Google Asia Pacific Blog: New Zealand

#YouTubeRewind 2015: Asia’s top memes, spoofs, and songs

Thursday, December 10, 2015

As we wind up the year, we look back at what captured audiences across Asia Pacific in 2015. This year, local YouTube creators dominated the trending lists in each country, showing that local creativity and culturally relevant videos are still what prompt viewers to press play. From wacky musical numbers to heartwarming stories of homecoming, here’s a glimpse at what had Asia glued to their smartphones this year.

Kids

Korea: [Pororo Sing Along Collection S2] Pororo Songs for Children

Pororo the Little Penguin is one of Korea’s beloved animated characters — so much so that he’s even earned the nickname “Pororo the President.” This 40-minute compilation of songs features Pororo and his friends singing 14 tracks and has kept millions of kids entertained.

Australia: Peppa Pig - 9 Episode Compilation 2! by theofficialpeppa

Popular kids’ animation Peppa Pig took the top spot this year in Australia’s trending videos list, proving how popular kids’ content is Down Under, as we saw during the recent launch of the YouTube Kids app there.

Parody songs

Vietnam: [Mì Gõ Đặc Biệt] Parody MV Vợ Người Ta - Phan Mạnh Quỳnh by Ghiền Mì Gõ

Remade from a popular song depicting a young man crying over his ex-girlfriend’s wedding, this Vietnamese creator spiced up the story of Vợ Người Ta with creative twists on characters — less dramatic and a bit more hilarious. It’s more addictive than you think: as of writing, the video Vợ Người Ta racked up watch times equivalent to 128 years.

Indonesia: SYAHRINI STICKER PARODI (edhozell + ekagustiwana) #parodisyahrini

Local YouTuber and comedian Edho Zell collaborated with musician Eka Gustiwana to create a video that went viral, clocking over 3.2 million views. Edho and Eka tapped into the country’s unabashed love of celebrity parody, and combined it with Indonesians’ favorite activity: chatting online with friends to create a song inspired by stickers.

India: AIB : Every Bollywood Party Song feat. Irrfan

Comedy kings AIB team up with Bollywood legend Irrfan Khan to send up archetypical Bollywood party songs (that often lack context in the film itself) — and the result is oh so catchy.

Eye-catching ads

Malaysia: Home - #lundangtonewcastle

Boy meets girl, over long distance: Malaysian Airlines made a heartwarming love story about a U.K.-born Malaysian boy who falls in love with a girl in Malaysia, based on real interviews with real people.

Philippines: For Our #1 Lolas | NIDO FORTIGROW | Nestlé PH

Get ready for a tear-jerker as this Nestlé ad reminds us of where sassy women get their strength from: their #1 lolas, aka grandmas.

New Zealand: Men In Black Safety Defenders #AirNZSafetyVideo

Air New Zealand does it again: their safety videos are already the stuff of legends. This time their viral video had stars from the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team, rapping in-flight safety tips to the “Men in Black” theme song.

Performances

Japan: Egusplosion - エグスプロージョンチャンネル

In this video, dance team Egusplosion comically explains a historical event called the “Honnoji Incident.” Their catchy rap tune and quirky dance moves have captured the hearts of Japanese students who’ve had to prepare for history exams. Check out the live version they did at the recent YouTube FanFest with Japanese YouTube star Hikakin. Egusplosion saw four more of their videos in this year’s top ten trending list for Japan.

Thailand: The Voice Thailand - หนอยแน่ - กลับไม่ได้ ไปไม่ถึง

Music-obsessed Thailand watched a lot of videos from hit talent-spotting show The Voice—this video “Noi Nae” alone was watched over 10 million times.

Unique tunes

Hong Kong: BOMBA - 音樂故事

Hong Kong creators and filmmaking collective BOMBA dominated Hong Kong’s trending video lists this year with six out of ten of the city’s most popular videos. Their modern musical, 音樂故事 or Music Story, strings together classic lines from Cantopop hits over the past few years to tell the story of an unrequited love. Real enthusiasts should try to take this on karaoke-style.

