Tag Archives: Sydney Morning Herald (The)

Unearthing a Personal History

Unearthing a Personal History

Is an actual, physical, deadly and devastating earthquake too obvious a metaphor for personal upheaval? Sydney Morning Herald journalist Sally Pryor asks New Zealand author Lloyd Jones. Perhaps, he says, but in his case…

Dropping Soul-Dub in to Some Far-Flung Corners

Dropping Soul-Dub in to Some Far-Flung Corners

Wellington septet Fat Freddy’s Drop “are spreading their infectious grooves all over the world,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Paris Pompor. In a shrinking, fibre-connected world, the band find themselves in ever more…

New Zealand’s First Same-Sex Marriages Occur Across the Country

New Zealand’s First Same-Sex Marriages Occur Across the Country

Just hours after same-sex marriage laws came into force, New Zealand’s first gay marriages began taking place across the country. 31 couples plan on tying the knot today, but the number is likely to…

Centenarian Joins Sydney Reunion of WW2 Veterans

Centenarian Joins Sydney Reunion of WW2 Veterans

New Zealand World War II veteran Frank Harlow, 100, joined fellow New Zealanders living in Australia at their first ever reunion at the Sydney Maori Anglican Fellowship Church of Te Wairua Tapu in Redfern,…

Robbie Deans Steps Down as Coach of Wallabies

Robbie Deans Steps Down as Coach of Wallabies

New Zealander Robbie Deans has stepped down as couch of the Wallabies, following the 41-16 series-deciding loss to the British and Irish Lions. The former All Black broke new ground when he was appointed…

Australian IT Workers Eye Up New Zealand

Australian IT Workers Eye Up New Zealand

Australian information technology works are increasingly searching for work in New Zealand when looking for the next step in the careers. According to a survey by recruitment company Absolute IT, there has been a…

Transport Man Made Tough Decisions from the Top

Transport Man Made Tough Decisions from the Top

Nelson-born Frank Baldwin, who died in March aged 81, was “known for a career marked by innovation and a certain amount of controversy,” Mark Juddery writes in an obituary for The Sydney Morning Herald….

Artist Will Light Up Sydney at 2013 NYE’s Party

Artist Will Light Up Sydney at 2013 NYE’s Party

Former guitarist for band Mental as Anything, New Zealand visual artist Reg Mombassa, 61, has been named the City of Sydney’s NYE13’s creative ambassador. This year’s theme will be “shine”. Kylie Minogue had Sydney…

China Overtakes Australia as NZ’s Biggest Export Market

China Overtakes Australia as NZ’s Biggest Export Market

China has overtaken Australia as New Zealand’s biggest export market for the first time, buying more meat, dairy products and pine logs, while shipments across the Tasman have fallen, says the Sydney Morning Herald. …

Marlborough’s Top Dog

Marlborough’s Top Dog

“Never a country to flood markets with bargain swill, New Zealand today boasts the world’s highest average selling price for exported table wine,” Globe and Mail life columnist Beppi Crosariol writes. “I think that…

King-Wall Named Principal Dancer

King-Wall Named Principal Dancer

Ty King-Wall, 26, from Katikati has been named the latest – and youngest – 12th principal artist of the Australian Ballet. The company’s artistic director David McAllister said he was certain King-Wall would make a great…

Cycling Through Spectacular

Cycling Through Spectacular

It’s a stunning experience to pedal 310 kilometres of the Alps 2 Ocean trail from New Zealand’s highest peak to the Pacific Ocean, writes Andrew Bain for The Sydney Morning Herald. “Alps 2 Ocean…

YouTube Whizz-kid

YouTube Whizz-kid

Corey Harris is a 16-year-old high school pupil from Kerikeri, who likes hanging out with his mates, gaming, photography and spending time on his computer. The bright-eyed teen with spiky hair is also New…

That Maybe So, But

That Maybe So, But

Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region is now Australia’s top-selling white wine. A “savalanche” has left chardonnay and other whites for dust, and that gets right up the noses of Australian winemakers, who…

Big Beauty in Small Town

Big Beauty in Small Town

Queenstown is one of the world’s top 10 best small towns, according to Ben Groundwater of The Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s got all of the adrenalin-charged clichés you can think of,…

Outsider Looking In

Outsider Looking In

“This smart and sophisticated novel by prolific New Zealand writer C.K. Stead surveys the atrocities of our time – the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, the Balkan and Iraq wars, the…

Holding It In For A World Record

Holding It In For A World Record

Free divers, like New Zealander William Trubridge, 32, are taking extreme sports to new depths, while ever mindful of not being shark bait, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Emma Partridge. Trubridge continues to hold…

Improvising Love In NY

Improvising Love In NY

New Zealand filmmaker Florian Habicht, 30, lets the people direct his tale of romance in the Big Apple. In New York he fell in love every few minutes, Habicht says. “Like with life, with…

