NEW ZEALAND EDGE

122 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 4 Dec 2009

2009-12-04T14:05:00.000+13:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Left: All Black captain Richie McCaw; retiring Oxford Vice-Chancellor Dr John Hood; soprano Kiri Te Kanawa; film producer Tim Bevan; entrepreneur Wade Thompson (1940-2009)

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this sampling of global media appearing in The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Brisbane Times, The Baltimore Sun, Geo, The Sydney Morning Herald, Telegraph, BBC, The Australian, The Age, Courier Mail, The Times, Guardian, BBC, Empire, Irish Times, Oxford Gazette, The Japan Times and The Sacramento Bee include:

• Richie McCaw “hunter of midfield backs, wrecking ball”, and “the man”
• John Hood gives retiring Vice-Chancellor’s Oration at Oxford
• Kiri Te Kanawa performs in DC, urges students to find their voice
• Tim Bevan, film producer, honoured by Gotham Independents, NY
• Wade Thompson, innovator of American travel and transport, dies , 69
• All Whites into 2010 World Cup with 1-0 win over Bahrain, Wellington
• All Blacks “overwhelm” France 39-12 in Marseille; “best display” in '09
• New Zealand 2009 ski season best yet; 1.5m hit slopes
• New Zealand relaxes migration policy; enticing foreign entrepreneurs
• Robert Wade, economics professor, predicts more recession
• New Zealand, a Lonely Planet Top 10 country to visit in 2010
• Temuera Morrison, sought by Ray Winstone in latest film Tracker
• Elizabeth Knox’s sequel to Vintner’s Luck, published to strong praise
• Ian Grant, Wairarapa, says NZ newspapers have a strong future
• New Zealand ideal place to “gain maximum from everyday life”
• Tekapo-Aoraki night sky World Heritage bid accepted; awaits final ok
• Whale Watch Kaikoura, winner of Virgin Holidays Tourism Awards
• Stuart Dryburgh, cinematographer, brings essential artistry to Amelia
• New Zealanders understand underplayed luxury; “unpretentious”
• ASR Limited’s Bournemouth artificial reef opens; first of kind in EU
• Robbie Deans, Wallaby coach, in purgatory until he beats All Blacks
• Charlotte Dawson, The Contender co-host, talks about men in her life
• Dan Carter sublime Man of the Match against Welsh in All Black win
• Dr Greg Browne, geologist, discovers dinosaur tread, NW Nelson
• Challenge NZ sees UK contestants blog way round country to win
• Otago University researchers study effects of abortion on 500 women
• Peter Dengate Thrush heads “biggest change” since internet began
• Jonah Lomu, 2019 World Cup ambassador and in “best shape ever”
• New Zealand’s low production costs mean US milk ad shot here
• Brenda and Robert Vale, authors, compare SUVs to pets in new book
• University of Auckland develops ice cream to stem chemo side-effects
• Jane Campion’s Bright Star “work of an auteur in charge” of her craft
• Jemaine Clement, Conchord, talks live shows and Predicament
• All Blacks win over Wallabies 32–19 in front of 44,030 in Tokyo
• New Zealand Land Transport act bans drivers using hand-held phones
• Rotorua “think Yellowstone” but with zorbing, caving and luges
• Owen Glen’s NZ-trained Monaco Consul wins $A1.5m Victoria Derby

DENIS O’REILLY: NGA KUPU AROHA/WORDS OF LOVE, BLOG #36
IT'S THE PUTTING WHITE THAT COUNTS
Den reckons it's alright to be white in Aotearoa. He says he's comfortable in his skin as a card-carrying Pakeha, a member of Tangata Tiriti, and a paid up subscriber to the Treaty of Waitangi. He's a Kiwi, belongs here, and is subject to conservation and protection orders. He recalls past dealings with Hone Harawira but concludes that despite some frustrations with him Hone has an important role to play in our nation building. Den suggests that if he can't be included in Parliamentary politics he returns to the politics of the street and focuses on politicising the brown proloteriat. Responding to Winston Peters' challenge he could join the Maori gangs and lead them past their self defeating behaviours and Gonville lifestyles to become a new form of Nga Tamatoa. Following the death of Martyn Sanderson, Den reflects on this man's life and his use of theatre to resolve Black vs White conflicts and to right wrongs. He concludes "it's the putting white that counts". (3,442 words)

LOS ANGELES SCREENING FOR
THE TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS
Screening at The Fairfax Cinema, 7907 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles 90048, (323) 655-4010
Fri 4th 7pm / Sat 5th 3pm / Sun 6th 3pm / Mon 7th – Thurs 10th 7pm

Presented by Diva Films, NZ Film Commission, NZ On Air, and SweeneyVesty

“A doco that has you falling in love with two of the crazier people you’ve never met.” Variety (LA). “It takes a very special documentary to deny Michael Moore a top festival prize, but to see The Topp Twins is to fall in love with it.” Screen International (London). “Enormously likeable, warm-hearted, moving and very funny. The Twins have mastered the difficult art of being very funny without excluding anyone from the joke. Part sing-along, part concert, part comedy show, their act covers all the bases.” Eureka Street (Melbourne).

Director Leanne Pooley, Producer Arani Cuthbert
Cadillac Peoples’ Choice Award – Toronto International Film Festival 2009
Audience Award – Melbourne International Film Festival 2009
Best Feature (under $1million) – Qantas NZ Film & TV Awards 2009
Best Original Music in a Feature – Qantas NZ Film & TV Awards 2009

Here are the Top 10 titles for November:

Kea – Mountain Parrot, NHNZ 1993 – Our beloved avian prankster
Close to Home, TV 1975 – Roger Hall-created soap of the Heartes
Face of Fashion, music video 1989 – Chris Knox's classic facial clip
Best of Billy T James Collection, TV 1992 – Billy T at his non-PC best
Gliding On, TV 1981 – Series satirising the pen-pushing working life
Gloss, TV series 1987–1990 – Yuppies, Walkmen; "cult glitter soap"
Face to Face With Kim Hill, TV 2003 – Showdown with John Pilger
Not Given Lightly, music video 1989 – Another beaut from Chris Knox
Aeon, short film 2004 – Wellington gets the 'time-scape' treatment
In a Land of Plenty, doco 2002 – Story of unemployment in NZ

THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE is a new way of presenting our identity, people, stories, achievements and our role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders. Aotearoa whanau whanui kite ao nui.

Top image, Motuotau Island, Mt Maunganui; above, Palliser Bay from Wharekaukhau. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

121 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 5 Nov 2009

2009-11-05T14:04:00.000+13:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

From left: choreographer and writer Douglas Wright; historian James Belich; virtual engineer David Ten Have of Ponoko; writer and academic Denis Dutton; director Colin McColl (px Robert Catto)

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this sampling of global media appearing in Daily Express, Newstrack India, BBC, Telegraph, Newsweek, The Times, Maldon Standard, Hindustan Times, Inc. Magazine, Washington Post, The Star-Ledger, The Kansas City Star, The Scotsman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Fox Business, Vogue, Guardian, The New York Times, Sun, The Age, The Salt Lake Tribune and Horse & Hound include:

• Douglas Wright's Ghost Dance, one of ‘50 Top Gay & Lesbian Books’
• James Belich uncovers “troubled history of Imperialism” in new book
• Ponoko, Wellington co., “designing a factory for the 21st century”
• Denis Dutton, academic, muses “impressive” price tags of concept art
• Colin McColl’s Italian Girl in Algiers not bound by European tradition
• Silver Ferns, win inaugural Fastrack World Series beating Jamaica
• New Zealand accent most attractive and prestigious outside UK
• Suzie Moncrief, WOW, took “art off the walls" and put it on people
• Burt Munro, salt flats speedster, smuggled fuel disguised as wine
• Samantha McIntosh, showjumper, 34, wins at UK's Horse of the Year
• Daniel Vettori “doughty batsman, skilful bowler and shrewd captain”
• Denis Dutton, Art Instinct author, bento boxes elevated to “art”
• Surf City, Auckland band, play NY CMJ Marathon; “buzz band” status
• Stoneleigh enables NZ pinot noir to gain foothold in US
• Fallon Simchowitz, 17, Kansas, bilingual in sign language
• Napier “offers engaging ... concentration of provincial 30s edifices”
• New Zealand tramping “best & most economical way” to see country
• Rhythm & Vines, NYE; Hot Water Beach, 2 of 6 best things to do
• New Zealand base-jumper leaps 421m off KL’s International Tower
• Dr Rob Young, Respiragene, says fear motivator for kicking habit
• FOTConchords’ new album out in UK; “told you they were funky”
• Jane Campion’s Bright Star one of her best films; Oscar contender
• Cliff Curtis, Trauma star and “super hero”, 41, shuns stunt double
• Txt2Quit, 26-week quit smoking programme, offers mobile support
• Matt Reed, US-based triathlete, 34, wins Toyota Cup series, Dallas
• Alyn Ware, peace activist, awarded Nobel alt for anti-nuke stance
• Myfanwy van Hoffen, Zimbabwean immigrant, proud to be a NZer
• New Zealand has “good ideas” when it comes to tort reform
• Dunedin “quirkiest” in NZ with Nude Blacks; Jaffa race; “love train”
• Erebus 30th anniversary sees Air NZ apologise to victims’ families
• Claire Bulman, author, publishes debut children’s book, UK
• Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones to screen for Queen
• Lake Tarawera’s sizzling sandy edge a new sensation for journo
• Jessica McCormack, jeweller, designs 2009 Fashion Fringe trophy
• Kevin Roberts, nzedge co-founder, quizzed on state of the ad industry
• Atconz Real Estate to spend $100m on Iraqi housing development
• Sunil Kadri, Male Entrepreneur of the Year for salmon “fish disco”
• Coromandel “magical”; author Fay Weldon’s favourite place
• Anna Paquin, True Blood star, less Baywatch more Erin Brokovich
• Liam Finn, musician, “forging his own way” in tenor-falsetto, USA
• New Zealand cricket: “meagre resources; better record than England”
• Rodd & Gunn raise bar of excess with AU$30,250 crocodile-skin bag
• Fat Freddy’s Drop compared to 70’s funksters Ave. White Band; War
• Sirocco, randy kakapo, filmed mating with wrong species, a zoologist
• Jonah Lomu, takes on bodybuilding ahead of return to French rugby
• Jane Campion, director, “a friskily spontaneous breeze”, Harvey Keitel

RUGBY COMMENTARY WITH 'REAL BALLS'
The Alternative Rugby Commentary and its’ host Jed ‘Jedi’ Thian embark on another Northern Hemisphere jaunt in November, following the All Blacks on their end of year tour of the UK to give a fresh, frank and funny look at our national game. For five weeks the House Bar in Wimbledon will play host to the ARC with five confirmed shows for the All Blacks’ autumn internationals against Wales, Italy, England, France and the Barbarians. “If you are a Rugby lover but the guy on the TV has been giving you the s****, then the Alternative Rugby Commentary is where you want to be for this November’s autumn Internationals.” With growing fame all over the world as the driving force behind Alternative Rugby Commentary, Thian has been in the hot seat since 2005, bringing his unique brand of bombastic bluster and acerbic verbal jousting to the staid world of sport commentary. The ARC is simulcast on the web at www.arcrugby.co.nz for “real sports fans all over the world who want sports commentary with real balls.”

