SAM STRATTON’S COMIC WATCH
Comic Watch: The lads from Be More Awesome.
Photo: Sam Stratton.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aoteaora New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 17.1.13~
PIANO LIGHT – BROOKE FRASER POETRY
Poignant song lyrics of New Zealand as penned by poetic-prophet: Brooke Fraser in the song Arithmetic.
I've been staring at the sky tonight Marvelling and passing time Wondering what to do with daylight Until I can make you mine You are the one I want, you are the one I want (more…)
TICKETS TO RUGBY SEVENS WELLINGTON 2013 SELL OUT – FUN SPORTS EVENTS
14,000 tickets to the Rugby Sevens in Wellington went on sale this morning in New Zealand on USA’s Election Day 2012. 20 minutes later, the tickets had all sold out.
An event where fans are famous for dressing up as superheroes and the alter egos, pictured are Sheta Hall at the sevens in Wellington and Bec Jones and Bernie Hoani watching the sevens rugby at The Adelaide Oval. Heaps of crazy fun.
[Photos: Fairfax Media & Adelaide Now].
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 7.11.12~
MOTHER KIWI BIRD – RACHEL HUNTER STEALS EGGS TO SAVE THE KIWI FROM EXTINCTION
In Supermodels of Aotearoaland in black gumboots starring as Mother Bird:
It did happen overnight.
Ditching the high heels for gumboots, Rachel Hunter spent a night creeping through the bush to bring a kiwi egg to Kiwi Encounter.
The New Zealand’s Got Talent judge spent half of Monday night foraging around in Maungataniwha Forest waiting for the opportunity to take a kiwi egg from its nest to Rotorua for incubation.
Hunter, who is the patron of Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust, said although it feels “mean” sometimes to take the eggs from their parents’ nest, there was a 95 per cent chance it wouldn’t survive in the wild.
They were “really fortunate” the father got off the egg early at night, around 10.30pm, she said. (more…)
SAM HOLDEN CAN SING IN DUTCH – THE VOICE, NETHERLANDS REALITY TV SHOW
Sam Holden makes a splash, like a Wallace Cane Whitelock Inc Kiwi entertainment lawyer at The Office, onto the set of the Dutch version of The Voice.
Take a listen. The Dan Rad look-a-like’s cover version of Bon Jovi ‘s song Skinny Love… 100% priceless! Go man go!
1st scene: Melissa Stokes news TV.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand
A REVOLUTION OF CHANGE – YOUNG ADULTS MOBILE STATS NZ – A SNAP SHOT 2.10.12
[True fact - if people know you're a New Zealander in California, and they actually know what New Zealand is (like, a separate nation from England or Australia), they can't wait to visit New Zealand. It is also a dream to "one day move to New Zealand" for those who've heard of NZ. Here's a photo of Ari of Cali, who is crazy for NZ].
NZ News: A new wave of Kiwis in their 20′s are jetting to Australia. They follow in the wake of young, well-educated Kiwis who are migrating to Australia.
Ten years ago, New Zealand was hit by a brain drain; now young tradespeople are chasing jobs and larger pay packets in Australia in a migration dubbed the “trades drain”.
And academics have warned that if the loss of trained workers and qualified professionals – who are still leaving in their thousands – continues, the country’s economy will suffer. In one year, more than 17,600 people aged between 20 and 29 moved to Australia.
The bite has hit NZ’s replenishing Kiwi numbers in the 20-29 age group the hardest. In the 12 months to June this year, a record 53,763 people in total left.”–NZH
What this means: We need to encourage a stronger culture in NZ for young adults. (more…)
COACH JOHN KIRWAN IN HEAD TO HEAD RACE TO SIGN BEN FRANKS TO AUCKLAND BLUES RUGBY FOOTBALL TEAM
Auckland Blues new rugby football coach John Kirwan is in a head to head race to sign Ben Franks (pictured right) as Tony Woodcock (left) heads South to join The Highlanders team. More@SportsSouthPacific.
[Photo NZH].
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 12.9.12~
WORLD FILM PREMIERE: BRET McKENZIE’S TWO LITTLE BOYS MOVIE ROLLS OUT RED CARPET IN INVERCARGILL
“From muppets to sporting a mullet,” Oscar’s Bret McKenzie and Australia’s Hamish Blake unite with Joanna Hunkin in Invercargill, New Zealand for a red carpet movie premiere of Two Little Boys, a Robert Sarkies and Duncan Sarkie‘s film.
