Healthy Competition
A NZ healthy fast food chain has opened its first European outlet in Glasgow, Scotland. Owner Conrad van der Klundert believes that Reload, a South Island-based juice, salad and sandwich bar, can take…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Matterhorn Among World’s Best
Wellington institution the Matterhorn has been named one of the world’s top five bars by respected US trade magazine, Bartender. The Cuba St local was ranked fifth behind Milk & Honey (London), Salvatore…
Te Mata in Dream Opener
Hawkes Bay’s Te Mata Estate will open next month’s London International Wine and Spirits Fair (LIWSF) with a tasting celebrating 25 years of its flagship Cabernet/Merlot, Coleraine. Te Mata CEO John Buck and winemaker Peter Cowley will…
Zambesi Marches on Moscow
NZ fashion label Zambesi has netted its largest ever international account. Zambesi will be stocked in Moscow’s soon-to-open Cara & Co concept store, which describes itself as a “deluxe boutique for intellectuals.” Label owners…
Herne Bay Haven
Wallpaper’s April issue includes a Pacific-inspired Herne Bay home designed Auckland’s Stevens Lawson Architects. “For us, it’s the ultimate modernist abstraction,” says architect Nicholas Stevens of the impressive structure, which features a…
Fashionable Folk
Australia’s Frankie magazine features an 8-page spread on NZ “fashionable folk” in its April/May issue. Students, models and DJ’s are asked to name their favourite hang-outs, shopping haunts and things about NZ while wearing…
Food to Match the Location
Wellington restaurant Martin Bosley’s features in a guide to the Pacific region by the New York Times. Research for the guide was conducted by leading US travel authority Frommers. “Previously reserved as the…
Another Red Destined for Greatness
Observer wine critic Tim Atkins calls Hawke’s Bay Syrah “one of the most exciting wine styles I’ve tasted in the past five years.” The red varietal makes up just 3% of the region’s vineyards, which are…
Playboy Bunny Turned Property Mogul
New Zealander Sandra Costa is co-owner and designer of new LA super-club Tatou. The 35,000 sq ft space features state-of-the-art sound and lighting, 45 plasma screens, a 40 ft stage, private VIP rooms and a rooftop restaurant,…
Air New Zealand’s Wines Fly High
Air New Zealand’s premium on board wine selection has been recognised as one of the best in the world. UK Business Traveller magazine named Air New Zealand the winner of three awards in its annual Cellars…
Not Your Average Winery
Americans can finally appreciate the work of artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser on home soil, with the opening of the Quixote Winery in California’s Napa Valley. Owner Carl Doumani commissioned the eccentric Viennese-born artist to design…
Premium Export
An ABC Radio report on Wellington’s Pinot Noir festival credits the grape’s – and NZ wine in general’s – explosion in popularity in the US to the success of 2004 indie film, Sideways. “We had $500 million…
Designer of the Moment
NZ fashion newcomer Cybèle Wiren (of label Cybèle) has caught the attention of international media with her Winter 2007 “Blue Blood” collection, first shown at last year’s Air New Zealand Fashion Week. Runway Reporter.com…
Two Paddocks Enters Asian Market
Asian market Actor Sam Neill has been busy promoting his Two Paddocks vineyard in Hong Kong, but has dismissed any suggestion of a major expansion into China. “We’re a boutique winery. I think if we started…
Doctor vodka
42 Below ambassador and “vodka professor” Jacob Briars discusses dirty drink names, Golden Globe shout outs and the social psychology of bars in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. Formerly a bartender at…
Pre-historic Chic
Shoppers at London’s Selfridges can now purchase the ultimate ecological antique: a piece of furniture carved from 30,000 year-old NZ kauri wood. The NZ government has allowed a limited quantity of the timber to be harvested…
Let Them Wear Possum
The Independent reports on NZ’s thriving (and environmentally kosher) possum fur trade. “Elsewhere, designers who work with fur earn the wrath of animal rights activists. But in New Zealand, they are considered national heroes.” Imported from Australia…
Renaissance master
The Honolulu Star Bulletin has recognised NZ-born restaurateur Dave Stewart as one of ten people who “changed Hawaii” for the better in 2006. Stewart has been a leading figure in the renaissance of Honolulu’s…
Life After Savvy
A Massachusetts newspaper feature on NZ wine covers the country’s world famous sauvignon blanc, increasingly renowned pinot noir and the cool climate whites now waiting for their turn in the spotlight. The author talks to winemakers…
Cream of the Crop
Essenze New Zealand‘s Manhattan store featured in the December issue of Elle Decor. Essenze showcases the work of David Trubridge, Alison Henry, David Haig and more, with a focus on eco-friendly and native materials. The business…
Sweet Success
Wellington-born designer Rebecca Taylor won over crowds and critics at this year’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW), with a collection described as a “standout” by industry bible Women’s Wear Daily. A graduate of Wellington…
Medal Worthy Drops
NZ producers picked up a swathe of trophies at the 2006 Decanter World Wine Awards this month. The medal haul included 86 bronze, 36 silver and one gold medal, for the 2005 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc….
