Kia Ora from New Zealand!

Ora is a proud kiwi company that started its life in 2009 when three sisters, Tessa Davis, Adele Anderson and Karen Renata, of Maori heritage hailing from the Ngati Kahungunu Iwi, or tribe, decided to create a beauty range that utilised traditional Maori knowledge and ingredients.

Central to their business is the use of the Mamaku black tree fern plant extract. Regularly growing to heights of twenty metres, the Mamaku’s young fronds and core of the trunk, or koata, was harvested and eaten by Maori as a rich source of carbohydrates and protein.  Even today, the Mamaku plant can still be found as a staple kai (food) at Maori feasts. In the past the Mamaku was such an important food sources for the Maori that they placed Tapu (sacrosanct restrictions) on the plant. Maori high priests would declare certain resources Tapu to prevent the overexploitation of that natural resource. Disobeying such a Tapu could potentially, and often would, result in death. Harvested for centuries by generations of Maori, the great Mamaku has served the native peoples of Aoteoroa (literally meaning ‘land of the long white cloud, or New Zealand) as both a food source and a natural healer.

Ora inherits this Maori tradition, taking from and respecting the Papatuanuku, or earth mother, that provides us here in New Zealand with an abundance of natural resources. Long known to the Maori as a potent healer with cooling and moisturising properties, Ora has naturally chosen to incorporate the Mamaku into their skincare range. From their Mamaku Revival Gel that helps to restore dry overexposed skin and can even be used on scars and burns, to their range of shower and bath products to rejuvenate and nourish skin, Ora harnesses the natural properties of Mamaku and other native New Zealand plants to nourish and repair our skin. Plants such as the Kowhai and Kawakawa have long been used by Maori and can be found in Ora’s products. It is fitting then, that the young spiral fronds of the Mamaku tree fern became a national symbol (the koru) for New Zealand. The koru fronds symbolise regeneration, new life and new beginnings, the perfect ambassador for New Zealand and Ora’s skincare products.

Be sure to browse Ora’s range here if you are interested in trying their New Zealand made beauty products.

Viva Villa Maria

Villa Maria is New Zealand’s most awarded and internationally recognised winery. Though today it is an amazing international success story embodying the can do and savvy attitude of ordinary kiwis, the winery actually started in humble beginnings, in the back of the family farm on an acre of land in Mangere, Auckland.

Behind all the glitz and glamour is the founder of Villa Maria, Sir George Fistonich, who recently celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the winery. Through George’s dedication and hard work, Villa Maria has grown to become one of the finest wineries in the world, employing 250 staff with operations in the Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough regions. In particular, the wineries in Auckland and Marlborough utilise state of the art facilities to produce premium quality wines for export to over fifty (50) countries.

In 2001 Villa Maria made headlines around the world by declaring the business a “cork free zone”. A radical and surprising move in an industry that tends to avoid change and stick to tradition. And yet, presently you’ll find screw cap wine bottles from New York to Paris. Villa Maria was also the first winery in New Zealand to employ viticulturist. These are just some of the tiny examples of how Villa Maria made a global impact and became known as an industry game changer.

Presently Villa Maria has a four tiered wine range; the Villa Maria Reserve, Single Vineyard, Cellar Selection and Private Bin. Common with other Kiwi wineries, Villa Maria focusses primarily on producing the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Bordeaux (i.e. Merlot) varieties.  Though, like many other wineries with vineyards in the Marlborough region, Villa Maria is particularly famous for its Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand has been continually applauded for the quality and taste of its Sauvignon Blanc, particularly those sourced from the famous Marlborough vineyards.

So, if you’re up for a tipple, try Villa Maria extensive range of wines. You’ll find a them at Shop New Zealand, we ship the finest New Zealand wines to the world*.

Villa Maria Wines from Shop New Zealand

*Subject to the relevant country’s import regulations

An Unexpected Journey

        As far back as 1995, Peter Jackson and his co-writer wife, Fran Walsh, had expressed interest in adapting The Hobbit into a film. They intended The Hobbit to be part one of their Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy. However, due to problems over legal ownership of the rights to The Hobbit and Peter Jackson’s lawsuit against New Line Cinema over lost income, the adaptation of The Hobbit fell into a limbo.