Unexpected Tourism Drawcard

Unexpected Tourism Drawcard

The international publicity from recent eruptions at Tongariro’s Te Maari crater may actually be helpful, according to local tourism operators. Te Maari crater erupted for about five minutes last week, emitting a plume of…

All Blacks Kick the Scottish

All Blacks Kick the Scottish

The All Blacks have enjoyed a great start to their European Tour, beating Scotland 51-22 at Murrayfield on Sunday. Despite a competitive Scottish side, the experienced All Blacks team played in a different league,…

What’s Not to Like

What’s Not to Like

Raised in the North Island town of Ruawai, Sydney-based actor Roy Billing, 65, lives with his New Zealand wife Linda Tizard, a former entertainment industry executive, in the suburb of Coogee. Coogee, Billing says,…

These Kids are Feeling Good

These Kids are Feeling Good

A song written by The Flight of the Conchords to raise money for medical research for children, soared straight to No. 1 on iTunes within 90 minutes of release. Their song, Feel Inside (and…

Snapping Up the Roles

Snapping Up the Roles

Former Wellingtonian actress Chelsie Preston Crayford, 25, says her career move to Sydney was not about culture or leaving for a bigger city. In fact, given the choice, she would live back in the…

Soundtrack to Youth

Soundtrack to Youth

New Zealander Luke Yeoward, frontman of Melbourne-based band the King Cannons, talks to The Sydney Morning Herald about the inspiration for the group’s debut album, which was released in June. Drawing on…

It’s the Cat’s Whiskers

It’s the Cat’s Whiskers

Auckland’s private Kristin School recently secured the rights to the world renowned musical CATS, spending $85,000 on its annual stage production. Executive principal and show producer Peter Clague said the big-budget show would rival…

New Zealand a Place of Healing

New Zealand a Place of Healing

West of Memphis, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by American filmmaker Amy Berg, has had its premiere in Wellington as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival. The…

Triumphant in Sydney Debut

Triumphant in Sydney Debut

Eighteen-year-old Pukekohe jockey Alysha Collett took on the big boys of the Sydney racing scene at Rosehill and emerged triumphant riding the Australian-trained Matiya’s Pride. Collett was invited to Australia by Sydney’s premier trainer…

Story Without Compromise

Story Without Compromise

“I don’t think I’ve read any fiction that marries the strengths of the short story and novel quite as adeptly, and without compromise, as Emily Perkins’ The Forrests,” Sydney Morning Herald journalist and author…

On the Slopes by Lunchtime

On the Slopes by Lunchtime

It’s possible to take an early flight from an eastern capital in Australia and be lining up at the lifts above Queenstown, by mid-afternoon, The Sydney Morning Herald’s online sports reporter Scott Spits explains….

Art the Lifeblood on Waiheke

Art the Lifeblood on Waiheke

“‘There’s something about this stretch of water that changes everything,’ sculptor Chris Bailey says, gesturing towards the Hauraki Gulf. ‘It has an almost cleansing effect.’” “Clambering out of Bailey’s cluttered ute, we…

Time to Pause for Thought

Time to Pause for Thought

An estimated 15,000 flocked to this year’s dawn service ceremony at the War Memorial Museum in Auckland to mark the 97th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli and to remember fallen servicemen and women….

Truly International Ambition

Truly International Ambition

Moa Beer founder Josh Scott’s vision is for Moa “to be New Zealand’s first true international beer”, with Australia and the US as prime export targets. “We recently refreshed the brand, including a redesign…

Well-Respected Senator Farewelled

Well-Respected Senator Farewelled

Picton-born Western Australian senator Judith Adams has died in Perth, aged 68. The former nurse, midwife and farmer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. “Senator Adams had many friends in the Australian Parliament,…

24 Hours In Rotovegas

24 Hours In Rotovegas

Rotorua set itself up as a tourist destination in the 1800s; its pink-and-white terraces became New Zealand’s first attraction with people having to pass through sleepy Rotorua to reach them. “Today, Rotorua receives 3.2…

Running Paths Of History

Running Paths Of History

New Plymouth-based ultra-distance runner Lisa Tamati and Australian travel journalist Chris Ord recently ran 140km from the desert outpost of Hermannsburg to Alice Springs — retracing the route taken by stockman Hezekial Malbunka when…

CarboNZero Skateventure

CarboNZero Skateventure

Auckland trio Alan Carnaby, Troy Bilbrough and Guy Parsons spent five weeks from November to January skateboarding 1600km from Arequipa, Peru to La Serena, Chile to raise awareness about sustainable travel. They wound through…

Sky is the Limit

Sky is the Limit

Since December, New Zealand-based SkyCity has been in talks with the South Australian government on the redevelopment and expansion of their Adelaide casino. SkyCity, which also has casinos in Auckland, Hamilton, Queenstown and Darwin,…