Holland Ahoy
New Zealander Ron Holland is one of the world’s top naval architects. Based in the small Irish sailing port of Kinsale, his latest project is designing and building a 190-foot, $50 million superyacht Ethereal for Sun…
Bumper Crop
Kiwi wine exports hit a record high of half a billion dollars this year, according the New Zealand Winegrowers annual report. Pinot noir sales increased 55% to overtake chardonnay as NZ’s second most exported varietal, after perennial…
Philharmonia in Fashion
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra has launched a new initiative to dress visiting international soloists in NZ designs. For the APO’s recent ‘Russian Spectacular,’ pianist Marina Kolomiytseva wore a Liz Mitchell gown and presenter Elena…
Power Shift in World Wine Community
The EU is instructing struggling European winemakers to follow the example of their increasingly successful New World counterparts in NZ, Australia, and America. The “wine lake” situation in Europe has now reached crisis point, with one in…
Right Royal Exposure
The Queen’s official 80th birthday was marked in suitably sumptuous fashion, with a 4-course lunch at Mansion House for more than 350 guests. The four British chefs charged with overseeing the dinner won the honour after competing…
Pedalling Their Wares
NZ features in a New York Times guide to “less-pedalled wine regions to please the palates of cyclists.” Writer Stefani Jackenthal recommends Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago for their respective viticultural and scenic pleasures. Her picks…
Knock Off Drink Par Excellence
Charlotte Observer wine critic, restaurant owner Catherine Rabb, gives US readers the low down on NZ Sauvignon Blanc. “Restaurant work is a hot, sweaty business. At the end of a long night, my favorite wine is…
Savvy Marketing
Monkey Bay is officially the number one selling NZ Sauvignon Blanc in America. Released two years ago, Monkey Bay is an affiliate of the Nobilo Wine Group. Senior winemaker Alistair McIntosh cites a number of factors…
Power Couple
Hamilton-born Nicole Colovos has been appointed joint design director of Helmut Lang with husband Michael, making her the first Australasian designer in history to head a major international fashion label. After fashion editing at…
Essential Design from the World’s Edge
Essenze, the distribution partner for some of NZ’s best known designers, has partnered with Saatchi & Saatchi to present a comprehensive exhibition at the ad agency’s New York headquarters at 375 Hudson St. Entitled ‘The Edge…
Te Rapa creams the opposition
Cream cheese from Fonterra’s Te Rapa site won a silver medal at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin; its 97.55 out of 100 score less than half a point behind the winner….
