Liddell goes for growth
Microsoft’s money man from Matamata is seeking to revive the company’s stock price with a story of significant growth based on a raft of new product releases. Chris Liddell says that Wall St is “starting to see some tangible evidence of some of the innovation and investment that's gone on the last few years. The pipeline of product releases over the next 12 to 18 months is probably the highest it's ever been in the company's history.” CFO Liddell stated in his presentation  to the Financial Analyst Meeting on 28 July that “we intend to continue to drive growth, we intend to continue to maximize the cash flow that we can get from our businesses, and we intend to continue to aggressively invest in our future, all of which has a view to driving shareholder value. The performance of this company has been outstanding over the last five years, but we believe there's no reason why the next five years won't be even better.” Asked how he was planning to mesh with the Microsoft culture, Liddell said “It’s pretty simple really. Be extremely good at what I do.” (August 15 2005)

Walker sampled
Karen Walker features in the latest Sample publication by Phaidon - 100 Fashion Designers: 010 Curators. The idea behind the Sample series is for industry insiders to curate a selection of their favourite work within their field. Renowned fashion journalist and presenter of Canada's The Fashion Files, NZ-born Tim Blanks, picks Karen Walker and Missoni. Blanks will be attending NZ Fashion Week in October.
(July 2005)
   

Opposing views
Free Liberal weblog comments on a Washington Times article detailing NZ’s anti-nuclear stance, military capabilities, and reliance on its more powerful neighbour. “An interesting story about how NZ's rather modest defense budget and decision to stay out of military conflicts has allowed the nation to … retain its independence on the global stage. Something tells me that because of policies like these (as compared to Washington's belligerence) Wellington is pretty far down on Bin Laden's list of targets. Oh, and before you think of NZ as a bunch of socialists, it must be noted that Heritage Foundation ranked the nation third on its 2004 index of economic freedom, a full seven slots higher than the U.S. of A.”
(27 May 2005)
   

Archiball
Artist Martin Ball was the first New Zealand resident artist to be a finalist in Australia’s premier portraiture award, the Archibald Prize, with his painting of artist John Pule. The prize was won by Australian artist John Olsen. (May 2005)

46 South
New Zealand surfing photographer Paul Kennedy plunges into the Deep South to an emerging big-wave scene. “In New Zealand, size comes at a price. The trade-off for being the only part of the country to receive genuine big waves is the biting cold and radical weather. Even on glassy, sunny days, the full rubber kit from head to toe is essential. Winter days are often plagued by squally gales of such force that they make going outside an unlikely option, even for the farmers. This is surfing in New Zealand at latitude 46 degrees South, in the heart of the Roaring Forties.” (May/June 2005)

Kaitaia fire
Two groups of Far North students excelled at the Community Problem Solving Championships in Lexington, Kentucky. Kaitaia Primary School won the junior (9-11) section of the competition with their solution to the regular low-level flooding of their school, while nearby Ahipara Primary came second in the intermediate section with their clean up plan for the badly polluted Wairoa Stream. “They are an amazing bunch of children,” said Kaitaia Primary assistant principal Cherie Duncan. “We are all just so stoked for them and so proud of them.”
(8 June 2005)
   

The real super heroes
Kiwi stuntwoman Zoe Bell (Xena, Kill Bill, Catwoman) is the joint subject of an American documentary on women in her profession, entitled Double Dare. The film charts the very different careers of Bell and Wonder Woman stuntwoman Jeannie Epper. “The real women behind these two world-famous icons are at drastically different crossroads in their lives. One, a grandmother, struggles with the aging process and Hollywood's dearth of older female roles; the other, a young woman, is brash and unaware of the feminist history that has paved her way in this notoriously macho field. When Jeannie becomes a mentor for Zoë, these two women from opposite sides of the world and opposite ends of their careers find a way to survive in the industry together.”
(May 2005)
   

Triumph of nature
Cairo magazine writer admires NZ's greatest natural resource - the landscape itself - in a hiking tour of NZ. "Once we finally got [to the old mining town] it was easy to imagine what it had once looked like, with all the romantic and fanciful notions that such a place would bring to mind. Large trees had grown into areas they shouldn’t have been in, reclaiming their land and making it feel like a ghost town."
(16 June 2005)
  

