While the style, tone, content and context of newspaper in New Zealand continues to change to keep up with the evolution of society and technological advancements, daily newspapers in NZ still retain a loyal readership, both regionally and nationally.

While the advent of online newspaper has brought news into the digital age, most New Zealand news sources have kept up, offering readers both print and online options for their preferred news consumption.

Individuals and two-person teams can take part in the endurance multisport event, competing over one or two days to claim the top spot in what has become known as one of the best adventure races internationally.

Are you ready for this? You’ll need to get in a few months of Coast to Coast personal training so you’re prepared to cross the South Island from Kumara Beach on the West Coast of the South Island to Sumner Beach in Christchurch. The race involves cycling 140 kilometres (over three stages of 55km, 15km and 70km), running 36 kilometres (including 33km of mountainous terrain as you traverse the Southern Alps) and kayaking 67 kilometrees along the Waimakariri Gorge. Phew.

Nelson born Richard Ussher was the overall winner, finishing the race in 11 hours, 3 minutes in what he describes as a “close to perfect” race. The result was exactly what the professional athlete was looking for, after a disappointing 10th place finish in 2007. Ussher has had two earlier first place wins.

First place was taken in the women’s race by Canadian Emily Miazga, who also claimed the win two years ago. In one of the closest victories in the race’s history, Miazga overtook defending champ Fleur Pawsey just 2km from the Sumner finish line. After claiming first place with a whoop, Miazga said to win the race was “a real honour”.

View full race results online. And, if you think you’ve got what it takes, why not enter the Speights Coast to Coast next year or find another adventure race to test your endurance?

The sudden death of Australian actor Heath Ledger has come as a shock to his friends and family, and to the acting community who were inspired by his natural, understated talent.

The actor was found unconscious in his Soho apartment in New York city at 9:35am (NZT) yesterday. The cause of his death will be released in 10 – 14 days, but speculation has been fueled by the presence of prescription medication in the apartment.

This young, bright star had many powerful roles and successful blockbuster movies to his name, playing both support and lead roles in a diverse collection of films.

Of his film choices, Ledger said:

“I feel like I’m wasting time if I repeat myself. I can’t say I’m proud of my work. It’s the same with everything I do: the day I say ‘It’s good’ is the day I should start doing something else.”

• Candy (2006) – Playing a poet, Ledger’s character falls for an art student who is attracted to his bohemian lifestyle.
• Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Ledger famously played a gay cowboy in this poignant tale and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.
• Ned Kelly (2003) – A biopic following the life of a legendary outlaw, played by Ledger with support from Orlando Bloom.
• Monster’s Ball (2001) – Ledger played a supporting role in this Oscar-winning tale of racism and love.
• The Patriot (2000) – The young Aussie actor cemented his place in Hollywood with a role in this powerful tale of family loyalty and honour.
• 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) – A modern take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, in which Ledger plays an outsider with an infamous past.

Find these and other great DVD movies and movie theatres in the NZS.com Directory.

“In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander. I have modest abilities; I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed.”

Best remembered for conquering Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, Hillary’s achievement was one of the defining moments of the 20th century and an event that captured the imaginations of people around the globe. Following his achievement, Hillary committed his life and role as a famous New Zealander to helping others – adopting humanitarian and environmental causes, and directing his energy towards assisting Nepalese communities. Through the Himalayan Trust, Hillary helped to build over thirty schools, twelve medical clinics and two hospitals in Nepal, remaining active in fundraising and supervision of humanitarian projects for over four decades.

Life began humbly for this great man, who as a boy dreamed of a life as an adventurer. At the age of sixteen, he discovered a love of mountaineering and a natural strength and endurance that was a perfect match for this endeavour. Working as a beekeeper, Hillary had bigger dreams. Even before World War II, he told a friend: “Some day I’m going to climb Everest.” After an accident which saw him discharged from the Air Force, he went on to climb Mount Cook and several other peaks in the Southern Alps, eventually reaching the top of Everest in 1953 with Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. Their achievement was announced on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation: Hillary was knighted, Tenzing was awarded the George medal, and the pair were celebrated as heroes around the world.

Hillary went on to lead an expedition across the Anatarctic to the South Pole, as well as undertaking further climbs in the Himalayas and leading a journey by jetboat up the river Ganges.

In his achievements and through his innate personal strengths, Sir Edmund Hillary was a figure of inspiration to us all.

Image from Flickr.

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The earthquake that shook Gisborne yesterday measured 6.6 on the Richter Scale and was felt in the lower North Island and upper South Island. The quake was centred fifty kilometres offshore and forty kilometres deep.

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Fallen chimneys, weakened foundations and damaged buildings resulted from the quake last night, frightening residents and sending many running for cover. An elderly woman died shortly after the quake and eleven people were reportedly injured. Many buildings remain closed today, as their safety is assessed.

The wide-reaching effects of such an event can even be seen on our very own site…

Today’s top sites on NZS.com show users are keen to find Gisborne websites and information on earthquakes and seismic activity in New Zealand. These sites all made it to our top ten sites today:

• Gisborne radio
• Current New Zealand earthquake information
• Gisborne Herald newspaper online

Find the latest New Zealand news updates and information on the Gisborne earthquake online.

So what’s the story? Well, I read the news online. It’s updated almost instantly, is archived from previous days, shows links to related news stories, and best of all, it’s free! See my earlier post for proof that I love a free lunch.

While it’s good news that Kiwis are a media savvy bunch (with 80% reading a newspaper at least once a week), the bad news is that the 750,000 daily newspapers we read are gobbling up over 640 trees every day. While newspapers are fully recyclable, many end up in our landfills. So, not only is online news up to date and full of features, it’s good for the earth.

For a daily news fix online, my choice is Stuff, where you can read a collection of top national, world, sport, business and entertainment stories. Stuff also allows you to view the day’s stories from your own local paper and is quick to update the site with breaking news stories. For more independent news and indepth political analysis, try Scoop, a self-professed “fiercely independent” online news resource.

Around the world, papers are struggling to retain readers as more and more people head online to read the news. While that’s not-so-good news for media organisations and print advertisers, newspapers going online has been great news for readers and for the environment.