For too long Kiwis have been unable to thrust examples of the best and worst packaging in New Zealand into the spotlight. But that’s all changed thanks to the launch of the Unpackit Packaging Awards, the brainchild of Wanaka-based “resource recovery community enterprise” Wastebusters.

The Rugby World Cup is only a few months away and most New Zealanders, including our mincing strutter of a prime minister, are starting to get a little hot under the collar. But, unlike the seemingly excessive television broadcasting deal, where most of the games will be available to view on three different channels, there will be just one official radio station. So for all those poor sods who can’t get themselves in front of a screen, the Radio Network’s Radio Sport will be the place to hear all 48 games after it was named as the official radio broadcaster of Rugby World Cup 2011.

…Fairfax Magazines does the old switcheroo, Foodtown Magazine ups its business game, the NBR welcomes a new adman, OMD starts a family affair and Ideas Shop and Nickelodeon get digital.

With a new TV channel about to launch, a few smart cookies at the helm who have well and truly laid the gauntlet at the feet of TVNZ, some positive radio results, good news on the interactive front and a new group buying venture on the horizon, 2011 is destined to be a fairly exciting one for MediaWorks. And, after a summer of reflection, Roger Beaumont, the director of marketing and communications, has decided the house is in good enough order for him to step down from his role.

2011 has got off to a busy start for Zephyr, with three new accounts being added to an already impressive looking client roster.

Raydar has picked up the Virgin Blue Group account in New Zealand, which will see it handle advertising in New Zealand and Pacific Island markets for Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue airlines.

Hot on the heels of the Yellow/Groupy deal and in line with the online acquisition strategies of other major media networks, MediaWorks has entered group buying territory, signing a joint venture agreement with Cudo Australia, Microsoft and Nine Entertainment Co. to launch Cudo in New Zealand.

Very little of anything seems to get done in New Zealand in January and that rule also tends to apply in the world of advertising, so, aside from Kiwibank’s new ‘we make it easy to change banks’ push and Hyundai’s launch of the i45, it’s fairly slim pickings on the new campaigns front this month, with all the usual DIY, retail and grocery suspects (particularly Countdown on ONE) dominating New Zealand’s holiday screens.

When Cannes Lion-winning Curious Film director Darryl Ward was interviewed in the September/October edition of NZ Marketing, he said he’d done the music videos, he’d done the films, he’d done the commercials and now he was keen to reference his love of film and start dabbling in distribution. And the Curious gang have obviously got pretty good taste, because independent film Winter’s Bone, the first film it distributed in Australia and New Zealand, has received four Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress for newcomer Jennifer Lawrence and Best Supporting Actor for John Hawkes.