Taiwan: 驚喜合唱民歌四十 Flash Mob Chorus at Ban Qiao Rail Station

A musical horde descends upon one of Taiwan’s busiest rail stations to sing some of Taiwan’s iconic “Campus Ballads,” a genre of music popular among Taiwanese from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. No doubt this video prompted many memories — and singalongs — for Taiwanese viewers everywhere.

Singapore: Unbelievable - I so stunned like vegetable (Spouse For House 2 MV)

So popular that “stunned like vegetable” became a new Singlish phrase, this song was created to promote Mediacorp Channel 5’s sitcom Spouse For House. Singaporeans grooved so much to the humorous — and dare we say it — unbelievable lyrics and dance moves that this video shot to the top of the trending charts. Walau-eh!

These are just some of the top YouTube hits from 2015 in Asia Pacific. Check out our YouTube Rewind channel for more of this year’s favorite videos from around the world, including a mashup of the top videos on YouTube — this time, featuring a look back at ten years’ worth of YouTube moments. You can also visit google.com/2015 next week for Google's annual look at the people, places and events that captured the world's attention.

Posted by Gautam Anand, Director of Operations and Content, YouTube Asia Pacific who recently watched “YouTube Rewind: Now Watch Me 2015”

Take a walk on the wild side with Street View in New Zealand

Thursday, November 5, 2015

From the lush waterfalls of the Milford Track to the alpine peaks of the Kepler Track, you can now explore some of the most stunning parts of New Zealand’s wilderness with the launch of seven of the world-renowned ‘Great Walks’ on Google Street View. Known for the beauty of their remote multi-day treks, the Great Walks are a favourite destination for hikers around the world, and are now available in 360-degree panoramic imagery right from your smartphone or computer, with Google Maps.

Collected with help from our friends at New Zealand’s Department of Conservation using the Google Trekker, this new imagery shows off New Zealand’s natural beauty while inspiring hikers around the world to plan a trip.

Our intrepid trekker collector Matt checks the lenses of the Google Trekker at Lake Te Anau on the Kepler Track

Take in the view of Lake Waikaremoana from Panekire Bluff, look down at the Hollyford Valley from Conical Hill, or check out the tallest waterfall in New Zealand — all without breaking a sweat.

Panekire Bluff looks over Lake Waikaremoana which translates to ‘sea of rippling waters’ in te reo.

Conical Hill on the Routeburn Track is quite a hike at 1,515 meters. (It’s easier to get to from your phone).

Dropping 580 meters from Lake Quill, the Sutherland Falls on the Milford Track are bigger than Eiffel Tower.

Emerging from the Enchanted Forest on the Heaphy Track you might not see hobbits, but if you’re very lucky you can sometimes spot baby seals. They’re even more common at Separation Point which is a fur seal breeding ground.

Wander through an Enchanted Forest on the Heaphy Track. (Eat your heart out, Peter Jackson).

Say hi to baby seals on the Heaphy Track

Even without seals, Separation Point knows how to put on a good show.

If you’re enjoying the coast, why not head south to the Golden Beaches on Stewart Island? Once you’ve explored that, you can head north again to the Abel Tasman Track and cross The Falls River suspension bridge or the Swing Bridge over the Kohaihai River.

An impressive 47-meter long suspension bridge takes you over Falls River

It’s just a hop, step and a swing bridge over the Kohaihai River on the Abel Tasman Track

New Zealand’s Great Walks have long been on the bucket list of keen outdoors people from all around the world. We hope by bringing the Milford, Kepler, Abel Tasman, Lake Waikaremoana, Heaphy, Routeburn and Rakiura / Stewart Island tracks to Street View, these images will not only help people who are about to trek them prepare, but give anyone who wants to virtually roam the beauty of the Great Walks an opportunity to do so. And you can view more Street View collections from around New Zealand here.

Posted by Cynthia Wei, Program Manager, Google Street View

Who’s the biggest pavlova lovah lovah? You’ll be surprised

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Sometimes when you use Google Trends data to settle a debate, it just opens up a whole new mystery.

Just as the noodle’s true origins have led to angry debate among the Chinese and Italians, the pavlova’s genesis is a constant cause of tension among Aussies and Kiwis. This cream-filled, strawberry-topped meringue dessert was created in honour of the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova on the occasion of her tour through Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. Yet the exact birthplace of this dessert — a mainstay of Down Under cuisine — is as much a matter of national contention as a Wallabies v. All Blacks match.

Google Trends can’t settle the debate from a historical perspective, but it can at least help us see which country searches most for the dessert now. And the answer came (drumroll please): Norway. And then…Malaysia. Are you taking the mickey, mate?!
Pavlova - global comparison.png

The data from Norway hinted at one reason as to why the pavlova’s popularity pipped those Down Under. When you see spikes like that, it typically has to do with a holiday. And, sure enough, pavlova searches in Norway spike every year in May:
Pavlova last 5 years.png

Pavlova spikes most dramatically in the week of May 11-17, leading up to Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17. What can explain the seasonal popularity of this dish in northern Europe? Speculation posits that the dessert’s colorful use of blueberries and strawberries makes it resemble the red-and-blue Norwegian flag.
Pavlova in Norway.png

But what about Malaysia? Unlike Norway, searches for pavlova in Malaysia are fairly steady all year round, with the highest volume of searches in mid-November last year. Perhaps the love of the dessert Down Under hopped the straits to Malaysia, known also for its sweet treats?
Pavlova in Malaysia.png

For most of the rest of the world, pavlova spikes around Christmas time.

But as for our original question of who wins between Australia and New Zealand: it’s New Zealand. The search interest in “pavlova recipes” is much higher in New Zealand too.
Pavlova Recipe - AU v NZ.png

So, while we may not be able to settle who first served Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova the first slice of pavlova almost 100 years ago, we can see that New Zealand has a sweeter tooth than Australia today.

Posted by Shane Treeves, Communications Senior Associate, Google Australia and New Zealand

Bowling a Googley: ICC Cricket World Cup with Google

Monday, February 16, 2015

Cricket fans rejoice: the ICC Cricket World Cup is here again! Can the all-round prowess of the South Africans put aside the “chokers” tag? Or will the Lankan lions roar again after almost two decades? Indian fans will follow every move of the team’s attempts to bring the cup back home, while red-hot Australia and New Zealand will be keen to exploit home turf advantage.

We know how exciting the next few weeks are for you, and we have a bunch of fun experiences lined up on Google.

Scores faster than Lee or Akhtar
Over the next two months and 49 matches, a simple Google search for [cricket] will be your quickest source for the latest scores and team schedules. Stay tuned to the action anytime, anywhere.

Get instant scores and match schedules when you search [cricket] on Google

You can also stay updated on your favorite teams in the Google app with Now cards so you don’t even have to search. Download the ESPN Cricinfo app onto your Android phone, and you’ll start seeing Cricinfo’s Now cards pop up in the Google app.

Take the tournament’s pulse with Google Trends
Millions of fans will be searching on Google for noteworthy moments of the tournament, from the Duckworth-Lewis method to Virat Kohli’s hairstyle. Get into the conversation about what other cricket fans are buzzing about with Google Trends throughout the tournament—visit g.co/CricketTrends, or follow us on Google Australia's Twitter and Google+, or on Google India’s Twitter and Google+.

Real fans paint their face
Even if you can’t watch the games live, you can still show your support by painting your face like a true cricket fan— without ever getting your hands dirty. Take a photo of yourself and up to four friends who’d like their faces painted and upload it to Google+ with hashtag #PaintIndia, #PaintSriLanka, or #PaintAustralia...you get the idea (see details at g.co/CricketFacePaint). After uploading and tagging your photo, refresh the page to see the effect.

