Waitangi Day marked overseas 

A giant New Zealand leaf created out of sand took centre place on Santa Monica beach in Los Angeles where native American tribes welcomed a group of New Zealanders for a special Waitangi Day project.

A group called Made From New Zealand built the 100 foot silver fern on the Los Angeles hot spot to launch a pro-Kiwi business website, madefromnewzealand.com. Around 300 Kiwis turned up to help build the huge cultural sandcastle.
 
Made From New Zealand is a new initiative aimed at connecting and promoting New Zealand businesses and people.

The idea for the campaign came out of the debate over Buy Kiwi Made and whether products from NZ companies that were manufactured overseas could still come under the blanket of the Buy Kiwi Made campaign.

Project spokesman Steve Adams says building the fern is about making New Zealand's mark on the world.

He says it has created quite a buzz amongst ex-pats, including actors Martin Henderson, Simone Kessell and Joel Tobeck who were all to be at the beach. Henderson got stuck into some spadework, a photoshoot and homesickness.

"Pacific Ocean's right here, you know, that 15,000 k's away, Mum and Dad are probably waking up," Henderson says.

The $300,000 excavation, and media carnival was funded by sponsors, and t-shirt sales.  It's the brainchild of Kiwi ad man Simon Shattky, Adams' business partner.

"To launch madefromnewzealand.com, which is a website that goes live today, which is designed to help promote New Zealand businesses wherever they are in the world," Shattky says.

Celebrations in Afghanistan

Across the world, despite solidly frozen ground, New Zealand Defence Force personnel in Afghanistan have gritted their teeth and dug pits for Waitangi Day hangi.

The contingent in Bamyan province had to wait for a sunny day until they could start digging, as the ground is frozen most days. They will hold a powhiri for local government officials to give them a taste of Kiwi culture.

Sergeant Major Moana Hata says the hangi which will follow will include a range of vegetables, but the only meat will be local religion-friendly beef and lamb.

He says a hangi in Afghanistan still tastes like it does at home.