Our People

Two bike-loving upcyclers have built an eco home that is off the rails in suburban Auckland — but only just.

Good things take time say the team behind the winner of this year’s NZ Life & Leisure spirit of New Zealand award.

A social entrepreneur hosts outdoor excursions so New Zealanders can conquer their inner mountains — just as he has.

An icon of the swinging 1960s, the Mini was revered as a new approach to compact-car making. It still enjoys an almost saintly status — just ask Dave Cotty.

An old cemetery — the final resting place of many notable Taranakians — is fully appreciated by the still (thankfully) alive and kicking due to the efforts of a bunch of hardworking volunteer gardeners.

A financier leaves a 25-year city career to pursue an ancient rural trade.

David Kirk and his wife Brigit live in Sydney, but have established a part-time New Zealand base not far from where their shared story began.

Meet Foxton’s upcycling queen. Not only does she create stylish effects with masking tape and bright paint, she also redistributes any profits she earns from her clever crafting.

New Zealand’s first Survivor winner is back-to-basics again in an Auckland tiny house, using lessons learned during his time in Nicaragua and Ghana.

North Otago locals transform a polluted river island into a community paradise.

Manaaki condiments, made in Blenheim with traditional Māori ingredients, aren’t just delicious. They also spread hospitality and generosity.

An eco-entrepreneur, who started making caps from curtain scraps, is trying to save the world from waste, one limited-edition hat at a time.

Kurow lavender farm’s sweet smell of success

A picture-perfect lavender farm, is just one of a bunch of businesses nourished by a Kurow dairy farm.

A voyage on the high seas inspired an entrepreneurial couple to create a marine tracking system for boaties.

A creative couple have established a gallery in their Dunedin home with everything for public view — even the art in the loo.

Marshall Napier knew nothing about cows before joining the Bellbird cast to play a Northland dairy farmer. She'll be right, he said.

A top interior designer has a new London pied-à-terre and a modern side business — one that builds on the links between home, wellbeing and state-of-the-art technology.

Will and Ems Murray are the fifth generation of the family to farm Glenmore, a high-country station bordering Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. They aim to not be the last.

The bright side of life isn’t half bright enough for a roller-derby dame feeling her groove in Timaru.

Making movies in London one minute; growing grapes and welcoming guests to a rural garden the next. Life is full of surprises.

One of New Zealand’s smaller airlines is on a route to success.

Jane Blackmore has been painting in oils for 25 years. Her work is well-known to fans of her landscapes, seascapes and florals, but Jane is anticipating a move.

Backcountry Gisborne is full of surprises. Here’s an unexpected sight sweeping around a corner right now.

A community that not only grows its food — but also shares it around — is incredibly powerful, says this Wellington altruist.

As a doctor, Eileen Merriman knows the science of blood and bone. As an author, she delves into the intricate depths of heart and soul.

Renowned gardener Gordon Collier is red/green colour blind — but it isn’t the reason he refuses to plant by painted numbers in his small suburban garden; he prefers to mix it up a little.

A historic angus cattle stud takes winter by the horns with a seasonal celebration.

When this Christchurch couple saw their dream home disintegrate before their very eyes, they discovered the Phoenix inside — and skills they never knew they had.

An idea spun from a university project is making an explosive impression on the wine industry.

Over three decades of patient-yet-determined graft, the Walkers of Clevedon have crafted a rural enclave around a thoroughbred stables that they hope will stay the distance way past the winning post.

Cathy Bouma never planned to have a herb business. Or a block.

Meet the innovators driving the push for products that last.

Wairarapa sheep and beef farmers Dion Kilmister and Ali Scott of Homegrown Farm Fresh Meats are focused on ensuring what their customers eat is as good as what they eat at home.

Helen Bint turned her back on the city to live a pioneering life on New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands.