Nice Work If You Can Get It

Wow.

An academic in New Zealand is getting paid $140,000 to write a "cultural history" of the piano in New Zealand.

"..the book would encompass the "extreme adventures" of the piano in New Zealand - many of which were shipped out from Britain and carted through bush tracks and over streams after reaching New Zealand.
"It's a project that I've been thinking about for a long time, to get funding for it is just fantastic," she said.
But the research is not merely a record of pianos shipped over from Britain during the colonial era - it also reveals a fascinating social history."

It actually sounds like a very interesting project. Read the rest here.

And on the topic of New Zealand, check out this website: pianola.co.nz Why? Pianola history and midi files. It's a recent addition to piano links section.

More fun at NZ composer Gareth Farr's website