The finalists have been announced for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards 2012. Now into its third year, the awards recognise individuals, organisations and community groups for their outstanding contributions to the nation.
The shortlist for the main award, New Zealander of the Year, includes Dame Suzie Moncrieff, Sir Richard Taylor and Dr Sharad Paul.
Nominations were whittled down by panels of judges made up of such figures as Jim Bolger, Sir Ray Avery, Michael Basset, Teresa Gattung and Peri Drysdale. More..
Hobbit workers tried to gag Labour Department inspectors looking into a fire that engulfed a crew member’s head. The department has given a copy of its report into the fire at Miramar’s Stone Street Studios to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act.
The fire, which left two crew members with minor burns, started when flammable fumes ignited inside a hollow statue prop, the report revealed. A veil of secrecy descended after the May fire. An investigator who attended it reported: “I’ve been asked to fill out a confidentiality agreement. I advised I will take this away for advice.” More..
Our buddy Bruce Hopkins writes: I have a couple of audio clips on my RadioLIVE page that may be of interest to some of the Torn-ers. I chat with Nicole Roberts who lives in LA and won a costume competition judged by Richard Taylor and Daniel Falconer. Her prize is a trip to NZ. We also talk about the birthday celebrations for JRR Tolkien. I also have a chat which I had with Professor Alexander Gaeta who was one of the inventors of the ‘time cloak’, based on a study carried out at Cornell University. Alexander is a Tolkien fan, and so I asked him if the Elven cloaks could have been created using their amazing discovery. More..
On a recent interview with ‘The Genre Traveler’ podcast: a discussion about the upcoming Hobbit production, Tolkien’s Birthday celebration on January 3, Tolkien activities in LA and many other Tolkien and Fantasty tidbits were discussed. This podcast does a regular show on all things fantasy and sci-fi related, typically interviewing authors, so you might consider subscribing to the blog.
Follow the link for the Podcast and supporting material for all topics discussed.
What a great year! And things are about to get even more exciting! As we begin 2012 with anticipation that will continue to grow and grow, TORn staffer Justin takes us on a tour of all the events and activities TORn fans participated in during 2011. Read on!
Sunset near Twizel, New Zealand on the day of our story.TWIZEL, NEW ZEALAND — Not every conversation I had in New Zealand is fair game for publication at TheOneRing.net. If they all were, people would have spoken with me a lot less and a lot less openly or maybe just have not spoken with me at all.
During one such private meeting, a shared photo led to a side conversation that led to a revelation about an act of kindness that hit me, and still hits me, in my core. Somebody I knew, not in New Zealand, had heroically withstood some of life’s trials and others, in New Zealand, had selflessly performed a service for them. I can’t relate the story here because it was unmistakably not an interview situation and even the people on the receiving end of the generosity have kept it to themselves.
I was amazed by the revelation at the time and I was on the road much of the next 24 hours, meaning I was alone with my thoughts; Despite having a lot to ponder, this bit of unselfishness stayed with me for the entire drive when I wasn’t distracted by things like getting lost or finding a place to stay. Continue reading “Unreported acts of kindness from New Zealand”
The finalists have been announced for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards 2012. Now into its third year, the awards recognise individuals, organisations and community groups for their outstanding contributions to the nation.
