New Zealand

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Uproar Over Dikshit Comments Leads TV Host to Resign

You actually pronounce it 'Dixit'

(Newser) - Paul Henry, the host of a New Zealand morning talk show, has resigned following international outrage over his comments mocking the name of Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Henry made fun of and mispronounced her name (the correct English pronunciation is "Dixit"), laughing at his vulgar-sounding mispronunciation, which...

Labor Row Could Kill Hobbit Films

Peter Jackson warns union 'power grab' threatens NZ productions

(Newser) - Producer Peter Jackson has warned that a labor dispute could force him to shut down production of his two-movie Hobbit project or shift filming from New Zealand to eastern Europe. The Screen Actors Guild and six other unions have urged actors not to work on the films, saying that the...

Principal: Possum Toss Contest 'Lets Kids Be Kids'
Principal: Possum Toss Contest 'Lets Kids Be Kids'
critics agog in new zealand
Sep 23, 2010 2:50 AM CDT

Principal: Possum Toss Contest 'Lets Kids Be Kids'

Animal activists furious after children hurl animal carcasses

(Newser) - Animal lovers are snarling after a New Zealand elementary school event featured children hurling possum carcasses. But the school principal insists the bizarre contest "lets kids be kids." Students in the rural Manawatu school lobbed the dead animals by their tails to see how far they could throw...

74 Whales Stranded in New Zealand

Volunteers battle to keep some alive overnight

(Newser) - A pod of 74 pilot whales is stranded in a remote section of northern New Zealand called Spirits Bay beach. Though 25 have already died, volunteers are struggling mightily to keep the survivors alive overnight so they might be re-floated tomorrow, notes the AP . In mid-August a pod of 58...

New Zealand Lawmaker Stole Dead Baby's Identity

David Garrett resigns from party in disgrace

(Newser) - New Zealand lawmaker David Garrett resigned from his party today, two days after revealing that he’d once used a dead baby’s identity to obtain a passport. Garrett pulled off the scam in 1984, after reading how in a thriller novel. He trolled a graveyard looking for someone with...

NZ Air Force Rescues Sick American in Antarctica

Evacuation flight to McMurdo station a success

(Newser) - New Zealand's air force has successfully accomplished a rare winter evacuation from America's McMurdo Antarctic research station. The flight, with three medical personnel aboard, took advantage of a brief break in blizzard conditions to land in temperatures of minus 32 degrees Fahrenheit and pick up a sick American worker, CNN...

Freak Storm Batters Cruise Ship

Passengers thrown to floor as furniture slams into walls

(Newser) - NIghtmare cruise ship footage has been released showing the horrifying effects of a freak storm with high winds and 25-foot waves. Passengers, crew and heavy furniture are sent skittering across the floor like so much debris on an angry ocean in the video surveillance tape. Passengers tumble to the ground...

7.0 Quake Rocks New Zealand

 7.0 Quake Rocks 
 New Zealand 
updated
Sep 3, 2010 5:17 PM CDT

7.0 Quake Rocks New Zealand

Major structural damage, but few injuries so far

(Newser) - New Zealand was rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake this morning (4:35am Saturday in New Zealand), according to the US Geological Survey. Despite the size, no deaths have been reported so far and only two serious injuries. Officials in Christchurch, New Zealand's second-largest city, report major damage to...

Beauty Queen Loses Crown for Going Brunette

Olivia O'Neil didn't 'maintain her image'

(Newser) - A New Zealand teen beauty queen was stripped of her title for the unimaginable offense of...dyeing her hair brown. Olivia O'Neil, whose hair had "white-blonde streaks" when she won the pageant, posted a picture on Facebook of her new darker 'do. Pageant organizer Barbara Osborne posted several comments,...

World's Most Terrifying Airports

From New York City to New Zealand, the scariest places to take off and land

(Newser) - If you're already afraid of flying, go watch this video of a frolicking baby lamb . If you're feeling tough, enjoy SmarterTravel's picks for the 10 most frightening airports in the world:
  • Barra Airport, Barra, Scotland: The world's only commercial beach airport. "Passengers can expect to arrive safely on one
...