Forecast: international sales
Raglan’s ASR Marine Consulting and Research has created a new computer-based program to predict long wave conditions, in what the company claims is a world first. The forecasting system was developed to help client Port Taranaki better manage its operations. ASR believes the system could revolutionise ports all over the world and, to this end, will present it at a high-profile oceanography conference in Madrid in July.
(20 April 2005)
    

New law embraced
Planet Out feature looks at the newly instated Civil Union Bill in NZ. More than 600 couples registered for a civil union in the first week after the law came into effect. The article quotes GayNZ.com writer, Craig Young: “I think most of our fellow New Zealanders have realized that a pack of rabble-rousing fundamentalists were the only ones getting into hysterics about civil unions, and don't mind us having our day at the registry.”
(26 April 2005)
   

Earthly paradise
A South African couple take a tour NZ by campervan, pronouncing it “Eden on Earth.” Highlights include the Moeraki Boulders at Omaru, Lanarch Castle, Franz Josef Glacier, Tongariro National Park, Sandspit and the Waipoua Forest.
(1 June 2005)
   

Sail away
The Age showcases five of the best NZ cruises on offer; Milford Sound, Hole in the Rock (Bay of Islands), Lake Wakitipu, Inter-Islander crossing, and the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise.
(25 May 2005)
   

Steaming in Seattle
Kiwi Carl Sara was a finalist in the World Barista Championship in Seattle. The prestigious competition was won by Denmark’s Troels Overdal Poulsen.
(19 April 2005)
   

Dinosaurs in the Domain
An Aucklander story featured on international Alt News website, Rense. ‘Mystery creature roams Auckland park,’ turned out to be a tongue-in-cheek promotion of the Auckland Museum’s new dinosaur models in the surrounding Domain.
(30 June 2005)
   

Front row seats
7 middle-aged American couples travel from Queenstown to Christchurch by bike, running out of synonyms for awesome in the process. “If you're in good enough shape to walk six or seven miles, you can handle the bike trip we made through the spectacular beauty of the west coast, where every river is as cold and clear as a well-stirred martini and little towns miles apart don't seem far removed from the gold-mining frontier of bygone days.”
(3 April 2005)
   

View to a thrill
San Francisco Chronicle travel writer recommends Wellington’s Rawhiti B&B. “On a recent trip to New Zealand, I discovered a wonderful bed and breakfast very close to the centre of Wellington. Rawhiti, a former family home, has fabulous harbor and city views from both beautiful guest rooms.”
(5 June 2005)
   

Woolly windfall
The NZ Merino Wool Company has won a 7 year contract valued at approximately $NZ40 million to supply U.S apparel manufacturers SmartWool. SmartWool, whose chief business is in outdoor clothing and accessories, recently signed a deal with Timberland to provide merino lining for shoes and boots.
(13 April 2005)
    

User friendly
Jeremy Cole’s “handsome” porcelain hanging lamps were name-checked in a Times review of the 17th annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Cole is listed alongside a new wave of designers heralding a tangible shift from “cutting edge” to “usable stylishness.”
(19 May 2005)

Kia kaha Cambo
Michael Campbell held off a late charge by Tiger Woods to win the 105th US Open at Pinehurst, his first major championship. He become the first Kiwi to win a major title since Bob Charles took the British Open Championship at Lytham 42 years ago. Campbell was overcome with emotion on the 72nd hole. He pulled his cap down over his eyes, then hugged his caddy, his shoulders shaking visibly, for several minutes as he composed himself. Steve Williams, the New Zealander who caddies for Woods, waited beside the green to congratulate Campbell. "It's been a journey," said Campbell. "I've worked really hard for this. I've had ups and downs through my whole career but it's worth the work. It's just amazing. It's completely changed my whole career. I can't believe I'm holding this trophy. I kept thinking about Bob [Charles]. I thought if I can shoot two or three under in the last round I've got a chance. Things went my way; I holed some long putts and some par-saving putts. I was telling myself 20 times a hole, 'keep your focus'." 
(19 June 2005)
   

On the edge of Country
New Zealand country music star Kylie Harris from Edendale Southland (pop 507), Timaru, Hamilton and Rotorua broadcasts to 34 million US homes daily on leading Nashville cable program On The Edge of Country, featuring performances and videos by Americana, bluegrass and alt country artists. The Gold Guitars (Gore, aged 17) award-winning singer made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2001.

