Auckland Gets More People on Its Buses
“Cities across the world are struggling to tempt people out of their cars and onto transit, but Auckland has reversed the trend by creating a really, really good bus network for very little money.” Fast…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
New Zealand’s Engaged Diaspora an Asset
The number of New Zealanders scattered around the globe is massive. Back in 1999 Brian Sweeney, founder of nzedge.com which originated the idea of a Kiwi Diaspora, put the number at one million of…
Salam Alaikum. Patience Required
Salaam Alaikum. Peace be upon us all. Aotearoa is experiencing an extended tangi. Like any such event emotions ebb and flow, sneak up on you, get you when you are not looking. A frightening…
New Zealand Mourns
“We’re a long way from anyplace, and that’s the point of New Zealand: We like it like that. We’re lucky here. We’re out of the picture. We’re too distant and obscure for terror cells…
Sale of Portable Cabins Booms in NZ Amid Housing Crisis
“The sale of portable cabins is booming in New Zealand, where a housing crisis means hundreds of thousands of Kiwis can no longer afford a home or even a rental.” Eleanor Ainge Roy reports…
Level Playing Field is a Myth Says Academic
“Those who argue that women with differences of sexual development and transgender should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports usually claim that their testosterone levels and different muscle-to-fat ratios give them an…
NZ Marks Eighth Anniversary of Christchurch Quake
The city of Christchurch has marked the eighth anniversary of an earthquake that killed 185 people and caused extensive damage from which the city is still recovering. Of the victims, 115 people were killed when…
New Zealand’s Sacred Mermaid Pools Closed Indefinitely
“Picturesque Mermaid Pools in Matapouri in New Zealand have been closed indefinitely after human waste and litter were repeatedly found at the sacred Māori site, Joanna Whitehead reports for The Independent. “The failure to…
Mike King Named 2019 New Zealander of the Year
“Mental health advocate Mike King has been named Kiwibank 2019 New Zealander of the Year.” Charlotte Carter reports for Stuff.co.nz. “His determination to shine a light on the effects and impacts of mental…
Audette Exel’s Adara Group Celebrates a Milestone
Established in Bermuda in 1998, The Adara Group is the brainchild of former Bermuda Commercial Bank managing director, New Zealander Audette Exel, whose business acumen and passion for social justice has raised millions of…
Harness Power of Pessimism says André Spicer
“Early on New Year’s Day, I began scrolling through the messages people had left on social media,” New Zealand author and educator André Spicer writes in an opinion piece for the Guardian. “Usually you…
NZ Brings First Fake Mānuka Honey Prosecution
In the first case of its kind, a mānuka honey company is being prosecuted by New Zealand’s food safety agency over claims it added artificial chemicals to its product, including one commonly used in…
Hot Air from Australia Causes NZ Heatwave
“Hot air from Australia has helped to produce scorching temperatures for many parts of New Zealand this week” with parts of Hawke’s Bay and Richmond in the Nelson area topping “the scale at 35…
From Practising Law in Dublin to Yoga in Auckland
Each week, Irish Times Abroad meets an Irish person working in an interesting job overseas. Lawyer and yoga teacher Paul Gillick shares his experience of moving to Auckland with his New Zealand-born wife where…
No Worries for Swiss Family in New Zealand
Even though she’d never been here before, Eva Hefti took the chance and moved with her family to New Zealand. Her husband had found a job in Northland which, due to the shorter working…
Father and Doctor Matt Widdowson on Parenting
The overwhelming concern of most new parents after they get home from the maternity hospital is will they be able to keep their tiny infant alive, The Irish Times reports. It’s no wonder that…
NZ Winemaker Begins Solo Atlantic Crossing
26-year-old New Zealand winemaker Isaac Giesen, has just embarked on a roughly 3,000-mile journey, from the Canary Islands to Antigua. The “solo crossing is a feat accomplished by fewer people than have climbed Mount…
New Research Explores How Olympic Games Have Shaped NZ Identity
As part of his doctoral thesis, Victoria University of Wellington graduate Micheal Warren explored “the contribution New Zealand’s participation in the Olympic Games has made to national identity.” Phys.org reports. “Micheal…
NZ Study Confirms Environmental Benefits of Building Cycleways
“A new study by researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington and Victoria University has confirmed that building cycleways benefits the planet because swapping four wheels for two leads to a reduction in carbon…