Top image, Walter Peak, Queenstown; above, Mana Island, Kapiti. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

120 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 21 Oct 2009

2009-10-21T16:42:00.000+13:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

SAMOA AND TONGA TSUNAMI RELIEF – Help NZ's Pacific neighbours by donating to World Vision or Oxfam, both working on site with local organisations, or bid at the Artists for the Tsunami Relief art auction at Webb's.

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Pictured: Sir Howard Morrison, Ohinemutu Maori village in Rotorua, Hayley Westenra, Toast Martinborough, Caitlin Smith

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this sampling of global media appearing in Bradenton Herald, WA Today, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Scottish Sun, The Times, The Salt Lake Tribune, Horse & Hound, The Korea Herald, ESPN, Billboard, Courier Mail, Examiner, The Herald, The Independent, Time, Frankie, Earth Times, Northern Territory News, Star Tribune, CNN, Guardian, New York Times, The Independent on Sunday and The Age include:

• Sir Howard Morrison, entertainer and man of the people dies, aged 74
• Rotorua, “the centre of Maori culture” with hangi pits of smoky kumara
• Hayley Westenra, soprano, 22, to become UK Forces Sweetheart
• Toast Martinborough now in 18th year; 10,000 tickets sell in minutes
• Caitlin Smith, singer, included in Queenstown JazzFest line-up
• 100% Pure campaign tops UN international branding survey
• David Tua, boxer, 36, K.Os Shane Cameron in "smashing fashion"
• Ladyhawke, 30, delirious after scooping six Tuis at NZ Music Awards
• Sir Edmund Hillary still the “greatest living New Zealander”
• Sacha Jones, tennis player, 18, earns biggest career win at in Darwin
• Peter Jackson, director, grapples with lofty expectations − his own
• Margaret Moth, camerawoman, ‘Fearless’ in CNN documentary
• Kerry Fox, actress, ‘Jane’ and ‘Sarah’ in Lantana adaption, London
• Ben Ruffell, cameraman, to make film about US journo come vintner
• Kate Sylvester “the country’s best kept fashion secret”
• New Zealand’s island ecology intrigued Hitchhiker’s Douglas Adams
• Bryan Gould, former UK Labour luminary, counsels Party members
• Robert Fair’s juvenile pranks behind Beano boy Dennis The Menace
• Daniel Vettori and his Black Caps; a team “punching above its weight”
• Cliff Curtis, actor, 41, plays daredevil medic ‘Rabbit’ in NBC’s Trauma
• Kathryn Wilson, shoe designer, opens apartment to Frankie
• Glenn Martin, jetpack inventor, auctions flight on eBay
• Kauri Cliffs, "Pebble Beach but better"; “coolest perk ... hunting”
• Graeme Solloway, trade commissioner, Seoul, promotes tech. ties
• Fashion Week “not an edgy scene so much as on the very edges”
• Stanley Makuwe, playwright, premieres latest work in Zimbabwe
• WOW, Wellington, 21st year, “glorious rebellion against the mundane”

DENIS O'REILLY: BLOG #35, BREATHE THROUGH THE NOSE
While this website charts the achievements of the nation's go-getters, we also provide breathing room to those who are dispossessed and socially excluded. Of the 238 nations in the world, New Zealand slots in at #125 in population size, yet in the top quartile (#57) in terms of our (racially skewed) prison population. New meaning to the cliché “punch above our weight.” The eloquent rage of Hawkes Bay's Denis O'Reilly – protestor, priest, and poet rolled into one – is felt in each of the 35 Nga Kupu Aroha columns he has written for nzedge.com since September 04. Not much stands in the way of Denis this month – our nation's thinking (“dominated by talk-back rant, angry invective, intolerance, and sensationalist tabloid journalism”), Whanganui Mayor Michael Laws (”a populist white knight, clad in vitriolic armour”), the triviality of political life (“an appearance by the PM on Letterman's talkshow is accorded the significance akin to a huge oil find in the Southern Basin”), white collar criminals (“whilst we call these Maori gangs 'organised criminal groups' they're a far call from the really organised criminal groups, particularly those 'banksters' in the Pakeha financial sector"), and our “criminal justice industrial complex” (“What we are doing now is dumb. It's wrong economically. It's wrong in terms of the human wealth and health of the nation. It's wrong in terms of social justice, and our international obligations around human rights. It is going to poison our society.”) I met Denis in 1979 at Waikato U, giving stage to his views and voice. In my pol sci studies I became aware of one of New Zealand's great civil servants, Secretary of Justice John Robson, whose work is archived in the Napier Public Library. Robson was significantly responsible for the abolition of the death penalty in New Zealand, and was the leading voice for restorative justice and prison reform. In many ways Denis is channeling Robson in his advocacy for strong communities and a just society. Den is a radical optimist; his latest column is Breathe Through the Nose (6,500 words).

BIRDS OF PARADISE
Jeremy “Newsboy” Wells (Eating Media Lunch, The Unauthorised History of New Zealand) tackles unfamiliar territory in a new TV series Birdland (TVOne Saturdays, 7pm), which has him celebrating New Zealand’s unique bird life and, true to form, it is not your typical wildlife show. Wells freely admits that he’s no expert when it comes to birds and his reasons for undertaking the project are typically atypical. “Sadly every other subject for a television show had been taken. Lush took trains, Hamish Keith stole art and Radar mucked about on a farm. As far as I'm aware birds were the last subject of national importance left to milk,” says Wells. The show takes viewers on an unconventional yet informative journey that soaks up some of our most beautiful scenery, our most glorious birds and some wonderfully eccentric characters of the birding world. During the series, Wells visits the Moa graveyard of Karamea (found only after a eight hour underground caving expedition), meets Woof Woof, the talking Tui of Whangarei, and explores the arcane world of poultry and pigeon breeders at their annual competition. “After six years scratching around insulting minor celebrities on late night television it’s been a revelation to get outdoors and rub shoulders with people passionate about something other than themselves.”

Here are the Top 10 titles for September:

This Is Your Life – Sir Howard Morrison, TV 1989 – Tribute to 'The Sinatra of New Zealand'
Flare – A Ski Trip, NFU short film 1977 – Funky promotional doco featuring snow 'ski ballet'
Heavenly Pop Hits – The Flying Nun Story, TV 2002 – Run-down on iconic indie music label
Best of The Billy T James Collection, TV 1992 – Swansong for much-loved comedian
Moa's Ark, TV series 1990 – Investigation into our unique flora and fauna by David Bellamy
Woolly Valley, TV series 1981 – Low-tech children's puppet show with rustic charm
Britten – Backyard Visionary, TV 1993 – Homage to maverick DIY motorcycle designer
Open Door – M.E, TV 2008 – Community-based show looking at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Peter Snell – Athlete, NFU short film 1964 – 800m gold medalist's lead up to Tokyo
Kaikohe Demolition, feature film 2004 – Florian Habicht's 'far out' Far North demo derby

Top image, Raumati South; above, Wellington's central cityscape. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

119 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 2 Oct 2009

2009-10-02T09:55:00.000+13:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured: Richard O'Brien, Melanie Lynskey, Ursula Bethell, Suraya Singh, Gin Wigmore

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in Variety, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Indian Country News, Sky News, The Miami Herald, The Ecologist, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, The Age, Drift Magazine, The New York Times, The Georgia Straight, Courier Mail, Dumbo Feather, The Independent on Sunday, Los Angeles Times and The Australian include:

• Richard O’Brien, Rocky Horror writer; career began in Tauranga
• Melanie Lynskey, 32, actress, has "pivotal" roles in three films at TIFF
• Ursula Bethell, a “seminal figure in 20th century NZ poetry” – Guardian
• Suraya Singh, 30, Filament editor, first to publish erection pictorial
• Gin Wigmore, 23, singer, releases Holy Smoke; dedicated to dad
• Jason Wynyard, 36, lumberjack, chops to first place in World Champs
• Topp Twins, Toronto darlings, massage NZ identity with affection
• Scott Dixon, 29, wins Indy Japan 300, tops leaderboard, one to go
• Jonah Lomu, 34, 114kg, second in +90kg class at bodybuilding comp
• Robert Pearson gains 2nd in IPA's Abstract Pro section for ‘Entrophy’
• Taieri Gorge a Telegraph one of the ‘world’s most remarkable places
• New Zealand a campervanning mecca, scenery like the Lake District
• Auckland University scientists develop $122,000 wireless heart pump
• Dan Simon, art collective leader and squatter “with serious purpose”
• Linda White Wolf, Chickasaw and Maori US TV host, discovers roots
• Wanganui now Whanganui; spelling debate dubbed the ‘H’ bomb
• Ewan Kingston, on limited budget forgoes air travel from UK to NZ
• Julian & Camilla's World Odyssey broadcasts to 117 countries
• New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Review “green PR gone wild”
• Ladyhawke and artist Sarah Larnach, 30, collaborate on Becks label
• Brendon Hartley, 19, Red Bull F3 driver, wins maiden Euro race, UK
• David Trubridge, furniture creator, considers localising quality design
• New Zealand researchers find living with animals wards off sneeze
• ASR Ltd, Raglan-based reef designers, create waves with geotextiles
• Black Mag one of 23 independent “style bibles” featuring on FTape
• Hoki, McDonald’s filet-o-fish staple; “bounty it seems, is not limitless”
• Nick & Val Martin, Pelorus posties, deliver to “people varied as terrain”
• Jane Campion, to adapt Munro’s Runaway in current vein of love
• Dr Kerry Spackman, The Winner’s Bible author, to help ABs rewire
• Haast’s eagle, extinct predator, not scavenger, attacked moa
• Andrew Prieditis, 30, published in 60 global papers in past six weeks

DIGITISING OUR CULTURE
Set up in 2002, the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre (NZETC) is a fantastic and precious resource initiated by the Victoria University of Wellington, with the aim of creating a digital library providing open access to significant New Zealand and Pacific Island texts and materials. The standards-based collection is delivered through an Open Source framework and offers full and free access to a range of materials in multiple formats for download or online browsing. Today the NZETC collection contains over 2,600 texts (around 65,000 pages) and receives over 10,000 visits daily. To read the news on developments at the NZETC visit their blog. There you can find out what texts have been added to the collection and what projects they have been working on.

