New Zealand will be represented at the 2009 Venice Biennale by two eminent artists of differing mediums and methods but with a common interest – their birthplace and favourite Kiwi foods.

Auckland's dramatic coastal scenery is only the beginning of the contrasting landscapes found within a short distance of the city's downtown business centre.

While Sir Edmund Hillary became one of the world’s most famous explorers, his mountaineering days began close to home on the slopes of Aoraki Mount Cook in New Zealand.

The pōwhiri or pōhiri, a central part of Māori protocol, is a ceremony of welcome involving speeches, dancing, singing and hongi.

New Zealand Māori chef Charles Royal has come a long way since his days as a field chef in the New Zealand Army when the bush was a means of survival.

In recent years New Zealand has seen a resurgence in the traditional practice of ta moko – the permanent body and face marking of the indigenous Māori people.

Ta moko - traditional Māori tattooing, often on the face - is a taonga (treasure) to Māori for which the purpose and applications are sacred.

Background information on the match venues for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Thirteen host towns and cities in different New Zealand regions will help fill the 'stadium of four million' promised by the New Zealand Rugby Union for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Kiwi grit and determination, and a hefty chunk of local pride are behind New Zealand’s newest outdoor experience – a new walking network in the Kahurangi National Park, in the northwest South Island.