Wendy Petrie has the live studio feed, to a Kiwi bromance comedy interview for Hollywood’s buddy genre’s many fans. It’s an unpretentious movie that Hunkin describes as “gruesome” and “funny.”
Updated: The Southland Times begins its review with “it has plenty of swearing, it has nudity, and it has a fairly graphic scene involving a dead backpacker and an axe.” Adding: It is a black comedy of errors set against a stunning backdrop – the Southern Scenic Route of Southland New Zealand and its familiar attractions, Jack’s Blowhole, Curio Bay, Cathedral Cave. It’s a story of what happens when you outgrow your friends.” Actor Maaka Pohatu stars as Gav in the film too.
September 20th is when the movie hits theaters in New Zealand.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 12.9.12~
TV BLOOPERS KIWI HUMOR: PAULA BAGUST & PETRA BENNETT TEAM UP FOR A LAUGH
Petra Bagust, New Zealand’s sweetheart (one of them) of TV chat teamed up with NZ politician Paula Bennett to deliver some humor on Bloopers TV this morning. Click on Paula’s pic to have a chuckle.
Thanks ladies. Lol! :)
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 6.9.12~
SONNY BILL WILLIAMS SPORTS A SILVER RUGBY CUP
"Fill up my cup, mazel tov"--Yiddish song lyrics
Alright, it’s the photo rugby football fans and rugby league fans have all been waiting to see on the website, Mr Sonny Bill Williams of The Chiefs, modelling rugby football’s latest silver trophy.
Photo caption: Liam Messam & Sonny Bill Williams (R) of New Zealand’s All Blacks celebrating after beating Australia’s Wallabies’ in their Bledisloe Cup rugby union test match in Auckland August 25, 2012. Photo: Nigel Marple for Getty Images, courtesy of Yahoo Sports.
Crowd flash mob dancing, Oprah Winfrey City concerts & Fergie and the lads of the Black Eyed Peas ramping up the fun in Illinois, one year or so back.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 28.8.12~
ZACK MURRAY MAKES HIS GOLDEN KIWI KIDS MEDIA DEBUT – WED 15th AUGUST 2012
Kiwi kid, Zack Murray makes his golden debut as a part of the vast community of Kiwi athletes all doing good in the world.
Also featured with Zack are NZ gold medallists Eric Murray, Hamish Bond and Nathan Cohen. Sports broadcaster, Toni Street was on deck to witness locals turn up to the airport to welcome our Olympians home.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 15.8.12~
ZINZAN BROOKE WOULD MAKE A FANTASTIC MAORI ALL BLACKS COACH & AUCKLAND BLUES ASSIST COACH – ALI IMMS TOO!
The UK did not look after Zinzan Brooke as well as it could have.
[Photo caption: All Black legend Zinzan Brooke (center) is pictured with fellow world rugby players, Percy Montgomery (left) and Josh Lewsey. Photo: NZH.
Breaking news: “Former All Black star Zinzan Brooke and his wife Alison have been declared bankrupt in the UK.
The news was revealed on the the Bankruptcy Orders section on the London Gazette website and refers to the couple’s B & B operation in the English town of Windsor.
Both Zinzan Brooke and his wife Alison, have bankruptcy orders listed.
Brooke is viewed by many as the best No.8 ever to wear the black jersey. He played for the All Blacks between 1987 and 1997, playing 58 tests and scoring 195 points, made up of 42 tries and three drop goals. (more…)
USA DROUGHT – AGRICULTURAL NEW ZEALAND NEWS & NZX WATCH REPORT – 10.8.12
[Music - Stan Walker's music video is a beauty as it shows acres of land, as a concept raising the idea of where agricultural crops could be growing - for our baby panda nations populations of the world].
New Zealand Citizens World News From Aotearoa New Zealand: In New Zealand, we are most concerned about USA’s drought problems, driving up food prices worldwide.
This means that people who live in concrete jungle cities, with no access to a backyard to grow a garden, are very disadvantaged by this news. Held ransom, by the US drought on this issue when shopping.
As too, are the famine stricken nations of the world, we need to be more mindful of.
