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Tag: New Zealand

  • Dotcom Raid Warrants Legal, Rules Appeals Court

    The Court of Appeal of New Zealand this week ruled that the warrants executed by police in the January 2012 raid on Kim Dotcom’s mansion were legal. This is despite the fact that the Court of Appeal admitted the warrants contained “defects,” which they held should not nullify the documents as a whole.

    This decision reversed a High Court ruling that declared the warrants invalid due to their over-broad nature. Dotcom’s legal team has stated that it is now reviewing the Court of Appeal decision. Dotcom is expected to appeal the decision to the Surpreme Court.

    Kim Dotcom’s New Zealand mansion was raided as part of a U.S.-led investigation into online piracy. Dotcom was the founder of Megaupload, a file hosting service that was seized by the U.S. Department of Justice in conjunction with the raid.

    Since that time Dotcom has launched another file hosting website called Mega. More recently the millionaire has been working to found a new political in New Zealand.

    Though the warrants were ruled to be legal, another matter addressed by the appeal was not decided in favor of police. The Court of Appeal ruled that the Commissioner of Police’s transfer of data seized in the raid to the FBI was illegal. This ruling could make it difficult for Dotcom to be extradited to the U.S. in the future, as the evidence contained in the terrabytes of data seized in the raid may not be valid due to its mishandling.

    Dotcom himself stressed this latter ruling via his Twitter account, cheekily accusing the FBI of piracy:

    Imgave via Kim Dotcom/Twitter

  • Obama Hawaii: Back to Reality Today

    President Obama comes back to cold and blustery D.C. after two weeks in his hometown Hawaii.

    As the country watched his hair go from black to almost white in the past five years, the Associated Press tell us that the Obama leaves from his longest vacation since his presidency today. In the last two weeks, the Obama family has spent a little down time in a quiet suburb of Kailua on Hawaii’s eastern coast.

    As every hard-working guy should, the president has gotten in a few rounds of golf while chumming it up with a foreign official at the same time– the area has a golf course on the US Marine Corps base, and Barack Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key spent a little time on the green.

    Honolulu Star Advertiser tells us that the bond shared by Obama and Key represents a growing trade relationship with New Zealand, and affirms their “continued work together to… enhance regional security and support the democratic values that the United States and New Zealand share.”

    To solidify the “a man’s work is never done” saying, Obama has also signed a defense bill and budget deal for the country on his time off with the ocean breeze easing the strain of making those important signatures. He’s also begun pushing for unemployment benefit reinstatement for his not-so-lucky citizens, all while avoiding a polar bear protester.

    Not entirely mixing work with play, besides relaxing in his rented beachfront home, Obama has been watching Breaking Bad, visited the zoo with the family and caught some basketball games at the Diamond Head Classic tournament at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

    Image via Youtube

  • James Cameron Taking ‘Avatar’ Sequels to New Zealand

    Director James Cameron has confirmed that three sequels to his ‘Avatar’ blockbuster will be produced in New Zealand, beginning in 2015. New Zealand, the Polynesian country where Peter Jackson filmed his ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ trilogies, has agreed to a 25% rebate for the production, in a joint venture with Twentieth Century Fox and Cameron’s own Lightstorm Entertainment.

    Cameron made the announcement in the New Zealand capital of Wellington, alongside producer Jon Landau and Prime Minister John Key. Cameron declined to disclose an exact budget for the impending trilogy, but expects that the production will be kept under $1 billion. Lightstorm and Twentieth Century Fox will spend at least $413 million in New Zealand on the movies.

    “It’s quite a thrill to be officially saying that we’re bringing the Avatar films to New Zealand,” Cameron said during the press conderence. “We had such a wonderful experience here making the first film.” Prime Minister Key added, “It’s a day of great celebration. It’s a great Christmas present for those involved in making world class movies.”

    Check out some related ‘Avatar’ intrigue:

    Academy Award-winning director Cameron, also a part-time explorer of the Mariana Trench, said that he has commenced writing the scripts for the new films, and plans to shoot them in 3-D, with some of the sequences being captured in 48 frames per second.

