1.
New Zealand
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New Zealand /njuːˈziːlənd/ is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu—and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, the countrys varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealands capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland, sometime between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that later were named New Zealand and developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand, in 1840, representatives of Britain and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, today, the majority of New Zealands population of 4.7 million is of European descent, the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealands culture is derived from Māori and early British settlers. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, New Zealand is a developed country and ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as health, education, economic freedom and quality of life. Since the 1980s, New Zealand has transformed from an agrarian, Queen Elizabeth II is the countrys head of state and is represented by a governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes, the Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue, and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealands territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642 and called it Staten Landt, in 1645, Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicised the name to New Zealand, Aotearoa is the current Māori name for New Zealand. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the country before the arrival of Europeans. Māori had several names for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui for the North Island and Te Waipounamu or Te Waka o Aoraki for the South Island. Early European maps labelled the islands North, Middle and South, in 1830, maps began to use North and South to distinguish the two largest islands and by 1907, this was the accepted norm. The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised and this set the names as North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu
2.
Martial arts
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Although the term martial art has become associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia, it originally referred to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. The term is derived from Latin, and means arts of Mars, Martial arts may be categorized along a variety of criteria, including, Traditional or historical arts vs. contemporary styles of folk wrestling and modern hybrid martial arts. Such traditions include eskrima, silat, kalaripayat, kobudo, and historical European martial arts, Many Chinese martial arts also feature weapons as part of their curriculum. Similarly, modern Western martial arts and sports include fencing, stick-fighting systems like canne de combat or singlestick. Combat-oriented Health-oriented Many martial arts, especially those from Asia, also teach side disciplines which pertain to medicinal practices and this is particularly prevalent in traditional Asian martial arts which may teach bone-setting, herbalism, and other aspects of traditional medicine. Spirituality-oriented Martial arts can also be linked with religion and spirituality, numerous systems are reputed to have been founded, disseminated, or practiced by monks or nuns. Throughout Asia, meditation may be incorporated as part of training, in those countries influenced by Hindu-Buddhist philosophy, the art itself may be used as an aid to attaining enlightenment. Japanese styles, when concerning non-physical qualities of the combat, are strongly influenced by Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Concepts like empty mind and beginners mind are recurrent, aikido, for instance, can have a strong philosophical belief of the flow of energy and peace fostering, as idealised by its founder Morihei Ueshiba. Traditional Korean martial arts place emphasis on the development of the spiritual and philosophical development. A common theme in most Korean styles, such as taekkyeon and taekwondo, is the value of peace in a practitioner. The Koreans believe that the use of force is only justified through defense. Many such martial arts incorporate music, especially strong percussive rhythms, the oldest works of art depicting scenes of battle are cave paintings from Spain dated between 10,000 and 6,000 BCE that show organized groups fighting with bows and arrows. Chinese martial arts originated during the Xia Dynasty more than 4000 years ago and it is said the Yellow Emperor Huangdi introduced the earliest fighting systems to China. The Yellow Emperor is described as a general who, before becoming Chinas leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology. One of his opponents was Chi You who was credited as the creator of jiao di. The foundation of modern Asian martial arts is likely a blend of early Chinese, during the Warring States period of Chinese history extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as described by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Legendary accounts link the origin of Shaolinquan to the spread of Buddhism from India during the early 5th century AD, with the figure of Bodhidharma, to China
3.
Kapa haka
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Kapa haka is the term for Māori performing arts and literally means to form a line and dance. Kapa haka is an avenue for Maori people to express and showcase their heritage and cultural Polynesian identity through song, Kapa haka dates back to pre-European times where it developed from all traditional forms of Maori pastimes, haka, mau rakau, poi and moteatea. These everyday activities were influential to the development of kapa haka, the genre evolved out of a combination of European and Māori musical principles. The work of a kapa haka consists of the performance of a suite of songs and dances spanning several types of Māori music and dance, music and dance types that normally appear are waiata tira, whakaeke, waiata-ā-ringa, haka, pou or mōteatea, poi, and whakawātea. They may also include tītī tōrea, in a full performance, which can last up to 40 minutes, each music or dance type may appear more than once. Music for kapa haka is primarily vocal, all song types, with the notable exceptions of mōteatea and haka, are structured around European-style harmony, frequently with guitar accompaniment and acoustics. Spurts of haka-style declamation are woven into the songs, as are dance movements, facial expressions and other bodily, song poetry is completely in Māori and new material is continually being composed. The sole musical instruments used in kapa haka performances are the guitar, the conch shell. Kapa haka are mixed groups of anywhere between several and dozens of people, dressed in neo-traditional Māori dress and these groups comprise individuals linked in some way, be it by extended family group, iwi, school, or some other association. Performers are largely synchronised, but with men doing some actions while women do others. A few performers have particular roles, such as the kaitataki, composers, arrangers, choreographers and costume designers also play major roles. Every two years, kapa haka from all parts of New Zealand compete in Te Matatini, New Zealands national Māori performing arts competition for adult groups, not all Māori performance types are used by kapa haka. Below are brief descriptions of the ones that usually appear, see Māori music for a wider discussion of Māori music. Waiata tira are choral pieces used to warm up the vocal cords, through a waiata tira the group announces its arrival in a manner that is generally light and positive. They are frequently used to comment on an issue of the day or to commemorate an individual or some element of Māoridom. They may also simply be used as the song to announce the groups arrival. Haka are best described as challenges and they are used to make a point and to vent anger. They are performed by men and women, with the focus on the men in the front and support from the women behind
4.
