Tabby Besley to Be Honoured by the Queen for LGBTI Advocacy
At just 22, Tabby Besley is set to be honoured by the Queen for her work for the LGBTI community, the only New Zealander to be awarded the inaugural Queen’s Young Leader award, a…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Jane Campion’s Sweetie a Beautifully Strange Debut
Writer-director Jane Campion’s “mysterious visual style was showcased” in her 1989 film debut Sweetie, a “left field story about the love-hate relationship between two sisters,” the Guardian’s Luke Buckmaster writes. “Campion has made a career…
Animation Tutor Oana Croitoru Wins International 3D Print Comp
Aucklander Oana Croitoru, aka “Oana Jones”, has won first prize in the MakerBot Ghostly Vinyl Challenge for her hand-cranked record player featuring a 3D printed 15 cm-cube turntable. Croitoru is a tutor at Auckland’s Animation…
Michael Wayne Plant Named One of Six Imaging Ambassadors
Sony UK has announced that New Zealand-born Michael Wayne Plant has been named one of six photographers to join its Imaging Ambassadors programme, which is run on Sony’s behalf by the World…
Oscar Nominations for Screenwriter Anthony McCarten
Among the five Oscar nominations announced for the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything came a nod for New Plymouth-born producer and screenwriter Anthony McCarten. McCarten has been nominated twice as co-producer and…
Poet Lang Leav Offering up More Romance
Best-selling poet and artist Lang Leav has just released her second collection of poems, Lullabies. The New Zealander cemented her name in publishing history with a Best Poetry win at the Goodreads…
Meet the New Zealand Opera Trio That Outsold Lorde
Lorde may be the greatest New Zealand musical export of 2013, but back home, she’s got competition. The members of the improbably popular operatic trio Sol3 Mio, buck all the current trends in the…
Oamaru Embracing the Steampunk Vibe
Technology blog Boing Boing visits “amazing steampunk town” Oamaru, which though “probably best known for its large colony of blue penguins”, is also the steampunk capital of New Zealand. “Oamaru has fully embraced the steampunk…
Peter Jackson Embarking on WWI Museum Project
Peter Jackson is leaving the battle for Middle Earth behind to dive into some real-world war history curating a collection of artifacts at a new museum in Wellington. The temporary museum will open in…
Malaghan Institute Observes Extraordinary Cell Transfer
New Zealand and Australian scientists have observed DNA moving between animal cells in a breakthrough discovery that may lead to a better understanding of a range of human diseases and new gene therapies. The team…
Lake Tekapo Night Skies Premium Spot for Stargazing
The clarity of the night sky in Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve has made Lake Tekapo the world’s second-best spot for stargazing after San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and the best in New…
Kauri Cliffs a Place to Holiday like a Billionaire
Boutique golf resort the Farm at Cape Kidnappers in the Hawkes Bay wine region is one place in the world where it is possible to holiday like a billionaire, Forbes contributor Larry Olmsted says,…
Dutch Film Industry Appoints Marten Rabarts
New Zealand-born Marten Rabarts, currently head of development and training at the National Film Development Corporation in India, has been appointed head of EYE International (formerly Holland Film) and will take up…
Trygve Wakenshaw’s Solo Show Kraken Perfectly Executed
New Zealand comic Trygve Wakenshaw’s solo show Kraken, a follow up to his Edinburgh and London 2013 smash hit, Squidboy, is on at the Soho Theatre as part of the 2015 London…
Swimming Star Sophie Pascoe Aims for More Medals in Rio
Christchurch Paralympic swimmer, and gold medallist Sophie Pascoe may only be 22, but she is already a veteran on the sport’s elite stage and aims to retain the titles she won in London in…
Air New Zealand One of World’s Safest Airlines
Of 449 airlines monitored by the aviation website AirlineRatings.com, Air New Zealand makes the Top 10 safest for 2015 based on aviation governing body audits and airline incident records, among other factors. AirlineRatings.com’s rating…
Melanie Lysnkey’s Togetherness Performance a Stand-Out
It’s hard to pinpoint what is brilliant about new comedy series Togetherness, but a good place to start is its casting of Melanie Lynskey, according to Salon television critic Sonia Saraiya. “Lynskey is a New…
New Zealand WWI Contingent Enlivened Village
During World War I, New Zealand soldiers, many from the Maori Battalion, including a self-declared Niuean prince, arrived in the small East London village of Hornchurch and formed a strong bond with residents. The location…
Sheep Numbers Fall to Their Lowest for 75 Years
New Zealand has long been the butt of sheep jokes but latest figures show the nation’s woolly flock has slumped to its lowest number since World War II, with numbers dropping by 3.2 per…
