Economy Milks Clamour for Middle Earth
Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit series have proved to be as precious to New Zealand’s economy as any magical ring with millions flocking to the country for a glimpse of Middle…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Fulbright Scholar Matthew Stott in Yellowstone
New Zealand Fulbright scholar microbiologist Matthew Stott, 41, is spending four months studying microbes that live under extreme conditions in Yellowstone National Park’s geothermal hot springs. Stott’s fieldwork takes him to places where the water…
How to Dad Jordan Watson Recommends Chilling
On the How to Dad YouTube channel, shaggy-haired, bearded and bare foot 28-year-old Aucklander Jordan Watson offers “instructional” videos on how to be a parent – with the help of his two young daughters,…
Sir James Carroll the Voice of the People
The little known story of the charismatic Irish-Maori politician and New Zealand Wars volunteer, Sir James Carroll’s visit to the Somme in 1916 is retold in the New Zealand Listener. Carroll, born to a Maori…
Everything to Do with Jean Batten Is Gendered
New Zealander Jean Batten was the most celebrated aviatrix of the 1930s. Nicknamed the “Garbo of the Skies” for her movie-star glamour, she appeared on newspaper front pages the world over, and drew adoring…
What A Nation Chooses To Remember And Forget
“Early in 2014 a group of school students from a small town in rural New Zealand took a trip to some nearby historical sites. Guided by local Māori elders, the students from Otorohanga College…
Masking Tape Saves Endangered Kiwi
“Using nothing but tape, a fragment of shell and MacGyver-like ingenuity, nature park worker Claire Travers patched up a badly damaged egg sufficiently for the baby kiwi to survive,” as reported in an article…
Tribal Huks Force Out Ngaruawahia Meth Dealers
The ominous deadline set by the Tribal Huks gang for methamphetamine dealers to leave Ngaruawahia has expired and it showed with the streets left empty last week. Tattooed members of the notorious gang wearing…
Should We Stay Or Should We Go
For much of the past 50 years, Australia was the big, brash neighbour with so much to offer – and New Zealanders came in droves. But now it seems the tide is turning, author…
Hundreds of Jellyfish Landings at New Zealand Coastline
“In the last month mass jellyfish landings have been reported on beaches from Nelson in the South Island to Whangarei in the top of the North Island,” writes Eleanor Ainge Roy for
Laying His Mark on George Town Heritage Protection
Co-founder of the George Town Heritage Action Group New Zealander Mark Lay is so dedicated to heritage conservation in the Malaysian city that he walks everywhere with a camera in hand, taking pictures of…
Waikato University to Offer Degrees in China Next Year
“New Zealand’s Waikato University announced that it is the country’s first university approved to teach and award degrees in China,” as reported in Shanghai Daily. In September next year, the university will establish…
Tui Wordley Still Making Waves at 80
Tutanekai “Tui” Wordley should be an inspiration to every surfer. Not because of the size of the waves he rides or the latest overseas trip he’s made, but because, at 80, he’s still out…
This is the Antrim Coast Road that Andrea Drove
For New Zealander Andrea Bald a recent journey along the Antrim Coast Road in Northern Ireland really was a momentous and breathtaking one as for the first time she got to see the road…
Don’t Mess with Mary Quin
After narrowly surviving being held hostage, former-Xerox executive, New Zealander Mary Quin tells 60 Minutes how she brought a radical British cleric to justice for his role in the kidnapping. A dual citizen of New…
New Zealand’s Plan to Save The Kiwi
“Some 100,000 wild kiwi could be roaming New Zealand in less than 15 years, according to a new government plan,” reports the BBC. “The Kiwi Recovery Plan 2017-2027 by the Department…
New Zealand’s Summer Cruise Season
New Zealand’s 2016-17 summer cruise season “will welcome a record number of ships, including many first-time visitors, most notably the biggest vessel ever to sail in local waters, the 4,180-passenger Ovation of the Seas,…
New Zealand – 13th Most Competitive Country
New Zealand has been identified as the 13th most competitive country in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. “Countries were ranked according to the “12 pillars of competitiveness,” which includes macro-economic environment, infrastructure, health…
Elderly New Zealanders Building Their Own Caskets
Quilting, lawn bowls and bridge it is not. Elderly people in New Zealand are enthusiastically embracing a new pastime: coffin construction, providing retirees with new friends and, ultimately, cheaper funerals, Eleanor Ainge Roy reports…