Charles Bennett (high commissioner)
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Sir Charles Moihi Te Arawaka Bennett DSO PMN was a New Zealand broadcaster, military leader, public servant, and high commissioner to the Federation of Malaya. From the age of six months to thirteen years Charles was raised by his grandparents at Maketu and he won a scholarship to Te Aute College, where he was a distinguished student, head prefect and footballer. He obtained a BA in 1936 from Canterbury University College, Charles Bennett joined the 28th Battalion at the outbreak of war in 1939. He underwent officer training at Trentham Military Camp, embarking overseas in May 1940 as a lieutenant in B Company. On Lieutenant-Colonel George Dittmers staff he fought in Greece and Crete and he led an intelligence unit responsible for reconnaissance, speaking on the radio in Maori. In November 1941 Bennett was promoted to captain, by October 1942 Bennett was a major commanding B Company. Early in November his two superiors were wounded in fighting near Tel el Aqqakir, and Bennett then commanded the Māori Battalion, being promoted lieutenant-colonel. In March 1943 at Tebaga Gap, Tunisia, Bennett ordered an attack on Point 209 which resulted in Lieutenant Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu being awarded a posthumous VC. In April, during the fighting at Takrouna and Djebel Berda and his recovery took three years, and left him lame. With Major-General Howard Kippenberger Bennett worked on the Māori Battalion’s history with the War History Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs and he became an interpreter at Internal Affairs. On 10 October 1947, in Wellington, Bennett married Elizabeth May Richardson and they had no children, but he regarded her two children as his own. He won a University of Oxford scholarship from the Ngarimu VC, although the thesis was not completed, in January 1959 he became New Zealands high commissioner to the Federation of Malaya. He was President of the Labour Party from 1972 to 1976 and he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Canterbury in 1973, and knighted in the 1975 Birthday Honours, He was a patron of the Electoral Reform Coalition. Bennett died in Tauranga on 26 November 1998 and he was survived by his wife and her two children. Malaya, Honorary Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
5.
New Zealand Army
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The New Zealand Army is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel,2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted by the New Zealand Army Act 1950, the New Zealand Army traces its history from settler militia raised in 1845. Since the 1970s, deployments have tended to be assistance to multilateral peacekeeping efforts, considering the small size of the force, operational commitments have remained high since the start of the East Timor deployment in 1999. New Zealand personnel also served in the First Gulf War, Iraq and are serving in several UN. They have just been withdrawnfrom East Timor, RAMSI in the Solomons, War had been an integral part of the life and culture of the Māori people. The Musket Wars dominated the first years of European trade and settlement, the first European settlers in the Bay of Islands formed a volunteer militia from which some New Zealand Army units trace their origins. Towards the end of the war, the numbers of British troops were reduced, the first permanent military force was the Colonial Defence Force, which was active from 1862. This was replaced in 1867 by the Armed Constabulary, which performed both military and policing roles, after being renamed the New Zealand Constabulary Force, it was divided into separate military and police forces in 1886. The military force was called the Permanent Militia and later renamed the Permanent Force, Major Alfred William Robin led the First Contingent sent from New Zealand to South Africa to participate in the Boer War in October 1899. The New Zealand Army sent ten contingents in total, of which the first six were raised and instructed by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Henry Banks and these were mounted riflemen, and the first contingents had to pay to go, providing their own horses, equipment and weapons. The Defence Act 1909, which displaced the old system, remodelled the defences of the dominion on a territorial basis. It provided for a force, or fighting strength, fully equipped for modern requirements. These troops, with the reserve, formed the first line. Under the terms of the Act, every male, unless physically unfit, was required to take his share of the defence of the dominion. The Act provided for the military training of every male from the age of 14 to 25. After serving in the territorials until 25, and in the reserve until 30, a discharge was granted, Major-General Sir Alexander Godley, of the Imperial General Staff, was engaged as commandant. A New Zealand division then formed which fought on the Western Front, the total number of New Zealand troops and nurses to serve overseas in 1914-1918, excluding those in British and other dominion forces, was 100,000, from a population of just over a million. Forty-two percent of men of military age served in the NZEF,16,697 New Zealanders were killed and 41,317 were wounded during the war - a 58 percent casualty rate
6.
