Our People

Why Joanna Wickham is letting nature reclaim her property
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.

How Forty Thieves cracked the nut butter industry
The nut butter industry, known to be tough to crack, didn’t unnerve this health-conscious couple. Four years later, their nut buttery stocks more than 400 retailers nationwide.

How this Pāpāmoa dad became king of the sandcastle
A nostalgic summer activity reaches new heights in the hands of a Bay of Plenty performance artist.

Glamping at historic Clifton Station
The sixth generation of a Hawke’s Bay farming family is bringing style to an historic landscape.

A wild suburban garden inspired by Tāne Mahuta
Two of Valda Poletti’s ancestors arrived from England, settled on land near New Plymouth and burned the bush and forest to make way for pastures of ryegrass and clover. Valda has done precisely the opposite.

Whangamata business owner can work 20 days in a row over summer
Boutique owner Karan Gregory has an eye for business based on experience earned, not learned.

He's been enraptured with NZ birds of prey for decades
A Rotorua falconer takes flight, spreading his love for Aotearoa’s native birds of prey.

A fabric upcycler Sarah Lancaster's cute tiny house
A sewing teacher with a superhero-like enthusiasm for saving the planet packs a heap of personality into her tiny house.

From second-language learner to te reo Māori champion
At a time when many young Māori were heading to Australia, Brisbane-born and raised Jeremy Tātere MacLeod bucked the trend by moving to Hastings to immerse himself in Māori culture.

Retro caravan called Roxanne restored to heyday looks
Summer holidays for a Hamilton family mean a beach on the wild Waikato west coast with a small dog called Rosie and a retro caravan called Roxanne.

An Eye for Detail with Not Just Events owner Sheree Stevens
From bridal shows, wine and food festivals and book launches to marathons, cycle races and sporting events, Not Just Events owner Sheree Stevens (or Sheree Haugh if she’s at home) has organised them all, with a focus on local, personal flavour.

Explore this cute-as-a-button tiny home in Burkes Pass
Marie Pourcel wakes each morning to goats bleating outside her tiny home in Burkes Pass. It feels like a million miles from the apartment and office job she left behind in France’s fourth-largest city.

The couple bringing fun to the mushroom business
A 2 billion year old organism is the hot new food trend, and a gourmet business opportunity.

How this Auckland man makes a litter(al) difference
A walker recovering from illness took the chance to clean up his local area. Both are now in good health.

This Ōākura artist regards colour as therapy
A secondary school art teacher scolded his students for being “plum puddings” and told them to get on with their art. One of them took this admonition to heart, his words inspiring her since.

The power of trying 52 new things — in 52 weeks
When her life went off-script, writer Lauren Keenan did something new – 52 of them, in fact, in only 52 weeks. Her new book, The 52 Week Project, covers her discoveries as she writes new chapters for herself.

How these block owners found their perfect livestock
They moved to the country to live off the land. But it took a few odd years to find the right animal for their block.

Explore this Aucklander's lifelong vintage collection
A lifetime love affair with apparel enters a new phase with the collector becoming the creator.

The four young Kiwis behind a sparkling drink empire
Four young entrepreneurs want to promote and protect the country's native environment while growing their sparkling drink empire.

The adventures of an off-grid couple near Rotorua
They live off-grid in a log cabin, drive an electric car, and measure their progress in toilets. Meet a pair of earth nerds living their great adventure.

The Kiwi mum-turned-leader in maternity activewear
This Whāngārei-based maternity activewear brand reached 14 on the Deloitte Fast 50 list within five years of shipping its first bras.

Explore this wedge-shaped house in Central Otago
A conductor and a violinist find a soothing new tempo inside a Central Otago triangle.

The Toyota that stole her heart and joined her down the aisle
Kellie Hollingsworth wasn’t interested in cars, let alone restoring them. But then a shabby old Toyota stole her heart.

Playing it forward at the Taranaki Toy Library
A New Plymouth mum pours her heart into a global movement, bettering the planet one toy at a time.

This architecture graduate found structure in jelly
A jolly delicious business born from an art project is reinventing a Kiwi classic.

Eight years to master the gluten-free loaf
Once a builder, now a baker — a Hastings entrepreneur hasn’t let life’s hurdles get in the way of nourishing himself (and others) along the way.

Q&A: A Marlborough artist on patience, painting wild birds
Marlborough-based artist Nicolas Dillon’s coffee-table book of drawings and paintings of New Zealand birds represents his lifetime love affair with the natural world.

This couple grew an eco-house and co-housing village
Richard Thompson and Laurel Stowell have grown their dream home, and a village to go with it.

Meet the woman enriching lives with Māori culture
Lawyer Precious Clark takes a lead role in helping Pākehā identify with Māori culture in a way that adds value personally and professionally.

Tackling a fear of heights in Central Otago
Lisa Scott has always been afraid of heights or, to be more precise, falling. Now she’s attempting to overcome that fear.

Harnessing the power of sunflowers in Waitaki
Two Waitaki families farming in partnership for more than 50 years have developed a bird-loving business out of a crop sown on a wing and a prayer.

A vision to clear pest vines spreads across Golden Bay
Banana-passion vines stand no chance against a Golden Bay man’s infectious vision.