    Cameron said he hopes to shoot all three films in tandem over a nine month period, with the aim being the release of the first sequel in time for Christmas 2016, with the following sequels coming in late 2017 and late 2018. Prime Minister Key stated that the ‘Avatar’ production will revitalize the New Zealand film industry, after it saw a decline when the ‘Hobbit’ trilogy wrapped production.

    In related ‘Hobbit’ news, TT games has recently announced LEGO The Hobbit for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC.

    Here’s the trailer:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Biker Straps GoPro Onto Ram, Gets Clobbered

    Nelson, New Zealand dirt-bike enthusiast Budd Hanz recently uploaded a video of a ram attacking him head-on during a ride.

    Hanz recounts his encounter: I was riding my trail bike up a hill when I came across this grumpy old ram with huge horns, It charged my bike then started attacking me, surprisingly powerful animal. I Couldn’t turn my bike around as I was on a steep hill & if I did he would have charged me side on which could have broken my leg. This guy is known for his aggression & attacks for no reason, he’s even attacked a group of pig hunting dogs. In the end I had to pick up a branch & wave it in front of him, he didn’t like the noise & backed off enough for me to make my escape.

    Quickened by over a million YouTube views, and emboldened by the notion of potential internet fame, Hanz decided to obey some of the requests made via video comments, and somehow strapped a GoPro camera to the mean “pig-hunting dog attacking” ram to get a different perspective.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPwZm7hkKYY
    The ram appears to be chilling, and then things escalate to another charge, to where Hanz and his bike are damaged. Rams are called rams, as they ram, as can be seen in Hanz’ “STABILIZED” clip.

    Strapping GoPro-type cameras to animals has been a thing to do since they were launched in 2004. Some of the footage has been pretty spectacular, like this clip of a French eagle below:

    Still, it doesn’t seem like any of this would be good for the animals, but we humans have been know to attach worse things to our faunal underlings. A cat in Moldava was just discovered to be smuggling marijuana that was taped to its collar into a prison.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Man Booker Prize: Eleanor Catton Wins The Award

    The Man Booker Prize of 2013 was awarded to Eleanor Catton. Catton is a lives in New Zealand, and only 28 years old. She was born in Canada, but moved to New Zealand at the age of 6. This makes her the youngest author to ever win the award, which is the highest literary honor to receive in Great Britain. In addition to being the youngest author to be awarded the prize, the book also sets a record of being the longest book to win the award, at 832 pages.

    Each year, a different author’s work is awarded for their work in fiction, and this year the award went to The Luminaries, Catton’s latest book, which was published in September of 2013. She was awarded the prize today, and it was presented to her by Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. She has previously written one other novel, The Rehearsal.

    The Luminaries is set during New Zealand’s gold rush, and is described as a layered murder mystery, centered around a group of men with intertwined fates. Other nominees for this year’s award included A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, Harvest by Jim Crace, The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahir, The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin, and We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo.

    Last year’s prize went to Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel. The winner is selected each by the judging panel on the day of the ceremony. This year’s ceremony was a momentous occasion because it marks the last year before the award is opened to entries from the United States and beyond. Just a month ago, it was announced that the Booker Prize Foundation would be open to all novels written in English and published in Britain, regardless of the author’s nationality, finally letting Americans in on the glory as well.

    There is only one other author from New Zealand to win the award, Keri Hulme, who won in 1985 for her novel The Bone People. During her speech when she accepted the award, Eleanor Catton thanked her publishers for executing the “elegant balance between making art and making money.” She was stunned at the announcement that she won, calling her lengthy and complex novel, a “publisher’s nightmare.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iUMQUfEe_o

    Image via Youtube

  • Kickstarter Australia and New Zealand Goes Live for Project Building

    Last month, Kickstarter announced that they would soon open up to projects based in Australia and New Zealand – but didn’t give an exact timeframe for the launch. Wonder no more, today the company says that people in those regions can start building their projects today.

    Note that this is simply the kickoff – the project building time. Kickstarter says that you’ll be able to officially launch your Australia and New Zealand-based projects on November 13th.

    This month-long preparatory period is nothing new for Kickstarter. They did the same thing when they first launched in the UK and more recently, when they finally launched in Canada. Speaking of Canada, the company just announced that they saw over $3 million in pledges in the first month of being live in the country.