You can add the hashtag #CWC15Fans and publicly share your photo on Google+ for a chance to be shown on ICC’s official website. If you also add the hashtag #CastrolCheerForTheCup to a publicly shared photo on Google+, it might land on the big screen during the actual games for millions of viewers to see.

Look fierce: paint your face digitally with Google

And last but not least, keep an eye out for special doodles during the tournament, as well as Hangouts on Air with cricketers and commentators. We will post about the Hangouts on +Google India over the coming weeks.

Have a blast following great cricket, and may the best team win!

Posted by Varun Sud, Product Marketing Manager, Google India

#YouTubeRewind 2014: Celebrating what Asia-Pacific created, watched and shared

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Everyday, the world’s pop culture unfolds on YouTube. If you needed any proof that YouTube represents so many things to so many people, look no further than some of the year’s top videos across Asia. From great white sharks to local comedy acts, and letting it go millions of times, here’s a celebration of the people, memes and moments that made up an epic year for Asia on YouTube:

Taiwan: 頂尖對決之穿褲子篇 Top Battles - Wearing pants

We all know how tough it can be to kick off the day on the right foot sometimes, but this guy in Taiwan managed to start his day by getting his pants on without using his hands. Since then, he’s not only spurred a global meme (look out for the shoutout in this year’s Rewind video), but also his new “Top Battle” series where he completes crazy, hilarious challenges based on his fans suggestions.

Australia: GoPro: Man Fights Off Great White Shark In Sydney Harbour

Uploaded in June, this video made waves in Australia as people watched, re-watched and speculated about whether or not this encounter with a shark was a stunt. Have a dive in through this GoPro and let us know what you think.

New Zealand: Safety in Paradise #airnzsafetyvideo

Over in New Zealand, one Kiwi brand got playful and had over 6 million people tune in to their video. In an effort to make safety sexy, Air New Zealand worked with Sports Illustrated to feature some of their top swimsuit models in their new in-flight safety video.

Hong Kong: Ronnie Chau [公屋潮文] 公屋●居屋●私樓

This Hong Kong hit was inspired by a trending article on HKGolden about what happens when a girl brings a boyfriend home to meet her parents. This parody of the different reactions to the boyfriend figure, based on where he lived, went viral shortly after it was uploaded in March.

Malaysia: I Give You Chance!

For Malaysians, YouTube is still as Malaysian as nasi lemak. Poking fun at the nation's favourite worst excuse for losing — by saying “I give you chance”, which is another way to say “I didn’t want to win anyway” — this video features two of Malaysia’s top YouTube vloggers and has been seen by over 2 million people.

Indonesia: Dodit - Pembalasan Buat Radit (SUCI 4 Show 8)

Indonesians love to laugh. This year, five of the top ten non-music videos in Indonesia were local comedy acts, including this one by Raditya Dika, a popular Indonesian YouTuber, writer, and stand-up comedian.

Singapore: Past vs Present: Teenagers

This year’s top videos in Singapore showed us that there’s nothing Singaporeans like better than laughing along with local creators, whether it’s revisiting school memories like in this video, or everyday life with Wah Banana’s “10 Types of People in The Hawker Centre”.

India: AIB: Alia Bhatt - Genius of the Year

While many of this year’s top videos in India highlight independent video creators who went viral covering spoof parodies of leading politicians and news anchors, this clip shows how India gave a thumbs up to leading Bollywood star Alia Bhatt for her self-deprecating humorous video created by the popular AIB group.

Thailand: คงไม่ทัน - สงกรานต์

In Thailand, music soared to new heights on YouTube. This music video by Songkran Rangsan, the winner of the Voice Thailand in 2013, has garnered nearly 100 million views — which is like everyone in Thailand watching the video 1.5 times since it debuted.