Liquid Gold
One of NZ’s most respected wineries, Waiheke Island’s Goldwater Estate, has been sold to the NZ Wine Fund for $10 million. The Wine Fund, which also purchased Marlborough’s Vavasour Wines in 2003, is predicting combined sales this…
Pride of the south
Speight’s Gold Medal ale gets a big thumbs up from the Journal and Courier’s (Indiana, US) resident ‘Beer Man’. “It poured a nice head and was an absolutely crystal clear, light amber…
Kiwi Wine Takes US by Storm
An extensive article on NZ’s burgeoning wine industry examines its history and development in an American context, interviewing US importers and connoisseurs of NZ wine as well as ex pat US vineyard owners such as Barbara…
Roast with the most
Edge establishment Batch Espresso is cutting it in Melbourne’s razor-like café scene, with more stellar reviews in the city’s leading newspapers. Herald Sun: ” works the coffee machine and the room, making…
Post Praise NZ Wine
Washington Post writer notes the timely rise of NZ wine, which is strong in today’s most in-demand varietals. ” is the emerging star for wines that live on delicacy and finesse, most notably, pinot noir and…
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
London’s Gourmet Burger Kitchen – the brainchild of three Kiwi entrepreneurs – is credited with starting the trend for fast food for the organic generation” in a lengthy Guardian piece. Now boasting 8 restaurants,…
Spoiled for choice
Kiwi chef Rex Morgan takes Guardian food writer Jonathan Ray on a culinary tour of Queenstown. The eating extravaganza takes place at Morgan’s recently opened boutique hotel, The Spire (competitors will be “hard-pressed to…
Designs on Hyde
Palmerston North sculptor Paul Dibble is the winner of an NZ government sponsored competition to design a $3 million war memorial in London’s Hyde Park. Dibble’s design – developed in association with Athfield Architects of Wellington…
Pinot Lovers Unite
Wellington is to host its third Pinot Noir festival from January 31 to February 3 2007. 500 of the world’s leading Pinot Noir experts, producers and enthusiasts have been invited to the prestigious tri-annual event, which was…
Walker Ahead
Karen Walker’s most recent London show has been labelled one of the top five trend setting collections for 2006 by the world’s leading fashion forecast agency, WGSN. Walker’s fellow style leaders include current buzz…
Award in the Bag
The giant handbag-shaped tent used at the openings of Louis Vuitton mega-stores in Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo and Paris has won its NZ manufacturers an esteemed international design award. Fabric Shelter Systems (Whangarei)…
Food for thought
A lengthy Independent feature examines Auckland’s burgeoning food scene – and NZ’s as a whole. While NZ has embraced café culture (“probably the best espresso experience outside Italy in about 13 years, skipping the…
New World Vanguard
NZ doubled its gold medal count from 2004 at this year’s International Wine Challenge in London, picking up an impressive 15. This gold increase was almost entirely due to red wines, showing that the…
Home Office
The work of New York based Kiwi architect David Howell scored the cover of September’s Interior Design magazine. Howell’s firm transformed the New York office of London post-production house Framestore CFC (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry…
Hot Stuff
LA Times asks local restaurants which “obscure and esoteric wines have become sudden hits” on their wine-lists. Eric Espuny, sommelier at Patina, names the 2003 Brancott Gewürztraminer Patutahi Estate’ as the hottest bottle on his.
Sideline Venture
NZ’s best known sportswear brand, Canterbury of New Zealand, registered on leading international trend analysis site WGSN’s radar with its entry into the US market. “In a sea of denim and tees,…
Cloudy Bay Credibility
The burgeoning NZ wine industry gets an extensive survey in The Drinks Business magazine (UK.) Author Penny Boothman cites several factors behind NZ’s success on the international market, including the ongoing Cloudy Bay effect….
.jpg)
About Me
Edge denim designer Nicole Colovos and husband Michael were guest editors and cover stars of the sixth issue of independent US magazine, Me. Created by New York art director Claudia Wu, Me profiles a…
Flash Gordon
The Times profiles NZ’s most famous cooking export, the “arch-exponent of fusion food” Peter Gordon. As well as owning the Sugar Club, Providores and Tapa Room (all in London), Gordon is consultant…
Cook me some eggs
Kiwi Josh Emett is the chef responsible for returning London institution The Savoy Grill to its former glory, picking up a coveted Michelin star in the process. As Head Chef, Emett is working under the…
Walker Sampled
Karen Walker features in the latest Sample publication by Phaidon – 100 Fashion Designers: 010 Curators. The idea behind the Sample series is for industry insiders to curate a selection of their favourite work within…
Must-see Designs
An impressive write-up in hip Italian trend forecasting magazine, Sport&Street, describes Air NZ Fashion Week as “a must-see fixture on the international fashion calendar.” Highlights include Zambesi (“Elisabeth Findlay, the epitome of an individualist…
Paris in Love
Viva magazine features New Zealand fashion designer Frances Howie, named one of the eight designers to-look-out for by British Vogue. Howie is designing in Paris for one of France’s oldest couture labels,…
