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Sonny Bill Williams is a New Zealand boxer. Interestingly, he played professional rugby union and rugby league before turning his attention towards boxing. A very successful sportsperson, Williams has won several Rugby World Cups. He also represented New Zealand as a rugby player at the 2016 Olympics.
Bruce McLaren was a New Zealand engineer, inventor, racing car designer, and driver. He is credited with founding McLaren Automotive in 1963. Formula One's successful team, McLaren, is named after him. McLaren has been inducted into various halls of fame, including the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Filmmaker, actor, and comedian Kevin Smith first came to prominence in the mid-1990s with his low-budget comedy film Clerks. His unique style of comedy appealed to the audience, and he was able to establish himself in Hollywood within a few years. He also operates a website, an online blog, and a comic book store.
KJ Apa is a New Zealand actor, musician, and singer. He is known for his portrayal of Archie Andrews in the popular American teen drama TV series Riverdale, which earned him the Breakthrough Performance award at the 2017 Saturn Awards. His performance in the series also earned him nominations at the Teen Choice Awards and MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Lucy Lawless is a New Zealand singer and actress best known for her portrayal of Xena in the popular TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. She is also known for playing Lucretia in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which earned her the 2010 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television. Lucy Lawless is also involved in charity work.
Martin Henderson is a New Zealand actor best known for his portrayal of Dr. Nathan Riggs in the popular American medical drama TV series, Grey's Anatomy. He has also played important roles in popular films like Bride and Prejudice, Everest, and Miracles from Heaven. Over the years, Martin Henderson has received nominations for the AFI Award and FCCA Award.
Jay Ryan is a New Zealand actor best known for playing important roles in TV series like Neighbours, Go Girls, Top of the Lake, and Mary Kills People. Jay Ryan and the cast of Top of the Lake received the Equity Ensemble Award under the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie category in 2014.
Benee is a New Zealand singer-songwriter who achieved international recognition after the release of her 2019 single Supalonely, which went viral on TikTok. In 2019 and 2020, she won almost all the major awards at the New Zealand Music Awards, becoming a national celebrity at the age of 20.
Michael Dorman is a New Zealand actor known for playing NASA astronaut Gordo Stevens in the American science fiction drama, For All Mankind. He is also known for his portrayal of John Tavner in Patriot. Apart from acting, Michael Dorman has also tried his hand at playing the guitar and singing.
Born to immigrants in New Zealand, John Key became the third New Zealand prime minister of Jewish descent. Previously a foreign exchange professional, he has worked with Merrill Lynch. He wished to change his country’s flag by removing the Union Jack on it but voters chose against it.
New Zealand model and actress, Rachel Hunter, is best known as the host of the TV show Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty. Pretty and confident as a young girl, she began modeling as a teenager. She has worked with Cover Girl cosmetics and has been featured on several magazine covers, including Vogue, Elle, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy.
Martin Guptill is a New Zealand cricket player who plays for the national team. In 2015, Guptill became the first New Zealand batsman to score a double century in an ODI match. His 237 not out is the second highest ODI score after Rohit Sharma's 264. Martin Guptill's 237 remains the highest individual score in a World Cup match.
A popular wrester from New Zealand, Cheree Georgina Crowley, better known as Dakota Kai, has won the NXT Womens Tag Team Championship twice. Before joining WWE, she had wrestled in countries such as Japan, Australia, and the US, under the ring name Evie. She is also a popular streamer on Twitch.
Callan Mulvey is a New Zealand-born Australian actor best known for his portrayal of Mark Moran in the popular crime-drama series, Underbelly. Callan Mulvey has also played important roles in popular American films like 300: Rise of an Empire, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Endgame.
Pana Hema Taylor is a New Zealand actor of Māori heritage. He is best known for his portrayal of Nasir in TV series Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned. He has also played important roles in other popular TV series like The Brokenwood Mysteries and Westside.