NZEDGE.COM ENDORSES WHANGANUI

Top image, Mount Tutuko, Fiordland; above, clouds above Raumati South. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

118 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 18 Sep 2009

2009-09-18T09:55:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured: Martin Henderson, Lizzie Gillett, Adam Turnbull and David Melling, Josh Emett, Kris Bright

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in BBC, Wine Spectator, Daily Mail, Guardian, Economist, Billboard, AdFreak, Hollywood Reporter, Big League, Condé Nast, China Daily and Telegraph include:

• Martin Henderson, 34, Battle in Seattle star, signs six-figure ABC deal
• Lizzie Gillett, 31, “ran a crew of 105 in 6 countries for 2 years”
• Turnbull & Melling, 23, cross Cook Strait in floating Toyota Van
• Josh Emett, 36, Ramsay’s right-hand-man, stars in Chef de Cuisine
• Kris Bright, 22, striker, signs with Shrewsbury; likened to Ole Gunnar
• New Zealand runner-up best destination on the planet
• Air New Zealand asks Twits for comment on Grab-a-seat campaign
• New Zealand wine industry for sale; foreign ownership over 45%
• Grant Ryan’s YikeBike “collision between mantis and child’s scooter”
• Mark Baldwin, Rambert artistic director, inspired by Darwin and birds
• R. Bank, “first to pass hard-and-fast rules for liquidity since crisis”
• Danielle Miller, Warriors cheergirl, voted no. 1 in the NRL
• Midnight Youth, Ladyhawke nominated in upcoming NZ Music Awards
• Short-haired bumble bee queens in NZ help reintroduce insect in UK

NEW PLYMOUTH, Sept 25, 6pm, Len Lye Book Launch, Govett-Brewster

Director Rhana Devenport and the team at Govett-Brewster Art Gallery celebrate the launch of Len Lye, the most comprehensive presentation of Lye’s art to date. Co-edited by Govett-Brewster Len Lye Curator Tyler Cann and critic and poet Professor Wystan Curnow, Len Lye throws fresh light on the inventive vitality of one of our most celebrated artists. Visit Govett-Brewster website for further details.

AUCKLAND Sept 26–Oct 31, Tempo New Zealand Festival of Dance

Artistic Director Mary-Jane O’Reilly choreographs an entire festival of dance across several Auckland venues featuring contemporary showcases, hip hop and urban dance, film, studio open days, late night burlesque, student productions, and workshops. Presentations by Footnote and Royal New Zealand Ballet. Personal highlights include the launch of the book Black Milk, a collaboration between choreographer Douglas Wright, photographer John Savage and publisher Craig Potton based on Wright’s acclaimed 2006 dance-theatre work (pictured); honoring the career of Limbs’ foundation dancer Debra McCulloch; and the late night performances by four stunning veteran performers Marieke Marygold, MJ O'Reilly, Lyne Pringle and the always extraordinary Kilda Northcott. http://www.tempo.co.nz/

Top image, cloud formations above Raumati South; above, Gibbston Valley, Queenstown. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

117 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 12 Sep 2009

2009-09-12T09:53:00.001+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured: Lynda and Jools Topp, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Mahe Drysdale, Tall Blacks' Lindsay Tait and Kirk Penney, Zöe Bell

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in Nylon, Toronto Star, USA Today, BBC News, Financial Director, Financial Times, Examiner.com, Guardian, Times Online, Philippine Star, Vogue Australia, Daily Mail, The Sydney Morning Herald, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Telegraph, Nhân Dân and Wall Street Journal include:

• Topp Twins, singers, yodelers, Untouchable Girls film plays at TIFF
• Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, poet of Sth Pacific complexities, dies, 84*
• Mahe Drysdale, 31, unbeatable in Poland; 4th single-skulls title
• Tall Blacks thump Boomers 100–78; earn spot at World Champs
• Zöe Bell, “stuntmaster turned actor of the moment” in Angel of Death
• Fonterra’s vast areas of clean grass; clear competitive advantage
• Meridian Energy buy US solar facility to explore potential in NZ
• Emirates Team NZ “back to their best” winning back-to-back regattas
• New Zealand wine, favourite for Australians; exports up by 31%
• Rob McCallum, veteran explorer, leads search for Amundsen’s plane
• Kevin Hayes, London-based Man Group’s FD and hedge fund maestro
• Jan Nye, development advisor, Dili, 59, cycles inaugural Tour de Timor
• Anna Paquin, who “has an Oscar and a cool accent”, talks to Nylon
• Judy Millar, artist, “at home where the world ceases to exist”
• Uni of Otago study shows boys perform best in single-sex schools
• Neil Finn, Liam, Elroy, brother Tim, Wilco create album of “real gems”
• Jane Campion’s The Piano, “a seminal moment in Australian cinema”
• Mark Blumsky, former mayor, on Slippers: Service and Selling
• Kiri Te Kanawa no “elitist”; opera sung by“ordinary” people
• Ian Yeoman, travel futurologist, predicts robot service, space tourism
• Dave Murray one of four NZers in grueling 1000km Mongol Derby
• Rachel Reid, 17, wins US scholarship, and time to be with ill sister
• Jossi Wells, 19, skier, silver at Winter Games, “big news overseas”
• James Kember, ambassador to Vietnam, earns medal for friendship
• Shane Bond, 34, back to international cricket after two-year hiatus

* In Wellington Alistair Campbell associated with a rebellious set of young writers who became known as the Wellington Group and published his first book of poetry, Mine Eyes Dazzle (1950), which was hailed by the New Zealand poet James K Baxter as "one of the defining events of recent New Zealand poetry". Its greatest poem, Elegy, memorialises a friend killed in a mountaineering accident: "The shattered cliff's sheer/ Face spurts myriads/ Of waterfalls, like tears/ From some deep-bowed head/ Whose colossal grief is stone." (Guardian)

Here are the Top 10 titles for August:

Flare – A Ski Trip, NFU short film 1977 – Snow 'ski ballet'
A Haunting We Will Go, TV 1980 – Enter Count Homognized
Revolution – Fortress NZ, doco 1996 – 80s economic reforms
Trio At The Top, doco 2001 – McLaren, Hulme and Amon
Play School, TV series 1975–1990 – Preschooler's programme
Top Town, TV series 1977– Town against town, TV Gold
Billy T James – Live, TV 1990 – Swansong for non-pc comedian
Ten Guitars, doco 1996 – Roots of "national anthem of Patea"
It's In The Bag, TV Series 1973–1990 – Popular TV quiz show
Patu!, feature film 1983 – Doco about 1981 Springbok tour

Top image and above: Raumati South. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

116 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 2 Sep 2009

2009-09-02T09:50:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured: Jemaine Clement, surfers at Piha, Neil Finn, Black Ferns, Chad Taylor

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in Rolling Stone, National Geographic, Times Online, Bust, Globe and Mail, Dexinger, ABC News, The Weekly Times, The Argus, Brisbane Times, BBC News, Phnom Penh Post, Fox News, The New York Times, The Toronto Star, Guardian, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald include:

• Jemaine Clement, Conchord, Bust’s favourite cleft-chinned comedian
• Piha beach secures 2010 Quiksilver World Junior Surfing champs
• Neil Finn join Wilco, Radiohead on The Sun Came Out for Oxfam
• Black Ferns, to play November double-header with ABs, Twickenham
• Chad Taylor, writer, pens new book The Church of John Coltrane
• Christopher Banks’ 13min Teddy first NZ film to screen at Iris Festival
• Rob Hamill, Olympic rower, confronts brother’s murderer at KR trial
• New Zealanders vote ‘No’ in smacking debate; “law is working”, Key
• New Zealand and Australia; “alot of differences”, union not the answer
• Badtown, West Auckland punks, sell possessions for Brighton tour
• Coronet Peak, perfect piste for international Winter Olympic training
• Jeremy Clarke, NJ-based chopper pilot dies, 32, “skilled, professional”
• Lloyd Watkin’s Tirau farm, a “peaceful middle of nowhere”
• Fat Freddy's Drop, Dr Boondigga album, “infectious loping grooves”
• New Zealand to Australia flights soon as cheap as domestic
• Omar Slaimankhel, Afghan, now Warrior, signs 2-year NRL contract
• New Zealand type exhibit tells stories in “our own local accents”
• Short-tailed bat, endangered walker, evolved from Australian relatives
• Andrew Adamson, director, to take helm on adaptation of Mister Pip
• New Zealand earthquakes triggered by deep water beneath plates
• Napier’s Art Deco Weekend, the city’s “expression of pride, identity”
• Sidhe Interactive, Welly gamesters, launch Playstation game Shatter
• Michael King, Toronto impresario, renowned for charm, accent
• Rhys Darby, comedian, takes Park Ranger, UFOlogist to Edinburgh
• Sam Neill, actor, plays ruthless railroad baron in mini-series Iron Road
• David Short, Fielding farmer, invents portable shearing handpiece
• Harold the Giraffe, mascot, first NZer and giraffe to go to space

TALES FROM THE SOUTH

If New Zealand is at the edge of the world, then there is no place geographically ‘edgier’ than the province of Southland (Murihiku). Radio and television broadcaster Marcus Lush presents a very personal offering on the grit, charm, and heart that makes up the fabric of the Southern region, in a new seven-part series South, screening 7pm Sundays on TV One. The jaw-dropping scenery is the obvious star of the show but its inhabitants also play a lead role. Characters such as pioneering aviator Herbet Pither, and Peanut, the finder of this country’s largest piece of space junk. The series may be a thank you note from Lush (who fell in love with the region before moving to Bluff six years ago) but it could also be a nod from the rest of the country to an area that delivers more than its fair share of epic geography, pioneering spirit and good old-fashioned heart.

