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…
Tag Archives: Guardian (The)
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…
What Is the Sea Telling Us about Whale Strandings?
Whale whisperer Hori Parata was just seven years old when he attended his first mass stranding, a beaching of porpoises in Northland, their cries screeching through the air on the deserted stretch of sand. Seven…
Hopes Webcam Can save Endangered Albatross
Millions of amateur naturalists around the world have been tuning in to the secret lives of albatrosses as Department of Conversation (DOC) rangers on the Otago Peninsula employ YouTube in a bid to save…
Looking Forward to Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit
“Matthew McConaughey as a stoner poet, Hitler as an imaginary friend and Cats the movie – the third in our five-part look at 2019’s key titles takes us into strange territory,” Guardian film writes. “[Jojo…
Children Walk From One End of NZ to the Other
Jonathan Rapsey, six, and Elizabeth, nine, are on track to become the youngest to walk the 3000km Te Araroa trail, which runs the length of New Zealand, having completed the entire North Island a…
Bill Manhire’s Antarctic Poems Spare and Tender
Ernest Shackleton’s account of his mission and New Zealander Bill Manhire’s Field Notes are among Canadian author Jean McNeil’s favourites about the Antarctic continent. “Antarctica is the fifth largest continent, but it is home to almost…
The Big Fib at the Heart of NZ Picture-Perfect Peaks
“Roys Peak in Lake Wanaka is one of New Zealand’s most Instagrammed day walks, a three-hour hike that offers sweeping views towards Mount Aspiring and the Southern Alps,” writes Eleanor Ainge Roy in an…
Warren Gatland Potential Successor to Eddie Jones
Britain’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) interim chief executive, Nigel Melville, is planning to speak to New Zealander Warren Gatland OBE as part of his search for Eddie Jones’s successor as England head coach, The…
Steve Hansen to Step Down After 2019 World Cup
“Steve Hansen’s all-conquering reign as the New Zealand coach will end after the 2019 World Cup. The 59-year-old, who has been in charge of the All Blacks since 2012 and has had 16 years…
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…
Japan’s Urban Experience Shot by Cody Ellingham
With his moody night-time shots of urban environments, New Zealand-born, Tokyo-based photographer Cody Ellingham tries to tap into the current of a city, to travel forward into its future or retreat into the past. Ellingham…
Kiwi To Be Reintroduced to Wellington
Wellington could soon have kiwi nesting beside Parliament House thanks to an ambitious conservation project that aims to reintroduce New Zealand’s iconic national bird to the capital city within the next decade. There are 68,000…
They Shall Not Grow Old – “Utterly Breathtaking”
“Peter Jackson and team’s painstaking restoration of first world war footage is a cinematic triumph that all but brings young British soldiers back to life,” writes film critic Mark Kermode in a review published…
Sean Fitzpatrick’s First View of Twickenham
Former All Black captain, Auckland-born Sean Fitzpatrick, 55, looks back at the games he played at Twickenham, in a piece for the Guardian. “I remember arriving at Twickenham for the first time, for a game…
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….
UK High Commission in NZ to Recruit Māori Adviser & Te Reo Teacher
“The British high commission in New Zealand has been given the green light to recruit its first adviser on Māori affairs, as well as a te reo language teacher for high commissioner Laura Clarke.”…
Avocado Farmers Fighting to Save Crops
As the popularity of the avocado soars, growers in the Bay of Plenty have been forced to resort to extreme lengths to protect their crop from thieves Eleanor Ainge Roy reports for the Guardian. The…
Vincent Ward’s Alien 3 a Fascinating Film
“For every glittering Hollywood project that hits cinemas, there’s a whole lot more that don’t make it,” the Guardian’s Tom Huddleston reports. Included in his top five is New Zealand-born photographer and filmmaker Vincent…
Poet Nina Powles Wins New UK Prize
Wellington-born Nina Powles is one of the three recipients of the inaugural Women Poets’ prize, which aims to celebrate the empowerment of women and reward “creatively ambitious practitioners who are making or are capable…
Kieran Read Suggests Retirement Plans
All Blacks captain Kieran Read, 33, has said he is likely to quit international rugby after next year’s World Cup in Japan, his third Webb Ellis campaign, and take a contract overseas. “So for me…
Steve Hansen Suggests 16-Week Off-Seasons
“Steve Hansen has called for a mandatory 16-week off-season, days after an 11-month campaign was announced in England. The New Zealand head coach said England were still counting the cost of having 15 players…
Writing Saved Author Janet Frame
Spanning unusual cruelty and extraordinary kindness, authors from New Zealander Janet Frame to Briton Pat Barker explore an unsettling branch of medicine. The Guardian looks at the top ten books about psychiatry and includes Frame’s…
New Zealand Enters the Craft Beer Game
New Zealand’s “Ministry of Primary Industries wants to develop ‘a super-premium hops’ and craft beer in an attempt to emulate New Zealand’s success with wines such as sauvignon blanc and pinot noir,” writes Eleanor…
New Zealand Bird of the Year
The Kererū – “a native green and bronze wood pigeon with a taste for fermented fruit has been named the 2019 bird of the year in New Zealand” in a poll organised by Forest…
London’s Oceania Exhibition Gets More Rave Reviews
The new Oceania exhibition has just opened at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. The Guardian’s art reviewer Jonathan Jones was there, deeming the show “dazzling … like having the ocean…