A Phenomenal Peter Stichbury Show in NYC
“Anatomy of a Phenomenon,” a one-of-a-kind exhibition from Auckland-born artist Peter Stichbury—2008 winner of New Zealand’s prestigious Wallace Art Award—recently enjoyed a successful month-long run (October 16-November 15, 2014) at…
Batting Star Kane Williamson Tipped as Best of All Time
Yorkshire batsman New Zealander Kane Williamson – “a bona fide ‘star’ as opposed to one of the self-generated variety – is not your average character or your average cricketer. Tauranga-born Williamson, who can block the…
Eleanor Bishop Creating Challenging Theatre in Pittsburgh
During her first trip to the United States, self-described “feminist artist who creates documentary theatre”, New Zealander Eleanor Bishop, 28, was so moved by a 2012 rape case involving high school students in Steubenville,…
Brendan Cole Promises a Night to Remember
Professional dancer Christchurch-born Brendan Cole, 38, star of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, begins a 48-date tour of the UK and Ireland with his dance spectacular A Night To Remember on 27 January in…
South Island Fly Fishing a Bucket List Must
A combination of big fish, spectacular scenery and clear streams has made New Zealand, particularly the South Island, a “bucket bucket-list destination for diehard trout anglers”, according to American writer and fisherman Chris Santella. “Like…
Soundtrack Tool Booktrack Now Has 1 Million Members
Booktrack, a tool designed for self-published writers and publishers to add soundtracks to their eBooks, now has more than a million users. The company, which launched 11 months ago, expects to reach 2 million…
Flat White Now Available at Starbucks Throughout the US
When produced properly the Flat White – now on offer at Starbucks throughout the United States – is made with art and science and dolloped with culture, according to Melburnian CNN contributor Andrew Demaria….
Peter Walker’s Coming of Age Novel Absorbing and Ethereal
New Zealand author Peter Walker’s latest novel Some Here Among Us is “an absorbing, ethereal meditation into how the passage of time opens us up”, Peter Carty writes in a review of the book…
Sarah Robb O’Hagan Influencing and Innovating in NY
New Zealander Sarah Robb O’Hagan, 42, was recently named as one of the New York Business Journal’s “Women of Influence” at an inaugural award ceremony honouring business leaders in New York City who innovate,…
New Zealand One of the Year’s Travel Hotspots
“Attention is going to be lavished on New Zealand in 2015 – and it won’t all be Hobbit-related,” according to the Guardian, who include our country on their “holiday hotspots” for the year. “Wellington will…
Ireland Becomes Data Analyst Christina Tuataga
Originally from Auckland, Christina Tuataga, business data analyst at Fidelity Investments in Galway, explains why she chose Ireland as a place to live and work, and how snow still amazes her even after 10…
Get Interior Design Tips from Expert Sandra Nunnerley
Later this month, New York-based New Zealand interior designer Sandra Nunnerley will answer readers’ questions on the Washington Post’s online feature Home Front about living and decorating with art. Nunnerley runs a design studio in…
Meet Dr John Money the Father of F***ology
In an essay excerpted from Fuckology: Critical Essays on John Money’s Diagnostic Concepts, the authors examine the work of trailblazing Morrinsville-born scientist and sexual libertarian Dr John Money. Money, who was based in the United…
Lucas Hugh Gym Clothing Transcending the Treadmill
New Zealand-born Anjhe Mules, founder and creative director of luxury activewear brand Lucas Hugh, designs gym gear for “busy women with busy schedules” who are “committed exercisers”. Mules, a successful swimwear designer in her homeland,…
At Last Martin Phillipps Is Back
At last, The Chills are back and its something of a miracle to meet Martin Phillipps preparing for his first London show with the band for 18 years, Michael Hann reports in the Guardian. The…
Henry Hargreave’s Photos Examine How the World Eats
New Zealand-born photographer Henry Hargreaves, 35, who has made a name for himself by using food as a vehicle for the provocative, charming and macabre, has launched a new series showcasing the way in which…
Feel Write at Home in Mansfield’s Menton Cottage
Katherine Mansfield’s home in Menton, France is included in a Vanity Fair article about staying in places where “literary idols dashed off their masterpieces”. Included alongside Virginia Woolf’s Sussex country house; John Keats’ Old Mill…
Pope Francis Reaches Out to the Edge
In a move that underscores his “campaign to reach out to the peripheries,” Pope Francis on January 4 named 20 new cardinals from far-flung corners of the world including Panama, Thailand, Cape Verde, Mexico,…
Portland Vikings Star Alicia Carline Making Name for Herself
