to £100 a jar in Britain. Made from the nectar of bees that…

In Space, No-One Can Hear You File Legal Suit

In Space, No-One Can Hear You File Legal Suit

Kiwi lawyer Dr Maria Pozza is one of a handful of specialists operating in the arcane world of legal outer space. Sam Lock reports for The Daily Mail. Dr Pozza tells…

Piemaker Jamie Scott Hits the Canadian Market

Piemaker Jamie Scott Hits the Canadian Market

Jamie Scott was working as a printer in Edmonton, Canada, when his hunger for a classic Kiwi pie spurred him to start his own business, South Island Pie Co. Sue…

Top Seedz Founder Rebecca Brady Wins US Grant

Top Seedz Founder Rebecca Brady Wins US Grant

Food-focused operations, including New Zealand-born Rebecca Brady’s Top Seedz cracker company, made up nearly half of the grant recipients awarded by Ignite Buffalo judges in July. Ignite Buffalo is a mentorship,…

KIWI Act Signed by U.S. President

KIWI Act Signed by U.S. President

A bill has been signed by U.S. President Donald Trump that is intended to make it easier for New Zealanders and Americans to trade with and invest with each other. President Trump is pictured…

All Aboard James Hargreaves’ Hong Kong Port Tour

All Aboard James Hargreaves’ Hong Kong Port Tour

There’s no question the shipping industry has played a vital role in shaping Hong Kong. But despite having one of the busiest ports in the world, most of us know little about its inner…

Mark D’Arcy Named Facebook VP Global Business Marketing & Chief Creative Officer

Mark D’Arcy Named Facebook VP Global Business Marketing & Chief Creative Officer

Kiwi-born “Mark D’Arcy has been promoted to VP of global business marketing and chief creative officer, a role that oversees Facebook’s team of creative strategists and its more traditional marketing function,” writes Lauren Johnson…

Inside Melanie Brown’s Pop Brixton Wine Cellar

Inside Melanie Brown’s Pop Brixton Wine Cellar

The New Zealand Cellar wine bar and wine shop is no cellar. It is very much above ground in Pop Brixton, a colourful site almost under the local railway line in south London. New…

Allbirds’ Co-Founder Tim Brown Speaks Simplicity

Allbirds’ Co-Founder Tim Brown Speaks Simplicity

New Zealander and former pro soccer player Tim Brown hung up his cleats in 2010 after going to the World Cup. His next move surprised everyone: He set out to make simple shoes that…

Japan-First for Lawyer Catherine O’Connell

Japan-First for Lawyer Catherine O’Connell

After 15 years in Japan, New Zealander Catherine O’Connell decided to found and launch her New Law business model in Japan. It was a challenging prospect for any foreign lawyer, let alone a woman…

MediCann Joins Forces With Dispensing Company

MediCann Joins Forces With Dispensing Company

Shares in Australian company Jayex Healthcare Limited have more than doubled after the medical software and devices company announced a deal with private New Zealand medical cannabis startup, MediCann. The deal gives MediCann the exclusive…

ANZ Introduces Digital Human Assistant

ANZ Introduces Digital Human Assistant

“If you are an ANZ Bank customer, chances are that your queries will be answered by ‘Jamie,’ the latest ‘Customer Services Officer’” and the bank’s new Digital Assistant, writes Venkat Raman in an article…

Air New Zealand Partners With Jetblue

Air New Zealand Partners With Jetblue

“Air New Zealand and JetBlue venture capital subsidiary JetBlue Technology Ventures have joined forces to help foster emerging technologies in the travel industry.” The two companies “are launching the International Innovation Partnership to seek…

World’s Largest Group Fitness Provider Turns 50

World’s Largest Group Fitness Provider Turns 50

“Marking half a century in the fitness industry this year, the family behind Les Mills, the world’s largest group fitness provider, have shared their remarkable story of struggle, success and striving for a fitter…

Ethique’s Brianne West Challenges Beauty Industry

Ethique’s Brianne West Challenges Beauty Industry

Self-taught green entrepreneur New Zealander Brianne West launched the zero-waste personal care brand Ethique to challenge the clean beauty industry to live up to its name. The company wants to stop millions of plastic…