New Zealand Defence Force
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The Chief of Defence Force is Lieutenant-General Tim Keating, who previously served in the capacity of Vice Chief of Defence Force, having been appointed to his current position on 31 January 2014. Brownlee was appointed Minister of Defence as part of a Cabinet reshuffle following the 2014 New Zealand general election, replacing the now Minister of Health, Jonathan Coleman. New Zealands armed forces have three defence policy objectives, to defend New Zealand against low-level threats, to contribute to regional security, New Zealand considers its own national defence needs to be modest, due to its geographical isolation and benign relationships with neighbours. After the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 New Zealands security was dependent on British Imperial troops deployed from Australia, by 1841 the settlers, particularly those in the New Zealand Company settlement of Wellington, were calling for local militia to be formed. In 1843 a local militia had been formed in Wellington without official sanction and this prompted the Chief Police Magistrate Major Matthew Richmond to order its immediate disbandment. Richmond also dispatched 53 soldiers from the 96th Regiment from Auckland to Wellington and these calls for a militia continued to grow with the Wairau Affray. The calls eventually lead to a bill being introduced to the Legislative Assembly in 1844 and those present noted their disapproval of the bill, unanimously deferring it for six months. On 22 March 1845 the Flagstaff War broke out, which proved to be the catalyst for passing the Bill. In 1844 a Select Committee of the House of Commons had recommended that a militia, on 25 March 1845 the Militia Ordinance was passed into law. Twenty-six officers were appointed in Auckland, thereby forming the start of New Zealands own defence force, Major Richmond was appointed commander of the Wellington Battalion of the militia. The newspaper article of the notes that Wellington had a mounted Volunteer Corp. The Nelson Militia were formed about the end of May, in June 1845,75 members of the Auckland Militia under Lieutenant Figg became the first unit to support British Imperial troops in the Flagstaff War, serving as pioneers. Seven militia were wounded in action between 30 June and 1 July 1845, one, a man named Rily, later died of his wounds. The Auckland Militia was disbanded in August or early September 1845 because of budgetary constraints, disbandment of the Nelson and Wellington Militias followed much to the dismay of their supporters. Those at Nelson under Captain Greenwood decided, regardless of pay or not, trouble in the Hutt Valley, near Wellington, in early March 1846 prompted the new Lieutenant Governor George Grey to proclaim martial law and call out the Hutt Militia. Following on from this the paper noted that the No 1 Company of the Wellington Militia had been called out. The paper further noted that Grey intended to maintain two companies of Militia in Wellington, as problems continued in the area at least 160 Militia remained. These were supplemented by volunteers, and Maori warriors from the Te Aro pah
7.
Coat of arms of New Zealand
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The coat of arms of New Zealand is a national symbol of New Zealand. The initial coat of arms was granted by royal warrant of King George V on 26 August 1911, until 1911, New Zealand used the same royal coat of arms as the United Kingdom. When New Zealand became a Dominion in 1907, it was decided that a new coat of arms was required, the winning entry was a design by James McDonald, a draughtsman in the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts. Some adjustments were made to the design and the arms were granted by Royal Warrant of King George V on 26 August 1911, the warrant was published in the New Zealand Gazette of 11 January 1912. Since being granted its own arms in 1911, New Zealands arms have remained similar to the current design, over all this is a pale, a broad vertical strip, with three ships representing the importance of sea trade, and the immigrant nature of all New Zealanders. Before 1956, the shield was identical, but the features were different. The crest was a holding the British Union Flag. Early renditions of the coat of arms are featured with more stylised scrolling rather than fern leaves. The original supporters were also slightly different, the woman had reddish-brown hair, and both figures faced forward rather than towards the shield. Though there is no documentary evidence, it is likely that the original model for the woman was Wellington socialite Alice Spragg. The model for the Māori warrior is unknown, the woman is identified as Zealandia, the national personification of New Zealand. Crest, the Crown of Saint Edward proper, the Compartment which is what the Supporters stand on is not always part of the Blazon but in this case it is two New Zealand Ferns in their natural colour. Quarterly means that the shield is divided into quarters by a vertical and horizontal line, azure and Gules which is blue and red respectively is the colour of the quarters. The top left quarter is the first quarter and of the first colour, the colouring proceeds chequer-board fashion for the lower left and lower right quarters. A pale is a vertical stripe placed over the part of the shield. Argent means silver or white and is the colour of the pale, then the objects on the pale are described. A Lymphad is a ship and there are three of them and sable is black. In the First is in the first quarter and the objects thereon are described, a Mullet is a five pointed star and in cross means that the four stars are placed as in a Christian cross
8.