New Zealand needs to get stuck into agriculture more. We also need a new distribution supply firm (separate to the now German-owned Turners & Growers) to create new supply distribution chains from NZ. Grains, wheat, maybe even maize are what NZ should get more into. Alongwith growing some good stodgey potatoes and kumara (yummy sweet potatoes) to boot. We need to stockpile these crops. The produce should belong to NZ citizens, (our youth should own them), to mediate Peace in the world’s future and reduce wars and blood shed too. It is our children’s futures we all serve, if we are humble enough to actually view it with eyes wide open, looking out to a brighter world where there are dark clouds on our horizons we need to bring light to in our humble yet pivotal New Zealand future, destined to be world-changing people.
Anway, for the latest on the news: Melissa Stokes 12 o’clock news report gives some of our news views in NZ. We’re are a little bit Vincent Ward today with a tragic: vigil watch in New Plymouth. A bit rattled in Hawke’s Bay too. A plume bubbly at Tongariro as well. Busy.
Andrew Allison gives a rough NZX report too. (We’re pretending that NZ is still worried about the Eurozone, when really the bank is in our backyard to grow. We need to be less lazy, do some real work and feed the world). If every politician was allowed out of ‘school’ to spend two days a week in their own provinces, encouraging their home electorate folks to begin this work, NZ would be 100% wealthier in a years time. Kind of, be a cheerleader (or a top coach) of the real people in each province, is what our politicians redeeming qualities are, ahead.
I have a Generation Joseph section on this blog, (created as a blueprint for youth of NZ’s strong future), that addresses that situation from NZ for the world. I like Melissa and Andrew’s reports today. Also of interest is the story of schizophrenia and medical science. In the GFC years or world re-engineering, people wearing ties at banks developed schizophrenic economies. The economies looked like: One for them and another for everyone else. The rise of this disease with suits (that is still prevalent) was best summed up in the American pop anthem, Poker Face many chart hits ago now. So I love that story too. A fav.
And: you can’t go past the world’s “oldest” flash mob dancers either today. Age is nothing but a number, so I admire the humor of our Kiwi grey-power set actors rocking out in this clip too. In their own special way, these outrageous silver hori headed people are creating world history too. Ye-ah!
Live life each day to the fullest is their very groovy message at our 100th medal milestone for NZ. Always have fun is the Auckland City’s Lifemark Homes team‘s inspiring crazy message. “Give it death” they reckon!!! I love them! JH Peace!
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 10.8.12~
LEGAL ENTERTAINER MAI CHEN ON RIGHT BRAIN SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY MIND SETS OF ECONOMIC INNOVATIVE GROWTH FOR KIWI WINNERS
Legal expert Mai Chen has been doing some way cool press lately as a writer and talk show talent in and around the law. Never boring, always entertaining, philisophically interesting and enlightening with empathy, Chen offers her latest thoughts to up New Zealand culture’s innovative hotness.
What did she say? Mai was really good on The Close Up show with broadcaster Mark Sainsbury yesterday.
In journalism guest commentary news, her latest article in the New Zealand Herald is titled: Olympic Effort for a Better Future. (Parts I particularly like in the bold font).
“The Olympic Games is the reason my family emigrated to New Zealand. My father had trained the Taiwan gymnastics team for both the Tokyo and the Mexico games and in 1971 he was headhunted to train the New Zealand gymnastics team. (Wow!)
As a result I grew up in a household where the wisdom of top athletes was seen as the key to success in all areas of life. I was reminded of this last year when, in the midst of my own marathon effort to write a book while running a law firm, Dad began coaching me with Olympic insights once again.
“The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful – will win,” said Roger Bannister. “Your heart must clear the bar first,” said world champion pole vaulter Sergey Bubka. “The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination,” he reminded me, quoting Billy Mills, a rank outsider who blitzed the field to win the 10,000m in Tokyo.
The coaching helped me not to quit when working seven days a week for two years really got to me.
Just think about Oscar Pastorius, South African sprinter and a double amputee, who runs on artificial legs.
[Makata Taka Hela aka Mr. Billy Mills - world champion Olympian 1964. Photo - Ray Wyatt.Net].