Daniel Vettori is a New Zealand retired cricket player who captained the national team between 2007 and 2011. A left-arm slow bowler, Vettori relied on his accuracy, guile, and speed variation to outsmart the opposition batsmen. A prolific wicket-taker, Daniel Vettori took 362 wickets in Test matches and 305 wickets in ODIs.
Robert Whittaker is a mixed martial artist. He competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former UFC middleweight champion. He is currently ranked first in the UFC middleweight rankings and 12th in the UFC men's pound-for-pound list. He has received five Fight of the Night awards. In 2018, he was named Sportsman of the year by GQ Australia.
Kevin Smith was a New Zealand musician and actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the god of war, Ares, in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He reprised his role as Ares in the series' spin-offs, Young Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess. Smith suffered a fatal fall in 2002. His life and career inspired a documentary titled Remembering Kev.
Dean O'Gorman is a New Zealand artist, actor, and photographer. He is best known for his portrayal of Fíli in The Hobbit film series. He has also played important roles in popular series like Young Hercules and The Almighty Johnsons. As a photographer and artist, O'Gorman has displayed his works in places like the Page Blackie Gallery in New Zealand.
New Zealand-born Australian rugby player Quade Cooper is also a talented boxer. While he has represented the Queensland Reds and the Melbourne Rebels, he now plays for the Japanese rugby team Kintetsu Liners. In late 2021, he expressed he was hurt to have to withdraw from the Europe tour of the Wallabies.
Daniel Logan is a New Zealand-born American actor best known for playing Boba Fett in the 2002 American epic space opera film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, which earned him a Young Artist Award nomination under the Best Performance in a Feature Film category. Daniel Logan was just 15 when he played the iconic character.
Joel Little is a New Zealand musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has written songs for popular artistes like Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, Lorde, and Ellie Goulding among others. In 2014, he received the Grammy Award under the Song of the Year category alongside Lorde for their song Royals. Little has also won APRA Awards and ASCAP Pop Music Awards.
Grant Bowler is a New Zealand-Australian television presenter and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Constable Wayne Patterson in the Australian police drama series, Blue Heelers. As a presenter, Grant Bowler is renowned for hosting reality game shows, such as The Amazing Race Australia and The Mole Australia.
Craig Hall is a New Zealand film and TV actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Clint in the popular TV series, The Strip. He has also appeared in other popular series like Xena: Warrior Princess, Underbelly: Razor, and A Place to Call Home.
Jonah Lomu was a New Zealand rugby player whose dominance on the field had a huge impact on the game. Considered the first global superstar of rugby, Jonah Lomu proved to be a crowd-puller. In 2007, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.
The son of legendary New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, Peter Hillary followed in his father’s footsteps and became a successful mountaineer. He and his father were the first father-son duo to scale Mt. Everest. An author and philanthropist, too, he has helped people in the Mt. Everest region in Nepal.
Pamela Stephenson is a New Zealand-born writer, psychologist, and performer. Stephenson is best known as a comedienne who achieved immense popularity during the 1980s when she appeared in comedy films and shows like History of the World, Part I and Not the Nine O'Clock News. As a writer, Pamela Stephenson has been contributing to publications like Psychologies and The Guardian.
Andrew Adamson is a New Zealand screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning films, Shrek and Shrek 2. Andrew Adamson also achieved international recognition for directing the 2005 fantasy film, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Jay Laga'aia is a New Zealand-Australian singer and actor. He achieved international recognition when he played Captain Typho in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and its 2005 sequel. Jay Laga'aia has become a household name in Australia for appearing in children's TV series like Jay's Jungle and Play School.
Graeme Revell is a New Zealand composer and musician who achieved popularity in the 1980s when he served as the leader of the Australian industrial music group, SPK. Graeme Revell has been focusing on his career as a film score composer since the 1990s. He has worked on popular films like Street Fighter, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Sin City.
Les Mills is a New Zealand retired track and field athlete who represented his country at the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games over a period of two decades; he competed in the discus throw and shot put events. Mills achieved his best result at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games where he won the gold medal in discus throw.