Lost Hollywood Films Found in New Zealand

Silent-era gems will be shipped back home

(Newser) - Films Hollywood thought had been lost forever have been discovered buried deep in New Zealand's national archives. The 75 rare silent films are like a "time capsule of American film production from the 1910s and 1920s," said a statement from the US National Film Preservation Foundation. The finds...

Russell Crowe Walks Out on Interviewer

Volatile star doesn't like questions about 'Robin Hood' accent, 'Gladiator' line

(Newser) - He didn't throw anything, but Russell Crowe is making headlines again for his temper. The Robin Hood star walked out on a BBC interviewer who pushed him a bit too far with questions about the legendary outlaw's accent—and some stale gossip about Gladiator. "Front Row" host Mark Lawson...

Octopus Steals Video Camera, Swims Off With It

(Newser) - A cheeky octopus stole a diver’s video camera while he was filming underwater off the coast of New Zealand Thursday, and then swam off with it—the camera still rolling. When the octopus suddenly burst out of a bed of kelp and grabbed his bright blue camera, diver Victor...

Dad Loses Baby He Left in Car to Watch Strippers

Authorities meeting with boy's relatives

(Newser) - A New Zealand dad has lost his baby to child welfare authorities after he left the boy in his car for hours yesterday while he went to a bar to watch strippers. A passer-by spotted the tot dozing at 3 in the morning and called police. Leaving a child alone...

Weight Watchers Approves Some McDonald's Items
Weight Watchers Approves
Some McDonald's Items
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS DEPT.
Mar 3, 2010 8:26 PM CST

Weight Watchers Approves Some McDonald's Items

Filet-O-Fish, McNuggets assigned points for NZ dieters

(Newser) - One of the more unlikely pairings in food could soon be coming to a McDonald’s near you, as Weight Watchers has agreed to lend its stamp of approval to several items on the menus of the chain’s New Zealand locations. The Filet-O-Fish, Chicken McNuggets and Sweet Chili Seared...

'Lesbian' Albatrosses Raising Baby

Father is out of the picture, but baby is doing fine

(Newser) - Two female partners recruited a sperm donor and are now successfully raising a baby together—but no, they're not witnesses in the recent Prop 8 trial—they're not even human. The ladies are a pair of royal albatrosses living in a New Zealand breeding colony, and a head ranger calls...

Girl, 14, Battles Shark With Boogie Board

Quick-thinking teen thwarts New Zealand shark attack

(Newser) - A 14-year-old New Zealand girl managed to fight off an attacking 5-foot shark armed only with a boogie board. Lydia Ward was attacked after stepping on a "big, gray, slippery thing" in waist-high water off the southern city of Invercargill. The shark wrapped its jaws around her waist but...

Sex-Crazed Parrot Now NZ 'Spokesbird'
 Sex-Crazed 
 Parrot Now 
 NZ 'Spokesbird' 
NEW & IMPROVED PUBLIC OFFICIAL
Feb 2, 2010 4:31 AM CST

Sex-Crazed Parrot Now NZ 'Spokesbird'

Kakapo that molested BBC presenter gets government job

(Newser) - New Zealand's prime minister has given a government job to the country's most famous—and probably most sexually adventurous—parrot. Sirocco, one of a rare species of flightless parrots called "kakapo," has been appointed as the country's "spokesbird for conservation." Sirocco became famous last year when...

Air New Zealand Offers Beds in Coach

3-seat 'Skycouch' designed for couples, families

(Newser) - Beds in the sky aren't just for first and business-class passengers any more, says Air New Zealand. The airline unveiled its new "Skycouch" seat design today, which allows couples or passengers with children to turn three seats into a bed by lifting armrests and a footrest. Passengers buying the...

New Zealand Men Greet William With Kisses

Plus, some sausage-wielding prankster crashes prince's BBQ

(Newser) - The Brits may not be known as overly touchy-feely, but Prince William got up close and personal with four grown (and apparently sweaty) men today, as New Zealand's Maori leaders greeted Wills with a traditional hongi, or nose-mashing "kiss." The prince yesterday began his first official visit on...

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