    As with the UK and Canada, launching into Australia and New Zealand is a pretty simple transition for Kickstarter. There won’t be a separate site for Australia-based projects – they’ll be integrated into the rest of the projects on the main site. Projects will be listed in AUD and NZD, and anyone in the world can make pledges toward them. The only real difference between projects based in the US and those based in Australia and New Zealand is in the payments.

    “The mechanics of Kickstarter (all-or-nothing funding, rewards, etc.) are identical for all projects. When pledging, however, backers of Australia- and New Zealand-based projects will enter their payment information directly on Kickstarter rather than through Amazon Payments. All pledges will be processed securely through a third-party payments processor,” says Kickstarter.

    Earlier this week, Kickstarter crossed the 50,000 successfully funded projects milestone.

    Image via Kickstarter Australia

  • New 3-Cat Limit in Effect in New Zealand District

    A new ordinance in the Rangitikei District of New Zealand is limiting pet owners to three cats per household. The new new feline bylaw was put into place after the district council received too many complaints concerning noise and odor in the area.

    The new plan won’t force people to register their cats, like they have to do with their dogs, and Rangitikei council member Michael Hodder explained, “this is a case of dealing with nuisances. We haven’t instituted a reign of cat inspectors. It’s not like your dog registration. We’re not going to count people’s cats. We don’t care how many cats they’ve got. So long as the cats are happy, the neighbors are happy and everybody else is happy.” Happy cats for erabody.

    Area cat breeder Merve Zohs agrees with the new policy. “So much breeding is going on there and they’re running loose and people are not bothering to fix the bloody things up, getting them you know neutered and spayed, so you’re going to get more problems. It will be like the rabbits.” The Gareth Morgan Foundation researcher Jeff Simmons added, “that’s why, ultimately, you need to move towards a system of registering, chipping and neutering all cats so that you can actually enforce these things.”

    Naturally, registered cat shelters like the ASPCA are exempt from the new regulation, which also outlaws pigs, beehives, and roosters from urban dwellings, and restricts households from keeping any more than 12 chickens. Legally, 12 chickens are allowed in one’s condo.

    Some citizens aren’t too happy with the ordinance. William Partridge, owner of four cats, said, “to make a statutory number I don’t think is necessary, quite honestly.”

    The house cat has been a bit of a polarizing pet, as of late. A recent study featured in the journal “Trends in Parasitology” warned that cat droppings are a significant public health problem, and are linked to diseases such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, rheumatoid arthritis and brain cancer. A cat advocacy group called Alley Cat Allies called the study “fear-mongering, plain and simple.” Go cats.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Man Seeks Asylum in New Zealand As a Climate Refugee

    A citizen of tiny island nation Kiribati, who is now facing deportation from New Zealand, is seeking asylum as a “climate refugee,” as global warming is severely affecting his native soil. The 37-year-old and his wife emigrated to Middle Earth six years ago, and have had 3 children in the interim.

    The man’s lawyer, Michael Kidd, plans to take the case to New Zealand’s High Court on October 16th, after immigration authorities have rejected two previous bids.

    The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation in the central tropical Pacific Ocean, with a population of roughly 103,000, on 32 atolls over 310 square miles. It’s one of the most low-lying impoverished countries in the world, and has limited natural resources. Travel writer J. Maarten Troost’s hilariously bizarre account of his time in Kiribati, “The Sex Lives of Cannibals,” describes a chill government, a great beer crisis, extreme heat and an obsession with the Macarena. Rising sea levels have severely affected the atolls.

    The unnamed Kiribati immigrant describes king tides (severely high tides) as regularly overtaking the islands’ defenses, beginning in 1998, which in turn began flooding homes, destroying crops and making people sick. He’d mentioned the health risks his two youngest children would face, if they were forced to return home.

    “There’s no future for us when we go back to Kiribati,” the man told the New Zealand courts, adding, “especially for my children. There’s nothing for us there.”

    An international panel of climatologists recently submitted a report revealing that it’s “extremely likely” that human activity is causing global warming, and warned that oceans could rise over 3 feet by the end of the century. A rise of this magnitude would effectively overtake much of Kiribati.