Whale Rider
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Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand-German family drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera. The film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Kahu Paikea Apirana, a twelve-year-old Maori girl who wants to become the chief of the tribe and her grandfather Koro believes that this is a role reserved for males only. The film was a coproduction between New Zealand and Germany and it was shot on location in Whangara, the setting of the novel. The world premiere was on 9 September 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film received critical acclaim upon its release. The film earned $41.4 million on a NZ$9,235,000 budget, the films plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana. The leader should be the first-born grandson – a direct descendant of Paikea. Pai is originally born a twin, but her brother, as well as her mother. However, Pai is female and technically cannot inherit the leadership, at one point Paikea decides to live with her father because her grandfather is mistreating her. She finds that she cannot bear to leave the sea as the whale seems to be calling her back, Pai tells her father to turn the car back and returns home. After the death of his wife and overwhelming pressure from Koro, Pais father refuses to assume traditional leadership, Pai herself is interested in the leadership, learning traditional songs and dances, but is given little encouragement by her grandfather. Pai feels that she can become the leader, and is determined to succeed, Koro leads a cultural school for the village boys, hoping to find a new leader. He teaches the boys to use a taiaha and this is traditionally reserved for males. However, Nanny tells Pai that her son, Pais uncle, had won a taiaha tournament in his youth while he was still slim. She also secretly follows Koros lessons, one of the students, Hemi, is also sympathetic towards her. Koro is enraged when he finds out, particularly when she wins her taiaha fight against Hemi, with the loss of the rei puta, Koro in despair calls out the Ancient ones, the whales. In an attempt to help, Pai also calls out to them, one day Pai finds the rei puta while swimming, signifying that she is the rightful leader. Pai, in an attempt to bridge the rift that has formed, unknown to all, she had won an inter-school speech contest with a touching dedication to Koro and the traditions of the village. However, Koro was late, and as he was walking to the school, the entire village attempts to coax and drag them back into the water, but all efforts prove unsuccessful, even a tractor does not help
9.
Once Were Warriors (film)
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Once Were Warriors is a 1994 New Zealand drama film based on New Zealand author Alan Duffs bestselling 1990 first novel. The film tells the story of the Hekes, an urban Māori family, and their problems with poverty, alcoholism, the film was directed by Lee Tamahori and stars Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis. Beth left her small town and, despite her parents disapproval, after 18 years they live in an unkempt state house in an unnamed New Zealand city and have five children. Their interpretations of life and being Māori are tested and their eldest daughter, Grace, keeps a journal in which she chronicles events as well as stories she tells her younger siblings. He often invites crowds of friends from the bar to his home for drunken parties, when his wife gets lippy at one of his parties, he brutally attacks her in front of their friends. Beth turns to drink when things go wrong, and has angry outbursts and occasional violence of her own and her children fend for themselves, resignedly cleaning the blood-streaked house after their father has beat their mother. Nig, the Hekes eldest son, moves out to join a gang whose rituals include getting facial tattoos and he is subjected to an initiation beating by the gang members but is then embraced as a new brother, and he later sports the gangs tattoos. Nig cares about his siblings but despises his father and he is angered when his mother is beaten but deals with it by walking away. The second son, Mark Boogie Heke, has a history of criminal offences, he is taken from his family. Despite his initial anger, Boogie finds a new niche for himself, Jake does not care that Boogie was taken away, he comments that it will do him some good, toughen him up a bit. Beth is heartbroken and scrapes money together to visit him, Jake pays for the rental car from gambling winnings but deserts the family to go to the pub, and they never make the journey. Grace, the Hekes 13-year-old daughter, loves writing stories and her best friend is a homeless boy named Toot, who lives in a wrecked car. She dreams of leaving, and being independent and single, Grace is raped in her bed by her fathers friend Uncle Bully, who tells her it is her fault for turning him on by wearing her skimpy little nighty. She becomes depressed and seeks support from her friend Toot, with whom she smokes marijuana for the first time, Toot kisses her, but she reacts violently and storms out, believing he is just like the rest of them. After wandering through the city streets, Grace comes home to an angry Jake with his friends, Bully asks for a goodnight kiss in front of everyone, to test his power over her. Grace refuses, and her father tears her journal in two and nearly beats her up and she runs out to the backyard crying. Beth returns home from searching for Grace, only to find that she has hanged herself from a branch in the backyard. Jake stays in the pub with his mates, while the rest of the family takes Graces body to a tangihanga, Beth stands up to him properly for the first time as he refuses to let her be taken to the marae
10.
