MetaFilter posts tagged with newzealand

Create An Effect

netbros — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:09:21 -0800

Just Add New Zealanders — a compilation of short-form film, music videos, movie trailers, and interactive promos. Check out the locations section for photos of the world-class scenic beauty New Zealand is famous for.

Safer Communities Together

moorooka — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:07:42 -0800

3 o' clock in the morning, you're buying a pie from the BP station, what must you always do? New Zealand police officer delivers a stern warning on the hazards of thermo-nuclear pies and becomes a Youtube Hit. Sergeant Baldwin says he was not being serious. "As a policeman if we can make people laugh then great because in reality what we do isn't funny," he said. Sergeant Baldwin says he is now being teased by his colleagues at the station.

Haast's eagles were to NZ as Dingos are to Australia

filthy light thief — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:41:54 -0800

Legends from New Zealand held that there was a large predator bird, known as pouakai, that was big enough to carry human beings off to its nest or den. Some people associated stories of Pouakai with the giant flightless Moa, extinct in 1773. Others thought it might be another extinct giant bird on the South Island, Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei). The eagle, locally known as Te Hokioi, has been extinct for 500 years, overlapping with the early settlers by some 200 years. There was some speculation that the giant eagle was a scavenger due to partially protected nasal openings, which are benefit to protect nasal cavities when digging into carcasses, analogous to features found on accipitrid vultures. Recent studies have provide there is proof that the Haast's Eagle was a fearsome predator, with talons like tigers and the ability to dive on prey at 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). Weighing twice as much as the Steller's Sea Eagle, the heaviest modern eagle at 9 kilograms (20 lb), the Haast's Eagle was the only large predator on the South Island. It's primary prey was most likely the Moa, the largest of reached about 3.7 m (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kg (510 lb). Because it is unlikely that even two Haast's Eagles could eat a complete Moa before it went bad, these kills were bounties for smaller predatory birds, from whom they may have evolved. The absence of mammalian competitors facilitated the evolution of much larger eagles and owls on Cuba and may have likewise precipitated the rapid morphological shift, with an increase in body size by at least an order of magnitude in less than 2 million years. Historic myth, fact, and fiction Another Waitaha myth tells of a contest between the hawk and hokioi. The hawk said it could reach the heavens; the hokioi said it could reach the heavens; there was contention between them. The hokioi said to the hawk, “what shall be your sign?” The hawk replied, “kei” (the peculiar cry of the hawk). Then the hawk asked, “what is to be your sign?” The hokioi replied, “hokioi–hokioi–hu–u.” These were there words. They then flew and approached the heavens. The winds and the clouds came. The hawk called out “kei” and descended, it could go no further on account of the winds and the clouds, but the hokioi disappeared into the heavens. Though the Pouakai could attack a person, there is information from people eating the eagles, detailing that a particular wood was needed to sufficiently cook their haunches. One of the mysteries and curiosities of New Zealand is a UFO explosion in Tapanui, New Zealand, 1178, which the author believes lead to telekinetic pollution of New Zealand that caused in past, and still causes now, that various organisms which live in New Zealand to sporadically mutate to gigantic sizes. Based on a blurry photograph and some footprints found in mud, some cryptozoologists are claiming the Moa lives on.

The Commons' Photostream

netbros — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:31:23 -0800

The Commons' Photostream from the National Library of New Zealand is a collection of late 19th and early 20th century photography. Includes a selection of stereographs from the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington-based photographer William Hall Raine, and panoramas of New Zealand from Robert Percy Moore. There is lots, lots more, and the NLNZ is continuing to update regularly. While visiting the National Library (previously) don't miss Papers Past, containing more than one million pages of digitized New Zealand newspapers and periodicals from the years 1839 to 1932.

George Julius' Mechanical Totalisator

Fiasco da Gama — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:41:29 -0800

Sir George Julius's Automatic Totalisator, first used by the public in New Zealand, and quickly taken up by racetracks throughout Australasia and North America (warning hideous HTML), automates parimutuel betting.