        Then in 2007 it was announced that New Line Cinema, in partnership with MGM Studios, would go ahead with the adaptation of The Hobbit. However, Peter Jackson chose not to direct, remaining only as executive producer. Nevertheless, it looked as if The Hobbit would finally come to fruition as a motion picture, albeit without Peter Jackson at the helm, only for hopes to be dashed when the Tolkien Estate (through the Tolkien Charity) and Harper Collins Publisher sued New Line Cinema for what they saw as fraud by the studio for withholding entitled profits from them (the Tolkien Estate being entitled to 7% of all profits made from Tokien films). This was eventually settled out of court, but the legal process had blocked the filming of The Hobbit from progressing.  When filming finally began, the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro was chosen to spearhead the film project. But because of financial issues and other bureaucratic nuances relating to The Hobbit production, del Toro felt that the delays were too much for him to remain as director and announced that he was leaving the role. After many talks, in October 2010 New Line Cinema (who had now merged with Warner Bros) revealed to the public that Peter Jackson would replace del Toro as director. The troubles with The Hobbit didn't end there though, when the International Federation of Actors issued a ‘no work order’ that threatened to delay production further and possibly even cause it to move from New Zealand to skirt the industrial dispute. Eventually, with widespread protests and the intervention of the New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, the dispute was settled and production stayed in the country.

        Now after years of waiting, and almost a decade after the release of the last LOTR film (The Return of the King), the first part of The Hobbit (An Unexpected Journey) will premiere in Wellington, New Zealand on the 28^th of November to what is sure to be an enthusiastic reaction from millions of J.R.R. Tolkien fans around the world.

        To celebrate this momentous moment in cinematic history, Shop New Zealand has begun stocking a large range of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey related collectibles and memorabilia. Take a sneak peak and be prepared for the inevitable release of director Peter Jackson’s latest adaptation of Tolkien’s work!

We’re just as stoked as the millions of Tolkien and Peter Jackson fans around the world!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Collectibles and Memorabilia.

Mana Shochu

     Shochu is a traditional Japanese spirit that has been drunk in Japan for centuries. Speculation has it that Shochu came from Japan from as far away as Persia. It is made using base ingredients such as sweet potato, wheat and barley that undergo a traditional single distillation process called Honkaku Shochu. This gives Shochu a distinct flavour that is highly dependent on the ingredients that were used to create it.

     Mana Shochu is unique because it is a New Zealand take on the Japanese Shochu spirit. Mana Shochu uses only the finest Owairaka Red Kumara (sweet potato) from the peaty fields of the Ruawai Township in New Zealand’s North Island. However, Mana Shochu sticks to Japanese tradition when it comes to the way they distil their Shochu. They use the same single distillation process that captures the aroma and flavours of the primary ingredients. This allows the sweetness and earthiness of the Owairaka Red Kumara to show through in their wide range of Shochus. Mana Shochu is only one of a few foreign Shochu makers in the world and, as if that wasn’t unique enough, they are also one of a few to have created flavoured ‘new age’ Shochus. Choose from their selection of lemon, gold kiwifruit and casis (blackcurrant) Shochu. These still have the distinct flavour of their straight Owairaka Red Kumara Shochu, but with the added bonus of an extra fruity zing.

     Shochu is also the healthier alternative to other spirits and alcoholic beverages. Shochu has fewer impurities than other alcohols such as sake or whiskey. This means that there’s less chance of developing a hangover the next day! Shochu is also lower in calories, only containing 35 calories per 50ml compared to 120 for vodka and 80 for sake. This has made it popular among the diet conscious and women. So much so that in 2003 sales of Shochu outstripped that of sake and Shochu is fast becoming a common sight in the trendiest of bars from Shanghai to New York. The Miyazaki Medical College has conducted research showing that Shochu provides an enzyme that dissolves and inhibits the growth of blood clots. Shochu provided higher levels of this enzyme than the other spirits tested; twice more than red wine and 80 per cent more than sake. The Japanese centenarian Shigechiyo Izumi, who was verified as the oldest living man by the Guinness Book of Records, drank Shochu every night for the last fifty years of his life.

With a great taste and many potential health benefits, there’s very little not to like about Shochu. Try Mana Shochu’s Owairaka Red Kumara Shochu or any one of their new-fangled fruity flavoured Shochus!

Mana Shochu 

Trilogy

     The cosmetics industry today can be described as two camps. On one side you have the small all-natural skincare companies that often put together elixirs that feel heavy, unprocessed and rough. In the other camp you have the big corporations that make highly refined and fancy skincare products.

     
     Trilogy falls firmly in between these two camps. They make high quality natural skincare products that do not overpower your senses and are light on your skin.  This was no mistake; the company was started by two sisters who wanted to fill this gap in the cosmetics market. Today Trilogy focuses on offering natural and certified organic products to consumers without sacrificing quality, living up to the goal of its founders and taking the skincare industry by storm.

Browse Shop New Zealand’s range of Trilogy products!