Oceans Apart Doco a Tribute to Māori Determination
British art historian James Fox presents Oceans Apart: Art and the Pacific, an “engaging” BBC documentary exploring Māori culture. It is reviewed in The Guardian by Emine Saner. In Oceans Apart, Fox examines artworks that…
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…
Video of One Honky-Tonky Wonky Donkey Goes Viral
A Scottish grandmother’s reading of New Zealander Craig Smith’s 2009 children’s picture book The Wonky Donkey to her grandson in a home video has seen demand for it skyrocket around the…
Harry Potter Musical Casts Gareth Reeves in Lead
Playing the boy who lived – well, the man who lived, given that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts – is Gareth Reeves (pictured right),…
NZ Lamb Has Lower Carbon Footprint than UK’s
From cod to clingfilm to New Zealand lamb, the advice UK consumers have been given can often be confusing, according to The Guardian’s Tony Naylor. If you’re serious about eating green, the publication offers some straightforward…
Gibbs Sculpture Park #1 Guardian Favourite
“We didn’t think anything manmade could compete with the grandeur of New Zealand’s natural beauty. Then we went to Gibbs Farm Sculpture Park, near Auckland,” Guardian…
Adapting Ruth Park’s Novels for the Stage
New Zealand-born author Ruth Park’s novel, The Harp in the South caused an uproar in 1948 for its portrayal of working-class life. Now, the Sydney Theatre Company has turned it into an epic stage…
How to Breakfast like an Antipodean
New Zealand and Australian cooks are creating sunny, generous and unexpected takes on a classic meal, inspiring food-lovers far and wide. The Guardian’s Mina Holland investigates what makes a real Antipodean breakfast, and where…
Wes Anderson-Like Cool in New Zealand
“An Instagram account dedicated to photos of locations that bear an uncanny resemblance to a stylised Wes Anderson film set – think balanced symmetry, pastel facades and cinematic setups – has contributions from all…
David Farrier Flies into the City of the Dead
“The capital city of Turkmenistan is blisteringly dry and hot, dumped in the middle of the desert. It also holds the record for the highest density of buildings made from white marble, which bounce…
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,…
Portia Woodman Makes Top 10 Most Influential
Black Ferns winger Portia Woodman, 27, has made the top 10 on a list of rugby union’s most influential people, ahead of any of her male All Blacks counterparts and two spots below All…
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…
Google and Disney Join Rush to Te Reo
Te Reo is undergoing a revival – lessons are packed, songs are top of the pops, and even the prime minister wants to be part of it. Māori language teachers from Auckland to Dunedin…
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…
Author Eleanor Catton on the Books That Changed Her
New Zealand Booker Prize-winning novelist Eleanor Catton recently spoke with The Guardian on the crackpot astrological study she’d like to write, and the book she finds “dishonest, pious and vengeful”, for the newspaper’s regular…
Time May Be Running Out for Tāne Mahuta
New Zealand’s oldest and most sacred tree, Tāne Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), stands 60m from death, as a fungal disease known as kauri dieback spreads unabated across the country. Despite stringent efforts by…
Media Boss Sam Chisholm Nine Network’s Starmaker
New Zealand-born media heavyweight Sam Chisholm has died in Sydney. He was 78. During his four-decade career, Chisholm was head of Australia’s Nine Network and chief executive at Britain’s Sky Television. He was appointed chief…
Frolicking Right Whale Charms Wellingtonians
A huge southern right whale frolicking in Wellington harbour brought the capital’s waterfront to a standstill last week as locals skipped work to catch a glimpse of the animal. Southern right whales used to be…
NZ Most Perilous Place for Seabirds
“Seabirds are more at risk of dying due to plastic in New Zealand than anywhere else in the world, new research presented to parliament has shown.” Eleanor Ainge Roy reports for
Kayaker Paddles from Australia to New Zealand
“Scott Donaldson has arrived in New Plymouth after spending two months at sea, covering 2000km,” as reported in The Guardian. “The 48-year-old has become the first person to kayak the…
Jacinda Ardern What the Global Left Needs Now
The future of the left is bright if it looks like Jacinda Ardern and American political activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to Guardian Australian columnist Van Badham. As a political communication, Ardern’s recent handheld Facebook Live…
Jane Campion’s the Piano Still Hits All The Right Notes
“Rereleased after 25 years, this literary work about a mute woman in 19th-century New Zealand remains full of extraordinary images and enigmas,” writes Peter Bradshaw in a review in The…
Winston Peters’ 40-Year Political Rise
The ascension of power will be a curious one for Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters who, at times through his career, has looked like he could take the role with ease and at others…
Q&A with Instapoet Star Hera Lindsay Bird
Acclaimed by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, as “the most arresting and original new young poet”, New Zealander Hera Lindsay Bird, 31, is one of the stars of the new generation of “Instapoets”…
NZ Female Cricketers Make World’s Best List
A Guardian newspaper panel of 15 experts compiled a list of the globe’s top 20 greatest female players, which includes Dunedin-born Suzie Bates (pictured), 30, Christchurch-born Amy Satterthwaite, 31, and Sophie Devine, 28, from…
NZ Radio Station That Wants Listeners to Switch Off
“John Watson is the first to admit that his DJ skills put people to sleep. Luckily for him, that is the point,” writes Charles Anderson in an article for The…
