Latest news with #SouthPacific
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The outlandish £3,500 gift for a mistress. The ultimate £98,000 date. Revealed, what the mega-rich REALLY buy - by the personal shopper who never says no
As pinch-me moments go, arriving on a secluded island in the South Pacific was utterly mesmerising. With its swaying palms and white sand glittering beneath a dazzling sun, I waded into the warm, tropical waters, completely overwhelmed by the beauty of my surroundings.
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Te Pae Tawhiti Awards Set To Spotlight Aotearoa And Pasifika Speculative Fiction Talent
A groundbreaking new award dedicated to speculative fiction by Aotearoa and Pasifika creatives, the Te Pae Tawhiti Awards, is set to open for submissions this July-August. This exciting initiative aims to spotlight the rich and diverse speculative fiction talent in Aotearoa. Speculative fiction — encompassing science fiction, fantasy, and other imaginative storytelling — has a vibrant but under-recognised community in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. According to a 2023 survey, over 100 speculative fiction writers are active locally, yet most readers struggle to name even one. The Te Pae Tawhiti Awards will provide vital exposure for these authors, helping elevate their profiles both at home and abroad. 'We are thrilled to announce this award for speculative fiction, which will be vital for our creative literary scene here in New Zealand,' said Sharon Manssen, President of SpecFicNZ. 'Readers are often surprised at how many New Zealand authors write speculative fiction. Lack of awareness is a major issue, and these awards seek to change that. Making speculative fiction accessible and celebrated among young readers and mainstream audiences is core to our mission.' The awards will not only enrich the literary landscape but also provide authors opportunities to reach wider audiences, boost their careers, and foster a thriving community. Jade Kake, a cultural commentator and creative, explains the awards' name: 'Te pae tawhiti means a distant horizon — a metaphor for aiming high and imagining futures just beyond reach. It perfectly captures the spirit of speculative fiction. It reflects the genre's essence of imagining possible futures and worlds. It also speaks to the boundless potential and limitless imagination of our writers.' Advertisement - scroll to continue reading Supported by Creative New Zealand, Copyright Licensing New Zealand, and private sponsors, the awards seek to enrich the literary landscape by showcasing diverse voices — including those from rainbow, neurodivergent, and cultural minority communities. New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh praised the initiative, saying, 'Awards play a critical role in uplifting new voices and stories that break boundaries. With support, Te Pae Tawhiti could become the South Pacific cousin to storied awards like the Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke.' Literary commentator and founder of the Ngaio Awards for crime and thrillers, Craig Sisterson, called the awards "a wonderful initiative" that will help develop this vital slice of New Zealand's literary landscape, while Melanie Laville-Moore of the Coalition of New Zealand Books affirmed, 'Speculative fiction writers from Aotearoa are amongst the best in the world. These awards are overdue and necessary recognition.' An inaugural gala awards evening is planned for June-July 2026, promising to become a highlight of the country's literary calendar. About Te Pae Tawhiti Awards: The Te Pae Tawhiti Awards, a SpecFicNZ initiative, celebrate and inspire speculative fiction writers from Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands. The awards aim to enrich the local and international literary landscape, elevate authors' careers, and foster a vibrant, inclusive community. For more information, visit Call for Judges: The Te Pae Tawhiti Committee is looking for readers and authors who are passionate about Speculative Fiction to be judges for Te Pae Tawhiti Distant Horizons Speculative Fiction Awards 2025. Judging will take place between October 2025 and April 2026. For more details visit About Speculative Fiction Writers of New Zealand Founded in 2010, SpecFicNZ has grown into a vibrant community of 163 members, committed to supporting speculative fiction writers at every stage of their journey. The organisation offers a wide range of programmes including podcasts, webinars, mentorships, youth events, and more, all designed to nurture talent and foster a sustainable literary culture. The creation of the Te Pae Tawhiti Awards marks a major milestone in SpecFicNZ's mission to elevate the voices of Māori and Pasifika storytellers on the global stage.