Stephen Moore Completes Singapore Bike Quest
A New Zealander who set out two years ago to pedal his bike on every Singapore road – save those where cycling is not allowed – has finally completed his quest. Stephen Moore, 49,…
BMW to Help Build NZ’s Electric Vehicle “Highway”
German automaker BMW has partnered with national charging network Charge Net NZ to help “build an electric highway of fast-charging stations to help overcome one of the main obstacles to electric vehicle uptake”, as…
Bali Dog Orphanage Volunteer loves Results
Ten years ago, New Zealander Alanah Dalton was holidaying in Ubud when a poster outside a shop front that said “I Love Bali Dogs” caught her eye. “I love animals, so I stopped in…
Actor Terence Bayler Was Brian and so Was His Wife
Whanganui-born film, stage and television actor Terence Bayler, known notably for his collaborations with the Monty Python team, has died aged 86. Bayler played Gregory (and other roles) in the controversial Life of Brian –…
Peter Jackson Eyes NZ Island For Tourism Project
“Peter Jackson, the man you know as the spirited angel who bestowed cinematic genius upon the world in the form of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, is set to inspire more tourism interest…
The World’s Only Alpine Parrot Faces Extinction
The New Zealand kea, the world’s only alpine parrot “is at threat of extinction in New Zealand as numbers plummet in the face of threats from non-native predators and human development,” writes Eleanor Ainge…
The Rise Of Film-Friendly New Zealand
The screen industry in New Zealand is “big business: four of the all-time 20 most profitable films were made here, and revenue in 2015 was $3.22 billion compared to just $2.6 billion in 2005,”…
New Generation of Maori Women Wearing Moko
For Maori women, the moko kauae, or traditional female chin tattoo, is considered a physical manifestation of their true identity. It is believed every Maori woman wears a moko on the inside, close to…
Helen Clark Rallies Caribbean in UN Bid
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, the administrator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently lobbied Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries as she seeks to replace Ban Ki-moon as the next…
Homesick Kiwis Can Now Call a Hotline
With Travel Insurance Direct homesick New Zealanders can now call a hotline (+64-9930-3377), where they are greeted with a joyful New Zealand accent and can hear the familiar sounds of their homeland, writes Jordi…
NZ to Fund Child Sport Development in Pacific
New Zealand will fund a five-year initiative aimed at getting more children in Pacific island countries to play sport according to Prime Minister John Key, reports the Daily Mail. The multi-million dollar programme…
NZ & Canada Sign Co-Production Treaty
New Zealand and Canada have “signed a co-production treaty that will allow enhanced film and TV industry cooperation between the two English-speaking territories,” writes Patrick Frater for Variety. “The treaty was signed…
Speaking Irish in New Zealand to My Maori-Irish Son
“There’s a special connection between Irish people, Irish speakers and Maori. It’s another reason why Aotearoa feels like home,” educator Gillian Cotter writes in an Irish Times lifestyle piece about raising her Maori-Irish son,…
Cruise Industry Growing in New Zealand
New Zealand’s cruise industry is experiencing an increase in cruise passengers. More than 254,000 passengers and 92,000 crew members visited the country during the August 2015 to June 2016 cruise season, as reported in…
How Oamaru Became Steampunk Capital of the World
Oamaru “used to be known for its population of blue penguins and having the best-preserved collection of Victorian architecture in the country”, writes Eleanor Ainge Roy for The Guardian. In 2010 the…
NZ Tops IMF’s Housing Unaffordability List
New Zealand has topped the International Monetary Fund’s list for housing unaffordability and has outpaced 31 other countries in the house prices to income ratio category. It hit nearly 130 points on…
Tonic for Brits Seeking to Cure Brexit Blues
It boasts spectacular scenery, a temperate climate and a labour shortage in key areas, but New Zealand’s most appealing attribute, according to the New Zealand Herald, may be that it is “18,000km from Boris…
Stratford-Upon-Avon CEO Role for Justin Williams
Justin Williams, a New Zealander who has worked across the spectrum of commercial, not-for-profit and charity sectors both in Britain and his native country, has just taken up a new role as chief executive…
NZ Is the Hottest New Spot for Vacation Homes
“Auckland has replaced Toronto as the most popular luxury market for wealthy individuals who are looking to buy a second home, according to a report from Christie’s International Real Estate,” writes Christopher Tkaczyk in…