Alan Dale heart-attacked from The O.C.
Dunedin-born actor Alan Dale’s role as wealthy Orange County real estate mogul, Caleb Nichol (“deep down, he is a conniving man that won't stop until he gets what he wants”) in the hit show The O.C. has ended after his character was struck by a fatal heart attack and buried in the season finale (Caleb Nichol had started the year facing corruption charges, was forced to acknowledge his illegitimate daughter, suffered a heart attack, dealt with a blackmailer and initiated a divorce action against his trophy wife). Alan Dale started acting at the age of 12 in his parents theater group. After school he moved to Auckland, married and began a job as a milk man. While making his deliveries one day, he heard that the breakfast radio announcer was quitting, he finished his deliveries and went to apply. He landed the job. In 1979, 10 days after arriving in Sydney, he landed his first television role in The Young Doctors. After three years as Dr. John Forest, he went on to star in Neighbours as Jim Robinson, his defining role, for eight years. After re-marriage to former Miss Australia, Tracey Pearson he moved to Los Angeles where he has been in many programs such as E.R, The X-Files, Navy NCIS, The Practice and The O.C. He also had a role in movie Star Trek: Nemesis and was one of the voices in the X-Men video game. 

Paris in love
Viva magazine features New Zealand fashion designer Frances Howie, named one of the eight designers to-look-out-for by British Vogue. Howie is designing in Paris for one of France’s oldest couture labels, Lanvin. Her work on Lanvin’s collection at Paris Fashion Week has won acclaim and was picked as one of the top three shows of the event. In 2001 Howie was named the Smirnoff International Designer of the year. 

Putting our money where our mouth is
In a show of commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, NZ became the first country in the world to levy a public carbon tax. NZers will now pay an extra $2.90 per week for electricity, petrol and gas, which is expected to add about 6% to household energy prices and 9% to businesses. The idea is to make polluting energy sources such as oil and coal more expensive than cleaner ones such as hydro, wind and solar power. Guardian: “The experiment will be watched closely by bigger countries which are also committed to reducing carbon emissions but are failing to reduce energy demand.”
(5 May 2005)
   

Kyoto Protocol a “feelgood gimmick”
Meanwhile, SMH columnist Miranda Devine says “Our Kiwi neighbours, once smug about ecological superiority, face a cost blow-out from the treaty exceeding $NZ1 billion ($900 million). The farcical result is that even though the country produces only 0.2 per cent of the world's greenhouse gases, it is to be punished as if it were a big polluter because it is unlikely to meet its emission targets. The Government has admitted it will exceed its Kyoto target by 36 million tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2008 and 2012. In their enthusiasm for the project, New Zealand officials miscalculated carbon dioxide inputs and outputs, claiming there would be a net profit in carbon credits from the treaty. They reportedly counted some forests twice and didn't account for increased car use due to a booming economy. So, instead of profiting by being a global green goodie, it will have to buy carbon credits to meet the shortfall, which will cost as much as $NZ1.2 billion. Worse, a consultant's report released by the industry group Business New Zealand last year calculated a future liability of as much as $NZ14 billion under the protocol over the next 20 years. (04 August 2005)

Regal eagle leads the best
Eagles’s Nest, Bay of Islands, was named NZ’s ‘Number 1 Leading Resort’ at the 11th annual World Travel Awards in Barbados. The luxury homestead has already been voted one of the Top New Hotels in the World and Best Beach Houses in the World by Conde Nast, one of the Most Romantic Places by Travel and Leisure, and one of 16 Best Destinations in Australia, South Pacific and New Zealand in the annual American Express readers’ survey.
(7 April 2005)
  

Midwestern Dashper
The Sioux City Art Center is to show Midwestern Unlike You and Me: New Zealand’s Julian Dashper. This is the first ever travelling retrospective of a New Zealand-based artist to be organized by an American museum. Dashper has maintained a prolific international art career from his home base in Auckland since the early 1980s, having participated in over 100 solo exhibitions worldwide. His art is in the renowned collections in Australia, the Netherlands and Germany, and all the major public and private collections in NZ. Spanning the past 25 years of Dashper’s art, the exhibition features over 30 works including paintings, photography, sound recordings, videos and readymade objects. Through a concept-based art which focuses on both the formal and conceptual elements of the artwork, Dashper explores the global exchange of ideas about so-called international styles (such as American Modernism); the reception and dissemination of visual culture; and the subversion and re-positioning of what is often considered marginal elements of the artworld, such as its institutional framework. The show opens August 6 for three months. (27 July 2005)

