Misadventure Tourism Makes for Good Read
Wellington-born performer and writer Tom Doig (left) prefers travel with adversity over leisure, and as Doig says in his new travelogue Mörön to Mörön, a book about him and his best mate, Tama Pugsley…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
South Sea Treasure Available Online
New Zealand-born London-based Laura Myers, creative director of new fashion brand Atea, says she wanted her collection to be fashionable, “but not shout-y”. “Think more Emmanuelle Alt than fashion blogger,” Myers says. With the launch…
Kakapo in Global Ugly Animal Contest
New Zealand’s native kakapo has been thrust into the international spotlight, named as one of just 12 endangered animals to be included on the Ugly Animal Preservation Society’s list of ugliest animals…
Stamps Behind Stories of Terrible Wartime Loss
Aucklander Bruce Chadderton, president of the Philatelic Society of New Zealand, has had his book Descent into the Abyss: The Shoah — a philatelic retelling published by the Society of Israel Philatelists after one…
Cook Responsible for Beauteous Vancouver Garden
New Zealand-born Alleyne Cook has devoted 23 years of his life to planting and maintaining Vancouver’s Ted and Mary Greig Garden within Stanley Garden which contains an extraordinary botanical inventory of more than 4500…
Pre-schoolers Star in Karen Walker Eyewear Campaign
Iconic New Zealand fashion designer Karen Walker has launched a new campaign for her Spring ’13 eyewear collection featuring four pre-schoolers – Alice-Rose, Claudia, Elise and Tyler – as the models. The images follow…
Sky Tower Named One of Regions Top Towers
Auckland’s Sky Tower has been named as one of the Asia Pacific’s top ten iconic observation towers by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website. Coming in at number five on the list of famous…
With a Talent Like Catton’s One Can Never Be Sure
New Zealand-raised author Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker nominated The Luminaries is reviewed by Lesley McDowell in The Scotsman this week. “ Catton’s doorstopper of a novel read like a recall the Victorian works so…
Cage and Cusack Star in Impressive Debut
New Zealand-born writer-director Scott Walker’s “impressive debut” The Frozen Ground, starring Nicholas Cage and John Cusack “amounts to an exploitation flick about the hunt for Alaska’s most notorious serial killer, but told with style and…
Hope for Help from British Construction Workers
An innovative live webcast run by Immigration New Zealand and the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT) hopes to encourage British civil construction and engineering workers to consider a move to earthquake-ravaged…
Phil Keoghan Retraces 1928 Tour de France
New Zealander Phil Keoghan has paid homage to the first New Zealander to complete the Tour de France team in an effort to raise funds for the United States National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The…
Should Australia Follow Suit in Housing Sector
Is New Zealand’s macro-prudential mortgage tools an option for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), The Guardian’s economics correspondent Greg Jericho writes. The RBA will be watching closely as New Zealand introduces innovative regulations…
Join the Dean Barker Fan Club in San Francisco
Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker is earning devotees at the America’s Cup, says Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I joined the Dean Barker fan club this week,” Jenkins writes. “Whether or…
Plans for Labyrinth-inspired Puppet Musical
Flight of the Conchords star, Academy and Grammy Award-winner Bret McKenzie, 37, wants to bring back to life the eighties classic storytelling technique of real people and puppets singing and dancing side by side…
Team New Zealand Win Louis Vuitton Cup
Emirates Team New Zealand has won the Louis Vuitton Cup for the second consecutive time, making Team New Zealand the official challenger to Oracle Team USA in the America’s Cup challenge this September. Team…
Lydia Ko Wins Canadian Women’s Open
16-year-old Lydia Ko has made history at the CN Canadian Women’s Open, defending her Canadian Open title with a dominating win in Alberta and becoming the first amateur in history to win two LPGA…
All Blacks Retain Bledisloe Cup
The All Blacks have retained the Bledisloe Cup after 27-16 trouncing of the Wallabies in their Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday night. New Zealand winger Ben Smith followed up on last weekend’s hat-trick…
Dropping Soul-Dub in to Some Far-Flung Corners
Wellington septet Fat Freddy’s Drop “are spreading their infectious grooves all over the world,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Paris Pompor. In a shrinking, fibre-connected world, the band find themselves in ever more…
Prince George Gets His Own NZ Post Stamp
