Fellowship of the Rings?
Our neighbours across the Tasman have always thought of themselves as Big Brother, now they want to share toys: “anything which is good for Australia is good for New Zealand, and vice versa. Anyone…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Tourism Plumbs New Depths in NZ
Tourists can now make in-depth explorations of New Zealand’s Milford Sound aboard a four-passenger sub, descending 330 feet underwater.
Floored by the Rings
“The real star of The Lord of the Rings is New Zealand. The scenery, ranging from snowbound mountain passes to rolling grasslands, has a beauty of jaw-dropping quality and it is all lovingly captured…
Kiwi Hero Laid to Rest
A thousand mouners gather at the parish church of St Thomas a Becket in Warblington to pay their respects to the late Sir Peter Blake. “Peter Blake was a living legend. I believe that he was…
Where Can Jackson Go From Here?
If anyone wants Citizen Kane remade, here is the man “Potter was made by a committee masquerading as a director. Rings is made by a genius masquerading as a normal human being….it takes a…
Oscar front-runner
“Oscar is no great fan of fantasy. But the Lord of the Rings, with such Oscar heavyweights as Ian McKellen and Ian Holm, may carry enough high-class baggage to over come that prejudice”.
“Call Me Dr Johnson”
Adventure-seeking Kiwi scientist, Mark Johnson, tags 60-foot sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Shrugging off comparisons with Captain Ahab (I’ve already been given three copies of Moby Dick”, complains Johnson. “Never read it”) he modestly…
Olympic Honours
The International Olympic Committee will award the Olympic Order to Sir Peter Blake, one of its highest honours. IOC President Jacques Rogge declares Blake “one of the most gifted and successful yachtsmen in the world”.
Left-handed Crows
New Zealand scientist Gavin Hunt describes a new theory of “how human beings came to be right-handed” by investigating the “right beakedness” tendencies of crows when “ripping pieces from leaves.” The discovery makes it more likely that…
Trans-urbanism: getting Wigley with it
Colombia University Professor of Architecture, NZer Mark Wigley bemoans the divide between theory and practice at a Rotterdam symposium to debate the future of the city. Sharing the hustings with Rem Koolhaas, Edward Soja…
The Land of the Rings
“The first thing I thought when Peter showed me the pictures of the locations in New Zealand was: this is Middle-earth,” says Elijah Woods. “I mean, it has every sort of geographical, geological formation…
Gladiator to Genius
Russell Crowe is tipped for repeat Oscar honours following his fantastic performance as mathematical genius John Forbes Nash Jr in Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind.
Celebrity Race
Former Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie narrowly beats rugby star Jonah Lomu in a 50m novelty race set up to promote next year’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester. “When he pushed out of the block I thought, he’s been…
On a Wing and a Prayer
Jonah Lomu, “the world’s greatest living player and rugby’s most global individual commodity”, turns to the Bible for inspiration on the rugby field. Says Lomu, “It says there, ’tis greater to give than receive’, so that’s what…
Designer of the Year
New Zealander Frances Howie takes top honours at the Smirnoff International Fashion Awards, the world’s largest showcase of new designer talent. The $115,000 first prize includes automatic acceptance into the renowned Central Saint Martins…
“Over the Last Five Days They Basically Outplayed Us in Most Departments.”