New Zealanders Vote for More Smacking

pivotal — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:52:13 -0800

New Zealand voters want to smack their children. 1.4 million New Zealanders (87.6% of votes cast) have voted "No" to the question "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?". Regardless of opinion, this seemingly innocent question has been steeped in controversy. Voters have been confused, ambivalent, and perhaps misunderstood the law. The Prime Minister indicated he would ignore the result, and even the referendum initiators (intent on legalising smacking for corrective purposes) are divided on what the result means, some wanting explicit rights to use wooden spoons. Two years ago, New Zealand law was modified to remove the defence of "reasonable force" for assault on a child - bringing it into line with the UNICEF Convention on the Rights of the Child. In its place, the law provides for "justifiable force" for specific reasons (preventing harm, criminal offence, poor behaviour). The law explicitly denies the right to use physical punishment to "correct" children (think "correctional facility" - using force to correct children after the fact). Despite these facts, lobbyists have tagged the law change as "anti-smacking", incorrectly implying that it denies any right to use physical force. The non-binding referendum intends to add permission for corrective smacking, but is seen by many as an overall vote of no-confidence in the law change. As such, the PM is openly ambivalent about the result, raising the ire of other politicians.

Wait, their strip is All Black...and Pink?

szechuan — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:44:01 -0800

To launch their new "all black" away strip, English premier football side Everton hired a dance troupe perform a "flippant" version of the Maori haka with English lyrics. Ngati Toa, the iwi of the chief Te Rauparaha who penned the haka "Ka mate" performed by the All Blacks, have in the past attempted and failed to trade mark it to prevent commercial use (and misuse), and have had the issue addressed in their Treaty of Waitangi settlement. This follows controversy over the Spice Girls, an alcopop company, Italian models for Fiat, and the Royal Shakespeare Company all performing the haka inappropriately. And Jean Paul Gaultier deploying the moko on models in a French collection. Opinion over the Everton haka is naturally divided. Previously: Lego faced criticism for using Maori names for its Bionicles range, and we talked about the haka and about cultural IP.

Real Hot Bitches set world synchronised dance record

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:30:36 -0800

Nationally famous (in New Zealand) dance troupe the Real Hot Bitches set the world record for synchronised dance. [SLYT]

Excellent fiddlesticks for the insolent rascal, and other ways to while the days

filthy light thief — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:32:57 -0800

As a belated tribute (of sorts) to Victoria Day, may you find interest in a variety of Victorina era literature, short and long. In the short category, there is Chit-Chat of Humor, Wit, and Anecdote (Edited by Pierce Pungent; New York: Stringer & Townsend (1857), who has written quite a bit of such work) [via mefi projects], and Conundrums New and Old (Collected by John Ray Frederick; J. Drake & Company Publishers Chicago, 1902) [via mefi projects] This publishing house also published The Art of Characturing, copyright 1941. If you prefer your antiquated humor with a twist, take a gander at bizarro version of Conundrums New and Old [via mefi projects]. In the category of longer works, behold the The Lost Novels of Victorian New Zealand [via an older mefi projects]. The lost novels is a free online archive of New Zealand and Pacific Islands texts and heritage materials, provided by the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre, which is part of the Victoria University of Wellington. The content of the online archive ranges from novels written or set in New Zealand to shorter fiction that appeared in local pamphlets and newspaper supplements, and covers a broad range of topics. The long list of archive projects are available under various licenses, and where the original text is out of copyright it is our policy to provide the digitised version under a New Zealand Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License (CC BY-CA).

Accidental movement of large sums of money to the wrong people.

johannahdeschanel — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:08:22 -0800

Couple flee after bank mistakenly gives them 10m $

A Most Disgusting Song

msalt — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:00 -0800

Sixto Rodriguez aka Rod Riguez was a platinum-selling urban-poet folk-funk singer in South Africa, a hit across Australia and New Zealand -- and had no idea. He was working on a construction site in his home town of Detroit until his daughter Eva Alicia found a fansite called "The Great Rodriguez Hunt". Albums: "Cold Fact" (1970, 2008). 4 stars in Billboard (4/18/70); 8.0 on Pitchfork (9/17/08) "Coming From Reality (1973, 2009 - reissued today) Tour: May 8 - July 12, 2009 United States and Europe Songs: "Inner City Blues", "Sugarman", "Crucify Your Mind", "Forget It" - on Daytrotter "Heikki's Suburbia Bus Tour" "Sugarman", "Crucify Your Mind", and "Only Good For Conversation" on his Myspace page "Sugar man" - on David Holme's 2002 mix album "Come Get It, I Got It"; sampled by Nas on You're Da Man

