Our Life

Perfect Outdoor Living

As cooler days start to approach now is the perfect time to review our outdoor living areas, ahead of next summer! So much can be done to enhance these areas with a bit of imagination and a little know-how.

Power for the Locals

Many of us have thought about it, but not many of us have done it: seen an opportunity, jumped in at the deep end and taken on the big boys. For Ashburton’s Emma and Pete Summerfield, however, that is exactly what they did .

Breaking Perceptions

Fifteen years ago Nathan Najib had a vision to create ‘the most people-focused real estate agency on earth’. In 2016 he took the first step in realising this, opening the doors of Najib Real Estate.

Giving Back with Mitre 10 MEGA

For these business owners, supporting the community who supports them is important. Not because it is good public relations, but because it is a way of saying thank you.

For the Love of Velvet

Velvets are all the rage, and yet our love affair with this textile began generations ago. Interior designer Taryn Beech from Maree Hynes Interiors offers a modern take on this versatile fabric.

Honouring Our Sleep

Almost a third of adult New Zealanders experience difficulties sleeping. But we are not alone with our wakeful nights. Throughout the world, the prevalence of sleep problems is high and growing – the World Sleep Society refers to sleeplessness as a global epidemic. But help is on hand.

The Boom That Just Keeps Coming

Don’t expect the Christchurch and Canterbury property market to slow down anytime soon, says Nathan Miglani, Mortgage Adviser with Loan Market Paramount.

There’s a ‘ginaissance’ going on, with craft distilleries popping up around New Zealand, but it takes more than bit of this and a bit of that to make the ‘it’ drink.

Freezing your favourite summer produce is a simple, fast, and economical way (if you do it right) to preserve the best in your crops.

Transforming a pre-loved item destined for landfill takes patience. But breathing new life into a tired object can be immensely satisfying.

Dreaming of living in a tiny home? From refurnished boats in Whanganui to views of the Auckland skyline, the space is small but the ideas are bigger than ever.

Build a storage rack for your autumn harvest and preserves.

Two former winemakers are creating gin and other spirits, capturing the essence of the region in which they live.

The vibrant spontaneity of a city where a circus troupe might suddenly appear amid the colourful buildings appealed to the creative spirit of this film-maker. So she relocated to Mexico's San Miguel de Allende— and never left.

A couple of legal high-flyers and their twin girls are now enjoying a slower way of life in a basic-but-beloved bach on the West Coast.

Before the tanks run dry in summer, this land-lover raids her cottage-style picking garden for buds, blooms and seedheads to hang in her dried-flower hut.

Love them or loathe them, Lothlorien Winery’s founders believe their beloved feijoas have a budding future as more people grow to love them here and abroad – starting with their sparkling feijoa wines.

She never expected to be a radio newsreader, nor the voice of a mobile network. But these days Mary-Jane Tomasi is broadcast far and wide.

Helping people to find their “why” is the life purpose of a Wānaka-based couple who find answers in the mountains.

This couple has built a first-rate life among the drylands of north Canterbury, spiced up — as if it were needed — with classic cars and a cottage with a view that rolls on forever.

After almost 30 years on their block, this Ohoka couple are brimming with wisdom for wannabe block owners.

Life's too short to be fussy over a lawn, it's time to let nature take its course.

Originally designed in late-1950s communist Czechoslovakia, the Czeta was rebranded to NZeta when it reached Aotearoa. One, now meticulously restored, helped this bike-lover through a mid-life crisis.

The newest 'room' of your house could be right outside your door. Here's what to think about when you're creating the ultimate outdoor space.

Sometimes termed “the fire within”, inflammation is often insidious, causing damage where it can’t be seen. One doctor is on a mission to help people understand that the lifestyle choices they make now will almost certainly affect their health later.

There's never a better time to add affordable improvements to the garden.

A ballad of birdsong, rushing water and rustling kauri caused this photographer to swap the crowded streets of inner-city Auckland for the gravel roads of Donnellys Crossing.

Maestros and Matriarchs – Geraldine Auto Restoration

What started as a hobby grew into an obsession, and then a business. We step inside the world of classic, vintage cars at Geraldine Auto Restorations.

Struggling to Buy? This Could be Your Year!

2020 was one out of the box for the real estate market. Far from the downturn many predicted when we went into the initial COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, it turned into the busiest market financial adviser Nathan Miglani has seen.

Going Potty for Pots with Resene

Whether you’re keen to keep things natural, experiment with texture or add a bright pop of colour, paint and paint effects can bring joy and energy to the humble pot.

Understanding Parkinson’s

With March recognised as Brain Awareness Month, Professor Tim Anderson provides an insight into Parkinson’s, the fastest growing neurological disorder. It is estimated to affect more than 6 million people worldwide.

A nostalgic summer activity reaches new heights in the hands of a Bay of Plenty performance artist.

Boutique owner Karan Gregory has an eye for business based on experience earned, not learned.

A sewing teacher with a superhero-like enthusiasm for saving the planet packs a heap of personality into her tiny house.