From strength to strength
Catherine Chidgey’s second novel, The Strength of the Sun, is rapturously received in the New York Times. “It's difficult to articulate exactly what gives this novel its unassuming power … In combination, the disparate elements of Chidgey's novel create a dense and multifaceted whole, an arresting portrait of a world where the past never disappears entirely, but keeps returning to us - however imperfectly - in countless small and unexpected ways.”
(19 June 2005)
    

Richard Curtis: Love is the edge
The BBC screened the latest work by screenwriter and director Richard Curtis, The Girl in the Café, on the eve of the 2005 G8 meeting at Gleneagles. Curtis’s script faces the most important issue of 2005: will this be the year when world powers seriously address the issue of world poverty - once and for all? Born in Wellington New Zealand in 1956, Richard Curtis is the son of Australian parents, his father was a Unilever executive who went onto postings in Manila, Stockholm, Folkestone and Warrington UK. He is the writer of some of the most successful romantic comedies ever made - Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually – produced by Working Title, the London film studio co-founded by Queenstown’s Tim Bevan. Curtis wrote Blackadder and Rowan Atkinson’s stage shows. He is co-founder and vice-chairman of Comic Relief, and a member of the Make Poverty History campaign. The Girl in the Café follows the story of a hard-working civil servant and his life-changing relationship with a mysterious girl whom he meets in a café opposite Downing Street. The Guardian’s 2003 feature on Curtis called him “a global power in cinema…Curtis's trick in his films has been to make the parochial global. He's a Big Englander: someone who, like Richard Branson, gambled that his personal values might be more widely shared.” CNN said “No doubt about it: "The Girl in the Cafe" is the best romantic comedy set at a G-8 summit you're ever likely to see… besides packing a weighty message -- significant reduction in global poverty and infant mortality is now within the grasp of world leaders -- this lovely film can hold its own against any love story as it depicts a mismatched couple struggling to connect.” Socialist Unity called The Girl in the Café: “a jingoistic political broadcast on behalf of New Labour…Curtis could have weaved into the script the beginnings of colonialism and the slave trade, through to the decades following independence when the ex-colonial powers reasserted their control through creating the debt slavery system, and to the present day with G8 countries and their corporations queuing up to benefit from has been called "the new scramble for Africa".” (14 July 2005)

One for the mantelpiece
Sam Neill won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama for his role in Jessica at Australia’s 47th annual TV Week Logie Awards. Neill also presented the Gold Logie, which was won by comic and presenter Rove McManus.
(2 May 2005)
    

Industry in good hands
Malaysian Star feature looks at NZ's thriving film, multimedia and technology schools; specifically Auckland's South Seas Film and Television School, Media Design School, and University of Technology (AUT), and Palmerston North's University College of Learning (UCol). "Thanks to the success of award-winning trilogy Lord of the Rings, NZ's creative schools are seeing a surge in interest in film-making, 3D-animation, computer graphic design and a host of other artistic disciplines." 
(19 June 2005)
   

Trail-blazing twosome
LA Times feature charts the rise of NZ Sauvignon Blanc, courtesy of forward-thinking brothers Bill and Ross Spence who first planted the grape – against conventional wisdom - in the early 1970s. Their vineyard, Matua Valley, is now one of the most consistent and respected in NZ. “[Bill Spence] continues to take comfort — and pride — in knowing that he and his brother were first and that if they had not blazed the Sauvignon Blanc trail, there may have been no Cloudy Bay.”
(25 May 2005)
   

Task-master Cook
As Registrar General for England and Wales, New Zealander Len Cook is heading the massive task of digitising the countries’ birth, death, and marriage certificates. “The aim throughout our plans to reform civil registration has been to deliver a better, more efficient service to the public,” says Cook. The main objective of the project – which is expected to take 30 months – is to create a digital index to all records.
(27 June 2005)
   

Heavenly creatures
The Royal NZ Ballet impresses critics with its first foray into Sydney. The Herald reviewer is particularly taken with the show’s titular piece, A Million Kisses to My Skin. “I suspect that the classicism of this work is the company's strength. The six women are strong and speedy on point, with extensions that reach up to the heavens; the three men produce occasional technical fireworks that charge up the quieter accomplishments of their dancing.”
(12 June 2005)
  

