Recent atmospheric effects resulting from the devastating bushfires in south-east Australia show how close New Zealand really is to its trans-Tasman neighbour. On January 31, a strong north-westerly flow carried plumes from the bushfires across southern New Zealand before they had time to disperse. The morning sky was noticeably darker than normal, and had a […]...
In most New Zealand woolsheds the click of the shears has given way to the whine of electric handpiece. But there are still places where the traditional life of the blade-shearing gang continues. Hard work and honed steel are the hallmarks of a job which has changed little in centuries....
Crops swollen with food for their chicks, sleek Snares crested penguins scramble ashore through slippery kelp, passing National Geographic wildlife photographer Frans Lanting as they make their way to their breeding colonies. Besides penguins, the subantarctic Snares Islands are home to millions of albatrosses, shearwaters, prions and petrels, plus unique landbirds, and are considered one […]...
Milk has long been a favourite with Kiwi kids and their parents. But it represents more than just good health and strong bones. The dairy industry in the country’s largest, accounting for 20 per cent of export income, and New Zealand dairy products make up almost a third of the global dairy trade. Whereas butterfat […]...
The South African war was was New Zealand’s first opportunity to take part in an overseas war, and most New Zealanders were eager for the colony to become involved. Indeed, Premier Richard Seddon, reflecting the mood of imperial patriotism, pledged troops weeks before the conflict began....
Tikopia is a tiny tropical island just 4.5 sq km in area, located hundreds of kilometres from the larger islands of the Solomons group to which it belongs. Its 1446 inhabitants lead a subsistence lifestyle: fishing, growing vegetables and rearing chickens and pigs. There is almost no cash economy on the island, where the traditional […]...