Air NZ Invites James Corden to Host Cockpit Karaoke
Air New Zealand has invited Carpool Karaoke host James Corden for a round of cockpit karaoke with “a genuinely funny pitch,” as reported in Travel+Leisure. “Hey James Corden, we’ve got a pitch for…
NZ’s Anti-Nuke Win Approaches 30th Anniversary
When the Royal New Zealand Navy celebrates its 75th birthday in November, US warships will be there. It will be the first time any American military ship has entered a New Zealand port since…
New Zealand Connects To Ultra-Fast Broadband
“More than one million households, businesses, schools, and hospitals in New Zealand are now connected to the government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) services,” reports Eden Estopace for EnterpriseInnovation.net. “This means 2.4 million New Zealanders…
New Zealand’s ‘ATM for Mood Deposits’
A cash machine-like terminal that asks people about their feelings instead of dispensing money has been installed in New Zealand city Whangarei as part of an art project called Moodbank, as reported in an…
Fond Farewell to Formula 1 Hero Chris Amon
Chris Amon, regarded as one of the best Formula One racing car drivers of his generation, has died in Rotorua at age 73. Toronto Star “Wheels” editor Norris McDonald reflects on the life and…
How To Dad Shows Parents How to Get Out the Door With Kids In The Morning
“When you have young children in tow, getting fed, dressed and on the road in the morning can be hard,” writes Josh Hanrahen for the Daily Mail. Daddy blogger How To Dad has…
Archibald McIndoe Patients Pay Tribute
Surviving members of New Zealand-born plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe’s Guinea Pig Club, which was formed in 1941 to cope with the ever-rising number of young pilots left with life-changing injuries, talk with the Telegraph…
New Zealand to Exterminate All Introduced Predators
The New Zealand Government has announced a “world-first” project to make our country predator free by 2050, aiming to wipe out all introduced species of rats, stoats and possums. According to the government, introduced species…
NZ Retirement Home Residents Shake It Off
A group of 50 New Zealand retirees have “done their own take on Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off video, adding only the occasional local, and age-appropriate, touches such as frenetic cupcake dusting,”…
Heart Kids: Saving Babies’ Lives
(Sponsored Content) “Heart Kids, the only charity supporting children suffering from congenital heart defects, is teaming up with dairy company Yashili to help the lives of many of the 12 babies born each week…
NZ Kakapo’s Successful Breeding Season
The critically endangered kakapo – one of the world’s rarest birds – “saw its numbers boom by 28%” with 34 new chicks this year. That brings its population up to 157, as reported in…
Rhys Darby and Anna Faris in Air New Zealand’s Latest Safety Video
Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby has teamed up with Hollywood actress Anna Faris to play a multitude of ridiculous characters in Air New Zealand’s latest safety video, Safety in Hollywood as reported in
Celebrating French Legion Hero James Waddell
A new exhibition marking the Somme Centenary called “Médaillé Extraordinaire” aims to raise awareness of James Waddell, a much decorated New Zealander who served in the French Foreign Legion during the First World War. Lieutenant-Colonel…
Conservation Dogs on the Pest Warpath
One of New Zealand’s greatest conservation accomplishments, our so-called 100 “island sanctuaries”, are entirely pest- and predator-free, allowing endangered animals to thrive without threat. Conservation dogs like Piri the terrier ratter, a specially trained…
RBS CEO Ross McEwan Still Optimistic Despite Brexit
While the Royal Bank of Scotland share price did sink to levels reminiscent of the 2008 crisis, when the bank ran out of cash and only survived because of a £45bn taxpayer bailout, New…
Personhood Designation Granted to Te Urewera
Former national park Te Urewera has been granted personhood with Whanganui River expected to receive the same status soon, the New York Times reports in a feature about the “undoubtedly legally revolutionary” decision. The unusual…
Andy Bearpark Re-emerges As Yogi in New Zealand
Andy Bearpark, who was once known as Margaret Thatcher’s closest ally, “has re-emerged in the unlikeliest of places and in the unlikeliest of roles,” writes Jack Barlow for The Guardian. “Bearpark, one…
How New Zealand’s Knack for ‘P’ Turned into a Homebaked Disaster
“New Zealand is 10,000km (6,00o miles) from Bangkok, 18,000km from Amsterdam and surrounded by sea. Hard drugs rarely make it into the country – and when they do prices are high and quality is…