NZ Researchers Argue James Bond Has Drinking Problem
Researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago and the UK’s University of Oxford “have published a study in the Medical Journal of Australia’s Christmas issue which they say proves that Ian Fleming’s fictional character…
NZ Leader Grieves For Murdered Tourist
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has offered apologies to the family of 22-year-old Grace Millane, after “the young woman’s sudden disappearance morphed into a murder investigation that has gripped this island nation of…
Spanish Culture Permeates Our Own
The presence of a three month-long film festival prompts the question: Are there tangible traces of Spanish culture in New Zealand? The 17th annual Latin American and Spain Film Festival is touring New Zealand, and…
Kelvin Davis on Mission to Keep Māori Out of Prison
Kelvin Davis describes himself as a member of “the most incarcerated tribe in the world”. The former teacher grew up in New Zealand’s deprived Northland region and has seen childhood friends, schoolmates and relatives…
Auckland’s Pacific Islanders Take Stock
Some Pacific Islands, such as Tokelau and Niue, now have more of their people living in New Zealand than at home, a trend that is predicted to soar with the rising threat of climate…
The Best Place in the World to Be a Child
After the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata summit in August, Denis O’Reilly started thinking about how to address the wicked criminal justice problems we face. He turns to the past, and muses on community, from…
Wellington One of The 10 Best Cities For Digital Nomads
“Wellington has ranked in the top ten cities around the world for digital nomads – remote workers who usually travel between different locations – to work in, according to a new study,” as reported…
Deserted Waitaki Village up for Sale
Lake Waitaki village in South Otago was built in the 1930s as workers accommodation for dam labourers but has lain largely empty since 1989 when the dam’s operation was automated. Now, it’s for sale….
Café Calls Itself ‘Home Of Terrible Trip Advisor Reviews
Christchurch cafe C1 Espresso “publishes its worst reviews in its menu so customers can read them at the table. The info panel of the cafe’s door proudly states it is home to: all day…
Scrabble Fanatic Wins 4th World Scrabble Championship Title
Nigel Richards, from New Zealand, has won his fourth World Scrabble Championship title “with the word ‘groutier’, defined as sullen or sulky,” writes Sophie Law in an article for The Daily Mail. The crucial…
How Teenager Nina Griffiths Began to Heal Kaitaia
At the start of 2016, Kaitaia – population 5000 – had just experienced the loss of six young people to suicide in quick succession. Nina Griffiths, a local high school student, was one of…
MP Poto Williams Awarded University Prize
MP Poto Williams has been named the 2018 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year at Southern Cross University’s annual awards recognising exceptional achievement and outstanding service. The New South Wales university welcomed home more than 50…
New Zealand Second-Best Place for Expats
New Zealand has been ranked the second-best place for expats in a study by HSBC. Singapore has landed the top spot in the survey. The Singapore Business Review reports. The…
Lyndsey Lewis Becomes a New American
Twenty-two foreign-born Maine residents, including New Zealand-born Lyndsey Lewis, completed the long journey of becoming US citizens at a naturalisation ceremony in Acadia National Park. According to Lewis, there were “about 15 or 16 different…
Photographer Robin Hammond Speaks Out at UN
The United Nations has celebrated 70 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at a high-level event on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) persons around…
Why Countries Are Competing in Happiness Rankings
Move over GDP, happiness is angling to become the metric of the future. Nation states have begun to compete in global happiness rankings and plan policy according to statistics of wellbeing, with New Zealand…
New Zealand Celebrates 125 Years of Women Voting
New Zealand became the first nation in the world to allow women to vote 125 years ago, and hundreds of people celebrated the anniversary by turning out to gatherings and speeches. New Zealand’s female lawmakers…
Auckland: The Economics of Shared Streets
“The obsession with self-driving cars and dockless cycles means pedestrians are often overlooked. But if we fail to accommodate those on foot, we ignore an essential part of what makes a city great,” writes…
Trailblazers: 125 Kiwi Women Who Changed the World
125 Kiwi women who changed the world have been showcased in a special project in The New Zealand Herald, which explores their extraordinary stories. It’s “a combination of high profile women, such as Helen…
Why Irish Physios Are Flocking to New Zealand
Why do so many Irish physiotherapists choose to move to New Zealand? Over the past decade, the highest number of New Zealand work visas for Irish citizens went to physiotherapists, with 444 work visas…
Christchurch Once Again Refugee Settlement Location
The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees represents an important step for New Zealand’s ambitions to increase the refugee quota and is a milestone for the city’s post-earthquake…
Yvette Morrissey Walks Scotland for a Cause
Most people choose to enjoy Scotland’s awe-inspiring views by bus or car, but New Zealand travel writer Yvette Morrissey, 29, has hiked a massive 864km on foot to take in the country’s beauty and…
NZ Avocado Shortage Leads to Orchard Crime Wave
“People in New Zealand are taking desperate measures to acquire a coveted treat for their breakfast toast: avocados. With prices for the fruit soaring after two years of low harvests, orchards are experiencing a…
Korean-New Zealander April Kwak off to the UN
Tri-lingual public servant, and scholarship-winning, Korean New Zealander April Hyorin Kwak, 23, is heading to the United Nations in New York, where she will intern at the Department of Safety and Security. Kwak will be…
NZ Announces Plan to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags
New Zealand has become the latest country to ban single-use plastic bags in an effort to tackle plastic pollution, Time magazine reports. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans to…
Jacinda Ardern Reflects on Life After Giving Birth
From the outside it appears to be business as usual for New Zealand’s prime minister. But eight weeks ago Jacinda Ardern became only the second leader in the world to give birth while in office,…
Paid Leave a Rare Moment of Empowerment
A woman who lived through an abusive relationship writes anonymously for The Guardian, and says New Zealand’s latest domestic violence legislation is a relief from shame and fear. “The years of control, manipulation, blame, gaslighting,…
Rugby Leads NZ Sporting Family to France
New Zealander Johnny Claxton, head strength and conditioning coach for Grenoble Rugby, 40, and his family moved to France in June 2017. Claxton’s wife, former Black Sticks player and double Olympian, Jaimee Claxton talks to…
New Law Grants Abused Women Paid Leave
Around the world, 1 in 3 women have been physically or sexually abused by their partner, according to the World Health Organization. Forty per cent of all women murdered each year are killed by…
Helen Klisser During Unloads on Gun Violence
Connecticut’s Fairfield University exhibition “Guns in the Hands of Artists” is using decommissioned guns to explore and generate conversation about gun violence. The exhibition is being “presented by Fairfield University Art Museum in partnership…
Perpetual Guardian’s Four-Day Week a Hit
Auckland company Perpetual Guardian has declared their landmark trial of a four-day working week an “unmitigated success”, with 78 per cent of employees feeling they were able to successfully manage their work-life balance, an increase…
PM Makes Fortune’s 40 Under 40 List
The influential Fortune magazine 40 Under 40 list includes Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at No 12. Co-founder and CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom took top place in this year’s ranking. “It’s only appropriate that Ardern,…
New Zealand’s Inside Stories
New Zealand Story Group have created a selection of New Zealand stories, which underpin the values of Kaitiaki, Ingenuity, and Integrity, to share with the world.” “New Zealand already has a well-deserved reputation for outstanding…
NZ Police Campaign Recognised at Cannes
The New Zealand Police’s campaign World’s Most Successful Recruitment Video won one Silver and one Bronze Lion at this year’s Cannes Lions. Sam Burne James reports for PR Week. With World’s…
Social Enterprise Empowering Women Refugees
“Government discussion surrounding refugees oftentimes revolves around costs and quotas” and “the human element can get lost in the conversation,” writes Rina Diane Caballar in an article for PRI.
New Zealand World’s Second Safest Country
New Zealand has been ranked as the second safest country in the world in this year’s edition of the Global Peace Index. Iceland was ranked the world’s safest place for the 11th consecutive year….
Rob Bell’s Wife Is on a Mission to Unite London
After her husband Rob Bell’s suicide, journalist Poorna Bell realised that for all its dazzle, London can create a perfect storm of isolation. In an article for the Evening Standard she writes about her…
