Our Life

Lisa Scott gets her skates and her badass attitude on at the roller-derby rink.

Sorrel is a robust and persistent sort that grows like a weed (which it’s not) and can be used to tart up your tastebuds in a variety of dishes.

Here's a free pattern to knit some cute cotton wool booties for babies in need World Knit in Public Day.

These Wellington boat sheds – some of them important local landmarks – mean many things to many people.

Rather than burning your seasoned firewood, with a tight budget and some time, you can use it to build a home.

When you learn the best childhood lessons in a garage, and spend the ensuing decades tinkering with troublesome classics, you’re a bona fide car devotee

Heating your home using a wood burner is cheaper than ever in New Zealand, if you know how to get the best out of it.

Vision, grit and a good shot of gumption propelled the World of WearableArt from a small-town show to a global spectacle.

One of the first commercially-produced cosmetic products in Europe was the ‘Queen of Hungary’s Water’, a simple but versatile cleanser that you can make at home.

A teardrop-shaped caravan and a triangular apartment, both built using wood, are in the running for a design award that celebrates this living material.

When a Texan belle arrived in New Zealand for a three-month holiday, she didn’t plan on meeting a rugged West-Coaster. Thirteen years, two kids and a thriving jewellery business later, there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.

Turn your wool into a nice cosy hat for winter.

An enormous jar of peanut butter is being auctioned for a good cause.

Lisa Scott goes backstage at iD Dunedin Fashion Week, tries on an androgynous face and rediscovers her inner Milla Jovovich.

Here’s how to create a future-proof plan for your lifestyle block or farm to make sure you do it once, and do it right.

Chickens with breathing problems can wreak havoc with your flock and are difficult to identify, but here are some signs to look out for.

Trying to make sense of South and East Auckland is like peering into a kaleidoscope. Every twist reveals a new scene – there’s the colour of Otahuhu, the calm of Clevedon, the mana of Mangere, the solitude and beauty of the regional parks and the history of Howick.

When self-sufficiency enthusiast Julie Legg tied the knot on her Waikato lifestyle block, she created her own finishing touches for a wedding with flower confetti, bunting and other themed decorations.

The founder of a groundbreaking artisan bakery has returned to her childhood stomping ground and  a creative calling that was always waiting in the wings.

We caught up with Karen Joy Fowler, author of the bestseller The Jane Austen Book Club, ahead of her Auckland visit in May.

Social butterfly Lisa Scott is bent out of shape and all in a flutter doing hot yoga in the butterfly enclosure at the Otago Museum.

Rosemarie White reviews four very different New Zealand accounts of wartime campaigns.

If you're never sure what to do with the ash from your fireplace, don’t be too quick to dump it, give these helpful tips a try instead.

The Screen Sirens  didn't enjoy watching A Wrinkle in Time, starring Oprah Winfrey, although they have a lot of fun discussing the Disney fantasy film in their latest podcast.

Amy Schumer's new film  I Feel Pretty is a departure from the brash comedy style the star is famous for.

Looking down at iPhones and computers is damaging our spines. To relieve back pain, try out physio Steve August's quick-fixes.

Whether competing in NZ's national canoe polo team  or working with sharks, this sporting talent is paddling her own path.

A new Western starring Sam Neill makes beautiful but confronting viewing.

An amateur art-world detective has discovered a dozen important public murals after years of digging.

A company formed by two childhood friends is helping New Zealand businesses reduce their waste.

Inside the life of a sustainable family who only need to work part-time and eat from a permaculture pantry that grows right up to their back door.

For more than 100 years, a Rangitikei farm has been home to one family. Now the fourth generation is putting its own twist on tradition.

Mark our words, there’s nothing better than a squished possum. This cute, comical bookmark is just the fun craft project to remind you of that.

It may not be the female action-hero film you’ve been hanging out for, but a new movie starring Alicia Vikander breathes new life into the relic-hunting character Lara Croft.