Deadliest Warrior
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The show was characterized by its use of data compiled in creating a dramatization of the warriors battle to the death. The show ran for three seasons, the show was originally developed by Morningstar Entertainment, and has since moved to production company 44 Blue. The showrunner in the first season was Tim Prokop, Tim Warren became the showrunner during the second season and continued with the show during its move to 44 Blue and the third season. The historical adviser in the first and second season and associate producer in the season was Barry C. Jacobsen, who represented the Spartan Team in Season 1 and he also worked with associate producer Ryo Okada on content preparation and warrior selection for the first two seasons. Episodes begin with the introduction of two types of historical or contemporary warriors or two historical individuals. The history, culture, and general fighting philosophies of each are explained, the explanations are accompanied by segments showing actors performing dramatized scenes that are meant to depict the daily lives of the actual fighters. Two teams of experts are brought onto the show to test weapons spotlighted as being used by each of the warriors, typically, the different weapons are organized into four categories, short range, mid range, long range, and special weapons. However, some episodes have had as many as six categories, the teams test the assigned weapons on various targets including human silhouette targets, mannequins, pig and cattle carcasses, and ballistics gel torsos, heads, limbs, etc. Additionally, pressure mats, accelerometers, chronometers, and other measuring tools are used to test such figures as the striking force, sometimes, the targets are covered with armor that is representative of what would be worn by the warriors opponent. All of the tests are recorded with high speed photography. The producers and hosts then compare the results for each of the weapon categories, however, the hosts of the show have admitted that their choice of which weapon gets the edge has no effect on the final results. These results are used to create a fictional battle reenactment performed by actors. After the battle dramatization has ended, the number of killing blows attained by each weapon during the simulations is revealed. Episodes conclude with the hosts and guests commenting on why they agree or disagree with the outcome of the match, in its first two seasons, the show was hosted by three commentators, Geoff Desmoulin, Dr. Armand Dorian, and Max Geiger. All three provided commentary throughout the show, as well as details of each weapons test. The show is narrated by Drew Skye, the pilot episode was Spartan vs Ninja. Shot in 2007, the pilot was unique in not being staged in the Fight Club in Los Angeles, while most episodes shot in three days, this pilot episode took over seven days to film
11.
PlayStation 2
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The PlayStation 2 is a home video game console that was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor to the PlayStation, and is the installment in the PlayStation lineup of consoles. It was released on March 4,2000 in Japan, October 26,2000 in North America, November 24,2000 in Europe and it competed with Segas Dreamcast, Microsofts Xbox, and Nintendos GameCube in the sixth generation of video game consoles. Announced in 1999, the PlayStation 2 was the first PlayStation console to offer backwards compatibility for its predecessors DualShock controller, the PlayStation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all time, selling over 155 million units, with 150 million confirmed by Sony in 2011. More than 3,874 game titles have been released for the PS2 since launch, Sony later manufactured several smaller, lighter revisions of the console known as Slimline models in 2004 and well on, and in 2006, announced and launched its successor, the PlayStation 3. Sony unveiled the PlayStation 4 console the following month on February 20,2013, Sony announced the PlayStation 2 on March 1,1999. The Dreamcast itself launched very successfully in North America later that year, soon after the Dreamcasts North American launch, Sony unveiled the PlayStation 2 at the Tokyo Game Show on September 20,1999. Sony showed fully playable demos of upcoming PlayStation 2 games including Gran Turismo 2000 and Tekken Tag Tournament – which showed the consoles graphic abilities, the PS2 was launched in March 2000 in Japan, October in North America and November in Europe. Sales of the console, games and accessories pulled in $250 million on the first day, directly after its release, it was difficult to find PS2 units on retailer shelves due to manufacturing delays. Another option was purchasing the console online through websites such as eBay. This allowed the PS2 to tap the large install base established by the PlayStation – another major selling point over the competition, later, Sony added new development kits for game developers and more PS2 units for consumers. The PS2s built-in functionality also expanded its audience beyond the gamer and this made the console a low cost entry into the home theater market. The PS2 remained as the only active sixth generation console for over 6 months, before it would face competition from rivals, Nintendos GameCube and Microsofts Xbox. While the PlayStation 2 theoretically had the weakest specification of the three, it had a start due to its installed base plus strong developer commitment. Sony also countered the Xbox by temporarily securing PlayStation 2 exclusives for highly anticipated games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Metal Gear Solid 2, Sons of Liberty. Sony cut the price of the console in May 2002 from US$299 to $199 in North America, making it the price as the GameCube. It also planned to cut the price in Japan around that time and it cut the price twice in Japan in 2003. In 2006, Sony cut the cost of the console in anticipation of the release of the PlayStation 3, Sony, unlike Sega with its Dreamcast, originally placed little emphasis on online gaming during its first few years, although that changed upon the launch of the online-capable Xbox
12.