Philippines: Sarah Geronimo sings Frozen's 'Let It Go' on ASAP

Did you know that the Philippines was the top country in the world searching for “Let It Go” this year? It’s no wonder then that one of the most-loved YouTube videos in the Philippines in 2014 was a rendition of the song by popular singer and actress Sarah Geronimo, with nearly 6 million views.

Japan: Let It Go Beatbox Cover (from "Frozen") アナと雪の女王レットイットゴー

Meanwhile in Japan, “Let It Go” found a new beatboxing groove. This special collaboration between Daichi and HIKAKIN, two of the biggest human beatbox stars in Japan, landed over 5 million views.

Korea: 양띵 [탈옥을 꾀하는 자, 협력하라! 마인크래프트 감옥탈출 1편] 마인크래프트

In Korea, YangDDing had an explosive year on YouTube. By making Minecraft videos like the one above, she's become the first Asian female gamer to have a following of over a million strong on YouTube.

These are just some of the top YouTube hits from 2014 in Asia-Pacific. Check out our YouTube Rewind channel for more of this year’s favorite videos from around the world, including a mashup of the top branded videos and the top ads on YouTube. You can also visit google.com/2014 next week for Google's annual look at the people, places and events that captured the world's attention.

Posted by Gautam Anand, Director of Operations and Content, YouTube Asia-Pacific who recently watched "YouTube Rewind: Turn Down for 2014"

Get to know a Google Anita Borg scholar

Friday, October 31, 2014

Editor’s note: We invited Kagonya Awori, a PhD candidate in Computer Engineering at the University of Melbourne in Australia, to share her experiences as a Google Anita Borg Scholarship Award recipient in 2014. Twenty-eight women were selected from across Asia Pacific this year to receive funding towards their education and were invited to take part in a retreat in Tokyo last month.

Kagonya Awori from Nairobi, Kenya currently studying at the University of Melbourne, Australia

When I first heard about the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship three years ago, I did not think I would qualify. I thought one had to conquer the world — kind of like Dr. Anita Borg did — before applying. Fortunately, last year, I got an extra push from my PhD supervisor who thought the program would motivate me further in my research. He was right.

There are few programs that celebrate women in tech. There are even fewer opportunities for women from across Asia who are passionate about technology to get together over workshops, technical talks, and a hackathon. The Anita Borg program challenges that. It is incredibly encouraging to meet like-minded women who have all advanced technology in their own ways — from mentoring others, to designing their own technologies or starting their own businesses.

APAC Google Anita Borg Scholars 2014 in Tokyo

The impact from the scholars’ retreat that was held in Tokyo can still be seen and felt. I bonded with women from nine countries and formed a network with other scholars from Australia and New Zealand. A group of us from Australia and New Zealand is working on increasing the participation of women in tech-related fields in our countries, through connecting with high schools, university students and industry. We framed our goal in three words – Inspire, Connect, Increase.

Scholars from Australia and New Zealand

Receiving an award backed by Google has helped open doors. My PhD research, which looks at designing social and situated technologies that support dispersed learning environments in transnational contexts, has drawn more interest as a result. I have also had the pleasure of being invited to give talks to my university peers thanks to the award. I am honoured to be celebrated at The University of Melbourne for work that I am doing both here and in my home country, Kenya. This recognition encourages me to keep doing what I am doing — if not better.

One of the scholars in her Google Anita Borg Scholarship t-shirt

I have now returned from Tokyo to Melbourne quite rejuvenated. My fellow scholars have inspired me to continue to investigate how technology can advance the world, and above all, to continue to encourage other women to do so. I never imagined that the time I committed to holding workshops, tech sessions, free class lectures, mentorships and initiating tech chapters would ever be recognised. I am now pleased to say these efforts were never in vain.

Posted by Kagonya Awori, PhD Candidate at The University of Melbourne, Australia and Google Anita Borg Scholarship Award recipient in 2014.

