Our People

This couple has protected Goat Island for more than 20 years
The sea, land and people reward this couple — in more ways than one — for their years of dedication to the Matakana Coast.

Teresa Tepania-Ashton on staying true to her identity
The ability to be true to her identity has helped Teresa Tepania-Ashton to succeed in corporate and tribal leadership roles.

Black Ferns Sevens star ready for the Olympic spotlight
Working to improve her mental strength and gaining much-needed confidence has been a game-changer for Black Ferns Sevens star Michaela Blyde.

How Kathleen Green is paying homage to the classic Kiwi blanket
Finding herself unemployed in the middle of a recession, Kathleen Green began restoring vintage wool blankets to their former glory.

An unused car park becomes an urban market garden
A former fine-arts student finds his muse in providing Aucklanders with organic produce.

A nunnery's glam new life near Lake Hayes
Resurrecting an old cottage, once home to nuns, thrilled its owner and the judges of the 2020 New Zealand Architecture Awards, who pronounced it an overall winner.

Behind the scenes at NZ's fastest-growing snack company
One couple’s journey to running the fastest-growing snack company in New Zealand — from baking cheesecakes in the United States to crafting the perfect crisp in the South Island.

How this woman scored a 1969 Lancia Fulvia
Italian flair comes to Ōhakune in the form of a racy little italian number.

A Wellington lawyer tackles systemic racism in the justice system
Julia Whaipooti never shies from being an agent of change, whether speaking at the United Nations or fighting for equality and equity within Aotearoa’s justice system.

At home with Waiheke artist Tanya Wolfkamp
On a hillside on Waiheke Island, an artist has found her niche, creating the designs for colourful Kiwiana homewares and accessories.

Striking a chord with the ukulele community in NZ
A musical couple in Geraldine fosters joy — and a nationwide community — with the little lute that could.

Meet our School Leaders 2021
Where in the past we have brought you two education specials a year, 2021 sees a combination of our head student and principal features, to bring you a unique insight into those leading some of our most prestigious schools and the visions they have for their school community in the year ahead.

Meet the foragers turning wild herbs into wellness
A love of foraging in the hills of Central Otago is at the heart of a natural health business that's transforming wild herbs into wellness.

From Auckland to an 11ha block in Mihiwaka
Skye Macfarlane and Jed Tweedie ditched life in the middle of Auckland City for a remote block, self-employment, and an organic market garden with a million dollar view.

A limoncello-making couple's zest for life
Willing friends pitch in to help this Paraparaumu couple make their zesty award-winning limoncello.

Meet the inspiring mums behind bilingual book series Reo Pepi
A vision to reclaim their ancestral language prompted these Dunedin cousins to create a bilingual resource for future generations.

A 'gin garden' brimming with gin-worthy botanicals
When two artisan gin-makers wanted to source the best organic botanicals, they created a very special garden.

The delicate art of breeding bumblebees
Zonda Beneficials provides insect predators for use in horticulture and small-seed production and breeds bumblebees for commercial and domestic pollination.

How a Papamoa couple grew their house tree by tree
A couple, seeing the wood within the trees, set out with a long-term vision for a new home and an alternative forestry industry.

Loving the free-range life on the Tutukaka Coast
Regard for the land remains firmly at the heart of this family after half a century of love, loss and regeneration.

The Hastings couple led by the nose for high spirits
Two former winemakers are creating gin and other spirits, capturing the essence of the region in which they live.

Why this Kiwi film-maker visited México and never left
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.

Explore this bright-but-basic bach at Punakaiki
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.

How this top athlete found her beat in race walking
On the best of days, the grueling sport of race walking feels like dancing to New Zealand’s top-ranked female competitor Alana Barber.

A Piopio-based boat builder finds his anchor
A boat builder with itchy feet, huge ideas and a young family finds his spiritual home in a tiny-but-mighty King Country town.

This family turns its 30-tonne feijoa harvest into liquid gold
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.

From news junkie to a radio newsreader
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.

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

Ngāi Te Rangi iwi leader Paora Stanley on past, present and future
Helping a tribe navigate a Treaty of Waitangi settlement can be long and tumultuous, says the chief executive for Tauranga iwi Ngāi Te Rangi, Paora Stanley.

A wee hut on a 1400ha farm in north Canterbury
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.

This bike-lover rides away the mid-life blues
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.

How a squashed tomato sowed a growing love affair
Food writer Kristina Jensen celebrates a special couple and their favourite tomato.

They left their jobs to become mushroom growers
Two management consultants have exchanged the corporate world for a country life dedicated to sharing the joy of mushrooms.

These neighbours joined forces in the name of ice cream
Two Nelson farmers are keeping things local, churning their A2 milk into ice cream produced just minutes down the road from their milking sheds.