Kiwis who have wowed the world
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Not only do they have a beautiful pristine landscape but the country is home to some amazing people who have wowed the world. Some of them have even been claimed by Australia – sneaky buggers! Across all sectors you can find inspiring Kiwis who have done things in their lives that have impressed the rest of the world.
New Zealand celebrities in Hollywood
Peter Jackson – is New Zealand celebrity in Hollywood. He is a famous film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is most well-known for being the director of the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and King Kong.
Russell Crowe – is a New Zealand celebrity claimed by Australia. He is a successful actor, film producer and musician and is most famous for his roles in the films “Gladiator”, “A Beautiful Mind”, “Master and Commander” and more recently, “Les Miserables”. He was born in Wellington, but moved to Australia when he was a small child.
Anna Paquin – most famous for her roles in X-Men and vampire series “True Blood”, Anna Paquin is a Canadian-born kiwi. She was born in Manitoba, Canada, but grew up in Wellington, New Zealand. She became a successful child actress and received multiple Young Artist Award Nominations.
Learn more about Anna Paquin in this exclusive interview
Sam Neil – One New Zealand celebrity found in Hollywood is actor Sam Neil. Many people don’t know that Sam Neil is one of those New Zealand celebrities claimed by Australia. He has had a long career in the film industry, with some of his most famous movies including: “Jurassic Park”, “Dead Calm”, “The Piano”, “The Hunt for Red October”, “Hunt for the wilderpeople” and recently, for his role in the series “Peaky Blinders”.
Here is the trailer for New Zealand movie “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”
Cliff Curtis – is another New Zealander. He is most famous for the roles he played in “Whale Rider”, “Once Were Warriors” and “the Dark Horse”. He grew up in Rotorua in the North Island of New Zealand and is of Maori descent.
Check out this interview with Cliff curtis about his role in the walking dead
Famous Singers from New Zealand
Lorde – is her stage name, and real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich O’Connor, she is a famous singer-songwriter from New Zealand. Born in 1996 in Takapuna, New Zealand and was an adept public performer from an early age. She has since become the youngest solo artist to ever achieve a number-one single in the US with her hit “Royals”.
Check out one of Lorde’s latest hits
Dragon – whilst not an individual from New Zealand, Dragon is a rock band that was formed in Auckland, whose lead singer is Marc Hunter. His brother Todd Hunter is the bass player, and keyboard player is Paul Hewson.
One of Dragon’s hits
Scribe – Malo Luafutu otherwise known as Scribe is one of New Zealand’s most well-known rappers. He is of Samoan descent which is where he gets his original name from. He has a few successful albums, called the Crusader and the Rhyme Book. He has struggled with addiction in the past including, drugs, alcohol and gambling. Between 2005 and 2007 and wrote about these struggles in the album called Rhyme book.
One of Scribe’s most popular hits
Keith Urban – a New Zealand born country music singer, songwriter and record producer, he is another New Zealand celebrity claimed by Australia. He has spent a lot of time in the US, where he started a band called the Ranch. However, in the late 1990’s he decided to pursue a solo career. He won his first Grammy award in 2006 and has since gone on to win three more! He is also known for being a celebrity judge on American Idol and being married to Australian Actress Nicole Kidman.
Historical figures from New Zealand
Earnest Rutherford – is a physicist who received a Nobel peace prize in 1908 for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances. He discovered that there were two distinct types of radiation: alpha radiation and beta radiation.
Edmund Hillary – was a famous mountaineer who passed away in 2008. He was the first person along with Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer called Tenzing Norgay to climb to the top of Mt. Everest in 1953. In 1958, he reached the South Pole, and subsequently reached the North Pole, making him the first person ever to reach both poles and the top of Everest.
Have a look at this old video of Edmund Hillary talking about his experience
New Zealand celebrities in sport
Sonny Bill Williams – is famous for his contributions to the sporting world. He is a rugby league and rugby union player as well as a heavyweight boxer. Sonny was born in 1985 in Auckland. He is the second person to represent New Zealand playing rugby union after first playing rugby league. He is a both an international and national heavyweight champion across all three sports. He also won two rugby world cups, both in 2011 and 2015.
Political figures from New Zealand
Kate Sheppard – is a historical New Zealand figure born in 1847 and was a women’s suffragette leader. Who helped gain women the right to vote in New Zealand. Asa result New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world that first allowed women to vote.
Hone Heke – He was a highly influential Maori chief and war leader in Northern New Zealand. He lived between 1807 – 1850 and was responsible for instigating the Flagstaff war otherwise known as Hone Heke’s Rebellion. Hone Heke challenged the British authority by cutting down the flagstaff on flagstaff hill.
Willie Apiata – was a former member of the New Zealand Special Air Service. He was awarded the first Ever Victoria Cross for New Zealand for his bravery under fire while serving in the war in Afghanistan in 2004. He carried a badly injured comrade across a battlefield while he was under fire.
You can Willie Apiata’s press conference right here.
So there you have it, a list of Kiwis who have made New Zealand proud and will continue to do so. In fact each year, there is an award ceremony held that allows the public to nominate Kiwis of the year. The awards have a number of categories that serve to celebrate kiwis for the work they have done and how they have contributed to New Zealand culture.
These are the categories in which you can nominate Kiwis:
- New Zealander of the Year
- Young New Zealander of the Year
- Senior New Zealander of the Year
- New Zealand Innovator of the Year
- New Zealand Community of the Year
- New Zealand Local Hero
Nominations open around July and don’t close until september. Then the winners of the awards are announced around late October. If you want to find out more about the awards head over to http://nzawards.org.nz/ . Which New Zealander’s have wowed you lately…?