Wellington Reunion in KL
In the 1970s, Malaysian students at Victoria University’s Weir House relished the informality of calling each other by their first names, they cooked one another Malay and Chinese dishes, and the Malaysian VUW band…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Solomon Islands Position
New Zealander Peter Marshall has been sworn in as the Acting Police Commissioner for the Solomon Islands. Marshall has over 35 years experience across all areas of policing and since 27 has held the…
Europe Follows Lead
New Zealand is the first English-speaking country in the world to have banned smacking and Europe wants to follow suit. The New Zealand police were reassured when they won the right to apply the…
Search Engine Commemoration
The anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Mount Everest in 1955 has been honoured by search engine giant Google. Google periodically changes its logo to celebrate special events and…
Home Amidst History
Four hours from Auckland, New Zealand developer Peter Cooper’s 400 ha Mountain Landing property boasts white sand beaches, native bush and historical value. “When I first saw the property, I knew that it was…
For the Whales
Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, 19, has joined the Save the Whales Campaign and is urging the New Zealand government to reject Japan’s proposal to resume commercial whaling in its waters before a June 22 International…
Global Positioning Sleuths
Rotorua has always been famous for its geothermal activity, now another ‘geo-‘ is making its mark around the city, less the sulphur. It’s the sport of geocaching, a kind of outdoor treasure-hunt practised worldwide….
Surfing Rhapsody
Raglan may be home to “one of the world’s best left-hand surf breaks”, but the town is also garnering international interest for its relaxed isolation and its arts scene. “Bohemian” Raglan writes the Lonely…
Just to Say Thank You
Forty years after the Wahine capsized near Steeple Rock in Wellington Harbour, Queenstown artist Kate Watson, née McGibbon, still searched for the man who rescued her, only to discover he died five years ago….
Land This Good
Cape Kidnappers is not only home for thousands of gannets, Wall Street magnate Julian Robertson visits his properties on the scenic coastline every US winter. Robertson, who founded Tiger Management Corp, has recently purchased…
Christchurch Blackout
On 29 March from 8pm, Christchurch joins 23 cities worldwide in turning off their lights for climate change. Earth Hour was first held in Sydney last year and was organised by the World Wide…
Indian Love Affair
More Indian tourists than ever are coming to New Zealand for the expansive scenery, favourable weather conditions and a bit of romance. In 2006-20007, as many as 20,946 Indians spent an average of 13.8…
Dialect Mystery Solved
New Zealanders speak an English dialect made up of quarter Scottish, one quarter Irish and 50 percent cockney, northern and west country English according to Scottish linguists. In a five-year study, mathematicians from New…
Award Winning Airmanship
A Te Anau helicopter pilot has been awarded the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) Outstanding Airman Award. Richard “Hannibal” Hayes received the honour for single-handedly putting out a bush fire in Queenstown in November…
Police Laws Go Wiki
The NZ police force has used wiki-style online collaboration to update its 1958 Police Act. In September, they posted the Act online and invited contributors from all over the world to suggest their own…
Dilemma for Cat Fanciers
NZ-based psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson has weighed in on the cats versus birds debate in a New York Times magazine feature. The issue of cats killing native birds in the US came to national attention…
Rotorua Takes Root in Nanjing
Rotorua Town is the latest in a series of namesake housing compounds to be built for China’s booming upper class. Located in Nanjing, two hours from Shanghai, Rotorua Town is an upmarket gated…
Hottest Aussie from Balclutha
Balclutha-born Dean Tahana has been crowned Australia’s sexiest man. The 29-year-old won the 2007 Mister Manhunt Australia competition, Australia’s biggest competition for male models. “I entered the regionals up in Noosa, Queensland, when…
Equal Opportunity on the Edge
NZ has been ranked fifth in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum. NZ is the only non-Nordic country to make the list’s top five, which is led by Sweden, Norway,…
Civil Union Milestone
Civil unions in NZ have reached the 1000 mark, according to government officials. The Civil Union Act, which came into effect in April 2005, gives both heterosexual and homosexual couples the same legal rights…
Tokelau Keeps NZ Ties
Tokelau has voted to remain a NZ colony in its second referendum on the issue in 15 months. The vote for self-governance, which required a two-thirds majority,fell short by 16 ballots. “There’ll be another…
Free to Speak
NZ has been ranked 15th in a survey of press freedom around the world by Reporters Without Borders. The annual survey of 169 countries measures factors such as freedom of speech, freedom of information…
Ex-M16 Agent Gives Evidence
A former British secret service agent from Ngaruawahia has given evidence at the inquest into the death of Princess Diana. Richard Tomlinson alleges that his former employer, M16, was responsible for the death…
World Environment Day in Wellington
Wellington is to host World Environment Day 2008, the UN Environment Program has announced. The focus of next year’s global celebrations will be encouraging countries, companies and communities to “Kick the habit” and make…
Flag Debate Resurfaces
The debate over NZ’s national flag is in the spotlight again, after PM Helen Clark publicly proposed removing the Union Jack from its design. “I think people could debate the flag the way Canada…
NZ Migrants Top Australian Stats
NZ has surpassed Britain as the source of the largest number of permanent migrants to Australia for the first time. According to Australian immigration statistics, NZ arrivals have jumped by 5000 in the past…
Real Life Mermaid
Aucklander Nadya Vessey has commissioned a custom-made mermaid tail from Wellington’s Weta Workshop. A keen swimmer, Vessey was born with a condition that prevented her legs from developing properly. She had her first leg…
In the Pink
Air New Zealand will launch its first “Pink Flight” from San Francisco to Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in February next year. Modelled on a similar trip from Auckland to Sydney this…
Nobel Nomination for NZ Institution
