Oct 22nd, 2008 · The bar-tailed godwit, a shore bird, has set a new standard for bird migration. A team of scientists recently tracked a godwit as it flew from Alaska to New Zealand — a distance of almost 7,200 miles — for nine days without a rest.
Sep 10th, 2008 · Air New Zealand is looking for a few bald-headed frequent fliers. It's all part of the company's new advertising venture. The airline will pay $666 a head to 50 passengers willing to work as "cranial billboards" and use their shiny heads to publicize a new speedy check-in service. The airline will hold auditions next week. Winners will be shaved — if necessary — on the spot and branded with a temporary tattoo advertisement.
Jul 9th, 2008 · A tiny state in the South Pacific is planning to clear the air. On the island of Niue, population 1,400, officials are considering a plan to ban smoking. If the measure passes, it will be a cruel blow for the nation's 250 smokers — the nearest smoking area will be about 1,400 miles away in New Zealand.
Jun 9th, 2008 · Two-year-olds in New Zealand are getting down to business. Toddlers can now follow up after important playground meetings by exchanging business cards. The specially made cards have age-appropriate art such as diaper pins. The cards have become a bit of a fad — with moms acting as liaisons to the swing-set network.
Feb 25th, 2008 · Cooks who love onions but hate what the vegetables can do to their eyes may soon find relief, thanks to a group of scientists in New Zealand. The team says it has genetically altered an onion so it's missing an enzyme that's essential for an onion's pungent punch.
Feb 17th, 2008 · Liane Hansen speaks with Eric Arnold about his book First Big Crush. The light-hearted book details a year that Arnold spent working a New Zealand winery.
Dec 27th, 2007 · On the short list for this year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction was a novel by New Zealand writer Lloyd Jones. The brilliant and compelling Mister Pip is set on a remote South Pacific island called Bougainville as civil war breaks out.
Aug 17th, 2007 · Accordions get their due as some of the world's top players face off in the final rounds of the Coupe Mondiale taking place outside Washington, D.C. The prestigious event features about 80 competitors from Europe, China and New Zealand as well as the U.S.