Andrew Nimick - Technology consultant Andrew is an independent technology consultant whose focus is what technology can do for business and finding the best tools for the job. Well it’s been a busy time. I have made my first appearance (that I know of) on national TV and this was really exciting as it was to represent a great programme that helps teach our youth about making good choices, staying safe and sex. Not More...

Claire Rogers - All about wine Every week I have the unenviable task of sampling a wine with a wine representative in order to bring you a cross section of wine to suit all prices and tastes in an easily digestible format (a tough assignment, I know). Great weather and cool nights during the ripening period have resulted in this lovely fruit-filled, and interestingly named, 2009 The King’s Thorn Pinot Gris. With More...

The true, rags-to-riches story of Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin – from rural China to ballet stardom as one of the world's greatest dancers. In 1972, the 11-year-old Li (Huang Wenbin), living with his family of six siblings in eastern China, is selected as a student with promise by representatives of Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy. He attends their harsh and unforgiving school and becomes one of its star pupils. In ‘81, Li (now played by Chi Cao) is chosen to travel to More...

Andrew Nimick - Technology consultant Andrew is an independent technology consultant whose focus is what technology can do for business and finding the best tools for the job. As well as appearing on TV last week I attended an event called Cloud Camp in Auckland. This was an unconference. I have written about these before. It’s a very relaxed adult version of the school show and tell. This one was about the cloud. More...

Pete Morris - Art Blogger Pete is an occasional painter and an art lover. He is a freelance writer with a particular interest in promoting the visual arts in Tauranga. Local artist Duane Moyle was born in Tauranga in 1977 and studied in Auckland and London to gain his MA in Fine Arts. He returns to the UK in March to continue with his painting and to further his studies. More...

Claire Rogers - All about wine Every week I have the unenviable task of sampling a wine with a wine representative in order to bring you a cross section of wine to suit all prices and tastes in an easily digestible format (a tough assignment, I know). For over 10 years Nautilus Estate has focused on producing a premium pinot noir from the Marlborough region. The majority of the fruit used comes from two specialised More...

A parallel world, 1860. Two teenagers thrown together by a tsunami that destroyed Mau’s village and left Daphne shipwrecked on his South Pacific island. One wears next to nothing, the other a long white dress; neither speaks the other’s language; somehow they must learn to survive. As starving refugees gather, Daphne delivers a baby, milks a pig, brews beer and does battle with a mutineer. Mau fights cannibals, discovers the world is round and questions the reality of his More...

Andrew Nimick - Technology consultant Andrew is an independent technology consultant whose focus is what technology can do for business and finding the best tools for the job. Well this week has been all a buzz with the launch and consequent criticism of Google Buzz. Buzz is Google’s social media platform – an attempt to play catch up with Facebook and Twitter, but actually more like Friendfeed (bought by More...

Claire Rogers - All about wine Every week I have the unenviable task of sampling a wine with a wine representative in order to bring you a cross section of wine to suit all prices and tastes in an easily digestible format (a tough assignment, I know). The Kings Favour 2009 Sauvignon Blanc is one of four in a series of wines produced by Marisco vineyards. The fascinating story behind the wine hails from the descendants More...

Guy Ritchie brings some grit and darkness to the London-based super-sleuth’s legend, with Robert Downey Jr taking the lead role and Jude Law as sidekick Dr Watson. The clue-sniffing twosome takes on a fiendish nemesis, with Holmes getting the chance to show off his boxing and fencing skills along the way. Ritchie says he hopes his take on Holmes will be more true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s source material than previous slightly camp incarnations. Sherlock Holmes is screening More...