Women’s basketball is not big on the radar of most New Zealanders, according to Portland State’s 6-foot-3 junior centre Alicia Carline, 22, but because she was already tall, her mother, Angela, got her into…
Blacks Caps Claim First Win of 2015
The Black Caps won their second test match against the Sri Lankan side yesterday, completing a 2-0 series sweep at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. The winning start to the years continues what was the…
New Zealand Glaciers Ebb and Tour Guides Play Catch-Up
Climate change is having uneven economic effects on tourism operators like Fox Glacier Guiding and Franz Josef Glacier Guides whose businesses depend on ice and snow, the New York Times reports. Guided glacier hiking began…
Stephen Daisley’s New Novel the Pick of 2015
New Zealand-born Stephen Daisley’s 2010 debut novel, Traitor, is one of the “best works of fiction” the Australian’s Stephen Romei “has read in recent times” and this year the author’s second novel “will press…
Peter Jackson Wants Off Hollywood Blockbuster Bandwagon
The new Hobbit film made US$90 million in its opening weekend, but in an interview with Esquire magazine director Peter Jackson confesses he doesn’t really like the “Hollywood blockbuster bandwagon.” The third and final installment…
Esteemed Middle-earth Location Scout Dave Comer
Dave Comer, who selected many of the spectacular New Zealand locations for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies for director Peter Jackson, has died aged 58. Comer started out as a still…
Margot Henderson Picks Devilled Crabs for Final Meal
Renowned London chef, New Zealand-born Margot Henderson would take her last meal at a Pictish fort in the Inner Hebrides, “sitting on a pile of rocks overlooking the ocean, and surrounded by family, friends…
Hotelier Sean Macpherson Clearly Has the Midas Touch
New Zealand-born hotelier Sean MacPherson’s Bowery, Jane, Maritime, Lafayette House and Marlton Hotels will always be some of lower Manhattan’s coolest places to stay, according to Forbes Life contributor Anne Abel. “Now he’s back, in…
Honor Harger Curates First-Ever SE Asia Da Vinci Exhibit
It was a long, emotional night for ArtScience Museum executive director New Zealand-born Honor Harger. She was waiting eagerly for the arrival of Leonardo da Vinci’s works, which had travelled a long way to…
Film Tourism in New Zealand Massive Earner
As cinemagoers rush to see the third Hobbit film, “Tolkien-mania” is again sweeping New Zealand, where record tourist arrivals are boosting the economy and helping to offset a slump in the price of its…
It May Just Be the Black Caps Time in the Spotlight
“It was heartening” to see Test cricket return to Christchurch in December, the Guardian’s Mike Selvey writes. “It was fitting, too, that the Black Caps should mark it with a resounding win over Sri…
NZ Designers Gain Entry into Lucrative Singapore Market
Ten top New Zealand designers, including Zambesi, NomD, Kate Sylvester, Juliette Hogan and Stolen Girlfriends Club (pictured), are gearing up for a fashionable collaboration in Singapore, Kim Knight writes in the Sunday Star Times. Brokered…
Erebus – Into the Unknown
History has always proved a success topic for film, acting as a means of celebration of those lost and those who have made a difference. The new documentary-film Erebus: Into the Unknown does both…
East Coast Surfer Ricardo Christie Makes Elite Tour
Mahia-born Ricardo Christie, 26, is the first New Zealander since Gisborne’s Maz Quinn in 2001 to qualify for surfing’s elite 2015 Dream Tour. To say he’s done things his own way would be an understatement…
Tanya Jacobs Ensuring Cirque Du Soleil’s Wardrobe Flies
New Zealand-born wardrobe director Tanya Jacobs has toured with the Cirque du Soleil show Varekai ever since she first began working for the company, overseeing the maintenance of late Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka’s aesthetic…
Former Strictly Star Erin Boag Returns to the Stage
For all its glamour and sparkle, one can’t help but feel that Strictly Come Dancing’s star burns a little less brightly since New Zealand-born Erin Boag departed two years ago, according to the Western…
Jesse Will Gets Taylor Swift’s Approval for Shake It off Cover
New Zealand musician Jesse Will, 24, has became an overnight sensation with megastar Taylor Swift tweeting a glowing endorsement of his Shake It Off cover, calling it the best rendition by another artist. “My…
New Zealand Entrenched as World Cup Favourites
“This year will end just as it began, with New Zealand sitting firmly on top of the rugby world. The All Blacks have been the top-ranked team for five years and will again head…
Marton Csokas Employs Brutal Tactics in New Miniseries
New Zealand actor Marton Csokas plays General Thomas Gage in the History Channel miniseries Sons of Liberty, which premieres on 25 January. Sons of Liberty, a three-part, six-hour series, which was filmed in Romania, tells…