    During previous court proceedings, New Zealand tribunal member Bruce Burson defined the legal concept of a refugee requires the person to be persecuted, which requires human involvement. Burson added that the Kiribati man’s claim to stay was rejected because he’s plainly not being persecuted. The tribunal also found that there would be no imminent danger if one were to return to Kiribati

    Lawyer Kidd countered that the climate persecution his client was facing was caused by humans, and that a climate-induced breakdown of government in Kiribati would be dangerous. Legal analysts don’t expect Kidd to win this particular case, but it might help to eventually redefine what it means to be a refuge.

    Kiribati’s government has been working on its own strategies, and is in the process of purchasing 6,000 acres in neighboring Fiji, which could provide refuge for future generations. The country has also contacted a Japanese firm about constructing a floating island, which would cost billions.

    Kiribati government spokesman Rimon Rimon thinks that the man has been going about his case in the wrong way, and states, “Kiribati may be doomed by climate change in the near future, but just claiming refugee status due to climate change is the easy way out.” Kiribati has been training its citizens to be skilled workers, so they have a better chance of succeeding elsewhere when they leave. The Kiribati man in New Zealand is working on a farm, and would have a better chance of permanent residency if he had a more specialized trade.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Taylor Swift Makes Touring Records

    We just heard about pop diva, P!nk’s tour success (her recent tour stop of Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena marked the 18th sold out performance) but is she the only one breaking records this week?

    Nope.

    Leave it to genre bouncing musician, America’s sweetheart, Miss Taylor Swift to also come out on top.

    Known for her country prowess, Swift lands among the other top-grossing touring artists in a comfortable No. 3 spot. Her claimed spot is all thanks to the mile-high ticket sales from the last four arenas on the North American part of her Red tour.

    The final three-night stand concerts took place in the heart of where country music resides, Nashville, TN. With sold out crowds at Nashville’s downtown Bridgestone Arena on Sept. 19-21, Swift’s tour was blazing hot. (It did help that Euro cutie with an acoustic guitar, Ed Sheeran, was there performing as an opening act.)

    The country superstar performed everything that weekend from “22” to “I Knew You were Trouble.” She also performed her song, “Everything has Changed,” her duet with Sheeran.

    Here’s a peak at the duo singing at one of her many tour stops on the Red tour.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5aC5r6KvWs

    The overall grosses from the tour currently resides at $115.3 million. Since starting the tour in March, the “Red hot” tour has had attendance at 1.3 million from an astonishing 66 sold out shows.

    The tour will resume the final weekend of November with a five-city run all the way through markets in New Zealand and Australia.

    You better grab your tickets now because the tour ends on Dec. 14. (Since these are hot tickets, your best bet is to check with the individual box offices the day of the concert.)

    Photo Credit: YouTube

  • Oracle Team USA Trounces New Zealand to Win America’s Cup

    Team leader Jimmy Spithill and his mates aboard Oracle Team USA trounced Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand to win America’s cup today, it was reported by Associated Press.

    In what was fated to be a stunning loss for information technology billionaire Larry Ellison’s cynosure, the two 72-foot, space-age catamarans made an all out effort to sprint around San Francisco Bay on a five-leg course highlighted by the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

    A stunned Emirates Team New Zealand was gracious in its defeat:

    Staring at defeat barely a week ago, Oracle was tied with the reckless Kiwis 8-8 on the scoreboard and survived slashing of two points when Spithill’s teammate Dirk de Ridder was caught and disqualified for illegally modifying the boats in warmup regattas.

    The momentum picked up on Tuesday, when Team Oracle USA survived a wild start with two collisions to win Race Number 17, and then sailed past the boys from New Zealand after they made a mistake to surrender the lead in Race 18 in midst of strong winds.

    “Never giving up,” said a down but combative Spithill, whose lavishly funded team had witnessed capsizing boats and destroyed wing sails during last October, slicing off four precious months of training time.

    “I really feel it’s because we’ve been through such hard times in this campaign that it’s prepared us for this situation…I spoke yesterday a lot about the capsize and stuff like that and what went on before this regatta. This team has just been through so much and some incredibly difficult times. Those were key moments, we needed those key moments to prepare us as a team,” Spithill further added.

