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Finlay Macdonald
Finlay Macdonald is a widely respected contributor to newspapers and publications throughout the country. He is the former editor of NZ Listener, commissioning editor for Penguin Books, and now writes columns, social commentary and edits the Sunday Star-Times books pages.
He has also worked for Metro Magazine, and as a writer for television, including documentary, serial drama and comedy.
At this year's Qantas Media Awards, Finlay was given the Best Overall Columnist Award for his weekly Sunday Star Times column. British-born Macdonald recently joined Radio Live, hosting a Sunday morning show with a focus on current events, politics and reviews. |
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George Gibbs
Professor George Gibbs is the Senior Research Associate at the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University. Professor Gibbs’ research focus on the burgeoning science of historical biogeography, which has taken over where Darwin left off and lifted New Zealand into the limelight as the most challenging place in the world to explain. His highly acclaimed book Ghosts of Gondwana: The History of Life in New Zealand was a winner at the 2007 Montana Book Awards.
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Hamish Campbell
Hamish Campbell is a geologist and research scientist with the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences in Wellington. Born in Christchurch and raised in Dunedin, he was educated at Otago, Auckland and Cambridge universities, specialising in palaeontology.
Much of his research concerns the older rocks and fossils of New Zealand, those that are between 300 and 150 million years old. Another research interest is the geology of the Chatham Islands. However, he is best known as the geologist at the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, where he has become a science communicator, helping promote geology and provide geological information to the public. |
Great Music Artist Profiles |
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Oliver Driver
Playing the role of male nurse Mike Galloway in Shortland Street made Oliver Driver a household name in New Zealand; he has also appeared in numerous television shows, including The Strip, Serial Killers, and Letter to Blanchy, and the films Topless Women Talk about Their Lives, Magik and Rose, Black Sheep, and A Death in the Family. He has also had a successful career directing theatre, and as a radio host.
Driver can now be seen weekday mornings on TV3’s Sunrise, and is appearing as the villainous ‘Mr Wilberforce’ in the upcoming feature film Under the Mountain. Driver brings his many and varied talents to Auckland Museum to produce the Christmas Cabaret.
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Helen Medlyn
Helen Medlyn is a self-described Jill of all trades, having been – at one time or another – a jazz chanteuse, dancer, actress, musical theatre performer, classical concert singer, opera diva and cabaret entertainer. Her repertoire is eclectic and has included playing Joy Gresham in the play Shadowlands, Mary Magdalene in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Herodias in the opera Salome and being the Mistress of Ceremonies for the Queen of the Whole Pacific – A Very Queer Beauty Pageant.
An innate stage animal and musical story-teller, Helen has been acclaimed by audiences and critics, both here and overseas, for stamping her unique style on all that she does. An innate stage animal and musical story-teller, Helen has been acclaimed by audiences and critics, both here and overseas, for stamping her unique style on all that she does. |
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Cameron Rhodes
Cameron Rhodes is one of New Zealand's most established theatre actors, having appeared in over 70 productions since graduating from Toi Whakaari The NZ Drama School in 1987. Recent roles include the critically acclaimed performance as Truscott in Loot at the Silo, Hardcastle in She Stoops To Conquer at ATC, both directed by Michael Hurst. Cameron is appearing in the feature film I'm Not Harry Jenson (in a Qantas award nominated performance for best supporting actor). The film is due for release early 2010. Cameron is also a director, recent work includes Station to Station, Killer Joe, with Christ Almighty, on in December at the Basement. Cameron is also a corporate voice coach and acting tutor at Unitec. |
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Mika
Described as a delicious mutitude of sins, Mika is an actor, singer, dancer, comedian, speaker and showman who enfuses art into every aspect of this performance. His family remember him singing before speaking. He was performing by 14, National Disco King at 18 and a pioneer of break dance in New Zealand. Mika studied at the National School of Ballet and the National Maori Theatre Company before going solo and since then, has not once looked back.
As well as commanding the nation's acclaim through live performances and film appearances, he now tours festivals around the world including seven seasons at the Edinburgh Festival and performances at the Royal Albert Hall and for Prince Charles at the Palace of Holyrood House. |
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The Hot Grits
For over five years, The Hot Grits have been electrifying club dancefloors and festival stages around New Zealand with an eclectic, take no prisoners approach to soul and afrobeat music. When THG hit their stride, no-one in the room is immune from the power and sheer soulfulness of their groove, and band and audience become one in a giant, convulsing testament to the power of good music. The overall Hot Grits sound is funky and deep, but always powerful and never too smooth.
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