Announcing the 2014 Google Anita Borg Memorial Asia Pacific scholars

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Today we recognize and congratulate the 28 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship Asia Pacific recipients for 2014, representing 23 institutions in 9 countries across the region. They join another 67 scholars in our Greater China program announced earlier this year. Asia Pacific scholars receive a scholarship amount towards their tuition and will attend the Google Scholars’ Retreat in Tokyo later this month, consisting of workshops, technical talks, panel discussions, a hackathon and plenty of networking opportunities. Watch this video of highlights from last year’s scholars’ retreat held in Sydney.

We created the Anita Borg scholarship to encourage women to excel in computing and technology, and become active role models and leaders in these fields. Since bringing the scholarship program to Asia Pacific eight years ago, we’ve grown our alumni to over 400 talented women from Xi’an to Christchurch. Here’s the list of this year’s APAC scholars:

Judith Gammie, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia
Marnie Lamprecht, University of Queensland, Australia
Kagona Awori, University of Melbourne, Australia
Sarah Bennett, University of New South Wales, Australia
Sarah Heimlich, Macquarie University, Australia
Jaimie McGlashan, Deakin University, Australia
Samia Kabir, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh
Shrutilipi Bhattacharjee, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
Spandana Raj Babbula, Indian Institute of Technology, India
Vidhisha Balachandran, People's Education Society Institute of Technology, India
Vaibhavi Desai, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, India
Maria Francis, Indian Institute of Science, India
Kesha Shah, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, India
Lavanya Sita Tekumalla, Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, India
An Nguyen Thi Thu, Keio University, Japan
Mana Sasagawa, Ochanomizu University, Japan
Rieko Tsuji, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Ami Otsuka, Tsuda College, Japan
So Jung Yun, Korea Advanced Institute Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea
Minhae Kwon, Ewha Woman's University, Korea
Caitlin Duncan, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Roseanna Grundy, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Catherine Northcott, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, New Zealand
Reema Bajwa, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan
Qurat Ul Ann, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan
Hui Xian Lynette Ng, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Tao Chen, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Nuzla Ismail, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Dr. Anita Borg was not only an accomplished computer scientist who developed cutting edge systems, she was also passionate about dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering this field of work. She founded the Institute for Women and Technology, began an online community for technical women called Systers, and co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. We’re proud to keep her memory alive through the scholarship program.

If you’re interested in learning more about the scholarships we offer, visit the Google Scholarships site.

Posted by Cheryl Tang, Tech Staffing Programs, Google Asia Pacific

Meet our winning Web Rangers in New Zealand

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Cross-posted from the Google New Zealand blog

Three months ago, NetSafe and Google invited Kiwi teenagers to become New Zealand’s first ever Web Rangers. Since then, we’ve held workshops in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, where teens learned about safer and smarter Internet use, and how to spread the word creatively on the Internet.

We received close to 50 campaign submissions from across the country—all of them involving lots of effort and many amazing ideas. We’re inspired by the way teens manage their lives online, and how they’re sharing these messages with their friends and communities.

We’re now pleased to announce our winners from each city, including runners-up. They’ve won some fantastic prizes, including a trip to Sydney to present their campaigns to the team at Google ANZ HQ.

Auckland: Hayley Smith’s Social Experiment - Queen St, Auckland (Anonymous Voice): Hayley came up with the idea of setting up a “social experiment” to illustrate how people might react to having hurtful comments yelled at them on a busy Auckland street. In just two weeks, the video gained over 70,000 views on YouTube. Hayley is a student of Auckland’s Te Kura.

Christchurch: Tip Varnakomala’s Compliment generator and website - Project Positive: Tip became a Web Ranger after becoming fed up with the negative comments and behaviour on social media. He says he and his friends have experienced insults and bullying behaviour online. Tip decided to build a “compliment machine”, using the programming language javascript, to counter the lack of positive comments online. Tip is a student of Burnside High School.