Top picture, Lake Hayes; above, north of Paekakariki. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

115 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 20 August 2009

2009-08-20T09:34:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured above: Kiri Te Kanawa, Valerie Vili, Lucy Lawless, The Black Sox, and Sam Neill

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in The New York Times, Brisbane Times, Xinhua News, Bust Magazine, Financial Times, San Francisco Gate, The Independent on Sunday, ShortList, Thaindian News and Times Online ABC News, WA Today, Los Angeles Times, Vogue Australia, Telegraph, Art & Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Korea Times and Guardian include:

• Kiri Te Kanawa, 65, to retire after Der Rosenkavalier, April ‘10
• Valerie Vili, 25, throws shotput 20.44m, takes gold at World Champs
• Lucy Lawless , 41, Spartacus star, "being naked on-screen no fun"
• Black Sox, NZ softball team, perform "scary" haka at World Champs
• Sam Neill turns down knighthood for being "just far too grand"
• Sarah Walker, BMXer, 21, wins World Champs, Adelaide
• Lisa Reihana, artist, alternative reading of her work put forward
• Ngaire Woods on recession and theory of “global regulatory capture”
• Peter Jackson's District 9, "rarity" for not being an adaptation, remake
• Swheeb, pedal-powered monorail, a direct response to future traffic
• Peter Yealands, to wrangle miniature sheep as lawnmowers
• Ted Jessep, All Black then Wallaby in first ever Bledisloe match in '34
• Wellington's "glam beer hall" Mighty Mighty, BATS Theatre, profiled
• David Jeffries, recent UK émigré, misses nothing about home
• Peter Jackson on Dam Busters: "bombing raid in 3D would be neat"
• New Zealand from a camper van opens doors to local conversation
• Rhys Darby, comedian, 35, stands up in London and soon Edinburgh
• Dr Kevin Burns, says NZ trees evolved camouflage to cope with moa
• Waiheke, Martinborough, Waipara Valley tempt epicurious Aussies
• NZ Fashion Week, to showcase Pamela Anderson's eco-swimwear
• Jim Eagles, NZ Herald journo, takes to Korean karaoke in Seoul
• New Zealand leading world in fight against overfishing
• New Zealand Syrah and Sav, best in the world at 2009 IWC
• St Mary's Bay property, Auckland high-end real estate for foreigners
• Kaikoura's Dolphin Encounter, swimming with "tarts of the ocean"

Top picture, Dunstan Range, Central Otago; above, Wakatipu Basin, Queenstown. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

If your email address has changed you can update your details here.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

114 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 10 August 2009

2009-08-10T17:38:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured above: Peter Jackson, Eleanor Catton, Kevin Roberts, Jonathan Porritt and Jenna Sauers

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The News Star, Guardian, Daily Mail, Travel + Leisure, Alaska Journal of Commerce, Sydney Morning Herald, Bloomberg, Irish Times, American Medical News, The Independent, Samay Live, News Miner and New York Times include:

• Peter Jackson praises fan's enthusiasm, hopes it will rub off on execs
• Eleanor Catton, 23, author, in Iowa writing "fantastical", epic novel
• Kevin Roberts, nzedge.com co-founder, awarded Honorary Doctorate
• Jonathan Porritt, "sustainability ninja", leaves SDC after nine years
• Jenna Sauers, 23, model and fashion insider reveals 'hidden' identity
• Fiordland earthquake shakes NZ 12 inches closer to Australia
• Hew Mcleod, historian and world-renowned Sikh scholar dies, 77
• Carol Diebel, former Te Papa director, to head Alaskan Museum
• NZ Wine Industry's "growing glut" threatens Australia's wine exports
• Team New Zealand win "difficult" MedCup Sardinia Trophy on Mistral
• Wellington, place where film geeks satisfy cinematic cravings
• Cheryl McKnight's 8cm-high Maltese pup potential Guinness Record
• Ivan Yukich, Brancott, Montana wine "visionary"; NZ's "star rising"
• Classic Campers' VW Kombis make for "up-close and personal" travel
• Anna Paquin in LA's Gjelina's, not nervous, but "offbeat and wry"
• Kauri Cliffs' The Lodge, voted no.1 in region by Travel + Leisure
• P750 XTOL, Hamilton-made aircraft, to rival Cessna over Alaska
• New Zealand enticing destination for US doctors seeking change

CONCEPT MUSCLE: JULIAN DASHPHER 1960–2009
Our friend Julian Daspher, artist, died on 30 July, aged 49, in Auckland. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. What he leaves is his art – his early paintings and a substantial body of conceptual art exploring location and art itself. Julian signed up with nzedge early, a decade ago. He was already making the local/global trip. Curator Christina Barton has written that Julian had "the unique perspective of attending to an internationalist art history from a distance, enabling him to devise strategies to work around his geographical isolation whilst simultaneously articulating its effects." He undertook a project in three editions of the premier international contemporary art magazine, Artforum. "Julian was not at ease with the institutions of art, and rightly so, maintaining a distance which was energising. Distance becomes us, and, in 1992 he inserted an exhibition-as-advertisement in Artforum magazine. Artfrom New Zealand comically defied the politics and constraints of the one-way conversation, and marked out the possibilities of the self made guy" (Natasha Conland). Julian was a connector, a hustler in Texan boots, an internationalist from West Auckland. The list of his international exhibitions are the story of his working life: Trieste, Leiden, Topolove, Canberra, Aachen, Haarlem, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Kluzé, Saskatchewan, Sydney, Versa, Copenhagen, Tokyo, London, Marfa, Berlin, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Houston, Oxford, Los Angeles, Athens, Brussels, Sioux City, San Luis Obispo, Lincoln, New York City, Wichita, Melbourne, Oslo, Birmingham, Vienna, Basel, Toowoomba, Den Haag, Durban, Staten Island. A true edgster, Julian worked from remote locations. Of his 2005 Iowa exhibition, Larry Taylor wrote "Sioux City is just off of about everyone's map, even in an era of MapQuest. Perhaps that, ironically, makes it the place to begin reasserting some concept muscle: less hampered by the standard coastal baggage, such a locale offers its artistic self tabula rasa." Indeed. And just to confound the notion of what a conceptual artist is or should be, Julian was a big fan, nay, a believer, in the Warriors aka the Auckland-based rugby league team that delivers ecstasy and agony in equal measures. During his illness Julian would fortify himself with a video of Ruben Wiki hammering a Roosters player ("he's in Disneyland!"). Big Ruben visited Julian in hospital a few weeks before his death, with the message "stay strong and keep going." He did, and his art ensures he will. Tears and cheers to Marie and Leo.

BEATRICE TINSLEY – QUEEN OF THE COSMOS
Cosmologist, violinist, teacher, mentor and nzedge Hero, Beatrice Tinsley, is the subject of a new 20-part series on Radio New Zealand Concert called The Stars are Comforting: The Letters of Beatrice Tinsley. Produced by Adrienne Baron, the series airs Wednesday nights at 7pm, and is based on the internationally-recognised scientist's letters to her family. Beatrice Tinsley was a truly extraordinary New Zealander whose work on how the evolution of galaxies affects the origin and size of the universe had a profound effect on scientific knowledge. But tragically she died of cancer in 1981 aged 40. Bob Brockie's tribute to Tinsley's life in the Dominion Post this week encapsulated her as "daughter of a one-time mayor of New Plymouth, she overcame almost insuperable odds to become a scientist and professor of astronomy at Yale University." For further information on this stellar New Zealander's story be sure to have a look Christine Cole Catley's fantastic biography Bright Star: Beatrice Hill Tinsley, Astronomer.

NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL DATEBOOK

RECLAIMING THE PAST
LONDON, September 10 – October 10 2009: 'ethKnowcentrix: Museums Inside the Artist'. October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AL.Artists Shigeyuki Kihara, George Nuku, Rosanna Raymond and Lisa Reihana present mixed media and performance work exploring the idea of the ethnographic gaze in a major exhibition – the first of its kind in London – next month at the October Gallery. 'ethKnowcentrix: Museums Inside the Artist' reconsiders the spaces of meeting, looking and representing across cultures, and explores how the ethnographic gaze has been reciprocated and challenged. "With acerbic wit, these works promise to radically subvert the European legacy of museum classification, reclaim popular imagery of Pacific Island culture, and offer fresh perspectives for a shared global future."

AUCKLAND, 21 August, 7pm, CBD-Connect, Rendevous Hotel

YMCA hosts its inaugural 'CBD-Connect' fundraiser event with nzedge.com co-founder Kevin Roberts as guest speaker. There will also be music performances by Tama Waipara and a poetry recital by 'slam poet' Courtney Meredith. For more info or to book a table, contact Michelle Delahunty at the YMCA, email michelle.delahunty@nzymca.com or phone 09 306 3750.

LOS ANGELES, until 29 August, Wall Drawings – Group Exhibiton

1301PE gallery hosts 'Wall Drawings', a new exhibition featuring work by Angela Bulloch, Kate Ericsson, Mel Ziegler, Jorge Méndez Blake, and New Zealander John Reynolds. Visit 1301PE website for further details.

Here are the Top 10 titles for July:

1. Flare – A Ski Trip, NFU short film 1977 – Snow 'ski ballet'
2. The Leading Edge, feature film, 1987 – Extreme 80's thrill-seekers
3. Peter Snell – Athlete, NFU short film 1964 – 800m Gold Medalist
4. Britten: Backyard Visionary, doco 1993 – DIY designer John Britten
5. Trio at the Top, doco 2001 – Legends McLaren, Hulme and Amon
6. Games 74, NFU film 1974 – 1974 Chch Commonwealth Games
7. Gloss, TV series 1987 – Yuppies, Walkmen; 80s cult "glitter soap"
8. Play School, TV series 1975–1990 – Iconic show for preschoolers
9. Kaikohe Demolition, feature film 2004 – Far North demo derby
10. Bred to Win, NFU short film 1968 – Racehorse breeding in NZ

STEINLAGER ON THE EDGE
The "They're drinking our beer here" ads for Steinlager in the 1980s were a benchmark for internationalism-from-the-edge. Cultural cringe be damned, in the fanciest bars and swankiest hotels in New York, LA and London, "they" were drinking "our" beer. The brand wandered off in the late 90s, but has made a comeback with Steinlager Pure ("the taste of paradise in a bottle") and now with Steinlager Edge – "the beer for people not prepared to compromise on any aspect of their full lives. Steinlager Edge is built on a belief that finding balance in life isn't about doing less, but about doing everything." Perhaps Lion have provided the basis for a new tourism proposition for New Zealand: Pure Edge. The TV ads are a little, er, metrosexual, for me, but I'd like to like to try a bottle or three. Thanks Lion – level 14, 100 Willis St, Wellington.