For the first time in its 170-year history, New Zealand Post is issuing a stamp to celebrate a Royal birth, that of Prince George of Cambridge. While Royal children have featured on several New…
New Zealand’s Friendly Airport
Airports are often the least enjoyable part of travelling – while travellers want to enjoy every last moment of their holiday, there’s only so much an airport can offer. However according to Jaunted, Auckland…
Kiwi’s 3D-Printed Cast Could Revolutionalize Recovery
A new prototype cast, researched and designed by Victoria University of Wellington graduate, has been making its way onto international design blogs, and has recently just won the New Zealand leg of the James…
Icebreaker President Reflects on Path to Portland
President and co-founder of Icebreaker, the Wellington-based merino wool clothing brand, Jeremy Moon recently spoke at the inaugural meeting of Athletic and Outdoor Young Professionals about the company’s roundabout route to their US home…
Recreating Iconic Doors Mural in Venice Beach
New Zealand-born painter and sculptor Clinton Bopp, who lives in Santa Monica Canyon, has been working on reproducing the Venice Beach mural incorporating Jim Morrison and band members who made up The Doors. Folk musician…
Ten Pounds Gets You Lots of Funny in Edinburgh
One of New Zealand’s youngest professional comedians, award-winning Rhys Mathewson, 22, is making his Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut, with his show “The Best £10 You’ll Ever Spend”. The List asks Mathewson: “What do you think…
New Zealand Parliament Passes Controversial Spy Bill 61-59
The New Zealand parliament has narrowly passed a controversial bill that opponents say represents a fundamental threat to democratic rights and freedoms. The new legislation allows the country’s main intelligence agency, the Government Communications…
Tauranga Dog Donates Blood to Save Cat’s Life
A Tauranga cat has a dog to thank, after a local vet gave it a transfusion of canine blood in a gamble to save the feline’s life. Kim Edwards rushed her cat, Rory, to the…
Tributes Pour in After 26-year-old New Zealand Rider Dies in ‘Tragic Accident’
New Zealander Tom Gadsby, a young horse rider, died after falling from his horse during an eventing competition in Cheshire, England on Sunday. Tom, a Kerikeri native, was riding on the cross-country course at…
Kauri Forests Charm Canadian Visitor
Travelling through Northland on a ten-day tour of the country, National Post writer Maryam Siddiqi decides that ultimately, “the rugged west coast and its glittering green water” left the greatest impression on her. “As…
Dame Kiri Becomes Dame Melba on Downton
New Zealand-born opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who has sung for presidents and princes, including in front of a 600-million audience at Prince Charles’s wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, has revealed…
Who is This ‘Lorde’ Everyone’s Talking About?
Lorde continues to make waves internationally ahead of the launch of her debut album, with US online magazine Vulture writing giving their readers a crash course in who the 16-year-old singer is and why…
Drive Your McLaren Supercar in Retro-Chic
From the world of Formula One and Can-Am racing, to road-going supercars like the 3-passenger F1 and current MP4-12C, New Zealand-founded McLaren has been amongst the world’s best for five decades, Nick Kurczewski writes…
Compelling Drama Fantasy Blend to Air in US
New Zealand television series The Almighty Johnsons has been bought by American cable channel Syfy, marking the first time a wholly New Zealand-made television drama has aired in the United States. The NBCU cabler has…
Volcano off the Bay of Plenty Coast Erupts
White Island, a volcano off the coast of Bay of Plenty, erupted yesterday morning, sending a plume of steam two kilometres into the air. The eruption happened about 10:23am, lasted only a few minutes…
Sneaky Egg Swap Boosts Kokako Population
The Department of Conservation (DOC) are working hard to save the endangered North Island kokako, using sleight of hand to trick nesting mothers into incubating the eggs of kokako from other areas to help…
New Zealand Landscape Plays Active Role in Films
“If a country could be eligible for a best actor award, New Zealand could be in the running for every gong going,” writes Megan Lane. In the piece for BBC News Magazine, Lane explores…
Local Test Flight Gets the Go-Ahead
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted a permit to the Martin Aircraft company, allowing it to test jetpacks with a pilot at the helm in two uninhabited areas of New Zealand. The company…
Grand-Am Victory for Formula 1 Test Driver
Twenty-three-year-old Palmerston North-born Brendon Hartley has won the 70-lap GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series at Road America in Wisconsin. Starworks Motorsport team owner Peter Baron said the kid can drive. And not just theoretically. “He’s…
All Blacks Crush Wallabies in Opening Test
