When the Kiwis Storm Your Doorstep Quiz

Answer: Peter Jackson

Sir Peter Jackson (designated a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002) is probably best known for his films based on the work of Tolkien, starting with the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. The films involved extensive filming on location in New Zealand, and visits to the film locations are a popular offering for tourists. Like Alfred Hitchcock, Jackson has made a cameo appearance in every film he has directed (through 2012): in 'The Fellowship of the Ring', he was a citizen of Bree; in 'The Two Towers' he was one of the defenders of Helm's Deep; in 'The Return of the King' he is one of the crew members in the fleet that Aragorn leads to join the final battle.

Jane Campion was the first female director to receive a Palm d'Or at Cannes, for her 1993 film 'The Piano'. Andrew Adamson may be best known to international audiences as the director of 'Shrek', 'Shrek 2' and 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. Lee Tamahori is renowned in the antipodes for directing the powerful film 'Once Were Warriors', but residents of the northern hemisphere may more readily recognize his work in the 2003 James Bond movie 'Die Another Day'.

Answer: Battle of Gallipoli

In December of 1914 Birdwood took command of the ANZACS. The Battle of Gallipoli, part of the Dardenelles Campaign, started on 25 April 1915, with a landing on the peninsula of Gallipoli by the ANZAC forces. After months of bloody and indecisive fighting, the remaining troops were evacuated during December of 1915 and January of 1916.

The battle has come to be seen as a defining moment in the developing national consciousness for the young nations of New Zealand and Australia, and ANZAC Day (April 25) is a significant national holiday in both countries.

It was also important for the Turks, setting up the basis for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence.

Answer: Henry Sewell

Henry Sewell is usually considered to be New Zealand's first Prime Minister, despite the fact that he only held office from 7 May 1856 until 20 May of the same year, and his office at the time was designated Colonial Secretary. The title for the head of government in New Zealand has been, at various times, Colonial Secretary, First Minister, Premier, and Prime Minister. Before the establishment of self-government, the position of Colonial Secretary was an assistant to the Governor-General; Sewell was the first to be considered as serving as Secretary to the First Minister, who was himself.

Reading through the lists of early First Ministers shows that they tended to enjoy very brief tenures, and to return multiple times. William Fox, the second Premier, served on four different occasions between 1856 and 1873. Richard Seddon, who was Prime Minister between 1893 and 1906, was the longest-serving Prime Minister through the twentieth century. Jenny Shipley was the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand, holding the office from 1997 until 1999.

Answer: Ngaio Marsh

Dame Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982) was known in New Zealand as much for her work as a director in live theatre as she was for her writing, but overseas players will probably recognize her best for the 32 mysteries she wrote starring Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a member of the London police force. Like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Margery Allingham, she wrote during what has been called the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, the 1920s and 1930s. They established many of the fundamental principles of 'fair play' in the genre, along with the convention of an outsider solving a crime. Although Alleyn was a police officer, the novels were not police procedural. Rather, they usually stemmed from his private life, which Marsh populated with theatrical and artistic figures.

Marjory Nicholls (1890-1930) was an important figure in New Zealand theatrical and poetic circles. Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) is best known for her short stories. Her writing was heavily influenced by writers she met while living in London, including D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf. Margaret Mahy (1936-2012) won the Carnegie Medal twice, in 1982 for 'The Haunting', and in 1984 for 'The Changeover'.

Answer: Ernest Rutherford

Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (1871-1937) is considered one of the great experimental scientists of all time, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 for his work in determining the half-lives of radioactive elements, proving that most examples of radioactive decay involved changing an atom from one element to another, and establishing alpha and beta radiation as the two forms of radiation that produce this transmutation. After moving from Canada to the United Kingdom, he went on to prove that alpha radiation involves the emission of helium nuclei (two protons and two neutrons), and showed that the mass of an atom is mostly located in a dense core which he called its nucleus. There's more, but you really don't want a full-length lecture on his achievements.

Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes (1924-2006) was a leading heart surgeon; Alan Graham MacDiarmid (1927-2007) was one of the co-winners of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in developing plastics that conduct electricity; Beatrice Tinsley (1941-1981) was an astronomer who made significant contributions to our understanding of the evolution of galaxies.

Answer: Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe's parents worked as caterers on movie sets and were able to help him get some small parts in his youth. Once he left school to pursue an acting career, he moved back to Australia, where he spent most of the 80s playing bit parts, and working as a musician - Russ le Roq, no less. The 1990s saw his breakthrough roles in the Australian films 'Proof' (1991) and 'Romper Stomper' (1992), following which he transferred his attentions to Hollywood. 'Gladiator' in 2000 established him as a Hollywood star, and a number of other impressive acting credits have followed.

Jemaine Clement and Brett McKenzie form the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, who got their own HBO television series in the United States in 2007. Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, has been seen in a number of Hollywood films, including 'Jurassic Park' (1993).

Answer: Fred Hollows

As well as his work in teaching hospitals, Frederick "Fred" Cossom Hollows (1929-1993) is remembered for his tireless work to treat the disadvantaged - Australian aboriginal communities benefited from his efforts in many ways, as did those in countries such as Nepal, Eritrea and Vietnam where he organized programs to train local medical practitioners to perform eye surgery. The Fred Hollows Foundation was established as a charity to carry on his work.

Sir Harold Delf Gillies (1882 - 1960) was an otolaryngologist (that's ENT to you and me) who was a pioneer in the field of plastic surgery, Sir Robert Reynolds Macintosh (1897-1989) was an anaesthetist and Ronald Valentine Trubuhovich (1929- ) is known for his work in critical health care.

Answer: Marc Hunter

Dragon's first lineup, in 1972, was Todd Hunter (bass), Ray Goodwin (guitar), Neil Reynolds(drums) and Graeme Collins (vocals and piano). When Todd's younger brother Marc joined them in 1973, things really started to take off, and they were one of New Zealand's top touring bands by 1974. Looking for larger and more lucrative audiences, they moved to Sydney in 1975.

The band broke up in 1979, then reformed (to make some money and pay off outstanding debts) in 1982. They broke up again when Marc Hunter was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1997.

In 2006, Todd Hunter reformed Dragon with Mark Williams (vocal, and guitar), Bruce Reid (guitar) and Pete Drummond (drums).

Answer: Richard Hadlee

In 2002, Sir Richard Hadlee was named by Wisden (the cricketers' 'Bible') as the second-best Test bowler of all time, behind Muttiah Muralitharan, a Sri Lankan spinner, based on a statistical analysis of their performances. He was often considered an all-rounder, as he was no slouch with the bat, unlike many bowlers. He came from a real cricket family, with his father Walter Hadlee playing in 11 Test matches between 1937 and 1951. His brother Dayle played 26 Test matches between 1969 and 1978, and his other brother Barry played in two One Day International matches in 1975. His wife Karen represented New Zealand in a One Day International women's match against England in the1977-1978 season.

The other players are all outstanding New Zealand cricketers, but not fast bowlers and not of the same playing era. Martin Crowe (cousin of Russell) played as a batsman for the New Zealand test team between 1982 and 1995, and was captain from 1990 to 1994. He was replaced as captain by Stephen Fleming, another batsman, who led the team until 2007, when Daniel Vettori took on the role. Vettori was a personal favorite of mine - I am a sucker for bowlers, and he's left-handed, and he wears glasses while playing - a triple win in my books!

Answer: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC was born in 1944 in the northeastern region of Gisborne. Her name at birth was Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, but she was adopted while still very young by Thomas and Nell Te Kanawa. In her teens, she sang in clubs, before entering and winning some serious singing competitions. In 1966 she moved to London to study at the London Opera Centre. From there, word of her lovely voice and attractive stage presence spread, and she became widely acclaimed for her performances of the works of Mozart and Strauss, among others. She continued to sing in a wide range of styles, covering several centuries of musical style and working in a number of different languages. In 1984, when Leonard Bernstein rerecorded 'West Side Story' using operatic singers, she sang the part of Maria.

The other three women, fine singers all, are or were Australian.