Top picture, Raumati South; above, Paekakariki Hill. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

113 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 24 July 2009

2009-07-24T14:31:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured above: Zane Lowe, Lt. Col. Jeremy Ramsden, Simon O'Neill, Jerry Collins, Stuart Parker

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in The Independent, Sky News, Classic FM, Radio Australia, NME, Telegraph, Guardian, Edmonton Sun, San Francisco Weekly, Star Gazette, San Francisco Examiner, All That Jazz, Islands, Dwell and WA Today include:

• Zane Lowe, DJ, 35, piloting "radio with pictures" for BBC's Radio 1
• All Blacks win first in Bledisloe, Tri Nations series vs. Wallabies 22-16
• Scott Dixon, 28, Indy star, "driver to catch" ahead of Edmonton race
• Seddon Bennington, 61, Te Papa CEO, dies in his beloved Tararuas
• Saffron, Queenstown, at forefront of homegrown produce "revolution"
• New Zealand tourists 14th best in the world, as well as 6th 'stingiest'
• Simon O'Neill, 37, opera singer, among the world's top 10 tenors
• Warwick Freeman, jeweller, exhibiting new wares in Melbourne
• Lt. Col. Jeremy Ramsden, awarded NZ's first NATO Medal, Belgium
• Stuart Parker, dairy farming astronomer, discovers supernova
• Ladyhawke plays Glastonbury crowds ahead of one-off UK charity gig
• Pakiri Beach horseriding; a BBC 'Thing To Do Before You Die'
• David Cone, Baa Blacks trainer, lets racing sheep loose in Methven
• Alka Patel, former engineer, now gourmet pie baker, San Francisco
• NZ String Quartet honor Haydn's death with Ithaca performance, NY
• Jerry Collins, back-rower, 28, swaps Toulon shirt for Welsh Ospreys
• Ford/Tipping/Wise Trio's latest jazz album "impressively creative"
• Waiheke, ranked 6th in 2009 list of 'World's Best Islands to Live On'
• Andrew McKenzie, musician, shows off sustainable bachelor's pad
• Queenstown and Wanaka; head-to-head in deep south showdown

SEDDON BENNINGTON, 1948 – 2009
A brief tribute to Seddon Bennington, CEO of Te Papa, the national museum and art gallery in Wellington, who died of hypothermia during a snow-hit tramping expedition in the Tararuas, along with friend Marcella Jackson, on July 14. Seddon was an outstanding New Zealander whose intellectual depth, engaging presence, and commitment to storytelling made him an ideal leader of Te Papa. I met Seddon in 1981 when he was Director of the City Art Gallery in Wellington, I was with the NZ Students' Arts Council and we were producing a tour of Mervyn Thompson's song play about Maori land rights, Songs to the Judges. It was a hair-raising tour in more ways than one – raw emotion on stage and off. Seddon was the perfect host, committed and calm. He went on to an international career in science museums and returned to New Zealand to lead Te Papa in 2003. A year or so ago I was on a selection panel he chaired, and saw him as a consensus leader in a challenging role, needing to balance scholarship with populism, local stories with global ones, authenticity with consumer engagement. That Te Papa has been the most visited museum in Australasia over the past five years is a fine statement of his leadership.

NGA KUPU AROHA: WORDS OF LOVE, #34, BY DENIS O'REILLY
An ongoing social commentary on the affairs of Aotearoa and the tribe of Nga Mokai.

THE STUB OF YOUR CHEQUE BOOK, JULY 2009
The D writes that it's what is recorded on the stub of our national cheque book that indicates the relative value we put on issues. In the area of criminal justice, despite the Government's stated commitment to 'top of the cliff' interventions rather than reliance on prison, "crush and crate 'em" is the flavour of the day. D praises the leadership of Dr Pita Sharples as Minister of Maori Affairs for getting 'buy in' from Maori street leaders towards a quest for peace on the streets of Aotearoa and for his advocacy of Maori learners getting access to tertiary education. There is korero about a possible spike in the availability of P, an account and reflection on the death and burial of Nomad's leader Denis "Mossie" Hines, and celebration at the graduation of Te Rangatira Jack Tuhi "Ranga" from Massey University. (3,657 words) Read more.

Top picture, Government Gardens, Rotorua; above, Western Lake Road. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

112 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 14 July 2009

2009-07-14T14:29:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

You can now follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Simply register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured above: The Datsuns, Dick Frizzell, Francis Upritchard at Venice, Martin Jetpack, Royce McClure

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in The New York Times, Telegraph, Daily Mirror, San José Business Journal, Paste Magazine, The Guernsey Gazette, The Times of India, The Australian, St Croix Valley Press, The Northwestern, Telegraph, Habitus, The Scotsman, The Times, RonnieWorld and The Age include:

• The Datsuns, "from playing in backyards to all this hoopla"; tour US
• Dick Frizzell's 'Faraway' house "picks up salty tang of Pacific"
• Royce McClure, jigsaw guru, assembles 25,000-piece in Indian mall
• Mason Maddox wins Guitar Hero gold at Cyber Games, Singapore
• Saatchi and Colenso billboards, effective in war on vehicle fatalities
• Henry, Smith, Hansen reappointed until end of 2011 Rugby World Cup
• Billy Apple, pop artist, stages exhibition at Witte de With, Rotterdam
• New Zealand companies look to the Valley's tech investors for growth
• Niki Caro, David Lynch, Cat Power make dreamy film for 42Below
• Tony, Lynnette Mallard, car enthusiasts, drive '34 Hudson across US
• Moa feather DNA reveals bird "not unlike a giant chicken"
• Robert Scott, Bats, Clean; talks Flying Nun, new albums, fallen stars
• Roger Hurst, discovers blackcurrant extract improves athleticism
• David Kirk, ex-Fairfax head, now leads Hoyts; looks to digitisation
• Chinese community, Auckland, online and "keeping stories alive"
• Craig Ling, Minus5 creator, opens portable ice bar in Minnesota
• Glenn Martin, jetpack inventor, 49, at US AirVenture '09 conference
• Nelson Honey seeking approval to sell bee venom product in UK
• Westport couple auction bed for $302,600, with free house thrown in
• New Zealand rowers win gold at Henley Regatta; Drysdale "incredible"
• Radio New Zealand awarded Gold at NY Festival for Sir Ed doco
• Eleanor Catton, author, 23, praised in leading UK newspapers
• NZ artists Millar, Upritchard on show in Venice Biennale photo blog
• Malcolm Cook, architect, on inspiration and 40 year career – Habitus

Here are the Top 10 titles for June:

Trio at the Top, doco 2001 – McLaren, Hulme and Amon
Peter Snell – Athlete, NFU short 1964 – Gold 800m runner
Beauty and the Beast, TV 1982 – classic panel show
The Living Room, TV 2003 – 'worthy' arts magazine show
Gloss, TV 1987 – Yuppies, shoulder-pads, Walkmen
Once Were Warriors, trailer 1994 – domestic violence drama
FFDrop – Based on a True Story, doco 2006, European tour
Score, NFU short 1980 – AB's vs France, cut to Tchaikovsky
Circuts of Gold, NFU short 1987, speedway guru Ivan Mauger
A Dolphin's Story, NFU short 1974, quest to train a dolphin

Top picture, Palliser Bay, Wairarapa; above, Lake Wairarapa. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

111 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 2 July 2009

2009-07-02T10:19:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

You can now follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Simply register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured above: Janet Frame, Anna Paquin, Rachel Paget, Boh Runga and Eleanor Catton.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in Daily Mail, WA Today, Time Out New York, Self, The Boston Globe, Brisbane Times, The Times of India, Hollywood Reporter, The Age, USA Today, Deseret News, Financial Times, PJ Star, Byron Shire News, The Independent on Sunday, Telegraph, Adelaide Now, The New York Times, The Australian, Wimbledon Guardian, and Bloomberg include:

• Janet Frame's struggles mirror Towards Another Summer's Grace
• Junior All Blacks retain IRB Championship title beating England 42-28
• Mt Ruapehu a skiers' paradise either side; tops Australian fields
• New Zealanders frank, friendly but prefer not to talk about religion
• Banks & Jalfon's Teddy "wins over audiences" in San Francisco
• Boh Runga, singer, takes on US with new solo album Right Here
• Acorn HQ, planting oaks for iPods in North Canterbury
• New Zealand vistas inspire US artist Dan Welden; evoke McCahon
• Maori heads to be repatriated by French; in "expression of regret"
• Dave Dobbyn loyal to NZ at London's Toast Festival of bbq and beer
• New Zealand sees number of Australians visit exceed 1 million mark
• Jonah Lomu, 34, "will decide when [career] ends"; joins Marseilles
• Anna Paquin, 26, cuter the outfit, the more gore on True Blood set
• Rachel Paget, 37, She's Got the Look star, "fun, silly, great dancer"
• Queenstown's Winter Festival revellers 'bare all' over Lake Wakatipu
• Tongariro National Park raises "questions of aesthetics" in Nat Geo
• Terry Sturm, literary scholar and Professor, passes away aged 67
• Eleanor Catton, author, 23, awarded £8,000 Betty Trask Award
• New Zealand "lamb whatever the occasion", UK chef Delia Smith
• Queenstown a tippler's paradise with one bar for every 75 people
• Anna Paquin, sex symbol; '50s belle in Self magazine shoot
• New Zealand rated highly by UK expats for property prices, weather
• Quade Cooper, once a Tokoroa Pirate, now in gold on Wallaby side
• Karla Brodie, NZ yoga teacher, bids farewell to husband on Ganga
• Peter Jackson to head review of NZ Film Commission
• Urewera, Mount Tarawera; meanings source of mirth for Australians
• All Whites secure first ever point at FIFA tournament without a goal
• Bay of Islands "important crucible for NZ's human history"
• Sir Keith Park and NZ dairy farmers thanked for war efforts, and butter
• Kim Smith, 27, wins 4-mile race in US; third fastest in circuit's history
• West Coast "windswept, isolated and utterly beautiful"
• André Hodgskin, architect, his latest foldaway 'iPAD', "prefabulous"

Top picture, Palliser Bay, Wairarapa; above, Lake Wairarapa. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

110 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 24 June 2009

2009-06-24T10:13:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

You can now follow the nzedge.com headlines twice a day on Twitter. Simply register for updates at http://twitter.com/nzedge

Pictured above: Kiri Te Kanawa, Teddy Tahu, Margaret Mahy, John Walker and Doug Howlett.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in Guardian, Telegraph, The Washington Post, Wine Spectator, The Star, The New York Times, The Times of India, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, International Business Times, The Independent, The Age, Irish Times, Jane's, Cincinnati Enquirer, Los Angeles Times and Art World include:

• Kiri Te Kanawa, diva, inducted into Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame
• Teddy Tahu Rhodes, baritone, "dashing, roguish" in Cincinnati Figaro
• Margaret Mahy's Bubble Trouble best picture book, US Book Awards
• Formway, design co, have office chair "test-driven" in Fast Company
• Bill Phillips' economic invention, "fresh as the day it began gurgling"
• Fotc NZ's "biggest thing"; "wonderful ambassadors", Tourism NZ
• NZ Defence Force, small makes big on world military stage – Jane's
• Uni of Auckland develops test to measure cancer risk in smokers
• New Zealand "unpretentious"; huge range of natural treasures
• Michael Parekowhai, artist, coins title for latest work in Sydney
• Don Sullivan, 'Pestbuster', and team of trappers snag 530, Nelson
• New Zealand knocks Iceland off top spot; most peaceful on planet
• Michael Brajkovich, Kumeu winemaker, 47, on screw caps, Burgundy
• New Zealand no longer "the cousin at the party in short trousers"
• Zespri ad campaign encourages Malaysians to eat two kiwifruit daily
• 100% Pure NZ, a decade old; Australians crave same success
• Doug Howlett, 30, Munster wing, on family, return to NZ and celebrity
• Peter Jackson to attend San Diego's Comic-Con, promoting District 9
• Cloud9, luxury $1700 a night bach in Bay of Islands, "best of the best"
• Roger Dickie NZ offers carbon credit shares, profit, in Onslow Forest
• Dan Carter returns to NZ after sojourn in Perpignan "hungry to play"
• Christine Jeffs, director, explores sisterhood in Sunshine Cleaning
• Ricki Herbert, All Whites coach, sure of a point at Confederations Cup
• Judy Millar, painter: "no one really gets what I'm doing; they never did"
• Andrea Hewitt, triathlete, 27, nabs photo finish victory in Madrid
• Sir John Walker, 57, Olympian, legendary miler, now Knight
• Court Ruler, John Wheeler-trained stead, wins Queensland Derby
• David Bain, 37, "Without Joe [Karam] I wouldn't have made it this far"
• Don Nicolson, Federated Farmers, bags US milk subsidies in WSJ

THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE is a new way of presenting our identity, people, stories, achievements and our role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders. Aotearoa whanau whanui kite ao nui

Top picture, Mt Maunganui; above, looking towards Paekakariki from Poplar Ave, Raumati South. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

109 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 10 June 2009

2009-06-10T10:11:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

NZEDGE.COM VITALS: 12 million pageviews since inception. 65,000 visitors monthly. Subscribers in 1000+ global locations. Average length of visit: 7.04 minutes. 71% of recipients opened the last newsletter.

Pictured above: Flight of the Conchords, Anna Paquin, Mils Muliaina, Helen Klisser During, David Thodey

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in Earth Times, NYArtsmagazine, The New Yorker, Guardian, The Times of India, The Toronto Star, Financial Times, The Age, Las Vegas Sun, National Post, The Age, Telegraph, Guelph Mercury, Los Angeles Times, Guardian, The Washington Post, HAMPTONS, The Statesman, Wall Street Journal, Exclaim, The New Yorker and Granta include:

• Conchords near end of Spring tour in Vegas, "riotous 90-minute set"
• Anna Paquin, actress, 26, relishing her role in HBO's True Blood
• Mils Muliaina, Chief, to skipper All Blacks home games in June
• David Thodey, NZ-born businessman, takes over CEO role at Telstra
• New Zealand 80's indie music scene honoured with two-disc tribute
• Bruce Connew, photographer, explores censorship in Granta #105
• Suraya Singh launches Filament, UK erotica magazine for women
• New Zealand birth rates highest since '91, average per woman, 2.2
• Kiwi Paradise, hard "to understand [NZers'] mysterious mentality"
• Helen Klisser During, arts advisor, excited about Hye Rim Lee, Kihara
• New Zealand banking system healthy for Australian dominance
• Marie Jones, UK-based visual effects producer wins Bafta for Dr Who
• Billy Bowden, umpire, breaks silence, backs cricket review system
• White Island tour guide urges group not to attempt to outrun lava
• Martinborough's Kusuda Wines an example of Japanese perfection
• Kaikoura, Zero Waste district, no curbside collection, "eco-friendly"
• Bernard Beckett, teacher and author, Genesis promoted on WOW
• New Zealand given rave reviews by writers from The New Yorker
• Pipi Quinlan, 3, bids and wins $20,000 earthmover on TradeMe
• Jane Campion urges female directors to take on "old boys' network"
• Albiston and Sutherland awarded Cannes distinction for $6.50 Man
• Palmerston North City Council banishes no. 13 from mailboxes
• Pip Gibbons, RNZ Navy Lt Cdr, poster girl for UN Peacekeepers Day
• Richard Gow, renovator, builds house in Canada from bits and bins
• Unite, NZ's newest union, calls on bosses to "Supersize" youths' pay
• Fiordland kea robs tourist of passport; fear of "fraudulent claims"
• Annabel Alpers, aka Bachelorette, latest album "bright, transcendent"
• Phillip Wilkins, Mitsubishi, free "hardy" goat with every Triton sold
• Montana Winery employs seasonal "vintage" harvest hoppers
• Fisher & Paykel signs $75m deal with Chinese appliance maker Haier
• Jenny Shipley, former PM, lectures Yemeni women in politics
• Richard Nunns, taonga puoro expert, recites Gillian Whitehead piece
• Queen Charlotte Track "what Ritz-Carlton is to a homeless shelter"
• Michael Hill, finalist in Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year

INSPIRATIONAL EDUCATION ABOUT NZEDGE HEROES

A new schools' resource on Katherine Mansfield is the fifth education feature prepared for nzedge by Liz and Russell Shaw of Starters & Strategies from Turangi: "Discuss the idea of KM using a mask or several layers of masks when associating with her literary friends. Why would she do this? Can students find any evidence of her not fitting in well and of being regarded as an outsider?" Other world-changing New Zealanders featured in our education series are mathematician Alexander Aitken, suffragist Kate Sheppard, China revolutionary Rewi Alley, and aviator Richard Pearse.

RECENT NEW ZEALAND PUBLISHING

Generous publishers have been sending me books and journals which I am pleased to showcase here.

The Double Rainbow: James K. Baxter, Ngati Hau and the Jerusalem Commune by John Newton (Victoria University Press) is a compelling examination of the community established by poet and seer James K. Baxter on the banks of the Whanganui River. The Jerusalem commune proved to be more than an experiment in idealistic living; indeed, The Double Rainbow is a story of a Pakeha community earning acceptance by living alongside local Maori. It's a situation that bicultural Aotearoa may yet strive to imagine. Readers of nzedge.com social commentator Denis O'Reilly will know him as a "Baxterite".

Me and My Little Blokes: How fatherhood changes life for the better by Graham Lowe (Random House) is a heartwarming book revealing the gentler side of the legendary league coach. The only coach to win championships in three countries, Lowie finds that coaching his own little blokes throws up insights about his own mortality, and the preciousness of family love.

Confessions of a Rugby Mercenary by John Daniell (Ebury Press) is a riotous confessional of professional rugby in France. A Wellington, NZ and Oxford rep, John Daniell takes us deep inside a French provincial scrum to the dark world of the journeyman player as his team ricocheted between fear and ecstasy, battling to save the club from relegation and their careers from the scrap heap.

New Zealand Geographic was founded 20 years ago by John Woods and Kennedy Warne to do for New Zealand what National Geographic has done for the rest of the world. The journal celebrates this land—its geography, its wildlife, its natural heritage—and salutes its people and their pursuits, in science, culture, leisure or adventure. The current issue features kelp forests, the great white shark, Auckland's unique and adored West Coast, and the Wren of Murchison, New Zealand's avian mountaineer.

Landfall, New Zealand's foremost and longest-running arts and literary journal, founded by poet Charles Brash in 1947 and published continuously by Otago University Press. Issue #217 is edited by international New Zealand writer Paula Morris from New Orleans and in fair edge form is titled "Flung"; an entire diaspora issue featuring Max Gimblett and Jenni Quilter from New York, Michael Jackson from Harvard, Nick Ashcroft from Oxford, Martin Edmond (Sydney), Paul Ewen (London), Jolisa Greenwood (Connecticut), John Kinsella (Cambridge), Robert Sullivan (Hawaii), Marcus Truver (Hong Kong), Francis Upritchard (London), and several other luminaries including Peter Wells, Richard Von Sturmer, C.K. Stead, Gregory O'Brien, Owen Marshall, Peter Ireland, Charlotte Grimshaw and Hinemoa Baker.

Here are the Top 10 titles for May:

Score, short film 1980 – AB's vs France, cut to Tchaikovsky
The Living Room, tv series 2003 – 'worthy' arts magazine show
Tangata Whenua – Waikato, doc 1974 – roots of King Movement
Billy T Live, tv series 1990 – last hurrah for much loved comedian
New Zild, doc 2005 – evolution of New Zealand English
Trio at the Top, doc 2001 – Legends McLaren, Hulme and Amon
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, trailer 2009 – Topps biopic
Peter Snell – Athlete, doc 1964 – Gold Medalist 800m runner
The Governor, tv series 1977 – historical epic on Governor Grey
Gallipoli, doc 1984 – the pick of the ANZAC Collection

THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE is a new way of presenting our identity, people, stories, achievements and our role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders. Aotearoa whanau whanui kite ao nui

Top picture, Flatbush, South Auckland; above Westhaven, Auckland. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

108 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 3 June 2009

2009-06-03T10:08:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Pictured above: Karl Urban, Brendan Hartley, Jane Campion, Francis Upritchard, Phil Keoghan, Fire Poi

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines appearing in this sampling of global media from Time, The New York Times, Victoria Advocate, The Kansas City Star, Guardian, The Age, British Vogue, Variety, The Australian, The Boston Globe, Forbes, The New York Times, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Mercury News, Grazia, ABC, San Francisco Examiner and Ski Rebel Magazine include:

• Janet Frame's Towards Another Summer critiqued in New York Times
• Phil Keoghan, amazing racer, rides US on bike, raises money for MS
• Xero, Hyperfactory, win at 19th Annual Webby Awards, NY
• Brendon Hartley, 19, earns racing super-licence, reserve for Red
• Niki Caro, Peter Jackson "local helmers poised to soar again," Variety
• Jane Campion returns to Cannes with Bright Star and "few dry eyes"
• Sir Keith Park statue in Trafalgar Sq salutes Battle of Britain ace
• Maori poi set alight for exercise in Hollywood, alternative to jogging
• Andrew Mackintosh, glaciologist, studies difference in hemispheres
• Karl Urban, Eomer in LOTR, is Dr Leonard McCoy in 2009's Star Trek
• FOTConchords US shows attract rave reviews, thousands sing along
• Graeme Hart, reclusive billionaire, tops Australasian wealthy list
• David Trubridge's Baskets of Knowledge lights, "water droplets", Milan
• Upritchard and Millar, Venice Biennale pair ready for June opening
• Queenstown paragliding, "fear worth it", "breathtaking experience"
• Auckland Art Gallery gifted $115m of art by US Robertson family
• The Datsuns release 4th album, and anagram, Head Stunts in US
• Christchurch's contemporary side is SOL Square and Segway tours
• Emilia Wickstead, fashion designer, 25, Chelsea, "one to watch"
• Treble Cone's unsealed 7km road unnerving, now a shuttle option
• Karen Walker's latest eyeware lookbook, pairs fangs with shades
• Heather Begg, mezzo-soprano, "mistress of comedy", dies NSW, 76
• Jaeha-Alex Kim, designer, 23, wins spot in Spanish store Mango
• Martin Phillipps, Chills frontman, on British aversion to NZ 80s sound
• Brian Boyd, English professor, defends the art of fiction in new book
• Anchor butter "from NZ!" not UK; Sex Pistol promotes local spread
• New Zealand ski fields reviewed including Mt Hutt and The Stash
• Rawiri Paratene, actor, 'Koro', plays Friar in R&J at London's Globe
• Kate Sylvester Takes a Hike at AFW with gaiters, pink Docs, bones
• Matt Watson wrestles marlin in Discovery's Extreme Fishermen
• Keisha Castle-Hughes, Vintner's wife, 19, signs up to save whales
• Terenzo Bozzone, triathlete, 24, wins 26th annual Columbia Triathlon
• New Zealand pinot noir second only to sauv blanc in popularity
• New Zealand wine preferred by Brits over EU equivalents in Tesco's
• Queenstown ready for bumper season, result of cheap Tasman flights
• New Zealanders shorter, fatter, but happier, reports OECD
• Anna Wilding launches charity for talented, underprivileged children

THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE is a new way of presenting our identity, people, stories, achievements and our role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders. Aotearoa whanau whanui kite ao nui

Top picture, Mt Ngauruhoe; above Dunstan Range. More pictures at http://www.paradiseroad.com/. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

107 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 28 May 2009

2009-05-28T10:08:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Pictured above: Peter Arnett, Daniel Vettori, Lisa Reihana, Lorraine Moller, Euan McLeod, Samantha Collett

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in The Peterborough Examiner, Australian Stage, Independent, Golfweek, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, BBC, Jamble Mag, Bloomberg, Ocean Sentry, Suite101, Bangor Daily News, Farming UK, CBS News, Reuters, Palm Beach Post, New Zealand Times, Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Scientific American, Telegraph, Times Online, The Age, Entertainment Weekly, Jewish Exponent, Indian Express, Oyster, The Mainichi Daily News, Hindustan Times and USA Today include (principally from April):

• Lisa Reihana, artist, makes friends in Sydney exhibition Double Take
• Peter Arnett, journalist, VIP at 50th of Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh
• FOTConchords US shows attract rave reviews, thousands sing along
• Ngai Tahu 32 educates audiences at Tasmanian Arts Festival
• ENZA Jazz apples to export a record 1.2 million cartons in 2009
• Daniel Vettori, Delhi Daredevils spinner, reads batsman's mind in IPL
• Bob Rigg, disarmament campaigner, analyses new US foreign policy
• Temuera Morrison lives in sci-fi world "comfortably", refer Barb Wire
• Ladyhawke, 30, plays Paris with "Burning" drawing devoted queues
• Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones "murderous and optimistic"
• Danny Lee, 18, turns pro with $US10m deal, debuts in New Orleans
• Jamie Wood, Otago post-grad, finds moa coprolite and ancient DNA
• Samantha Collett, 19, jockey, 1 of 3 women to race in Doncaster Mile
• Erin Boag, dancer, 33, UK-famed, star of reality show Ballroom High
• Lorraine Moller, marathon marvel, in Boston for 25th anniversary of win
• Stoats, introduced to take on rabbits, turn to kiwi; DOC fight to save
• Jonathan Dowling, reality show king, plans foray into new show
• Barrie & Yvonne Payne win Loro Piana Record Bale for merino wool
• Aaron de Mey, make-up star, 35, brings bold, Paris back at Lancôme
• Witi Ihimaera, author, rewrites earlier fiction, extending Tangi by half
• Rod Easthope, Craggy Range vintner, attends taste-off vs French
• Anna Paquin stars as heroine in Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
• John Minto, activist, in Capetown backing 127 evicted families
• Lester Waugh, aeronautical engineer, bestowed "rare honor" by NASA
• Kakapo, native parrot, stages mini comeback, numbers reach 125
• South Island Tieke, native bird, joins others at Orokonui Ecosanctuary
• Yellow Pages 'Tree House restaurant' glows in LA Times
• Three native bird species added to the endangered list
• New Zealand, perfect place to tie-the-knot, according to newly-weds
• Hokitika quadruples population for 20th Wild Food Festival
• Plant and Food Research produces 16 new varieties of potato
• Eskimo lollies cause furore when visiting Inuit claims sweet racist
• John Edgar, sculptor, to exhibit 'Ballast' at Edinburgh Arts Festival
• North and South Islands may be officially renamed in Maori next year
• Rupert Holborow, NZ Ambassador, India, hosts WOW event at home
• Kate Sylvester's 'Take a Hike' collection at Australian Fashion Week
• Tane Mahuta, Waipoua Forest giant, has sister tree, a cedar, in Japan
• David Walker, WTO ambassador, appointed as chair of Doha round
• Euan Macleod wins Australian Gallipoli Art Prize for trench depiction
• Mahé Drysdale and NZ rowing team to Henley Royal for Olympic prep
• Malcolm Rands, Ecostore CEO, promotes green in US chain Meijer
• Francis Upritchard, launches book Every Colour By Itself in London
• Richard Webby, virologist, Memphis, at world outbreak science center

THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE is a new way of presenting our identity, people, stories, achievements and our role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders. Aotearoa whanau whanui kite ao nui

Top picture, Aoraki, Mt Cook; above, Ladies Mile, Queenstown. Fern symbol via http://www.nzflag.com/.

106 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 12 May 2009

2009-05-12T09:53:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Pictured above: Dame Silvia Cartwright, Lucy Lawless, Richard Chandler, Ryan Nelsen, Nesian Mystic

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES

New Zealand headlines in this week's sampling of global media appearing in The Australian, Examiner, Guardian, Times Online, Dexinger, Telegraph, The Capital, CNN, Billboard, Guam Pacific Daily News, Chicago Tribune, The Age, Daily Herald, Telegraph, Bleacher Report, Idaho Statesman, The New York Times, The National, The Phnom Penh Post, China Daily, The Gadsden Times, Arty Daily, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Tribune India, The Independent, The Economic Times and Mindfood include:

• Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc "taking the yawn out of sauvignon"
• Richard Chandler, intrepid global investor, buys stake in Russian bank
• Fonterra's "Whole" water campaign shot in continuous 650-frame shot
• Silver Fern Farms, Canterbury, stop using sheepdogs say UK's Tesco
• NZTE woos hundreds of Indian students at education fair in New Delhi
• Unimarket, e-procurement company, open offices in Maryland
• New Zealanders, nine out of 10, rank Quality of Life good or better
• New Zealand: sport and lifestyle favoured over religion and politics
• New Zealand the "second Eden" with a "pristine landscape"
• Hobbiton scenery "so beautiful I thought it to be computer generated"
• Nesian Mystik, Auckland R&B group, snaffle MTV Australia Award
• Black Grace dance in Guam and roam NZ with 'Gathering Clouds'
• Strike, percussion group, play Singapore with "recession-proof" music
• Lucy Lawless 'Lucretia' in Auckland-made slave drama Spartacus
• Dame Silvia Cartwright, KR Tribunal judge, criticises Cambodian PM
• David Hovey, Chicago-based architect, would build dream home in NZ
• Aaron De Mey, artistic director at Lancôme, inspired by sand at Piha
• Kate Sylvester, fashion designer, has a home, not a "minimalist box"
• One Day Sculpture series features goldfish on flight over Tasman Sea
• Clarke Gayford, presenter, finalist for World's Top Job on Hamilton Is.
• Pangaea Expedition makes NZ stop-off en route to Antarctica
• Rebecca Wiig, photographer, finds aesthetic appeal in Sydney's RSLs
• Helen Clark, gives valedictory speech to House, saying "averse" to Sir
• Hone Mihaka, oral historian, shows reporter around Ruapekapeka pa
• Helen Leach, academic, adds new pavlova recipe origins to debate
• Team Hillary vs. Team Tenzing in highest ever cricket match, Nepal
• Ryan Nelsen, footballer, 31, NZ's lifeline to English Premier League
• James Meredith, 19, Boise State tennis freshman, "blazing" future
• Danny Lee, 18, golf's "new blood" plays Augusta before turning pro
• Nick Evans, Harlequins fly-half, the new Dan Carter, thanks very much
• Jock Veitch, Wanganui-born journalist, dies in France, 81
• John Maling, soldier, spy-catcher, Sikh Light Brigade founder, dies, 94

NGA KUPU AROHA: WORDS OF LOVE, #33, BY DENIS O'REILLY
An ongoing social commentary on the affairs of Aotearoa and the tribe of Nga Mokai.

STEPPING BACK FROM THE PRECIPICE, MAY 2009
Napier has seen an awful tragedy unfold, and Den reflects on these events and salutes his local Maori copper Len Snee (picture via NZ Herald). Den argues that it's time for quiet support and reflection; to give space to the grieving, respect to the dead, and prayers for the injured. Commentary on amendments to the New Zealand Bill of Rights; Labour's achievement of increasing the prison population by 70%; a reflection on the launch of John Newton's book Double Rainbow telling the story of 'nga mokai', Jimmy Baxter's notional tribe and the commune movement that he built at Jerusalem, Hiruharama, on the Whanganui River, not long before his death in 1972 – and some disorientation on Victoria St as Black Power members, on their way to the launch at Unity Books, run into the local constabulary. (1,830 words) Read more.