Wellington: Angus Slade’s Animation and song - If Life Was Like The Web: Reflecting on his personal experience with bullying in the classroom, Angus decided to enter the Web Rangers campaign in a bid to reach out to other victims. Not a fan of “serious” messages, Angus spent more than 100 hours drawing, learning animation and producing a humourous song. Angus is home-schooled.

We’re incredibly proud of all the campaigns everyone submitted and recognize the hard work that went into each one. Creating a safer web for teens is important and we look forward to seeing the impact of your campaigns within your communities.

Runners-up

To find out more about Web Rangers NZ and the winning campaigns, visit netsafe.org.nz/webrangers. You can keep up to date with all the campaigns (or if you’re interested in becoming a Web Ranger yourself) over on our Google+ and Facebook pages.

Posted by Sean Lyons, Chief Technology Officer, NetSafe

Time travel across Asia with Street View

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Do you remember what Singapore’s skyline looked like last year? How about five years ago? Now you can check out the dramatic change in the city’s landscape as well as other destinations across Asia by viewing historical Street View imagery in Google Maps.

Marina Bay Financial Center skyline, Singapore, Oct 2008 - Jan 2011

You can also see how crisis-affected regions such as Christchurch, New Zealand and Tohoku, Japan stand three years after the devastating earthquakes. We hope these new layers of imagery help communities preserve their memories as they recover and rebuild.

Earthquake, Christchurch, New Zealand, Dec 2007 - Jan 2014

Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Destruction, Japan, Jul 2008 - Aug 2011

You can also explore the beauty of the Japanese countryside throughout the seasons.

Cherry Blossoms , Japan, Apr 2011 - Oct 2013

To get your time travels started, simply search for a place on Street View in Google Maps on desktop. If you see a clock icon in the upper left-hand portion of a Street View image, click on it and move the slider through time. By toggling through the different thumbnails, you’ll be able to see that same place in previous years or seasons.

Historical Street View imagery can help people visualize just how quickly Asia is growing and transforming, and we hope to continue building a comprehensive digital mirror (and in this case time capsule!) of the region. Stay tuned for more panoramic imagery of Asia Pacific to come soon.

Posted by Kei Kawai, Street View Group Product Manager, Google

Inspiring more New Zealand businesses to take off with the Internet

Thursday, April 3, 2014

You might think bespoke tailoring is not the kind of business that scales easily. But the digital evolution of the Crane Brothers shows just how the Internet has helped these experts in made-to-measure from New Zealand unlock greater potential. Whether through cloud-based solutions that allow them to better manage their client information, payment and accounting systems, or by providing new ways of reaching customers, the Internet has helped transform this traditional retailer with three brick-and-mortar stores into a ‘micro-multinational’ that sells to markets around the world.

Crane-Brothers.com reaches customers around the world through its website

This is just one story that illustrates how the Internet can fundamentally transform how business is done in New Zealand. Research released by the Innovation Partnership* shows that everyday Kiwi businesses that extensively use Internet services are 6% more productive than average businesses in their industry. To put this in perspective, average productivity growth in New Zealand has been around 1.5% in recent years — meaning these Internet power users are four years ahead of their competitors.

The research — funded by Innovation Partnership members Internet New Zealand and Google, and conducted by Sapere Research Group — also showed that if all Kiwi businesses made more use of the Internet, it could add NZ$34 billion to the economy.

Taking a closer look at how businesses across a wide range of industries are getting on might inspire and give small business owners a few ideas on how to get started -- from tourism operators Martinborough Top 10 Holiday Park, to the Livestock Improvement Corporation in the agricultural sector, to services business Cloud Accountants.

It’s all very well to talk about making more use of the web, but it’s sometimes tough to know where to begin. Here's where the Digital Journey tool can help. It enables a small business manager to do a ‘digital health check’ of their business, and provides a digital action plan with clear steps to take to harness the potential of the Internet.

Run a digital health-check for your business at Digital Journey

We hope that the research, case studies, and tools will help more Kiwi businesses take their next steps in growing their own — and New Zealand’s — Internet-driven productivity.

