Connan Mockasin Joins Big Lineup at Meltdown
New Zealand musician Connan Mockasin joins Elbow frontman Guy Garvey’s Meltdown festival – in a lineup which includes Femi Kuti, Laura Marling and Howe Gelb – playing at the Royal Festival Hall on 15…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Author Damien Wilkins’ Novel Max Gate Tantalises
Lower Hutt-born author Damien Wilkins’ “surprising” novel Max Gate, which explores the question of why novelist Thomas Hardy’s body was buried in Westminster Abbey and his heart in Dorset, is reviewed in the Daily…
Branding Expert Oksana Tashakova Making Her Mark
New Zealand branding expert Oksana Tashakova, 35, is the founder and managing director of Wealth Dynamics Unlimited, a training, events and e-learning company focusing on entrepreneurship. Tashakova has just run the second annual Millionaire Summit…
Surprising Volcano Discovery Beneath Matata
Scientists say they have discovered a magma buildup near the town of Matata that could signal the beginnings of a new volcano – although they’re not expecting an eruption any time soon. Geophysicist Ian Hamling…
Yashili NZ Launch Fundraising Campaign for Heart Kids
Yashili New Zealand Dairy Company have partnered with Chinese master pianist Lang Lang as part of a fundraising campaign for Heart Kids to support children living with congenital heart conditions. As the event…
Bagpipes the Penguin Gets 3D Printed Foot
Bagpipes the Little Blue penguin, who had his left leg amputated in 2007 after it got stuck in a fishing line, has received a custom-made 3D printed foot. Having wriggled his way around his home…
Evelyn Marsters Reflects on Her Move to Berlin
“It’s typical of the psyche of those born in a small island country to want to spend time overseas, to absorb firsthand the life we have been exposed to in our books and across…
Sam Neill Cuts to the Chase
In a Q&A with the Guardian, New Zealand actor Sam Neill talks about his father’s war medals, the Fifa film and a secret about his real name. Born in Northern Ireland, Neill, 68, grew up…
Mime Sam Wills Stuns on America’s Got Talent
New Zealand mime Sam Wills, 37, aka The Boy With Tape on His Face, has wowed judges, the live studio audience, and an estimated 11 million viewers, at his audition for America’s Got Talent. Judge…
Australia’s Best Pie is NZ-Made and Vegan
New Zealand-born Adrian Apswoude and Doug Meijer’s Melbourne bakery Ka Pies Bakehouse have been awarded Australia’s Best Pie for their Thai vegetable curry vegan pie. Apswoude and Meijer launched Ka Pies in 2014….
Adventurer Captures Antarctica Through iPhone Lens
Most of us would rarely get the chance to see Antarctica let alone share an intimate session with the barren landscape’s environment. New Zealander John Bozinov is a man who does just that for…
Helen Clark Named One of World’s Most Powerful Women
Helen Clark has been ranked #22 on Forbes Magazine’s “World’s Most Powerful Women” list. The former New Zealand Prime Minister and head of the United Nations Development Program is currently a candidate for the…
NZ Police Releases Unique Recruitment Video
The New Zealand Police have released yet another unique recruitment video as part of their “Do You Care Enough to be a Cop” initiative. The clip shows a drunken man trying to ride his…
Knock out Stress in These NZ Retreats
New Zealand is the perfect place to recover from any kind of stress. Voyager’s World featured five high- end wellness retreats all across New Zealand in an article. Split Apple Retreat, Nelson Split Apple…
Marlon Williams: Americana Doesn’t Belong Just to America
“If you don’t know you’re listening to a 25-year-old New Zealander, you might think you’re listening to an old recording of a crooner from the American Midwest,” writes Kierran Petersen for PRI. “The…
Rare Kiwi Hatches at US Biology Institute
A brown kiwi – a rare flightless New Zealand bird, has hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia, as reported in The Washington Post. When the chick’s parents Ngati Hine Rua…
Monaco Full of McLaren Memories for Dave Ryan
When Manor racing director Dave Ryan started working for the McLaren Formula One team in 1974, the New Zealander was handed a mop and told to clean the floor. The job got more complicated…
NZ Is One of The Places to Feel Like a Kid Again
Rotorua and Queenstown are featured in a list of holiday destinations where you can feel like a big kid again. Rotorua, “the birthplace of Zorbing has plenty of other ludicrously fun things to do aside…
Kiwi Teen Creates Ball Gowns Using Rubbish Bags
Pukekohe teen Havilah Koledoye has created elaborate ball gowns using plastic bags, as reported in The Daily Mail. Plastic “is quite durable, you can stretch it to anything, it doesn’t rip or tear…
New Zealand’s Mystical Caves
“One of the most stunning natural wonders exists within” New Zealand’s mystical Waitomo Caves, writes Kat Romero in an article on Express.co.uk. The caves on their own are amazing, but the glow-worms, which…
Stunning Kiwi Model Sets Out To Inspire Others
Jessica Quinn, who lost part of her leg, “is determined to challenge the modeling industry as to what is perceived as beautiful,” writes Leigh Campbell for The Huffington Post Australia. As a child,…
Lydia Ko Named in ESPN World Fame 100 Ranking
Lydia Ko has been ranked 81st in ESPN’s World Fame 100 List. She is the only New Zealander among the Top 100 Most Famous athletes and one of only eight women on the list. “Ko…
Former PM Jim Bolger Calls for Inter-Korean Talk
While ramping up global pressure is key to hampering Pyongyang’s nuclear development, Seoul should chart a path to restart denuclearisation talks to defuse tension and move toward an ultimate reunification, former New Zealand prime…
Tash Pericic Takes 10 in New Croatia Eco Push
New Zealander Tash Pericic, who lives in Split, Croatia, is the founder of the TAKE 10 initiative – whereby when you are out for a walk, you take 10 pieces of rubbish, or take…
Kiwi Blogger Shares Travelling With Toddler Tips
In an amusing video popular Kiwi blogger How to Dad has shared his tips for travelling with a baby. His clip, which has been viewed over 13,400 times, shows a variety of techniques…
Maori Emotiki Join Emoji Crowd
People wanting to text in a Maori “accent” will be able to do so in July with the release of a special set of distinctive green emoji in New Zealand, called “emotiki”. Along with more…
Singer Tiny Ruins Earning Noted Admirers
Since alternative-folk singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook’s debut as Tiny Ruins in 2010 with the Little Notes EP, the Aucklander has forged both an identifiable sound and a career built on faithful and growing followings in…
Anna Paquin Returns to the South in Roots
Forty years after the original Roots gripped half the United States, a more violent and more accurate remake is here, the Hollywood Reporter’s Marissa Guthrie writes, gambling on big stars including New Zealander Anna…
NZ Ranked Fourth in Global Prosperity Index
New Zealand has been ranked fourth in the annual global Prosperity Index, which ranks countries based on how wealthy, healthy and happy they are. NZ was identified as “the most prosperous non-European nation” thanks to…
Stuart Thrush Introduces Meat Pies to Danes
In an instalment of “My Danish Career”, The Local speaks with New Zealander Stuart Thrush, who traded out the corporate life with shipping giant Mærsk for a Copenhagen pie adventure. Wild Kiwi Pies opened…
Top of the Lake Two Never Meant to Be Says Campion
New Zealand-born director Jane Campion has said she never expected to be working on Top Of The Lake again and that she was surprised by the success of the original 2013 BBC miniseries that…
US Returns Remains of 54 Indigenous People to NZ
Four mummified Maori heads have been returned to New Zealand, following five years of negotiations with the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. The objects are part of the second-largest repatriation of indigenous remains…
McLaren Lauds Its Hero 50 Years On
McLaren is celebrating its Formula 1 heroes and history with a 50th anniversary campaign. An online video charts some of the pivotal moments in the team’s history kicking off at one of McLaren’s earliest…
How Steven Adams Is Becoming Star of NBA Play-Offs
With his long hair and handlebar moustache, Steven Adams, 22, looks like he has stepped out of the 1970s. But this 7ft tall New Zealander with a sleeve of tattoos is fast becoming the…
Miami Exhibit Features Susan Te Kahurangi King
New Zealand artist Susan Te Kahurangi King’s debut museum exhibition in North America opens on 8 July at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), Miami. The exhibition includes some 60 works, many of which…
The Kiwi Film You Need To See
The New Zealand smash hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople has knocked Batman vs Superman off number one and has beat Boy to become the highest grossing film of all time in New Zealand. According…
Auckland – The Greatest City on Water
Auckland has been ranked the greatest coastal city by Chicago Line Cruises, followed by Barcelona and Vancouver. The rating highlights Auckland’s two harbours, its many beaches and diverse wildlife as well as cultural…
A Country for All Seasons
“New Zealand provides spectacular escapes whatever the time of year, but spring and autumn often deliver unique opportunities for travellers,” writes Paul Bloomfield in an article for The Telegraph. New Zealand “as…