A NZ youth development course is in the running for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Spirit of New Zealand, a ship that takes teenagers on 10-day development workshops, is one of 21 ships…
Order of Merit for Lomu and Fagan
Two NZ sports greats were made members of the New Zealand Order of Merit at this year’s investiture ceremony. All Black legend Jonah Lomu and sheep shearing champion David Fagan (pictured) both received…
Be a Tidy Kiwi
The iconic Bulford Kiwi in Wiltshire, England, has received a makeover courtesy of local military, scouts and civilian volunteers. The 128m high chalk figure was carved into Wiltshire’s Beacon Hill at the end…
Incredible Journey
After decades of international debate, Auckland University researchers have found the first concrete evidence that Polynesian explorers reached South America before Europeans. The research team, led by archaeologist Elizabeth A. Matisoo-Smith, used genetic analysis…
You Say Fish, I Say Fush
An Auckland University of Technology (AUT) study has found that the NZ accent has grown broader and less British over the past few decades. The change is most obvious in broadcasting, where newsreaders…
“Substantial Miscarriage” in Bain Case
Britain’s Privy Council has quashed the convictions of alleged mass-murderer David Bain, set down by the New Zealand Court of Appeal in 1995. The Council ruled that a “substantial miscarriage of justice”…
NZ Pathologist Testifies in Canada
NZ-based pathologist Dr James Ferris has given evidence in the most high-profile murder case in recent Canadian history. Ferris, a veteran of 40 years forensic investigation, has testified at the trial of Robert William…
NZ Escapes “Affluenza” Virus
NZ gets off relatively lightly in UK psychologist Oliver James’s treatise on rampant materialism, Affluenza: How to be Successful and Stay Sane. James defines affluenza as an unhealthy obsession with wealth which has led…
Testing Times
Durex has decided to test its new latex-free condom in NZ after its global survey showed that New Zealanders have sex more often and are more adventurous in the bedroom than their international contemporaries….
Half-way Happy
NZ ranks 94th out of 178 countries in the inaugural Happy Planet Index, produced by independent British “think-and-do tank” the New Economics Foundation. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) measures human well-being in relation to…
Imitation, Inspiration or Appropriation?
2006 has seen a rash of advertising and design taking inspiration – with varying degrees of offensiveness – from Maori art and culture. An Italian ad for the Fiat Idea showing a group of…
Wonder of the Natural World Reborn
Rotorua’s famed Pink and White Terraces – destroyed in the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption – are being replicated 8km away at Wairakei by businessman Jim Hall. The original staircase-like tiers of pink and…
Career Pinnacle for Inglis
NZ mountaineer Mark Inglis has made history by being the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mt Everest. Inglis lost both legs to frostbite in 1982 while trapped in blizzard…
Highest Honour for Top Brass
Retired Air Marshal Bruce Reid Ferguson, NZ’s former Chief of Defence Force, has been awarded Singapore’s highest military honour. The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang Tentera, or Distinguished Service Order, Military, was awarded to Air…
Spotlight on ’85
The Rainbow Warrior incident is back in the news, with convicted French agents Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart seeking to legally bar TVNZ from screening previously unseen footage of their Auckland District Court appearance….
All the Right Numbers
Hawera-born Wayne Gould, the New Zealander behind the international Sudoku craze, features in Time magazine’s Time 100 for 2006. The list of “men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming our…
Double Honour
Former Wellington Evening Post photographer Melanie Burford is the first NZer to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Burford was part of the Dallas Morning News team that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for…
Online Authority
New Zealand raised, former TVNZ reporter Robert Freeman has been appointed Head of Multimedia at Press Association, UK. “I am heading up this team at a critical time when the publishing industry is looking…
Bra Fence Here to Stay
A US immigrant has been thwarted in his attempt to rid the Cardrona Valley of its “world famous in NZ” bra fence. Andre Prassinos, who resides for part of each year in Cardrona, petitioned…
For Love and Money
British male accountants are being lured to NZ with promises of work and women. According to top UK agency, Think Global Recruitment, the shortage of men in NZ has reached its highest level in…
Celluloid Fantasy Becomes a Reality
The number of Indian tourists travelling to NZ is on a definite increase according to an Express India article. 17,286 Indians visited Aotearoa in the year ending November 2005 – 11.5% more than the…
A Year for Remembrance
2006 has been designated “Year of the Veteran” by the NZ government,with an official launch planned for February. According to Veteran Affairs Minister, Rick Barker, the government will provide funds for community events to…
Auckland to be Shia Centre
The International Shia Cultural and Human Rights Organization (ISCHRO) officially opened for business in Auckland on September 8. The Shia Muslim organization aims to propagate and facilitate Shia thought and culture and protect human…
Sir Kenneth Reaches Zenith
NZ Supreme Court judge, Sir Kenneth Keith, has been elected to the UN’s World Court, the highest judicial authority in the world. The court, officially known as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is…
In Memoriam
18 NZ veterans attended the unveiling of a memorial commemorating NZ soldiers who served in the 1950-53 Korean War at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan. PM Helen Clark was also present. “I came…
Who is the Typical Kiwi?
An international study on cultural stereotypes, led by the US National Institutes of Health, has concluded that there is no relation between supposed cultural characteristics and the actual traits identified in real people. “People…
Helping Hand for Neighbouring Namesake
A Kiwi couple have instigated a sister school relationship between Fiji’s Saint Thomas Aquinas Primary School and the Aquinas College where they teach in NZ. According to the Fiji Times, Brendan and Jane Schollum…
New Zealand Women Make Nobel Peace List
Four New Zealand women are among a historic collective nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Each of the 1,000 women, nominated from across the world, have worked for justice and peace in their respective…
