Our Life

Eric Swinbourn hankered after a friend’s cobalt blue Alfa Berlina, and then his chance came his knocking.

This week in the water cooler: we're saving the world in the latest superhero ensemble, Justice League  and baking with pomegranate.

A NZ home-brew company has doubled its turnover after launching an electric brewing machine called The Grainfather.

A tale of pioneering in the 1980’s in one of  NZ’s most remote high-country stations captures book reviewer Peter White’s imagination.

Cakes are a blank canvas for a talented baker and author of Melie's Kitchen.

How to build a house of hemp

When you take the magic ingredient out of marijuana, you get a building product to keep you warm, cosy and very happy.

This week in the water cooler:  we learn how to look after dogs on Guy Fawkes Day, let boy bands navigate us and are eating cakes that can't be beet-en.

L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellow Dr Matire Harwood has long been a dedicated spokesperson and advocate for the health of Maori and Pacific Islanders.

Create this lettuce sphere as a homegrown gift or an edible  patio decoration.

Driven by a vision of a simpler way, five Manawatu families are reaping the benefits of living side by side.

Electric bikes are popular in Asia and Europe, but will they catch on in Auckland? We see what the buzz is about.

The pair behind Happen Films spends their non-shooting time living and working in an unplumbed house that’s as small and perfectly formed as their short documentaries.

Nicole Leybourne’s designer jumpers are so sought after, she’s had to hire a team of knitters across the country.

This week in the water cooler: we're sheltering from the rain at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, exploring the Huge Day Out, binge-watching Stranger Things, and exploring Ashford Park.

The Off-Topic Book Club give the low down on The Break, the latest book from Irish author Marian Keyes.

The doggedness of two Raglan friends - plus a supportive community - helped launch a posh pet brand

This week in the water cooler, we're making our own seed-raising pots, supporting the kākā for Bird of the Year, learning about the Thinkladder app and visiting the On the Street exhibition.

Love and loss have given a 40-year-old sports car a new lease of life.

This week in the water cooler: we're exploring Napier's Art Deco architecture in style, reducing our use of plastic bags and taking part in an important study.

New Zealand naturalist, writer and illustrator Sheila Natusch brought science to the people. A film about her life captures her love of the natural world and her unconventional and indomitable spirit…

The cookbook queen is happiest when she's following the lead of her nature-loving mother.

This week in the Water Cooler: we discover Fat Yoga, delve into rain science, get the royal treatment with Victoria and find a must-see exhibition.

Your garden is full of opportunities for you to make and use natural dyes.

Are we living in a television golden age? The Screen Sirens discuss why award-winning Kiwi writer and director Jane Campion now prefers to work on TV these days. They then give the low down on the second season of Top of the Lake.

This week in the water cooler we're planting golden midgets, learning some dog behaviour basics, and face a cuteness overload from a blind dog puppy.

When a legendary gardener dies, what becomes of his or her garden? Ask Fergus Garrett, the guest speaker at November's Nelmac Garden Marlborough.

Brenda Williamson is as competent managing a private hospital as she is navigating tight corners.

It’s estimated that more than 40,000 of the 270,000 or so on-site domestic wastewater systems in NZ are at risk of failing.

As a nod to NZ Life & Leisure’s cover star Chelsea Winter, the team put some recipes from the MasterChef winner’s new cookbook Eat to the taste test. It wasn't really a bake-odd just a really good week in the office.

A spirited New Zealand biochemist and entrepreneur is finding ways to support women in science on her own home soil.

Actress Alice Englert wasn’t fazed baring her soul on camera for her mother Jane Campion’s latest series.

This week in the water cooler, we're tutu impressed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet's Romeo & Juliet, are finding heart-melting dogs, are celebrating Tanya Carlson's 20 years in fashion and are watching Helen Clark documentary, My Year With Helen.

Jane Wrigglesworth’s spring craft project is an easy fabric tool belt for storing trowels, secateurs and other garden tools.

This German-born dream machine is  loving Kiwi country roads