Killer Instinct KO’s American

Killer Instinct KO’s American

All Black and heavyweight boxer Sonny Bill Williams, 26, scored a first round knockout over American Clarence Tillman III at Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton earning him the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association championship…

Gibbs Farm Unprecedented

Gibbs Farm Unprecedented

“On a recent trip to New Zealand I was forced to meditate on the term ‘A Big Fish in a Small Sea,’” award-winning Sydney-based architect and designer Jon King writes. “For one I caught…

On Track For Tenth Crown

On Track For Tenth Crown

New Zealand has won the fourth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series beating arch-rivals Fiji 24-7 in Wellington. The withering burst of 24 unanswered points in five minutes gave New Zealand a victory…

Canterbury Gardens Enchant

Canterbury Gardens Enchant

From the grand estate of Otahuna Lodge, which was built in 1895 as the home of parliamentarian and horticulturist Sir Heaton, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Julietta Jameson views the heritage gardens of the Canterbury region. “Americans…

Uncompromised Magic

Uncompromised Magic

The Royal New Zealand Ballet performed Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition, which featured ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance, tap dancing and “a little bit of magic”, at Sydney’s State Theatre in January. “Children know…

Carterton’s Hot Air Balloon Tragedy

Carterton’s Hot Air Balloon Tragedy

New Zealand is in mourning following a fiery hot air balloon crash in the Wairarapa that left eleven people dead. The tragedy occurred when the balloon came entangled in power lines, causing the basket…

Region Of Potheads

Region Of Potheads

“New Zealand and Australia have a proud history of co-operation, but now it seems the nations have achieved a more dubious honour: the world’s biggest pot-heads,” The Sydney Morning Herald’s Amy Corderoy writes. “Together the countries…

One Legendary Queen

One Legendary Queen

Transgender icon Taumaranui-born Carmen Rupe has died in Sydney, aged 75. Carmen was born into a family of 13 and was known as Trevor Rupe for about the first 20 years of her life….

It’s Better Than Ever

It’s Better Than Ever

The Bay of Plenty region has launched a new tourism campaign in an attempt to erase images of oiled beaches and dead wildlife from the minds of potential visitors, rebranding itself with the slogan…

Alleged Fraudster Arrested

Alleged Fraudster Arrested

A New Zealander has been arrested in Australia for alleged embezzling $16 million from Queensland Health. 36-year-old Hohepa Morehu-Barlow — also known as Joel Barlow — had been evading police since Thursday afternoon when…

Observing Oceanic Responsibilities

Observing Oceanic Responsibilities

New Zealand and Australia have signed a marine observation agreement, which is expected to result in improved knowledge of regional climate systems. New Zealand’s high commissioner Major-General Martyn Dunne and Australia’s Science Minister Kim…

Radical Award For Professor

Radical Award For Professor

Christchurch biochemist Professor Christine Winterbourn has become the first woman to receive New Zealand’s top science award in its 20-year history, the Rutherford Medal. Winterbourn, Otago University pathology department’s director of the Free Radical…

Wellington-Fitzroy Pop-Up

Wellington-Fitzroy Pop-Up

When tickets went on sale for pop-up restaurant WLG in Fitzroy run by New Zealand’s best chefs, 500 seats were sold in 25 minutes. The temporary restaurant, named after Wellington’s airport code, opens for…

Jaw-dropping Triumph

Jaw-dropping Triumph

Player agent New Zealander Tyran Smith, 37, knows he’s set himself a tough benchmark by brokering perhaps the NRL’s most extraordinary contract — a two-year deal worth A$1.7 million for 19-year-old Will Hopoate who…

Roosters Snap Up Otahuhu Star

Roosters Snap Up Otahuhu Star

Auckland schoolboy 18-year-old fullback/winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been snapped up by the Sydney Roosters. Tuivasa-Sheck has starred in both rugby codes at schoolboy level and recently represented New Zealand’s national schoolboy rugby union team…

Good Kids Making Bad Choices

Good Kids Making Bad Choices

A New Zealand Transport Authority advertisement, created by Clemenger BBDO Wellington, is using humour to get the drink-driving message across to its young audience. Rather than rely on the shock tactics and graphic images…

Granny a Winning Outsider

Granny a Winning Outsider

The first woman to train a Melbourne Cup winner was New Zealander “Granny” McDonald (centre), who prepared outsider Catalogue in 1938. “Granny” had the eight-year-old under her care for five years. She had prepared…

Outback and Living Life

Outback and Living Life

“Somewhere in regional Australia lives a man whose tale has gone into New Zealand rugby’s folklore,” The Sydney Morning Herald’s Georgina Robinson writes. “He is Keith Murdoch, the towering All Black who hit a…

Omnified for Ninety-Five

Omnified for Ninety-Five

New Zealander Nigel Richards has won the World Scrabble Championships, for the second time, in Warsaw, Poland. Richards overcame 116 competitors from 44 countries to eventually defeat Australian Andrew Fisher in the final and…