    Emirates Team New Zealand’s Barker had this to say, “I think it’s fairly clear to see that we could have tacked pretty much anywhere and we would have been behind at the end of that leg…They were going pretty damn well. This was the first time that we’ve recognized that there was a condition where we’re maybe not as strong as we need to be. It’s tough because you’re doing everything you can. The guys never gave up, but clearly the Oracle guys were going pretty well in that stuff.”

    Finally, with one daredevil push in a winner-take-all finale Wednesday, team USA managed to retain the illustrious Auld Mug in chasing one of the greatest comebacks in sailing sports history. “I’m going to rank it No. 1. We never gave up,” skipper Jimmy Spithill said. Here is the winning tweet from the team:

    Team owner Larry Ellison Ellison said it was too early to determine whether the next America’s Cup will be in San Francisco. He jokingly speculated that it might be around Lanai, the Hawaiian island he purchased with his billions in 2012. Regardless, “This regatta has changed sailing forever,” Ellison exclaimed.

    If you want to hear more from Team USA, tune in to Today’s Show tomorrow to get a firsthand account of the spectacular finish.

    [image from wikipedia]

  • America’s Cup: Team Oracle Still Alive

    Eleven days ago, Oracle Team USA was losing to Emirates Team New Zealand by a score of 6-0. At that point, Oracle Team skipper Jimmy Spithill stated that New Zealand had “almost got it in the bag.” Spithill still had faith in his team, though: “Imagine if these guys lost from here, what an upset that would be. That would be one hell of a story, one hell of a comeback, and that’s what I’d like to be a part of.”

    Spithill is slowly seeing his wishes come true. Since being down 6-0, Oracle Team has won 6 of the last 8 races, with 5 wins in a row. Oracle Team now trails Emirates Team by a score of 8-6, with 9 victories needed to capture the Auld Mug. Two races are scheduled for Tuesday, and if Oracle Team can continue this momentum and win both, the match will be square.

    So how has Oracle Team changed their luck? It all started when Spithill, the skipper for the team, switched the boat’s tactician from San Francisco native John Kostecki to four-time British gold medalist Ben Ainslie. Ainslie, along with strategist Tom Slingsby (gold medalist last year from Australia), made the changes necessary for Oracle Team to start their amazing comeback.

    “They found their boat speed. They’re making fewer mistakes, and they’re winning the mental battle,” stated America’s Cup expert Jack Griffin. Oracle Team has found speed through the many changes they have made to their catamaran every night. Thus far, Oracle Team has made 15 changes, compared to 8 by Emirates Team. One of the most important changes Oracle Team made (besides replacing its tactician) was to remove their bow sprit – a pole at the front of the boat which holds a light sail. By doing this, the team hoped to decrease the weight of the boat and decrease drag. The move proved successful – Oracle Team USA is now sailing away from the Kiwis on the upwind leg of the race, the one leg that has been plaguing their efforts all competition.

    The momentum has been erased from Emirates Team’s sails: “Well it looked as though Team New Zealand had a sedative in their cornflakes at the start. They were just outwitted, outmanoeuvred. The acceleration from Oracle was there when they needed it,” stated yachting commentator Peter Montgomery. Despite the pessimistic outlook from the media and some fans, New Zealand skipper Dean Barker says that his team is not giving up: “It has been a rough road the last few days, but there is not one person on the team thinking of throwing in the towel.”

    Oracle Team may be down 8-6, but they have won the same amount of races as the Kiwis. Before the competition started, Oracle Team was assessed a 2-race penalty due to cheating allegations from a prior competition. While the race should officially be tied, Spithill is not going to make any excuses: ”We’re sailors. We’re athletes. We’re not about the politics and all of that sort of stuff. Life’s not fair sometimes. … We can win this Cup. They can take as many races as they want. But for us, we know we can win this Cup if we win the next few races. So we can control our own destiny there.”

    Spithill may not be a man of politics, but team owner Larry Ellison may be. If Oracle Team wins on Tuesday, Ellison may pursue a legal battle to have the penalty overturned and award the Cup victory to Oracle Team.

    Regardless the outcome, the longest America’s Cup in the 162 year race history has also been arguably the most dramatic and exciting.