The Mark of Kri
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The Mark of Kri is an action-adventure game developed by SCE San Diego Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for PlayStation 2. The game was followed by Rise of the Kasai, which was released in April 2005, the game also featured elements of adaptive music, with techniques developed specifically for the game, and incredibly tight synchronization on-screen state changes. The protagonist, Rau Utu, is known as a great warrior, accompanied by a raven, Kuzo, and trained by his mentor and adopted father, Baumusu, he was taught stealth and extraordinary skill with his sword. He was also taught to help those in need rather than act as a mercenary, the game begins with Rau being asked a favor by the village tavern keeper, who says that bandits are keeping business away and asks Rau to look into it. After Rau takes care of the bandits, news of his prowess as a warrior spreads far and this leads to a mysterious man showing up in the tavern, who offers Rau money for his services. Despite the uneasy feeling that Rau has about the man, he accepts his offer and he then travels to the forest of Heiadoko, where he retrieves a piece of parchment from the tomb of Sambu-usu. This parchment, however, is one of the Marks of Kri - human skin. Rau returns home from his job to find that hes been taken advantage of by the mysterious man, the man turns out to be a member of an evil organization, the Kasai, and is devoted to its efforts to rule the world. Furthermore, the money Rau received from him was counterfeit, Rau then is told by an elderly woman to head north to find a tree and eat its fruit. This tree informs him both of the Mark of Kri, and his destiny to protect a captured boy, the boy, the oracle says, holds the fifth mark, which someone known as the Dark One will soon have in his possession. Furthermore, it is revealed that Rau not only has a great destiny, finally, Rau is told that the sixth and final mark is well protected. He then travels to the heavily guarded temple of Meifiti, to save a boy from being sacrificed, however, when Rau reaches the boy, he is sacrificed by the Dark One. Upon returning to the Inn, Rau discovers that his village has been attacked and destroyed and his mentor and adopted father, Baumusu, tells him of his path in life, and that Rau must find his sister, who had been taken during the attack on the village. His sister has the final Mark of Kri. Rau travels to Rahtutusai, after Rau defeats his hoard of Zombies, the Dark One asks him to join him on his quest for world domination. Rau declines by throwing an axe at the Dark Ones head, killing him, at the end, it is revealed that the Narrator of the story was Kuzo, the raven who accompanied Rau during his adventure. The game makes use of the DualShock 2s analog sticks, the left is used for movement and the right for locking on to surrounding enemies. The Mark of Kri received favorable reviews upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 81. 46%, the game was given a score of 8.5 out of 10 and awarded Game of the Month in the August 2002 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly. Entertainment Weekly gave the game an A and called it the most surprising, and visionary, action-adventure game of the summer
13.
Rise of the Kasai
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Rise of the Kasai is an action-adventure game developed by BottleRocket Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America exclusively for PlayStation 2. The game serves as a followup to the 2002 action-adventure game The Mark of Kri, on March 8,2016 It was re-released on the PlayStation 4. The story for the Rise of the Kasai takes place in a Polynesian-influenced fantasy setting, the games plot centers on a band of warriors known as the Rakus and their battles against the evil sect of dark magicians known as the Kasai. The narrative focuses on a series of events take place ten years prior to the events of The Mark of Kri. Levels taking place in the past feature Baumusu, Raus trainer from The Mark of Kri, meanwhile, future levels feature Rau and Tati, Raus younger sister who bears the Mark of Kri. Gameplay consists of thirteen levels, in which the player, accompanied by a computer-controlled ally, must battle numerous enemies to progress through the story. Much like its predecessor, the system of Rise of the Kasai revolves around the use of Focus Beams. While the DualShock 2s left analog stick is used to maneuver the character, when this beam of light comes into contact with an enemy, an attack icon will be assigned to them. Attack icons are symbols that appear over the head and correspond with the X, square. When an attack icon is assigned, the player can press the button to initiate a focused attack. This attack will vary depending on distance and the direction that the character is facing in relation to the focused enemy, when only one or two different attack icons are in use, the free button becomes a Modifier that can be used to chain together attack combinations. In addition, some of these attack combos can lead to an instant kill if done correctly, a stealth kill can be performed by sheathing the characters weapon and using the focus beam to assign a flashing attack icon onto an unsuspecting enemy. The player will be able to initiate a stealth kill once the enemy is in range, to help remain undetected, the player can send out a spirit guide to a certain key-point to scope the environment ahead and monitor enemy positions, armaments, and patrol patterns. Using a spirit guide to scout ahead can also allow the player to devise battle strategies if stealth is not an option, spirit guides vary between the four protagonists. Rau and Baumusu use Kuzo, a spiritual familiar that takes the form of a blackbird, Kuzo can be sent to various perches throughout the level to scout ahead. Tati and Griz summon the souls of the dead to scout ahead from the corpses that litter the environment. Rise of the Kasais musical score was composed by Jack Wall, Rod Abernethy, Jason Graves, Rise of the Kasai received mixed reviews from critics, as GameRankings gave it a score of 70. 65%, while Metacritic gave it 68 out of 100. Sonys Official Rise of the Kasai Site Rise of the Kasai at MobyGames
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No. 3 Squadron RNZAF