Pictures of Australian War Memorials Online

Effigy2000 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:15:22 -0800

Tomorrow is ANZAC Day, when Australia and New Zealand remembers its fallen diggers who gave their lives (video link) in defence of our freedoms in the major conflicts of the 20th century. If you can, you really should try and attend one of the many dawn services that will be held at numerous war memorials located all around both countries tomorrow. Many of these memorials to the fallen have been documented and are now viewable online. Check out the war memorial pages for Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria (The Shrine of Rememberance in Victoria has its own web page), South Australia and the Northern Territory, Western Australia and the big one in the ACT, the Australian War Memorial. New Zealand has documented many of theirs online as well. Lest we forget, there's also a memorial at ANZAC Cove itself.

The return of New Zealand's first people

Sonny Jim — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:50:51 -0800

In 1939, a 13-year-old boy discovered New Zealand's most significant archaeological site—the remains of a 700-year-old Māori village on the Wairau Bar, Marlborough ... Excavated in the 1940s and '50s, the site yielded a number of Māori skeletons, as well as the remains of now-extinct moa and giant eagles, which, with a wing-span of over 3 metres, were once the world's largest birds of prey. In January 2009, the Māori remains were re-interred, and new excavations carried out. Along this time was a blogger and photographer [warning: WindowsMedia].

Complex, partly private games

Abiezer — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:28:11 -0800

What DeLillo can tell us about Gilchrist Nicely-composed meditation on the parallels between the career of NZ political police tout Rob Gilchrist and the characters described in Don DeLillo's 1988 novel Libra.

Flight of the Conchords, Redux

explosion — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:20:31 -0800

The first episode of the new season of Flight of the Conchords is available to watch free online (US only, sorry). "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo," their first season was chock full of hilarious moments and musical interludes, including some drawn from their live performances. Previously on Metafilter.

PoliticsFilter

pivotal — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:14:51 -0800

It's election season, and the stakes are high. The incumbent party is looking a little frayed, and people are looking for change. The opposition leader (a young chap, who despite being neither gifted, nor black, has likened himself to someone of that definition) is accused of profiting from parliamentary questions about undeclared shareholdings. And forget about your $700 Billion, this election has been rocked by scandal over an undeclared NZ$100,000 donation. Some would suggest that the state of the nation can be read largely through sales of doggy chew toys.

With allies like these who needs enemies?

Samuel Farrow — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:58:10 -0800

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice surprised New Zealand during her visit by calling us allies, despite our long history of disagreement over certain issues. The Auckland Student Association's shameless plug for self promotion has prompted a response.

Invade New Zealand

ardgedee — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:37:07 -0800

Invade New Zealand . (Flash video) (Rocks out) (Invades your monitor)

New Zealand War Art

marxchivist — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:51:22 -0800

New Zealand War Art showcases about 1,500 images of New Zealanders at war beginning with World War I. Lots and lots and lots and lots of images in a wide variety of media by a long list of artists. The images are viewable and downloadable in nice large sizes. I can't believe this hasn't been posted before.

Fusing the electric boogaloo with the (samoan) sasa

X-00 — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:26:51 -0800

Urban Pasifika, a sub-genre of hip hop which combines American style hip hop or R&B rhyming and beats with Pacific Island or Māori instrumentation. While older artist covered topics like polynesian heritage, the disconnect from immgration to another land and support for Māori sovereignty. Newer artists, mainly associated with Dawn Raid, have a more traditional American style, attitude and focus.

Chocolate Creme and Goo!

ericb — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:13:27 -0800

Joseph Herscher spent 6 months creating his "Monster Marble Machine," an entrant in Cadbury's "Unleash The Goo" competition. While just a runner-up, he's gaining attention for his Rube Goldberg inspired solution.