We need an [athletes] mindset to propel our export industries into a position of strength on world markets. And we need it to solve tough policy and law reform issues we face, like keeping superannuation affordable, addressing Maori claims to water, or structuring our domestic broadband market to enable Kiwis to compete abroad from here. (True dat. So could be improved by real broadband developers not media posturing posers!) (more…)
MAIPI DANCE CREW MAGIC – HIP HOP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DANCERS – NEW ZEALAND
One of the meanest sports out is hip hop dance crews. It should be an Olympics sports. To train for the event, these young people have to be honed athletes as the rehearsals are both grueling and vigorous. As hip hop is the no.1 selling music on the planet, I love what these Kiwi kids are doing in this news rheel footage.
They’re on it.
My own nephew Jordan and his dance crew have been champions of this disciplined team sport in Australasia. When I was young, I was a national champ with a dance crew from Northland New Zealand in a national competition in Wellington.
When you get older, it’s heartening to see young people in New Zealand who know how to get down and dance.
We are a nation of some of the world’s best dancers too. The Maipi whanau of Huntly are the latest and the greatestst here in New Zealand to bust the art of cool on the D-Floor of Te Ao (the world’s stage). Check out their hot skills of the dance in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Clever. Disciplined. Relentless, high energy amazing.
Te Karere News has the scoop from the Hip Hop World Champs in Nevada. [With thanks to TVNZ film crews and journos].
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 3.8.12~
OUR OUTRIGGER CANOES OF SCIENCE, EDUCATION, INNOVATION FOR POLYNESIAN & PASIFIKA YOUTH POPULATIONS OF THE WORLD – NEW ZEALAND SPIRIT RISING & INVESTING IN PI YOUTH
Because science, innovation, education are New Zealand peoples spirit - of our strong outrigger canoe culture of navigatable adventurous and creative discoveries into new horizons of destiny and change too:
In investing R&D capital into our future innovative inventors of sustainability and peace news:
In my mind I see, children all throughout the South Pacific, even up to the Marshall Islands into even the island of Guam, maybe Vietnam too. They each have a laptop and tablet each. On the internet they are taught curriculum subjects from New Zealand.
Their learning is accelerated and a generation of Polynesian (and Asian?) children arise, supported by their New Zealand friends nearby and afar, to allow the potential of Polynesia’s youth to be all they will be, for the gifts in their lives the world will need to be stronger, smarter, more creative – in the years to come. If we all do this for them that’s so going to happen.
This is the burden that sits very strongly on me today. I really want to see our groovy and unique white, Pakeha New Zealanders do it, just to teach the world what cool New Zealand citizens look like as architects of the world – and to push back the powers of greed, on our Island dwelling Polynesian friends.
Although we admire the braun of Polynesian peoples natural dna (Jonah Lomu storms to mind) - it is their Peaceful spirit (most days), their respect for their elderly, their creativity so rich yet largely untapped, their spiritual gifts, the notable and noble warmth of heart, a trusting innocence in the good of the wider world and their unique thoughts that dwell within their minds; that we will need to see more of in the world, twenty years out from this point. We need to invest more in it.
Photo: Namua Island, Aleipata Upolu, Samoa–Real Adventures. (more…)
WE BRAVE: THE ELEMENTS – FIRST CROSSINGS REALITY TV SHOW CELEBRATES NEW ZEALAND’S FOUNDING FATHER’S ADVENTUROUS TEAMWORK SPIRIT
John Mulgan‘s famous novel, Man Alone gets an update; finding a twin to depict the art of original (Indiana Jones-styled) adventurous Kiwi spirit. A hallmark of Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding fathers. Must watch TV.
- – -
Lately, the morning television production on the Good Morning television show has been so good. It’s relevant cultural television from the heart of New Zealand’s cultural values. Some of it is so deep, I’ve been staying write away from blogging about it. However, Jeanette Thomas is ever a shape-shifting magician as a TV talent, sharing the limelight with cohosts Matai Rangi Smith and Aster and guests. The team have been doing an amazing job at turning on the Arohatia Te Reo: Love the Maori Language theme of the show this week.
One of the upcoming TV shows the team have promo-ed is First Crossings, a show that celebrates the adventurous indomitable spirit of our early Pakeha settlers to New Zealand (eg: Sir Peter Jackson‘s people for example and many Kiwis’ founding fathers, my own too – and Kiwi moms). First Crossings is a reality TV concept, featuring adventurer record holders, Jamie Fitzgerald and Kevin Biggar, that takes audiences across the wilds of New Zealand’s vast whenua, fiordland rivers and diverse landscapes. The show is very Sir Edmund Hillary in spirit.