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No.3 Squadron RNZAF is a unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. No.3 Squadron formed as a Territorial unit of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force based at Christchurch in 1930, pilots attached to the squadron used NZPAF aircraft based at Wigram until No.3 Squadron got its first aircraft Blackburn Baffin torpedo bombers, in 1938. Following the outbreak of war the unit was equipped with Vickers Vincent, the squadron received modern aircraft – Lockheed Hudsons – converted to the patrol bomber role. The squadron was deployed to Palikulo Bay Airfield on Espiritu Santo on 9 October 1942, on 23 November 1942, No.3 became the first RNZAF squadron deployed to the front line at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Despite being lightly armed, a Hudson of Flying Officer Gudsell twice saw off attacks by three Japanese aircraft, Gudsell was awarded the Air Medal. The Squadron moved to Kukum Field on Guadalcanal and stayed there until October 1943 when it returned to Santo where it remained until January 1944, from February–March 1944 the Squadron returned to Guadalcanal, returned to Santo from May–July and deployed to Guadalcanal again from July–August 1944. The Squadron re-equipped with Lockheed Venturas and in August 1944 moved to Piva Airfield on Bougainville, in October 1944 the Squadron moved to Emirau where they flew interdiction patrols against Japanese shipping and ground targets. No.3 squadron was replaced by No.4 Squadron in November 1944, the Squadron returned to Guadalcanal from February–March 1945 and was then deployed to Green Island from March–June 1945. From 1948 to 1957 No.3 Squadron reverted to being a territorial squadron, based at Wigram with de Havilland Tiger Moths, North American Harvards and P-51 Mustangs. The Squadrons Naval Support Flight flew helicopters for the Royal New Zealand Navys frigates from 1966 until October 2005, the flight flew Westland Wasps, and later Kaman Seasprites of the naval air wing attached to the squadron from 1966 to 2005. Pilots from No.3 Squadron served in Vietnam and in UN peace keeping in the Sinai, the Squadron served in East Timor. For many years a detachment was based in Singapore, to support the New Zealand Army presence there, detachments have recently served in the Solomon Islands and Antarctica. No.3 Squadron UH-1s transported the participants on the first episode of Survivor, today, No.3 Squadron provides tactical air transport for the New Zealand Army. The Iroquois have been replaced by NH90s, the squadron has a total personnel strength of approximately 135, and operates the following aircraft, Five Agusta A109 LUH helicopters. A procurement to purchase a further three A-109 signalled by the Defence Force White Paper, one NH-90 purchased used as a source of spare parts and/or an attrition airframe. The first helicopters to be flown by the RNZAF, six B47G-3B-1 were delivered in 1965, seven B47G-3B-2 were purchased in 1968 and delivered during 1970. All Bell 47G-3B-2 have been retired and replaced by the Agusta A109LUH since 2011, the RNZAF has retired its fleet of 16 Iroquois helicopters as of 1 July 2015. The first delivery was five UH-1D in 1966 followed in 1970 by nine UH-1H, all of the UH-1D aircraft were upgraded to 1H specification during the 1970s
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Royal New Zealand Air Force
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The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air force component of the New Zealand Defence Force. The RNZAF fought in World War II, Malaysia, Korean War, Vietnam, the RNZAFs air combat capability ended in 2001 with the disbanding of the A-4 Skyhawk squadrons. The Air Force is led by an air vice-marshal who holds the appointment of Chief of Air Force, the RNZAF motto is the same as that of the Royal Air Force, Per ardua ad astra, meaning Through adversity to the stars. New Zealands military aviation began in 1913 when the New Zealand Army was presented with two Blériot monoplanes by the United Kingdom and these machines were grounded after a young woman was given a joyride. Both aircraft were handed back after war broke out. In the Great War, New Zealand aircrew flew as part of the British Royal Flying Corps, New Zealand pilots serving with British forces saw service in all theatres. Fifteen became aces, the top scorer being Keith Caldwell with, depending on how counted, the government assisted two private schools to train pilots for the conflict. The Walsh brothers flying school at Auckland was founded by Leo, from 1915 pilots trained on the Walsh Brothers Flying Boats including Curtiss machines, aircraft of their own design and, later in the war, the first two aircraft made by Boeing. In 1916 Sir Henry Wigram established the Canterbury Aviation Company at Sockburn, Christchurch and he gave the aerodrome, later Wigram Aerodrome, to the government for defence purposes. At the end of the war many New Zealand pilots stayed with the new Royal Air Force, others returned to New Zealand and, serving part-time, provided the nucleus of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force. At the close of hostilities Great Britain offered an Imperial Gift to each of the Dominions of a hundred war-surplus combat aircraft, New Zealand was the last to respond and least enthusiastic. Several of the aircraft were heavily modified—a 504 becoming a 3-seat floatplane. The importance of aviation in war was recognised, largely thanks to the efforts of visionary parliamentarian Sir Henry Wigram. It was initially equipped with the surviving Avro 504K, the DH. 4s, DH. 9s and these operated from an airfield outside Christchurch at Sockburn. In 1926 Wigram donated £2,500 for the purchase of modern fighters, Sockburn was later renamed RNZAF Station Wigram, a name adopted by the suburb which grew up around the airfield. It is the site of the present Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum, a trickle of new-build Bristol Fighters and other new types joined the NZPAF in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A Lewis gun-equipped De Havilland Gipsy Moth floatplane took part in operations against rebels in Samoa. The NZPAFs first action came in 1930 when the Moth dropped a bomb made out of a treacle tin on to a ship suspected of gun-running
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Mere (weapon)