The All Blacks were just too good for Australia, winning 47-29 in the opening 2013 Investec Rugby Championship Test in Sydney, ensuring a torrid debut for new Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie, who took over from…
Smarter Together with Hill Holliday
New Zealander Graham Ritchie, 48, has been named new strategy chief for American advertising agency Hill Holliday, overseeing a department of 38 strategic planners who work on brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Bank of…
New Zealand’s First Same-Sex Marriages Occur Across the Country
Just hours after same-sex marriage laws came into force, New Zealand’s first gay marriages began taking place across the country. 31 couples plan on tying the knot today, but the number is likely to…
Abandoned Sola in the Outback
New Zealand-born soprano Katherine Wiles is starring as Donna Elvira in an outback tour of Mozart’s Don Giovanni by Oz Opera, Opera Australia’s touring arm. Wiles said she was excited at embarking on her…
Christchurch Cardboard Cathedral Opens
Christchurch’s ‘cardboard’ cathedral has opened, a move that is seen as a significant step in the regeneration of the city following the February 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people. Dubbed the ‘Transitional Cathedral’, the…
Kiwis top the International Tree Climbing Championship
Three New Zealanders have climbed their way to the top of the 2013 International Tree Climbing Championship in Toronto. Scott Forrest, Nick Ward-Allen and James Kilpatrick (pictured) each won top places at the championship,…
New Zealand Sailing Team Wins 2013 World Womens 470 Championship
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie have won the 470 Women’s World Champions title in La Rochelle, France, exactly a year to the day after winning Gold at the 2012 Olympics. Though the pair have…
Governor-General to Strengthen NZ-Cambodia Ties.
The New Zealand Governor-General, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, has made a short visit to Cambodia to promote bilateral relations between the two countries. Mateparae visited the country at the request of Cambodia’s King Norodom…
‘King of Timelapse’ Captures New Zealand Landscapes and Starscapes
New Zealand photographer Joseph Michael, aka the King of timelapse photography, featured on the cover Photography Monthly and spoke to them about the three months he spent capturing New Zealand starscapes and landscapes for…
New Zealand Para-Swimmer Find Success at World Championship
New Zealand representatives are performing strongly at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal. Mary Fisher today received her third gold of the competition in S11 Women’s 100m Freestyle final, achieving an Oceania…
Valerie Adams Wins Fourth Straight Word Championship Title
New Zealand Olympic champion Valerie Adams won the women’s shot put title at the world championships at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, making her the first women in history to take home four consecutive titles. …
Adding Traction to the America’s Cup
“After a storied career at sea, where Russell Coutts ranked among the most successful skippers in Cup history, the New Zealander now serves as chief executive for the Oracle racing team,” Los Angeles Times’…
Evidence of Genetic Basis to Sense of Smell
After testing some 200 volunteers in Auckland, Richard Newcomb of the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research (PFR) and his colleagues have found the most convincing evidence yet of a…
Lorde, First Woman to Top Billboard Alt Chart in 17 Years
New Zealand singer/songwriter, Lorde, has landed the top spot on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart with her hit single ‘Royals’. Not only is she the first solo woman to top the charts in her…
How Wilson Plans to Revive Aviva
Although the Aviva name will remain, New Zealand-born Mark Wilson is turning the British multinational insurer into is a very different company from that which his predecessor envisaged, The Telegraph’s James Quinn writes. This…
Centenarian Joins Sydney Reunion of WW2 Veterans
New Zealand World War II veteran Frank Harlow, 100, joined fellow New Zealanders living in Australia at their first ever reunion at the Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu in Redfern,…
Why You Should Retire in New Zealand
The benefits of retiring in New Zealand are extolled by Catey Hill of MarketWatch, as she explains why the country is a great place to retire for active baby boomers. The “dramatic natural landscape…
Ready for the Next Leg in Nevada
New Zealander Callum Millward has placed third at Ironman 70.3 Boulder and is now focused on the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, which takes place on 8 September. Millward talks to triathlon…
Catton’s Favourite First Line Unfolds Breathlessly
Man Booker nominee New Zealand author Eleanor Catton chooses her favourite first line for a Guardian catalogue, and it’s from another of our own, Janet Frame’s 1961 novel Faces in the Water. Faces in the…