Brave new voice
Jonathan Lemalu’s debut album, Opera Arias, is bringing the already acclaimed singer further international praise. Chicago Tribune: “Lemalu shines particularly brightly in Mozart's music, bringing a disarming combination of voice, musicality and personality to [a range of] selections … His is a rich, ringing instrument, full-bodied, deeply resonant and winningly agile.”
(13 May 2005)
   

Mrs Peace leaves her mark
Political activist, peace campaigner and renowned author, Sonja Davies, has died aged 81, leaving an inspiring legacy in her wake. According to her Guardian obituary, Davies – known to many as ‘Mrs Peace’ - ranks alongside Sir Edmund Hillary and Janet Frame as one of NZ’s national treasures. Among other things, Davies was a holder of the Order of NZ, an executive member of the World Peace Council, chaired the NZ committee for the UN international year of peace in 1986, and was an active trade unionist and member of parliament. The Sonja Davies Peace Award, which promotes women's initiatives and the cause of peace in Aotearoa, was established in 2004 in honour of Davies’ 80th birthday. Her memoir Bread and Roses, which was made into an acclaimed film by Gaylene Preston, is one of the cornerstone stories of NZ’s national identity.
(18 June 2005)
   

Perrier-nominated folk parodists Flight of the Conchords have landed their own Radio 2 series, with a host of names from the comedy circuit lending a hand. The duo’s improvised show will be broadcast from September. The show charts how Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement –  ‘New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody duo’ – try to crack the UK’s lucrative novelty music scene. Much of it was recorded on a portable mini-disc at London landmarks including Hyde Park, The Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus - and the first aid room at Broadcasting House. The Conchords, who won their Perrier nomination at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe, also  have TV development deals in place with NBC in America and Channel 4 in the UK. (June 30, 2005)

Shark attack
“More than 14,000 fans screamed along to anthems from the Split Enz and Crowded House song books. There was no doubting the brothers' enduring relevance with songs from their latest album Everyone is Here receiving an equally huge reception. There was palpable anticipation for this beloved duo who have captivated hordes of fans on their current Australian sold-out tour.” Meanwhile the Bros, Eddie Rayner, Malcolm Green, Nigel Griggs and Noel Crombie were back together as Split Enz for the first time on an Australian stage since 1990 as part of their induction into the ARIA Icons Hall of Fame at Melbourne's Regent Theatre. (15 July 2005)

Standring gets teeth into international market
According to Empire magazine, Glen Standring’s Perfect Creature is NZ’s largest ever international film sale. Set in an alternate 1960s/70s NZ, the highly original vampire tale stars British actors Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows. Perfect Creature has been purchased by 20th Century Fox and will receive widespread international release. Standring’s debut feature, The Irrefutable Truth About Demons, also sold strongly overseas.
(15 May 2005)
  

Mirimar the seat of power
The June issue of Premiere magazine (US) named Peter Jackson the most powerful person in Hollywood, ahead of Steven Spielberg, Pixar animations duo Steve Jobs and John Lasseter, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks. According to the article, Jackson is “one of the few one man band productions that are changing the grid of the power structure in Tinseltown.” In other Jackson news, the director is suing New Line Cinema for its handling of revenues generated by Fellowship of the Ring (2001). According to the New York Times, "the claim strikes at the heart of the modern vertically integrated media company," and is subsequently being followed intently in Hollywood. Jackson's lawyers believe he has been left more than US$100 million out of pocket.
(6 May 2005)
    

International man of mystery
Wayne Gould – retired NZ judge turned “international puzzle star” – is responsible for the latest craze in newspaper teasers, Su Doku. Gould discovered the number-based logic test in a Japanese bookstore in 1997. After six years of labour, Gould created a computer program to produce the puzzles, and sold the result to Rupert Murdoch’s Times. The game has been a hit in the UK, spawning a best-selling book (and two more in the pipeline), and has now been purchased across the Atlantic by the New York Post.
(27 May 2005)
   

Interplanetary fame
Two amateur Kiwi astronomers helped discover a planet 15,000 light years from Earth using simple backyard telescopes. Grant Christie and Jennie McCormick are part of a worldwide star-gazing collective called MicroFUN, led by Andrew Gould of Ohio State University. The new planet – which is roughly 3 times the size of Jupiter – was discovered using a technique called gravitational microlensing, when a massive object in space, such as a star or a black hole, crosses in front of a star shining in the background and is magnified in the process. Christie and McCormick share co-authorship of MicroFUN’s paper announcing the new planet to Astrophysical Journal Letters.
(23 May 2005)