    Image via Twitter

  • America’s Cup: New Zealand Three Races from Victory

    Following two crushing defeats for Oracle Team, representing the United States, Emigrates Team of New Zealand is now only 3 races from victory in the America’s Cup. New Zealand was able to win the Race 6 by a margin of 47 seconds and Race 7 by a margin of 1 minute and 6 seconds, giving the Kiwis a 6-0 edge in terms of total victories. In order to take home the Auld Mug, New Zealand must win 9 races, while the Americans must win 11. With 0 total points under their belt right now, it is now time for desperation for Oracle Team.

    Before we go any further, though, I am sure many of you would like to know what in the world I am talking about? I’m glad you asked. The America’s Cup is a sailing competition which started in 1851 as a race between an American yacht, ever-so-cleverly named America, and a British yacht entitled the Royal Yacht (Our creative naming ability is perhaps the best indicator of our British heritage.) On that monumental day in 1851, the underdog Americans stole the 100 pound trophy from the Brits in an astounding victory, and thus a rivalry was started. (We also get our cheekiness from those Brits as well. When Queen Victoria asked which ship was in second place, the response was “Your Majesty, there is no second.”) For over 100 years, the trophy was retained by the United States until it was taken away by the Royal Perth Yacht Club.

    Which brings us to today and the rivalry between the United States and New Zealand. While America has held the cup much longer than any other nation, New Zealand has had the second most success, holding the trophy from 1995 until 2003. Perhaps their success is due to the fact that they have a natural advantage: “We’re a seafaring nation. Most of our grandparents arrived in ships. We’ve got a small population and a large coastline, and the climate allows you to go boating all year round,” explained Peter Busfield, the Marine Industry Association’s executive director.

    Despite the fact that the Americans trail 6-0, Oracle Team skipper Jimmy Spithill is not about to give up (Or perhaps lower the sails. Huh, huh?): “Imagine if these guys lost from here, what an upset that would be. That would be one hell of a story, one hell of a comeback, and that’s what I’d like to be a part of.” At the same time, Spithill realizes that New Zealand has “almost got it in the bag.” On Thursday, Spithill tried to reverse the fortune of the American’s by replacing their tactician in hopes that a new vision to the course would bring salvation. However, the Americans still cannot seem to conquer the last, upwind section of the course. In every race, the Americans have gotten out to a blazing start, and in all but one they have been surpassed by the Kiwis in the last leg.

    Oracle Team USA needs the wind gods to be on their side soon, or they may find their hopes dashed upon the rocks and sunk.

    Image via Twitter

  • Kickstarter Expanding to Australia and New Zealand ‘Soon’

    Kickstarter has announced that it will open up to Australia- and New Zealand-based projects soon. While there is no official launch date, the company promises that project creators in those countries will have access to its platform “in the very near future.”

    Kickstarter currently operates in the US and the UK. Entrepreneurs in Canada are able to start building their projects now, and they’ll go live on the Canadian Kickstarter site on September 9, 2013.

    The reaction on Twitter to news of Kickstarter’s most recent expansion is positive for the most part:

    Existing Australian crowdfunding platform Pozible pointed out that it’s already been providing this service for a few years now:

    Reaction was overwhelmingly positive when Kickstarter posted the announcement on its Facebook page. In fact, users in Europe and Asia chimed in asking when the company plans to expand into other countries.

    What exactly does this announcement mean for project creators in Australia and New Zealand?

    For now, they can sign up at Kickstarter Australia to receive updates on the launch. The company is also hosting free Kickstarter Schools in Sydney this month.

    Some hope to see a Kickstarter team physically located in Australia at some point in the future. If the way the company has handled its expansion into Canada is any indication, project creators in Australia and New Zealand can eventually expect to see meetups, workshops, and – at the very least – online office hours.

    A search by location on Kickstarter reveals Australia-based projects currently exist, but they’re being operated on the US side of the site. The launch of an official Australia/New Zealand site will make currency exchange and compliance with country-specific government regulations much easier for project creators.

    Image: Kickstarter

  • Jetpack Gets A License To Fly In New Zealand

    Jetpacks are amazing. They’re also a disaster waiting to happen, but surely we can ignore the potential pitfalls of strapping a rocket to our backs in the name of science. Unfortunately, regulatory bodies around the world generally don’t agree with that line of thinking, but one company has somehow managed to make New Zealand change its tune.