Already, I can tell it’s my favorite new TV show to hit the air soon, as in New Zealand, what we want is to see ourselves, our people, our stories, our identity onscreen at this time, more than anything else the world can offer us. First Crossing takes us back in time and does that. To be Kiwi cool you have to reinterpret what our icons of culture gave us in the past, switch it up and play it forward in a modern and relevant manner, imbued with new levels of meaning. It’s just what we Kiwis do. Our sense of fun, play, humor being shared.
On that note, we are extremely proud of our Pakeha culture in Aotearoa New Zealand. Most of it anyways.
It’s fact: New Zealand is defined by adventurous people who know how to navigate change. That trait, brought us all on the trail to Aotearoa in different waves and stages. (more…)
THE UN GIVES SHOCK AWARD TO TOBACCO COMPANY
Michael Strand reports a UN controversy in India when an award was given to a tobacco company. Shock waves ensued. “Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has been criticised for her role in granting a business award to India’s biggest tobacco company.
Clark, who is now head of the United Nations Development Agency, presented India’s largest cigarette maker, ITC (formerly Indian Tobacco Company) with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) highest prize for improving the environment and removing poverty.” More at Stuff with Michael Field.
[Memo: Heaven forbid... I must not smoke so much!].
Photo: Author’s own, Eden Park hood, Rugby World Cup opening week, New Zealand shorty after returning home from five years in the United States.
Gotta love New Zealand’s embracing and encouraging spirit, aye?! It’s tumeke fun. :)
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 18.7.12~
AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND’S BEST LADY COACHES & OLYMPIAN ATHLETES SHARE THEIR SPORTS WISDOM – NETBALL OLYMPICS 2012
At Olympics time in New Zealand, in the land that was the first to give women the vote in the world, we like to make a big fuss of our women athletes. It is a Kiwi tradition to do so.
TV One’s sports coverage today, took the time to interview some of the greats for their sports coaching advice contributing to our high performance athletes winning efforts this Olympic Games, London 2012.
From netball’s high court these words are said:
“We played together as a group of players that matured together as people. We have memories of night life on Courtney Place. Your role, can you do it? Or does it need to be done by another? A good coach was as a player, hardworking, creative, good readers of the game. This reflects who they are as people. It’s also how they coach. Such people who competed together then coach opposing teams are always like long lost buddies.”–Words: Waimarama Te Maunu, Noeline Taurua and Debbie Fuller -paraphrased.
From New Zealand’s first Olympics medal winner of sports fame, Yvette Corlett comes the thoughts: “Relax and don’t get too uptight about the event.”
Featured athletes include: Annelise Coberger, Violet Robb, Barbara Kendall, Sarah Ulmer, Valerie Adams and Caroline Evers-Swindell and Georgina Evers-Swindell. What a line up of strong story tellers.
- – -
Soul talk is always good too. As in this advice from a great.
[Sports reporting: Jenny May-Coffin, Andrew Saville, Peter Williams and Paul Hobbs - Good teamwork].
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 15.7.12~
G-FORCE STRIKEMASTER JET SKIES OVER AUCKLAND WITH THE ELATED KIM VENNELL – TVNZ JOURNALIST
Kim Vinnell gets her adventurous journalist hat on, going for a flight over Auckland City skies in a G-Force Strikemaster Jet. Tres fun news.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 14.7.12~
YOUNG RACERS NEWS: HAYDEN PADDON TAKES MARTIN TASKER FOR A JOY RIDE
An oldie but a goodie: Hayden Paddon recently took Martin Tasker on a joy ride. It’s a good view of what the crazy at heart get up to in sports mad New Zealand. Get behind the wheel and go for a ride. Hard sports journalism.
Andrew Saville has the story. A skilled sport. Max fun.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 4.7.12~
PRESERVING THE WILDLIFE – A SUPERMODELS MISSION TOTALLY!
A supermodel Rachel Hunter momento:
Rachel Hunter and “a precious Kiwi bird.”
Wonderful. :)
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 25.11.12~
November 24, 2012 | Categories: Conservation, Kaitiakitanga, Kool Kiwis, Krazy Kiwis, New Zealand, Ornithology, Pop Cultural Commentary, Postcard from Hollywood, Rachel Hunter, Smile Club, Supermodels | Leave A Comment »