Biennale buzz
Art collective et al is New Zealand’s representative at the Venice Biennale with its installation The Fundamental Practice. Central to et al.’s work is an exploration of the human tendency to establish truths and orthodoxies in response to the ‘unknown’. It is a concern that is reflected in et al.’s long-standing choice not to reveal their identities. The group is currently steered by one artist who remains anonymous outside the title et al., thereby protecting her own mutability, and the homogeny of the group. Te Papa curator explains in the NZ Listener  how and why et al's controversial installation was one of the buzzes of the 2005 Venice Biennale. (16 July 2005)

Taranaki to Toronto
Gregory Burke has been appointed to the position of Director, The Power Plant Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre Toronto commencing September 2005. A native New Zealander, Gregory Burke is currently Director of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, the New Plymouth contemporary art gallery presenting international exhibitions with a focus on countries of the Pacific Rim. The gallery is home to the foundation and collection of Len Lye, the New Zealand artist recognized for his pioneering experimental films and for his kinetic sculpture. Burke is a curator, writer, editor and arts manager. He is the Commissioner for the 2005 New Zealand Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, editor of the contemporary art magazine VISIT and spent three years as Manager, Arts Development/ Arts Advisor to the Arts Council of New Zealand with responsibility for visual arts, crafts, design arts, film and new media.

12 reasons to love Auckland
Auckland was the cover-girl of leisure and travel magazine Destinasian. The feature titled “All eyes on Auckland” lists the city’s top dozen attractions, often overlooked by tourists en-route to “the volcanic cliffs of the Coromandel Peninsula or the remote peaks of the South Island.” Some of the magazine’s top picks include the hip haunts on Vulcan Lane, Burgers at the White Lady and Grey Lynn’s suburban verve. (April/May 2005)

In defense of whales
NZ led the anti-whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Ulsan. Headed by Conservation Minister Chris Carter, the delegation included officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DoC, as well as Whaling Commissioner Sir Geoffrey Palmer. “NZ feels very passionate about conservation," said Carter. "Now that Japan has proposed to double the amount of whales they intend to kill, and most of [the whales] will not be around Japan but will be around NZ in and the southern ocean, we feel very angry about that and we don't agree with their policy.”
(28 June 2005)
    

Supply and demand
The NZ wine industry continues to break monthly export sales records, with over seven million bottles of wine exported in March and growth continuing into April and May. The staggering 5.2 million litres of wine exported in March was the biggest ever total in one month, and a 73% increase from March 2004. NZ Winegrowers CEO, Philip Gregan, puts the success down to the emergence of two new markets for Kiwi wine - Germany and Canada.
(4 May 2005)
    

Buggin’ out
NZ entomologist, writer, broadcaster and educator, Ruud Kleinpaste, is a hit in the US as the host of Animal Planet's Buggin' With Ruud. "In Buggin' With Ruud, the energetic, fearless Kleinpaste subjects himself to no small amount of indignities to show the amazing things that bugs can do - from crawling into a freezer (with a temperature probe 'up his bum') to show how NZ crickets survive the winter, to being locked into a hyperbaric chamber to make a point about dragonflies and oxygen."
(19 June 2005)
  

More than just a pretty face
“Ah, NZ. Land of outdoor beauty, fresh air, long walks over rugged terrain - but, come on, do you really want to fly halfway around the world for something you could find in Cornwall?” The Guardian takes a novel travel approach by hunting out NZ’s numerous urban delights. These include the Bellini Bar and Soul Bistro in Auckland, the Matterhorn, Citron, and Havana Bar in Wellington, Joji’s Sushi & Saki Bar and Azure in Christchurch, and Mazagram Espresso and Toast in Dunedin.
(1 June 2005)
   

Save the kauri part 2
Belgian researcher Lieven Claessens has discovered another reason to preserve our native kauri forests. According to Claessens’ Dutch-funded study, which was undertaken in the Waitakere ranges, the giant trees help stabilise areas susceptible to landslides and erosion. Planting kauri is a more ecologically viable and better long-term option than the concrete structures currently being used to prevent slips.
(17 May 2005)
  