NZ Artist’s Airbrushed Tattoos Give Sick Kids a Smile
New Zealand artist Benjamin Lloyd is helping to airbrush (temporary) sleeve tattoos for sick kids following a pledge on Facebook that he would paint all the sick kids at Auckland’s Starship Children’s…
Karl Urban to Star in Thor: Ragnarok
Kiwi actor Karl Urban will join the cast in the upcoming Taika Waititi-helmed Thor: Ragnarok as Skurge. “It’s a fantastic story and a really great character who has got a wonderful arc. I’m super excited…
Limited Fashion Collection Honouring Burt Munro
A limited fashion collection that honours Burt Munro and his racing heritage has been released, as reported by autoevolution. “For those who still don’t know who Burt Munro was, the “World’s Fastest…
From Koi Boys to Rat Pack
“Practising their Rat Pack posing, as well as their swingin’ harmonies is all part of the preparation for The Voice favourites the Koi Boys” – New Zealand-born trio Kevin Keepa, Danny Faifai and Nuz…
Ten Things You Never Knew About Ladyhawke
Synth-pop singer Pip Brown, aka New Zealand-born Ladyhawke, tells Spin magazine about her love of sci-fi, UFOs, and Disneyland. Turns out Brown – who will release her third record, Wild Things, on 3 June has…
A to Z of New Zealand Food and Beverage
“Crossing the Ditch to New Zealand no longer means a step back in culinary time. Our trans-Tasman neighbour is right up with modern food trends so food lovers will find artisan products, farm-to-fork dining,…
Photographer Matt Draper Dives Deep
From turtles and manta rays, to whales and sharks, New Zealand-born photographer Matt Draper, a former carpenter, has spent the last two years photographing marine animals from the water, the Weather Channel’s Simone Scully…
Joe Naufahu Looks to next Role after Thrones Stint
We all know that Game of Thrones keeps its secrets even from its own cast members, but when it came to episode 4’s fiery finale involving New Zealander Joe Naufahu, 38, there were some…
Kiwi’s Genius Solution to London Jams
Fancy speeding down the Thames in London to get to your hotel? “Your speedy dream could be about to come true, thanks to Kiwi entrepreneur Alan Gibbs whose amphibious vehicles are being tested this…
Stunning Descent of Mount Aspiring Documented
Three American climbers joined New Zealand alpinist Graham Zimmerman, 29, for a 72-hour descent of Mount Aspiring in which the group navigate “across glaciers and snowfields, jungles and flooded rivers; exchange greetings with local…
Duo Wins Film Rights to Bestselling Capital
New Zealanders Matthew Metcalfe and Justin Pemberton have acquired the film rights to French economist Thomas Piketty’s 2013 global bestseller Capital in the Twenty-First Century. In Cannes, the pair unveiled their plans for the…
Ski New Zealand’s Secret Snowfields
Scattered around the Canterbury-Southern Alps region are boutique ski fields, with few queues and uncontested slopes, just waiting to be explored. Perth Now offers ups some suggestions including Porters, Ohau and Mount Dobson. “There are…
Martin Henderson Talks on Grey’s Anatomy Role
New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, 41, who plays Dr Nathan Riggs in the long-running popular medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, is profiled in Singapore’s Straits Times. The handsome neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) had been dubbed…
Joseph Parker Defeats Carlos Takam
“Joseph Parker defeated Carlos Takam via unanimous points decision in Saturday night’s IBF heavyweight title challenger eliminator in New Zealand,” as reported in an article on News.com.au. “We’ve trained very hard and Takam came…
Canoeing World Cup Win for Lisa Carrington
World and Olympic K1 200m champion New Zealander Lisa Carrington, 26, has won the final of the sprint discipline of the opening cup regatta in Duisburg, Germany – her 12th successive victory in the…
Martin Jetpack Turns Science Fiction Into Reality
Australia-listed Martin Jetpack will begin manufacturing its P-14 aircraft next month, as reported in an article in The Financial Times. “We are at the start of the journey,” said Peter Coker, Martin Jetpack’s chief…
On a Culinary Discovery in New Zealand
New Zealand has much more to offer than lamb and seafood, according to Straits Times food critic Wong Ah Yoke, who travels to Auckland, Waiheke Island, Hawkes Bay and Wellington sampling food cooked in…
Business Booming at Dane Allchorne’s Kent Pub
Taking on an empty English pub and turning it into a thriving, village hub was the goal for New Zealander Dane Allchorne – and he succeeded, writes Angela Cole for Kent Online. Just witnessing the…
