Our People

Kiwi chef Peta Mathias shares her favourite love stories from around the world in her latest book Eat Your Heart Out. NZ Life & Leisure writer Emma Rawson gets the scoop straight from the foodie herself.

Trapping rodents in the Waitākere Ranges is not as daunting as it seems, says bird-lover Jenny Wheeler.

Spontaneity has taken two long-time surfers on a journey of self-discovery — and landed them a business to boot.

Seaweed is the star ingredient in natural fertilizers and tonics for land and animal health. It also makes beautiful body-care products for organically minded people.

In 1988, a solo mum living in the back of beyond launched a business selling health products. It now turns over $35 million a year.

A grand designer of houses and gardens credits the elegant heritage of mid-century Hāwera for developing his eye.

An artist has found joy after great heartbreak by connecting past and present with loops of hot-pink yarn.

From brewing beer to cultivating cow-less milk, companies are experimenting with yeast to make food and drinks for an increasingly eco-minded world.

Twenty-one designers have aligned with Great Full for its first charity initiative. The founder of the social enterprise, Melissa Gardi, explains why community matters.

This couple, one a furniture designer and the other a general practitioner, work in vastly different disciplines, but are aiming for precisely the same goal.

Since 2003, writers have been invited to a tiny brick cottage just off Dunedin’s main street to tap away at whatever they need to get down on paper.

Few muscle cars have more fans than the Dodge Challenger. Gary Covich found one and brought it back to life. But it took more years than he cares to remember.

An environmentalist's heavenly range of vegan dairy producers is flying off the shelves.

Philippe Arregui is winning the hearts of New Zealanders one gourmet sausage at a time.

Responsible for millions of bees, 26-year-old Steph Munro of Southland's Munro Honey now combines her design skills with the sweeter side of life.

Studying graphic design helped pave the path to Sam Mathers' full-time career as a contemporary artist.

Selina’s time as poet laureate has come to an end, but she has many more stories to tell, beginning with her empowering new book, Mophead.

Meet the city escapees whose off-the-trail bistro feeds their need for community, family and a fine vegetable garden.

A garden doesn't get much trickier than a steep slope by the sea, but this one produces enough to feed a family, a community, the birds, and the bees.

This new pastime is rocking the worlds of Kiwis of all ages – and sparking joy stone by stone.

Low energy and poor mental health had Margo and Rosa Flanagan trying out the vegetarian diet. They’ve never looked back, but look to the future with their new cookbook Two Raw Sisters.

This Bay of Plenty artist fastidiously creates her feathered art, placing plumage perfectly — just as it is in nature.

Between the mountains and the sea, sculptor Ben Foster and environmentalist Sabrina Luecht have found the best of nests.

Canterbury sculptor Raymond Herber has carved out a true niche for his life and work in an abandoned quarry.

The project director for New Plymouth’s new airport terminal is flying high.

Chantel and Mike Priddy are quenching a thirst for living well with a traditional fermented drink.

This couple spent many years among the glitterati in London’s fast lane. Now Auckland-based, they’re learning the joy of slow(ish) motion.

Traditional hummus is a staple for Shyr and Brent Godfrey. Here's how they do it.

This Auckland artist’s joyous art is an antidote to melancholy. It’s a prescription he’s taking to the world.

A heritage building in need of revival brought this creative — but nomadic — couple back to their home town after decades away.

A Wellington company is delivering a lethal blow to the world’s pests.

Cheap to mass-produce, incredibly popular, the Ford F1 Flathead V8 kickstarted the United States’ ongoing love affair with the pickup truck.

The combined cultures, competences and courage of a French-Kiwi couple have fueled a journey of love and food.

Imagine getting all the benefits of a pet without the need for a sprawling yard or doggy daycare. Welcome to pet-sharing.