    The Martin Aircraft Company announced today that it has obtained a Civil Aviation permit. This will allow the company to conduct manned test flights. The jetpack – appropriately called the Martin Jetpack – is billed as “the world’s first practical jetpack.” Here’s how it works:

    It consists of a purpose-built gasoline engine driving twin ducted fans which produce sufficient thrust to lift the aircraft and a pilot in vertical takeoff and landing, and enable sustained flight.

    You want to see it in action? Of course you do. The Martin Aircraft Company has been conducting unmanned tests for the last few years, and have been kind enough to share videos of said tests. Here’s a test from 2011 where the jetpack was able to fly to a height of 5,000 ft and then deploy its ballistic parachute:

    If you want something more recent, here’s a test from earlier this week featuring the latest prototype:

    So, when will you be able to get your hands on your very own jetpack? Not anytime soon if current estimates are to be believed. The Martin Aircraft Company wants to start selling the jetpacks in 2014, but they will only be available to the military and emergency crews at that time. It won’t be until 2015 that the company will start selling its jetpack to the general public. Even then, one jetpack is likely to cost anywhere between $150,000 and $250,000.

    With all this work being done in New Zealand, it’s a little disappointing that researchers in the U.S. aren’t pursuing their own jetpack. Of course, I can kind of see why considering our sordid history with the technology:

    [Image: Martin Jetpack]
    [h/t: Discovery]

  • Microsoft Launches Bing Ads In Australia, New Zealand

    Microsoft announced on Monday that Bing Ads are now available in Australia and New Zealand. The company announced their pending arrival back in April.

    Earlier this month, Microsoft released some stats about Bing Ads and the Yahoo Bing Network. The network has 159 million unique searchers, 51 million of which don’t use Google, the company said. That was with the network active in 25 international markets.

    “This continues our expansion across the globe, and we’re very excited to provide our services to 5.5 million Australians every month, of which 3 million are unique to Bing Ads in Australia and New Zealand!” says Microsoft’s Chris Wallington in today’s announcement.

    “The Australian audience searching for goods and services on Bing typically spends 5% more than the average searcher, providing advertisers with an opportunity to tap into a lucrative consumer base with a high propensity to buy,” he adds.

    According to Microsoft Advertising Search Group GM David Pann, click volume has increased 25% over the last year. During that time, Bing Ads have received over 1,000 platform features and improvements.

  • New Zealand Hit By 6.5 Earthquake

    New Zealand, which has been experiencing a rash of earthquakes in recent days, was hit by the largest so far Sunday. The quake, which occurred around midnight eastern time, was at first reported as registering at 6.9, but that figure was later changed to 6.5.

    Quakes of 5.8 and 5.7 rocked the small country earlier in the weekend, but the latest’s proximity to the capital of Wellington has caused flights to be grounded and has added to concern.

    Earthquakes are nothing new to New Zealand, which experiences nearly 14,000 a year due to its placement along the boundary between two tectonic plates. Today’s quakes are thought to be a product of this placement. Geologist Dr. Anna Kaiser was quoted as saying “These quakes this morning are very close to the subduction interface, which is the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plate.”

    No major damage has been reported in the aftermath, but power lines and water mains were damaged. There is also no risk of a tsunami forming, which is always a threat when large quakes occur in the pacific.

    The Dominion Post compiled a list of quakes, mostly smaller pre-quakes and aftershocks, that took place around today’s 6.5, as well as a map of the epicenter’s of the quakes.

    [Thanks to The Telegraph for the footage]

  • Lucy Lawless To Star In “Chicago” Under Brooke Shields

    Lucy Lawless is more than just a warrior princess, as she’s about to prove with a 3-day run of Chicago at the Hollywood Bowl.

    The production will have an all-star cast–including “True Blood” actor Stephen Moyer and comedian Drew Carey–and is to be directed by Brooke Shields, who has experience with the show on Broadway. Lawless says that being asked to perform in the show is a dream come true.

    “I could not believe that they had cast Lucy from New Zealand in this iconic musical, a classical American artform, on a hallowed stage like the Hollywood Bowl and they let me [be involved],” she told Fairfax New Zealand News. “I didn’t dare hope it would happen, and it bloody did. I am beyond excited. Rob Fisher is the original music director and the whole LA Philharmonic will be there, and some incredible stars … an all-star cast … and me.”