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The mere is a type of short, broad-bladed weapon in the shape of an enlarged tear drop. It was used to strike/jab an opponent in the body or the head, a mere is one of the traditional, close combat, one-handed weapons of the indigenous Māori, of New Zealand and a symbol of chieftainship. The Mere is a spatulate, leaf shaped, form of short club and it has a broad, rounded apex that narrows to form a handle, terminating in a butt or heel, marked by several grooves. Mere have two convex, almost flat sides and a rounded top, the top of the mere was ground to a sharp edge, extending down both sides of the weapon. Passing the wrist cord over the thumb and around the hand prevented the club from slipping during use, Mere are between 25 and 50 centimetres, with an average length of 35 centimetres. The width of a mere is similarly variable, from under 7 to over 12 centimetres, the dimensions of a mere were generally determined by the characteristics of the raw materials the club was made from. Extremely long or short mere are unwieldy in combat, and are likely to have mainly used for ceremonial purposes. The pounamu used to make a mere was carefully chosen to be flawless, a block of greenstone was first rough cut using pieces of quartzite combined with sand and water. Dressing of the surface was done with fine sandstone and pieces of very hard smooth stone, due to the toughness of greenstone, mere pounamu were able to be made thinner than other similar patu made from stone, however this made the process of manufacture slow and arduous. The creation and finishing of a mere pounamu is claimed to have taken more than one generation to complete. Mere, and other patu, were used for close-quarter fighting, held in one hand, these close-range striking weapons were used primarily for end-on thrusting or jabbing. In combat, jabbing thrusts or strikes would be directed at the ribs and it has been claimed that a strike to the skull combined with a twisting flick of the wrist could force or wrench the victims skull open. The designed use of the mere for forward striking thrusts is a characteristic of Maori patu. The butt of a mere could also be used to strike an opponents head, a mere pounamu was much harder than a patu of wood or bone, and much tougher - less likely to fracture - than a patu onawe of any other type of stone. It was stated that a proficient warrior armed with a patu was able to defeat a man armed with a longer weapon, like a taiaha or spear. A fighter using a patu often used a type of pad, held or on the off-side arm, when not in use mere were carried in a flax belt or sometimes suspended from a wrist cord. Pounamu was highly prized by Maori and the mere pounamu as the weapon of a chief or rangatira, was the most revered of all Maori weapons. These mere were passed through generations, they were given names, particularly special mere were imbued with magical powers, or supernatural qualities
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Pouwhenua
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Pouwhenua or pou whenua, are carved wooden posts used by Māori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand to mark territorial boundaries or places of significance. They are generally artistically and elaborately carved and can be found throughout New Zealand, the Pouwhenua is also a long-handled fighting staff with a club-like broad head for striking. Much like totem poles, pou whenua tell a story and they are significant to the Māori people, representing their contributions to the cultural heritage of the New Zealand. They acknowledge the association between the people and the land, specifically, they reflect the relationship between the ancestors, environment, and the reputation or standing of the tangata whenua. Usually a human head motif was carved on the shaft to form a boundary between the shaft and the spear point. Pouwhenua were used for attacking an opponent with short sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with quick footwork on the part of the wielder, a single blow with the broad blade could easily result in death. Pou whakarae Other Māori weapons, Mere Kotiate Tewhatewha Patu Taiaha Pouwhenua from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa http, //news. tangatawhenua. com/archives/10712
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Tewhatewha
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A tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon shaped like an axe. Like pouwhenua and taiaha, this club was designed for sparring and lightning strokes and thrusts. The blows were not struck with the blade as one would with an axe and it was common for tewhatewha to be decorated with a bunch of split pigeon or hawk feathers which hang from a drilled hole near the lower edge of the extension. This decoration may have also had the benefit of distracting or confusing the wielders opponent. A tewhatewha was the symbol of command of Royal New Zealand Navy hydrographic survey ship HMNZS Resolution, the drum major of the New Zealand Army Band uses a tewhatewha instead of a mace to give direction and keep time. Mau rākau Mere Kotiate Taiaha Patu Pouwhenua Tewhatewha in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
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Wahaika
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Wahaika is a type of traditional hand weapon of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. A wahaika is a short club normally made of wood or whalebone and its name can be translated to mean the mouth of the fish. The club has a notch on one side which is used to catch an opponents weapon and it is used for thrusting and striking in close quarter, hand-to-hand fighting. Wahaika from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
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International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
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Ministry for Culture and Heritage
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Minister for Cultural Affairs Marie Hasler oversaw the transition of functions into the new agency. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs had been created in 1991, prior to this, at the time of its establishment, the responsible minister for the ministry was the Minister for Culture and Heritage. This position is now titled the Minister for Arts, Culture, the ministry advises the government on policies and issues relating to the arts, culture, heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors. Creative New Zealand New Zealand Music Commission New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Royal New Zealand Ballet Te Matatini Society Inc and this includes publication in New Zealand history books and e-books, and on a number of websites. Waites number of some 8,500 men was corrected to approximately 13,000 in September 2013, the ministry is also responsible for overseeing dozens of current acts and regulations. Port Nicholson Block Claims Settlement Act 2009 Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Act 2005 The ministry serves two portfolios and two ministers, Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Jock Phillips Official website New Zealand History Online