Forbes
a day ago
- Science
- Forbes
Tracking Sharks Around A South Pacific Island
Tiger sharks were mostly seasonal visitors, especially mature females. Their peak residency was in ... More the Austral summer (November to April), and they largely disappeared during the cooler months. getty Norfolk Island may be small (it measures as just 14 square miles or 35.7 km² of land in the middle of the South Pacific), but it's a busy place when it comes to sharks. A recent multi-year study tracked the movements of four species — tiger ( Galeocerdo cuvier ), sandbar ( Carcharhinus plumbeus ), dusky ( Carcharhinus obscurus ), and Galapagos sharks ( Carcharhinus galapagensis ) — using acoustic tags to figure out how they share space around this remote island. The findings show that even in relatively tight quarters, these predators use the island in remarkably different ways depending on age, season, and habitat preference, often shaped by both natural forces and human activity. Located about 870 miles (1,400 km) east of mainland Australia and 460 miles (740 km) northwest of New Zealand, Norfolk Island is part of Australia's external territories and has a population of around 2,000 people. Sitting on the Norfolk Ridge, it is surrounded by deep ocean and influenced by both tropical and temperate currents. This mixture of temperature attracts an array of both migratory and resident marine species, and serves as a natural laboratory for studying remote island ecosystems. Its surrounding waters are considered ecologically significant, with parts overlapping marine parks and biodiversity areas. The tags showed that tiger sharks were mostly seasonal visitors here, especially mature females. Their peak residency at Norfolk Island was in the Austral summer (November to April), and they largely disappeared during the cooler months. When these big sharks were around, they preferred the west side of the island, particularly an area near a long-time livestock waste dumping site, which provided an artificial but consistent food source. This same area is also home to a breeding colony of seabirds, offering another seasonal buffet for these big predators to dine on; these behaviors suggest that tiger sharks are not just following instinct, but are actively responding to what us humans do. Sandbar sharks showed similar timing as the tiger sharks, arriving mostly in the warmer months and spending time in deeper offshore waters. But unlike them, they didn't stick to one area, and while we don't know exactly where they went in the off-season, their disappearance suggests some sort of migration or habitat shift. All the sandbar sharks tracked in this study were likely immature, and their use of deep water aligns with what's been seen in other parts of the world, like Western Australia, where juveniles favor offshore nursery grounds. According to the scientists, it is still unclear whether Norfolk Island serves as a nursery or just a seasonal stopover. Galapagos sharks were detected around the island year-round and often in the same nearshore areas, ... More especially around the Kingston and Cascade piers. getty The Dusky and Galapagos sharks displayed different behaviors though. Both species were detected around the island year-round and often in the same nearshore areas, especially around the Kingston and Cascade piers. Why? Well, these spots are known for regular fish waste dumping by local fishers. The daily routine that may have trained the sharks to visit in search of an easy meal. Most of these individuals were immature, and their movements were tightly clustered around the tagging locations, which suggests a strong site attachment, possibly influenced by food availability or safety from predators. But what is especially interesting with these two species here is that dusky and Galapagos sharks rarely overlap in other parts of the world. Dusky sharks are usually coastal and associated with continental shelves, while Galapagos sharks prefer seamounts and remote islands. Around Norfolk? The story is different; they're not only overlapping in space, they're doing so in similar ways. They're returning to the same spots, day in and day out! And this co-residency raises questions about how they share resources and what kind of competition, if any, exists between them. Early data show dietary overlap too, which could mean these species play similar roles in the local ecosystem. Not all tagged sharks were accounted for during the study period, however. In fact, a significant number were never detected again after tagging. That could be due to a few things: some sharks might have moved to deeper areas beyond the receiver range, others may have died due to predation (possibly from the very tiger sharks they shared space with), and some may simply have avoided the tagging locations afterwards. Still, the big picture here is that this study helps highlight the importance of seamounts and offshore islands as more than just isolated dots on a map. These places can clearly be essential marine habitats, especially for sharks, supporting different species and life stages in different ways. Whether it's a seasonal feeding stop, a year-round home, or a safe haven for younger individuals, Norfolk Island offers a snapshot of how sharks can partition space to coexist, even when their habitats overlap. Work like this is critical as conservation efforts increasingly focus on preserving whole ecosystem functions, not just individual species. Knowing who's using what, where, and when can guide protections to ensure these oceanic hotspots continue to support the diversity of life that relies on them.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Super proud' Burke hopes Scots are more in tune against Samoa
Fergus Burke will be hoping his rendition of "Eda Sa Qaqa" proves prophetic as the Saracens fly-half looks to fulfil his "burning desire" to recover from a debut defeat in a Scotland New Zealand-born 25-year-old chose the Fijian song, which translates as "We Have Overcome", as his initiation piece after Friday's 29-14 loss in the South Pacific Friday, he hopes to turn the tables on another rugby nation he knows well, Samoa, as Scotland end their summer tour at Ellis Park in the land of his birth."It was a super proud day for me and my family to get my first international cap for Scotland," he said. "But obviously we didn't get the result we were after, so it was tainted a little bit and it was a weird one - I didn't know how to feel really."Immensely proud but got a bit of a burning desire to get the right result this week."Burke said that, despite the defeat, it "was super special" to live out his childhood "dream", hearing "Flower Of Scotland" before the game and being presented with his first cap by captain Rory Darge."I even had to sing a song in the after-match, which was entertaining," he said."I wasn't expecting it at all. I wasn't given a heads up."Explaining his choice of a hymn particularly associated with the Fijian rugby team, he added: "So I went for a Fijian song so the Fijian community could join in and help me. "I think I did the first line of the song and then let them take over."
Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
ROKLive 2025 brings labs, launches & robotics to Gold Coast
Rockwell Automation has unveiled details of its ROKLive 2025 event, set to be held on the Gold Coast, where it plans to bring together over 500 professionals from sectors including manufacturing, mining, utilities, and food and beverage. Lab sessions ROKLive 2025 will feature more than 50 hands-on lab sessions concentrated on areas such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, machine performance optimisation, and operational efficiency improvements. These sessions are aimed at industry professionals seeking to develop practical skills and a deeper understanding of current technologies and processes. Adrian Giecco, Regional Director, South Pacific at Rockwell Automation, emphasised the unique aspect of the event, stating, "ROKLive is our biggest event in Australia and New Zealand, and what really sets it apart are the hands-on lab sessions where participants can gain practical experience with the latest technologies. This year we have more than 50 of these across the three days." Exhibition space and competitions Outside of the classroom-style labs, the event will also include a Connected Show Floor – an expanded exhibition area designed to highlight new products and solutions from Rockwell Automation and its PartnerNetwork. Attendees will have the opportunity to see these technologies in action and discuss their applications with representatives and peers. "Other highlights include the Connected Show Floor, an expanded and dynamic exhibition space featuring the latest Rockwell Automation and PartnerNetworkTM solutions, as well as the FIRST Robotics League Competition," said Giecco. The FIRST Robotics League Competition will be a feature of the event, showcasing the talents of young engineers and programmers as they engage in robotics challenges. The competition aims to highlight the growing importance of STEM and automation across Australia and New Zealand industries, offering a glimpse into future workforce development and skills growth in the sector. New product launches Several product launches are slated for ROKLive 2025, with some products being displayed for the first time in Australia. Among these products is the ControlLogix 5590, described by the company as a next-generation controller with enhancements in performance, redundancy, motion and network capabilities, safety, and security. PointMax I/O, another launch planned for the event, is a remote input/output system developed with insights from two decades of engineering. Its modular design aims to provide flexibility to manufacturers dealing with increasingly complex industrial operations. The system is intended to support scalable and reconfigurable I/O deployments, offering an alternative to more traditional, centralised control systems. Also featured will be solutions from OTTO Motors, a provider of autonomous mobile robots for material handling in factories and warehouses. OTTO's technology is already in use by several internationally recognised brands for critical operations. The event will also introduce OptixEdge, an edge gateway designed for real-time machine-level data processing. When used with Rockwell's FactoryTalk Optix software, it gathers, analyses, and transmits data to the cloud, which can allow users to monitor and assess information from various locations. The stated benefits include faster insights, reduced costs, and informed decision-making. The EtherNet/IP In-cabinet Solution will also debut at ROKLive 2025. It is intended to simplify communications within control panel devices while improving real-time access to data and aiding faster decision-making for manufacturers. The company highlights this product as a response to increasing demand for greater connectivity and speed in industrial operations. Networking and professional development In addition to technical content and product displays, ROKLive 2025 will facilitate networking, giving attendees opportunities to share experiences and discuss industry trends with colleagues and leaders from a range of fields. Registered participants will be able to download a Certificate of Attendance, which can be added to their professional portfolios to acknowledge their engagement in ongoing education and industry development.