    The show will go on July 26, 27, and 28 with Lawless playing Mama Morton, a woman who runs a jailhouse. According to her fansite, she’s also signed on to play Velma in a production of the show for the Auckland Theater Company in November. If rumors linking her to “Expendables 3” are true, she’s set to have a busy year.

  • Here’s A Look At The ‘Project Loon’ Pilot Test

    Google announced its latest “moonshot” with Project Loon. Google is launching balloons into the air to provide Internet connectivity to more people. You can read more about the initiative and the technology behind it here, but the company is beginning with a pilot test in New Zealand.

    From the look of it, the concept is already working. Google shared this video about the pilot test today, where a tester is able to connect to the Internet as a result of the project:

    That’s a promising first step.

    Google said it launched 30 balloons last week, with 50 users in the initial pilot program. When the company is ready to expand on the project, it will look for partners along the same latitude as New Zealand.

  • 105-Year Old Driver Oldest Man Behind The Wheel

    A New Zealand man is still driving despite already celebrating a century on Earth, and he’s the oldest man in his country to do so.

    Bob Edwards got his first drivers license when he was 17 in 1925, and he learned on a French-made car that didn’t have a steering wheel, but rather a lever. He’s one of the oldest people on the road in the world, but he says it doesn’t really faze him. In fact, when he broke his hip a few years ago, he was warned by his doctor not to drive for at least six weeks, but because he drives an automatic he ignored the advice.

    “I don’t think I’m old,” Edwards says. “Not really.”

    Edwards says he’s only been in one accident and has only had one traffic ticket during his near-90 years on the road. Driving used to be his business; as a young man, he used his truck to work for farmers transporting fossilized gum from kauri trees. Later, he worked on tourist and car ferries. Nowadays he mainly uses he car to get back and forth to the grocery store, because he still cooks meals for his wife, who is 91.

    “As far as I’m concerned, driving is a part of me,” he said. “I mean, that was me. I was a driver. And I could drive anything. Anything at all.”

    Edwards isn’t alone; in January, 105-year old California woman Edythe Kirchmaier passed her latest driving test with flying colors.

  • Banned Baby Names List Emerges in New Zealand

    Naming a child is a difficult decision for expecting parents, but some don’t take it as seriously as others.

    Take, for instance, the New Zealand parents who lost custody of their daughter after naming her Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii. In light of that incident and others, the country has now expanded its banned names list to include a wide variety of strange names.

    According to an AFP report, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs has issued a list of 77 banned names. The list reportedly includes the names Anal, 4Real, V8, Queen Victoria, Lucifer, Mafia No Fear, and 2nd.

    The department also bans names such as King, Duke, Princess, and Justice that could convey a title. In particular, the AFP reports that Justice and intentional misspellings such as Justus or Juztice have been rejected numerous times.

    The country also bans names that contain numbers or characters, such as a period. A New Zealand Herald report states that parents attempting to use a backslash between two names have been denied in the past. Parents attempting to name their child using initials have also been turned down by New Zealand officials.

  • Ella Fitzgerald Gets Some Google Doodle Love

    Google has begun to show a doodle honoring Ella Fitzgerald on its homepage in regions where the date has already changed to April 25th. Thursday would have been her 96th birthday.

    This excludes Australia and New Zealand, as Google chooses to honor Anzac Day instead, with a small flower image:

    Anzac Day

    Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in these countries, commemorating Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

    Google is sometimes criticized for its choice of doodles when it falls on the same day as another significant day in history. For example, Google celebrated the opening of the first drive-in theater last year, some people complained that Google chose this over a D Day doodle, but Google has indicated various times that it likes to keep doodles more about upbeat kinds of events. That’s probably why the company elected to go with the simple flower rather than a full-on doodle for Anzac Day.

    Elsewhere in the world, however, it’s about Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday. She was born on April 25, 1917, and died on June 15, 1996 at the age of 79. She is commonly known as the “First Lady of Song” and the “Queen of Jazz”.

    The Fitzgerald doodle can currently be seen at Google.com.fj, and no doubt on other Google international properties as the hours move forward.