Australian batsman Justin Langer: “New Zealand proved to themselves and the cricket world that they have the credentials and determination to compete with the best.” In the final test of the series the valiant Kiwi cricketers…
The Heart of the Matter
Dr Peter Hunter, of the University of Auckland, has created a “virtual heart” – hailed by Economist magazine as a spectacular example of in silico biology, an emerging discipline that brings computing power to bear on…
Kiwi Success Not So Ethereal in Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal continues a proud tradition of winning New Zealand horses as well as opening a new chapter in Cup history. For the first time a female trainer, Shelia Laxon from Cambridge, is behind…
Shakespeare Goes Maori
The Merchant of Venice is turned into the first Maori-language film of a Shakespeare play. “Shakespeare’s use of language is not dissimilar to the ancient poetic, lyrical and metaphorical Maori style,” explains Scott Morrison,…
Holy lamb of Godzone
Two of the culinary world’s US icons, Julia Childs & Emeril Lagasse, dined on the finest lamb in the world, courtesy of Newport Beach, California-based Noel “King of New Zealand gourmet food” Turner…
Marlborough: An Inauguration of the Senses
NBC editor-at-large pontificates on Marlborough: “what a place I found! It was a delicious way to finish four days of active travel in the near-anonymous adventure axis of the Pacific. It seemed a place beyond…
Penning Style
New York-based Kiwi designer Sally Penn is making her mark on the international fashion scene with her range of innovative, urban designer clothing. At 31, Penn has come a long way from her small…
Wheels of steel
Aotearoa’s premier hip-hop DJ P-Money aka Pete Wadhams wins 3rd place in the DMC World Championships at London’s Apollo Theatre. “When he dropped his Dr Dre juggle played at 45 rpm tight!, from then…
Suburban Nirvana?
After striving from Yamoussoukra to Tunis to turn trouble-spots to hot-spots aspirational living guide Wallpaper magazine strolls down the “1930s model of modern living” – Savage Crescent, Palmerston North. Named after the then Prime Minister,…
Internet Oscars
Wellington web firm Click Suite scoops the internet equivalent of an Oscar at the European Multimedia Awards. The company won the business training award for its ‘Find the Lady’ CD-Rom, designed to inspire…
NZ Rugby Back at #1
You might not know it from the reaction of local fans, but the All Blacks are No.1, at least according to French Centre Thomas Castaignede in the Guardian. “They have the perfect mix.” With England No.2 the Aussies…
Hemorrhaging Talent
A disturbing survey of New Zealand’s graduating medical students reveals four out of five plan to depart overseas within two years. The survey makes clear the importance of addressing issues like student loans and remuneration to…
Feast of epiphanies
The praise has not ceased for No.2, New Zealand playwright Toa Fraser’s play, currently touring the world. “The play has been a triumph wherever it has shown, jumping cultural barriers with its universal themes”,…
Coal Ignites NZ Dinosaur Theory
Scientists think coal from the West Coast of New Zealand provides new evidence that an asteroid caused the extinction of dinosaurs.
Camera ‘on the Ball’
Developers at Otago Polytech say they are close to producing a practical version of a video camera capable of being fitted inside a rugby ball. “We thought, wouldn’t it be good to see on the screen…
This is Your Life: Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu is lost for words when Michael Aspel accosts him at rugby training in England with the red “This is your Life” book, before taking him to the BBC studios. A long list of rugby…
Shining White Antarctic
The environmental state of Antarctica’s Ross Sea region is in pristine condition – “exceptionally so by global standards” – according to a new report from the New Zealand Antarctic Institute. However the reports also points out “significant…
Garden-shed Grenade Guru
The reputation of the garden-shed inventor is upheld thanks to New Zealand entrepreneur Bill Sharplin who, operating in a “rough as guts” garage, wins a bid to build and supply practice grenades to the New Zealand Army.
Finn’s food for the gods
Tim Finn takes matters into his own hands with his sixth solo album, “Feeding the Gods. “I’m realising how much of a classicist I am,” he says. “For a long time experimentation with sound…
Paquin comes of age
Anna Paquin has blossomed from child prodigy to multi-talented star. She is receiving rave reviews for her role in the Broadway play ‘The Glory of the Living’, directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. “This is…
NZ Hydro Pioneer Passes On
“Each time a switch is thrown on a toaster, in a woolshed or in a steel mill, there is an odds-on chance that John Malcolmson will have had a hand in generating the necessary electricity.” Malcolmson, originally…
NZ’s Edge-provoking Entrepreneurial Spirit
New Zealand has the second most dynamic entrepreneurial activity of 29 countries surveyed, according to a study conducted amongst others by the Kauffman Centre, IBM and the London Business School. New Zealand’s vibrant independent business culture composed of…
NZ Wine’s Quantum Leap
In the 21st century, on-the-edge New Zealand towers on the global wine map with what is acknowledged as some of the world’s best sauvignon blanc (pinot noir is on the way). Europeans sit stunned by the…
An Iron Wool
John Milner, a New Zealander noted for successfully opening the Eastern Bloc to the international wool trade, dies aged 84. During the cold war, a period when bureaucracy and suspicion were rife, Milner’s “exceptional charm and approachability”…
Tattoo Culture
Renowned photographer Chris Rainier travels to New Zealand for his latest project on the culture of tattooing and scarification. Rainer features Maori tattoo art in his latest National Geographic spread.