Shattering cinema
Another fantastic review for award-winning NZ film, In My Father’s Den. “They say that NZ wears its people lightly: the land is so strong, so exciting, so varied and so remote that its people could be blown away and it would hardly notice. But the people in this film would take some blowing away, being entangled with each other and bound to the place by memories, guilt and hatred … The drama is hidden within many layers. Peel away one and we uncover more of the dark secrets, the suppressed and ancient tragedies of the small town. The climax is shattering.”
(28 June 2005)
   

Mutual milestone
76 Tampa refugees were made NZ citizens on April 8, including the youngest on board Azizullah Mussa (now 17). “I've been waiting three years for this day to come. I can call myself a Kiwi now,” he said. NZ accepted 208 people from the Tampa as refugees; 131 straight from the boat and a further 77 from the resettlement at Nauru. PM Helen Clark: “Today's ceremony is a milestone in the lives of these new young New Zealanders. They are already making a positive contribution to NZ life, and our lives have been enriched by having them here.”
(8 April 2005)
   

Marks takes a bow
Tall Blacks star, Sean Marks, has announced his retirement from NZ basketball, after helping the San Antonio Spurs to victory in the NBA final. “I've given it a lot of thought and it was a tough decision to come by,” he says. “I've had a great run with the Tall Blacks and I've cherished every moment with the guys … they have been some of the best moments of my basketball career.” After attending the University of California Berkeley, Marks became the first NZer to be drafted for the NBA. He has played for the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs.
(29 June 2005)
  

Hot spots outed
“Scenic, comfortable and tolerant, NZ has always been an attractive destination for gay and lesbian travellers. In recent times things have been getting even better, with gay venues and activities popping up like drag queens in a cabaret act.” Planet Out offers a comprehensive guide for gay and lesbian tourists, from Wellington’s Out Takes Film Festival to Gay Pride Week in Christchurch.
(6 June 2005)
   

Rising star
The Scotsman hails Kiwi Ryan Nelsen as one of the British Premiere League’s hottest signings. “Nelsen has proven an unbridled success since his arrival from Major League Soccer side DC United in January on a free transfer, to such an extent current employers Blackburn are already in talks with regard to extending his contract.” Nelsen, who is tipped to be the next All Whites captain, hopes his success will encourage players back home to hone their skills abroad: “Hopefully I’ve opened up some doors for other people coming over because there are a few young guys coming through the ranks that have actually got a lot of talent.”
(12 April 2005)
  

Dinosaurs down under
The fourth installation of Jurassic Park is rumoured to be filming in NZ later this year, with Sam Neill reprising his role as Dr Grant. Visual Effects maestro Stan Winston aims to “raise the bar and bring the world something extraordinary.”
(11 April 2005)
   

Rainbow resonates 20 years on
July 10 marked the 20th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing in Auckland Harbour. The Greenpeace flagship was targeted by French agents under the orders of then President Francois Mitterand, in retaliation for Greenpeace protests against French nuclear testing in the Pacific. Photographer Fernando Pereira was killed in the blast. NZ held a memorial service at the site of the bombing, followed by a commemorative concert. Services were also held in Paris and Sydney, and Canada declared July 10 to be Rainbow Warrior Day in Toronto and Vancouver. “Today we are facing a bigger nuclear threat as an ever increasing number of states continue their development of nuclear weapons,” said 1985 crew member Steve Sawyer at the NZ memorial. “No bomb will stop conflict - whether it be in the arsenals of the nuclear weapons states, on the Rainbow Warrior, on buses and tube stations in London, nor on the streets of Baghdad.”
(11 July 2005)
    

Rugby fever reaches new heights
The All Blacks demolished the British and Irish Lions in three straight Tests, in one of the most highly anticipated rugby tours of recent years. The hype both at home and in the UK was spectacular, with thousands of Lions supporters making the trip Down Under for the series. Reuters ran a sequence of articles on the history of Lions tours in NZ and the BBC set up a weblog for Lions and All Blacks fans to share their experiences of the tour online. Planet Rugby published an unofficial set of awards, including Player of the Series (All Black Daniel Carter), Match of the Tour (NZ Maori’s first ever win over the Lions), and Best Crowd Signage ('Will exchange wife for Test tickets' - sighted in the stands of the Westpac Stadium during the Wellington match).
(May-July 2005)