Briolette Kah Bic Runga, recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga has also found success internationally in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom with her 1997 song "Sway".
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a television network that is broadcast throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. All of its currently-operating channels are free-to-air and commercially funded.
New Zealand Idol, also known as NZ Idol, was the New Zealand version of the Idol series originated as the hit British TV series Pop Idol. New Zealand first saw the Idol format when TV2 aired American Idol 2, which garnered impressive ratings. After Australian Idol also received good ratings in New Zealand, TVNZ decided to order the first season of NZ Idol, which was broadcast on TV2. After the third season in 2006, TVNZ made a decision not to fund or broadcast a fourth season, thus placing New Zealand Idol on indefinite hiatus, with no plans to run a fourth season.
Amanda Billing is a New Zealand actress best known for her role as Doctor Sarah Potts on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street.
The Topp Twins are the folk singing and activist sister comedy duo of New Zealand entertainers Jools and Lynda Topp. They are known for their country music influenced style, live shows and television performances. They often perform as characters, the most notable being the roles Ken & Ken, and Camp Mother & Camp Leader.
Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley is a Samoan-New Zealander actor, television presenter, writer, journalist, director, and comedian. He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film Sione's Wedding.
Oliver Driver is a New Zealand actor, director, broadcaster and television presenter.
Miriama Te Rangimarie Smith is a New Zealand film and television actress who has played roles in various TV shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, Karaoke High and Shortland Street. Her best-known roles, however, were the role of Moz in the third season of The Tribe, and also the role of Elsa / Principal Randall in the 2004 Power Rangers series, Power Rangers Dino Thunder. She was one of the three judges on the first season of entertainment show New Zealand's Got Talent that aired on Prime TV in 2008. She starred as Brady Trubridge on the TVNZ 2 drama series Filthy Rich.
Cameron Rhodes is a New Zealand film and theatrical actor and director.
Lori Dungey is a New Zealand actress. Dungey was born in Canada and came to New Zealand when she performed in an arts festival during the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990. Dungey subsequently became the artistic director of the Wellington Improv Company. She has had acting roles in both film and television including Lord of the Rings films and the television series Xena and Hercules. She has also performed in New Zealand's Improve Festival.
Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood is a New Zealand comedian. He is best known for his hosting of several television shows found on Three and also performs stand-up comedy.
Donna Tusiata Avia is a New Zealand poet and children's author. She has been recognised for her work through receiving a 2020 Queen's Birthday Honour and in 2021 her collection The Savage Coloniser won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The Savage Coloniser and her previous work Wild Dogs Under My Skirt have been turned into live stage plays presented in a number of locations.
Paul Ego is a Billy T Award winning New Zealand comedian. He is best known both for his past role as leader of Team One on the New Zealand comedy current affairs panel show 7 Days, and as the voice artist of the Stickman in television advertisements for PAK'nSAVE supermarket.
Jeff Szusterman is a New Zealand voice, film and television actor known for playing Master Xandred on Power Rangers Samurai.
David Harold Ward Hartnell is a New Zealand journalist and media personality best known for his Hollywood gossip column and best-dressed lists. He was the first full-time celebrity gossip columnist in New Zealand and his work appeared in print, radio and television. His syndicated columns have run in magazines and newspapers around the world. Hartnell is the author of ten books, the Patron of the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc and the Ambassador of St James Saviours. In April 2014 he was named Ambassador of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand and in September 2016 the Patron of the Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians Inc.
Jackie Thomas is a New Zealand singer who won the first New Zealand season of The X Factor in 2013. Competing in the Girls category, she was mentored in the series by Daniel Bedingfield. Her winner's single "It's Worth It" was released on 22 July 2013 and debuted at number one on the New Zealand Music Charts. The song became certified Gold in its first week and eventually reached Platinum by its third week.
Stroma is a mixed chamber ensemble based in Wellington, New Zealand. It is New Zealand’s largest chamber ensemble, able to draw on over 20 players, many of whom are principal players with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). It focuses on music written in the last 100 years, and has been active since 2000. It has commissioned and/or premiered over 50 New Zealand works, and has given repeat performances to another 40.
Elisabeth Easther is a New Zealand actor, broadcaster, journalist and playwright. She played Carla Crozier on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street from May 1995 to July 1996, and has since had a varied career in television, radio, journalism and playwriting. Her play Seed won the Adam NZ Play Award for Best Play in 2014.
Luke Di Somma is a New Zealand lyricist, composer, writer and director. He studied at the University of Canterbury, the New Zealand School of Music and the Tisch School of the Arts. His punk-rock musical That Bloody Woman was a smash hit at the 2015 Christchurch Arts Festival, and subsequently toured New Zealand, playing to over 30,000 people. Other compositions include Dinostory and The Things Between Us. He has been commissioned by New Zealand Opera to write a comedic opera about a group of unruly tourists who toured New Zealand in 2019.