So, you thought Cricket was for sissies, aye?

hadjiboy — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:22:44 -0800

First, a bit of an introduction to the game of Cricket (youtube) for those of us who may not be familiar with the sport. Next, a few clips (1, 2, 3, 4) on how awesome the Gentleman's Game can be (and you thought we didn't do anything but roam around in our white pants and cotton shirts...). But, if that wasn't enough for you, then here's a taste of Twenty20 Cricket (the fast, fast paced version of the game), and the new DLF Indian (pdf) Premier League. (This is in addition to the One Day Matches, which were instituted to bring in a bit more excitement into the game during the 1970's, prior to which the match only consisted of Tests. However, some purists still maintain that the game would've been better served had it not been commercalized to the extent that it has, and still prefer the leisurely pace of the original format to its current incarnation.) A small History of Cricket here, along with a History of the US playing the sport too: yes, you yanks were Batsmen and Bowlers once upon a time as well. Although, there is hope that you might still try and break into the sport yet. Women too have shown that they are just as good with the bat and the ball as their male counterparts, and so have the visually challenged. See, this is a game that anyone can play, even kids who can't afford the equipment, and play a rudimentary form of the sport called Gilli Danda. Oh, and not to forget, there's someone else who tried his hand at Cricket too. Any guesses? And finally, a list of the DLF Indian Premier League Cricket Teams: The Kolkata Knight Riders | The Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad) | The Delhi Daredevils | The Rajasthan Royals | The Bangalore Royal Challengers | The Chennai Super Kings | The Mumbai Indians | And the as yet to be named Mohali Cricket Team

Sir Edmund Hillary, RIP

pivotal — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:57:29 -0800

Sir Edmund Hillary died today, aged 88. Best known as the man who "knocked the bastard off", by scaling Mt Everest, Hillary was an adventurer, activist, and all round kiwi bloke. We will miss you.

You're just too, too obscure for me... so take me away, I know not where.

sleepy pete — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:04:17 -0800

Heavenly Pop Hits: The Flying Nun Story. New Zealand rock doc (in 9 parts). Bonus youtuberance (there you go, dersins): The Clean/The Great Unwashed/David Kilgour The Chills Sneaky Feelings The Verlaines Straitjacket Fits The Gordons The Bats The 3Ds Toy Love/Chris Knox/Tall Dwarfs dead c TVNZ Dunedin and Christchurch bands doc from 1984 with some live footage, parts one, two, and three.

Terrorism or fearmongering?

Dillonlikescookies — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:25:23 -0800

Tame Iti, Maori activist, is no stranger to controversy - with his full facial moko he has a face you won't soon forget. But is he a terrorist? Recently, the New Zealand Police force carried out a series of "raids" against a "training camp" in the north island, in the first use of the Terrorism Suppression Act, legislated in 2002. The act itself is not without it's critics but the country seems divided about the raids. Deluded extremists? Harmless Activist? or Real Threat? Some have claimed the raids are politically motivated, enacted by a police force with a declining public image. The whole case is racially loaded The "culture of fear" that is so written about seems to have trickled down somewhat, but time will tell whether it stays with the NZ public. By one account the camps are "amateurish" and with the exception of Tame Iti the most significant charge seems to be possession of a firearm without a license. The police, however, are certainly not helping matters - releasing information suggesting the group intended to start a "race war" and aimed to created an independent state through methods borrowed from the IRA, while keeping quiet on other details. Their press release here Troublesome, to me, is that the police also conducted a "non-raid" of the homes of environmental activists simultaneously, most notably in Christchurch, over a thousand kilometres away. I don't mean to start the thread with strong bent on it, but personally I find this worrying. New Zealand has had it's share of radicals, gun-wielding-forest-living cultists and so on, but the hype that this has reached in the media is unsettling. Worth noting, of course, is the Tuhoe tribe, of which Tame Iti is a member, with unresolved/ignored disputes with the government, which are a significant sticking point. Given this, and the harsh treatment of Tame Iti in regards to the flag protest, was further "radicalization" inevitable? Does the government have a responsibility, not so much to prevent radical groups from acting violently, but instead to incorporate them into public discourse rather than disenfranchise, and thus alienate them and antagonize them? Your thoughts?