Posted by Ross Young, Public Policy Manager, Google New Zealand

*The Innovation Partnership is a group of organisations dedicated to New Zealand becoming a world-leader in using the Internet to drive business growth, public sector excellence, and educational achievement. Google is a founding member.

Calling Kiwi teenagers to become Web Rangers

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Cross posted from the Google New Zealand blog

The web is a great place for teens to explore, learn, connect and make new friends. But just like in the real world, there are sometimes people in the online world that behave badly and make that experience less fun. That’s why starting today, we’re asking Kiwi teens to sign up to become Web Rangers in New Zealand.

Web Rangers care about keeping the Internet a place where everyone can explore freely and confidently. They help stamp out bad behavior online by creatively spreading the word about safer and smarter Internet use. Best of all, they will do all of this while having fun, and exchanging ideas with other Web Rangers from across New Zealand during these Easter holidays.

Becoming one of NZ’s first ever Web Rangers is easy. You need to be between 14 and 17 years old to sign up, and be ready to take part in a workshop where you’ll learn about online safety and get practical tips from experts at Netsafe and Google to help you create your own safety campaign. Workshops will take place in Wellington on Tuesday, April 29, Christchurch on Wednesday, April 30, and Auckland on Thursday, May 1. You’ll then have six weeks to put together your own campaign on staying safe online. It can take any form -- a video, a game, an interactive classroom session. You name it!

The creators of the top Internet safety campaigns from each city will be flown to Sydney to present their campaign to the Google team. There are also other cool prizes up for grabs, including Chromebooks and Android smartphones.

We’re happy to have Jamie Curry from Jamie’s World throw her support behind this initiative. She’s uploaded a video on her YouTube channel on why cyber-bullying is serious and why we all need to do something about it.

What are you waiting for? Head to netsafe.org.nz/webrangers before April 14, 2014 and tell us why you think you’d make a great Web Ranger!

Posted by Annie Baxter, Google New Zealand

Taking a small pharmacy in New Zealand countrywide in two days

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

This post is part of our regular series of interviews with people across Asia-Pacific who’ve caught our eye, using the Internet to create, connect and grow.

Lucy Ross of Health Express in Christchurch

How would you describe Health Express in one sentence?
A small Christchurch pharmacy taking on New Zealand.

Why did you choose to go online?
Our pharmacy is a small family-owned store nestled in a residential area that does not get a lot of foot traffic. After the Christchurch earthquake, meter-wide cracks and debris on the roads cut us off from our customers. We had no choice but to find new ways of reaching them, or risk losing everything that we spent years building. Launching a website that allows us to deliver over 8,000 products within 1-2 business days, and switching on search engine marketing meant we could easily spread the word about our new website to people in New Zealand who might be interested. Almost overnight, we went from being a small brick-and-mortar store, serving just a few hundred local families, to a modern, connected online business with the entire country at our doorstep.

Keith Meyer and Crystal of Health Express NZ

What difference has the Internet made to Health Express?
It has increased our sales. The average offline customer stocks up on a few supplements or health care products that cost on average around NZD30, but online we are educating our customers and selling higher ticket items which can cost as much as NZD300. Our online presence also drives offline sales. Sometimes customers will find us on the Internet, love our content, then drive to our store to buy from us because they see that we know our stuff. What’s more, online advertising data allows us to manage inventory risk better by knowing what customers want.

www.healthexpress.co.nz drives traffic, both online and offline

Where’s the Internet going to take Health Express next?
We are constantly introducing new products and driving targeted traffic using Internet advertising. We now have a responsive website so users can buy on the go, and we are looking forward to embracing new technologies as they arrive.

Who’s your Internet idol?
It would probably have to be copywriter and internet marketer Ted Nicholas, who taught me about how good quality content that focuses on the customer is a great way to educate them online.

Posted by Lucy Ross, Health Express NZ

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