Apocraphylactic Realism
Another Aussie icon from Godzone: NZ-born Reg Mombassa is best known for the distinctive designs he creates for the Mambo surf-wear brand: bright, surreal visions of suburban life and beach culture. He is frequently…
More than Mansfield in Bloomsbury Group
Liz Calder, the NZedged head of Bloomsbury publishing (publishers of such literary luminaries as Michael Ondaatje, Will Self and John Irving), talks to The Guardian about the touted blockbuster battle, book and film drawn…
Jackson Wizard Director
Kiwi film guru Peter Jackson is in Empire Magazine’s poll of the top 50 directors.
Lego Abandons Maori Names
Danish toymaker Lego is to stop making a multi-million-dollar range of toys after protests from New Zealand Maori groups, claiming the company had appropriated their language and images for the toy range. “Future launches of Bionicle sets…
Land of the Safe White Cloud
In a survey of travelers carried out by Condé Nast, New Zealand scores the highest for safety, with a reassuring 94.69. It is also voted the ninth most popular destination, beating out traditional favourites like Greece,…
South Sea’s Cruising
“… Come aboard … we’re expecting you”. NZ makes the Top Ten Winter Cruise destination listing in November’s Condé Nast Traveller.
NZ Dominates Transatlantic Race
New Zealand continues its domination of long distance rowing with two outstanding results from the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge. Matt Goodman and Steve Westlake arrive in Barbados after 42 days at sea. They were greeted by…
East side story
The famously diffuse art scene in LA seems to have finally found a centre, with galleries and artists increasingly coalescing around the east-side regions of Highland Park and Mount Washington. Much of the east-side’s…
Photography Master
American Photo Magazine lists New Zealander Regan Cameron as one of ten “photographic masters” throughout the world alongside such legends of the lens as Irving Penn and Annie Leibovitz. The October edition features Cameron’s…
Upside down-under architect
Paris-based Brendan MacFarlane and partner Dominique Jakob talk concept with Interview magazine. “At Georges (the applauded restaurant atop the Pompidou Center), we deformed the floor”, says MacFarlane. “Here … [referring to the duo’s concept…
Jet-powered Beer Cooler
Washington Post columnist Dave Barry raves about Kiwi inventor Simon Jansen: “this guy, using science, has found a new, innovative and, above all, loud way to cool beer, by using a jet engine.”
Frucor’s “V” for Victory
The fast-growing Kiwi success story Frucor is showing no signs of slowing. Forbes declares it among the top 20 small companies in the world – “the cream of the crop”. This international exposure garners international interest with…
Adopted Lambs for Japan
School children in Amagase, Japan have adopted lambs resident in Dunedin, Amagase’s sister city in New Zealand. The lambs have their own websites for the children to access and catch up on what’s happening with their…
NZ Leads “Twist and Sip”
Connoisseurs who once turned their noses up at screw-top wines rethink their opinions after early results from the Australian Wine Research Institute prove categorically that screwcapped wines suffer the least oxidation and are fresher and fruitier than…
“Gale From the Sea” Laid to Rest
More than 6ft tall, handsome and with the build of a rugby lock forward (which he was), John Platts-Mills blew into the English House of Commons as Labour MP in 1945 “like a gale…
Green Party Turns Red
The Green Party briefly turns red after the party swallows a report posing as part of a campaign to ban the substance Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO). Convinced it was genuine the party responds enthusiastically requesting more information to…