TOPP SHOW
Between 1981 and 1987 I worked with two extraordinary (and identical) New Zealanders, Lynda and Jools Topp, as their agent and tour producer. It was an exhilarating time. The Topp Twins have created a wonderful career and performance record, and a fan base reaching into the hundreds of thousands, in New Zealand, Australia and soon-to-be everywhere else via their film Untouchable Girls, produced by Arani Cuthbert and directed by Leanne Pooley. The film has had five star, 10/10 reviews and even the magazine they lampooned with the immortal line "push it, shove it, stick it in the Women's Weekly" said "Heart-warming... It's a hilarious musical romp... this film will leave you feeling proud to be a New Zealander". TVNZ said "Brilliant entertainment, everyone will love it, the best Kiwi film in years" and hometown paper The Waikato Times said "How often is a film punctuated by laughs and clapping and ends with an ovation? ...it has a deserved 5 star rating. This film is not to be missed." Jane Vesty and I have supported the production of the film, we are delighted to be associated with it, and hope it is coming to a cinema near you in 2009. The TT's start a tour – 100 Years of the Topp Twins – in Westport on October 14 and concludes in Auckland on November 7. I booked the first West Coast tour by the Twins in 1986 – the itinerary was Greymouth, Punakaiki, Westport, Karamea and Blackball. Sorry Hokitika. Few other New Zealand artists – Sam Hunt and Rick Bryant principal among them – could span such local geographies. Untouchable Girls is now four weeks in the NZ movie top 10 box office and rising, having just broken the $1 million mark at the New Zealand box office. http://www.topptwins.co.nz/

KEITH PARK COMMEMORATION
Keith Park was an extraordinary New Zealander who is attributed with having saved London during the Battle of Britain. A precision airman in WW1, his genius in logistics and preparation was called upon in full during the decisive air battles of 1940. In 2000 nzedge included Keith Park's story in our "Heroes" page and subset of three Warriors – along with Charles Upham and Nancy Wake, arguably the singularly outstanding man and woman soldiers of WW2. There are many other inspirational warrior stories to read tell – see Patrick Bronte's http://www.ngatoa.com/ for an indepth and eulogistic representation. This week the City of Westminister approved the placement of a statue of Keith Park in Trafalgar Square – on the fourth plinth – for six months until moving to a permanent home in Waterloo Place. This is a great result from an enlightened and determined campaign led by British banker Terry Smith and many distinguished persons from the UK and NZ. http://www.sirkeithpark.com/

JULIAN DASHPHER IN LONDON
LONDON, to June 18: Julian Dashper 'Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue'. lauregenillard, 2 Hanway Place, London W1T 1HB. Exhibiting with John Nixon. International New Zealand artist Julian Dashper's work focuses on the histories, theories and more general or popular ideas of abstraction (in particular abstract painting), conceptualism and minimalism as a working methodology. The geographical positioning of New Zealand globally and how his country receives and disseminates visual information is also a core subject in Dashper's work. His practice manifests itself in various forms, including paintings, unique photographs of paintings, found objects that he infuses with abstract images. For his exhibition, Dashper will show new works based on the legendary pieces of Barnett Newman.

Here are the Top 10 titles for April:

1. Circuits of Gold, doc 1987 – speedway champion Ivan Mauger
2. Britten: Backyard Visionary, doc 1993 – DIY inventor John Britten
3. The Governor, tv 1977 – historical epic on Governor George Grey
4. The Living Room, tv 2003 – 'worthy' arts magazine show
5. Peter Snell – Athlete, doc 1964 – Gold Medalist 800m runner
6. Gloss, tv 1987 – popular "glitter-soap"
7. Double Booking, tv one-off 1998 – stag and hen night comedy
8. Billy T Live, tv 1990 – last hurrah for much loved comedian
9. Queer Nation, tv 1996-2004 – 'out and proud' lesbian and gay series
10. Maori Battalion – March to Victory, doc 1990 – 28th's war stories

PINEAPPLE LUMPS
From the sublime to the ridiculous, nzedge.com, shop now stocks Pineapple Lumps – seducing NZers since 1935.

THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE is a new way of presenting our identity, people, stories, achievements and our role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders. Aotearoa whanau whanui kite ao nui

Top picture: Raumati South. Above, Manukau Harbour and Heads. The fern we use in our logo was commissioned by Lloyd Morrison as the symbol of New Zealand for our flag. See http://www.nzflag.com/. A big shout out to you Lloyd from your friends at nzedge.com. Kia kaha. Rock on. From Brian Sweeney, in Boston.

121 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 5 Nov 2009

2009-05-11T14:01:00.000+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, http://www.nzedge.com/

Top image, Walter Peak, Queenstown; above, Mana Island, Kapiti. More pictures at www.paradiseroad.com. Fern symbol via www.nzflag.com.

You are receiving this as a registered member of the website NZEDGE.com.

You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.

105 – New Zealanders in Global Headlines 24 April 2009

2009-04-24T17:33:00.001+12:00

From Brian Sweeney, Producer, www.nzedge.com

Pictured above: Jonathan Porritt, John Key, Melissa Lee, Pip Brown (Ladyhawke),
Keith Urban

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES www.nzedge.com/media

New Zealand headlines in this sampling of global media appearing in The Australian, Backpacker, Bloomberg, Energy Current, Los Angeles Times, Telegraph, The Village Voice, Paradizo, Golf Digest, Brisbane Times, Environmental Leader, The New Republic, Solomon Star, 20 Minutos, Philippine Star, Times Online, Bleacher Report, The Canberra Times, The New York Times, The Age, Teen Vogue, Dwell, Australian Financial Review, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Herald, Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, Sports Illustrated, Popular Science Australia, Newark Advocate, CNN, and Wall Street Journal include:

• Jonathan Porritt – "Prosperity without Growth?"
• Keith Urban, country musician, 41, #1 in America, Defying Gravity
• John Key on market-based approaches to the global recession
• New Zealand's vulnerability is high external debt – Forbes
• Bryan Gould, says governments only ones to counter recession
• New Zealand creating 74% of its energy from renewables
• New Zealand could run 2.5 million cars off wind
• AgResearch scientists discover ways for cows to produce more milk
• Carbonscape, Blenheim, makes FT shortlist of 5 in global comp
• Chatham Islands, pop.600, turns off diesel generators for Earth Hour
• Albany the new home for eco-migrants fearful of UK's rising waters
• Government intiates 3 billion dollar high-speed broadband project
• Creative Freedom Foundation victorious with scrapping of Section 92a
• Owen Thor Walker, hacker, 19, hired as security consultant
• Milford Track among the world's best, Backpacker Magazine
• Eagles Nest, Russell retreat, "back-to-nature with rock 'n' roll"
• Cape Kidnappers, Tom Doak golf course, "scenic but challenging"
• Kerosene Creek, Rotorua hotpool, one of "five best freebies"
• Zak Feaunati to play Jonah Lomu in upcoming film on 95 World Cup
• Rugby Sevens could boost medal haul in 2016 Olympics
• Graeme Lowe, ex-Warriors coach, says rugby union no spectacle
• Dick Lancaster, Blind Sailing NZ, wins silver on Lake Rotorua
• Levi Sherwood, 17, wins freestyle motocross event in Mexico on debut
• Ladyhawke, singer, says NZ, is "like being in Iceland"
• Ladyhawke reveals grunge-era acts as big influence on her sound
• David Trubridge, designer, on the consumer binge, objects, identity
• Paul Middleditch, TV ad director, on 200+ awards, beer ads, success
• Rodney Bell, dancer, wins 'Izzie' award in SF: "volatile intimacy"
• Adam Friend, territorial with PhD in viticulture deployed to Solomons
• Melissa Lee, National MP, one of the most beautiful women in politics
• American doctor compares NZ/US health systems
• Darren Tyquin, Australian/NZ horseracing announcer, preacher, 41, d

NGA KUPU AROHA: WORDS OF LOVE – BY DENIS O'REILLY
#32: DANGEROUS UTOPIAS, APRIL 2009

Denis O'Reilly's penetrating critique of social justice in
New Zealand
"The poet and creative genius Alan Brunton once described Dr Ian Prior as having 'blood dangerous with utopias'. Ian has died and left us, grieving, yet still propelled by his legacy of action into continued efforts towards social justice. Den tells the story of Sandeep Chawla, Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime who, after a robust discussion with NZ gang members and drug dealers and users, suggests that one way for them to avoid disproportionate attention from the Police and media might simply to be a "little less annoying". Another St Patricks Day Hui & Huilli has gone off with great effect and a sense of locus for those who visited the ancient pa site, Otatara. There is praise for the continuing efforts of Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples who is out engaging Maori gang leaders and encouraging them to lead their crews away from criminality and anti-social behaviours and move towards a lifestyle built on a sense of identity as Maori, as whanau, and as members of community. Den gets the chance to talk to benches of judges and shares O'Reilly's lore: " Focus on the good", "Assume the best", "You'll see it when you believe it". (4,108 words) Read more.

KEVIN ROBERTS ON RUGBY: THINK SMART TO BEAT THE RECESSION, APRIL 2009

It seems that nothing is recession-proof in this new world order and the game of rugby is no exception. Teams are without sponsors, stadium attendances are shrinking - plus tournaments are all too predictable, too boring and are consistently losing audiences in traditional rugby countries. What does this environment mean for New Zealand looking ahead to the 2011 World Cup? "Everyone involved in rugby should pull together over the next 12 months to come up with innovative ideas and solutions so that we can make this tournament the best ever in terms of passion, spectator appeal, spectacular running rugby and fan experience." USA Eagles preview including 2009 games vs Wales and Canada, new coach Eddie O'Sullivan, and the importance of Sevens – "a vital foundational tool for the US as this helps our players in terms of fitness, game awareness, defense, and instinct. It also helps develop team spirit, team belief and a winning attitude." And the campaign to have Sevens added to the 2016 Olympics. Progress is that the game has made the short list along with baseball, softball, karate, squash, golf and roller sports. Noting also that the USA are the current Olympic Champions! Read more.

EDGE OF PARADISE Two items of personal "reaching out" as is said in New York. I have a new photoblog www.paradiseroad.com featuring new work and archival – of New Zealand and America, landscape and street, art and commerce: beautiful and banal, edge and center. About 40 photos up now, two added most days. Enjoy. And a video of a speech to Thrive Wellington in late 08 about the New Zealand Edge – the idea, the operation, the need for global perspective in what we do, and what I have learned as an exporter in international markets. 30 mins. http://www.nzedge.com/speeches/

Top picture: South Taranaki Bight. Flying North.

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You can contact Brian Sweeney by sending an email to brian@nzedge.com.