Our People

A new mum’s dissatisfaction with disposable nappies leads to the birth of a business.

After 40-plus years of developing a large property, Michael Edwardes is beginning to recognize that he is more than okay at this gardening business.

A television and film producer moves south to be with his partner and practises semi-retirement by starting an e-bike festival.

Pole vaulting requires energy, endurance, timing, technique, strength and control. According to Olympian Eliza McCartney, it’s also fun.

It took Lynda Perry 40 years to realize her dream of joining the police, but it’s been worth the wait.

Five generations of the Blundell family have made their home at Riverhaven in Clevedon, south-east of Auckland, first as farmers, then orchardists, and now artists.

A stroll a day keeps the weeds at bay along this walkway, created by two retirees in the Bay of Islands.

Rachel McNae is playing a lead role in encouraging women to tie flies, step into their waders and go fishing.

She is an artist, he has grand ideas; a couple so enamoured with bringing beauty to the world has transformed a Waiheke hillside into an earth-brick masterpiece.

The creative endeavours — goldwork, jewelry and flax-derived lace — of three Antipodean artisans shine brightly at Uzbekistan’s new folk-art festival.

A craftsman working in stone, iron and wood channels his Celtic forebears and takes his time to make everything look just so.

Two men, two dogs and 50-odd phones vie for space in a 19th-century Naseby mud-brick home.

Ngāti Ranginui chair Donna Ngaronoa Gardiner focuses her leadership on common iwi goals within Tauranga Moana so future generations can grow and strengthen their connections.

An Argentinian couple built a chocolate business in the Southern Lakes out of a deep longing for the tastes of their childhood.

Farming life is changing rapidly. But for this Rangitīkei family, the land still has an incredible tug.

A pampered plane lets its devoted humans share its fancy hangar on a high-country station in mid-Canterbury.

Professional rugby isn’t only about what happens on match day; personal development is an essential part of the modern game.

Lynda Hallinan finds her happy place in a tiny house decorated with op-shop treasures, an abundance of plants and hues of green.

Of all the far-flung places this couple has been — and film sets they’ve seen — a heritage villa in rural Hawke’s Bay is the showstopper that surpasses them all.

A Sport Waikato initiative is helping females of all ages to feel comfortable about their bodies and encouraging them to be active.

Estella Lee is inspiring Auckland’s Chinese community to become more involved in conservation.

Christopher and Susanna Grace, both well-known in the farming and horseracing industries, downsized when they moved from their Hunterville farm to the Kāpiti Coast. But they continue to live as if just out of the starting gates.

From organic apples to apple cider vinegar, an Ōtaki business has had a common-sense evolution. The progression from vinegar-maker father to daughter is just as logical.

Monica Galetti’s tastes were awakened by the fresh fruit and seafood of Samoa, then sweetened on the processed delights of 1980s Wellington. Now one of Britain's leading chefs, she’s wowing visitors with a dash of Pacific passion at her London restaurant, Mere.

Ancient trees and modern technology are a winning combination for Chatham Island apiculturists Kaai Silbery and Francesca Bonventre.

It's been reworked, rebuilt, re-engineered and re-imagined, but this little car has retained its big heart.

A hospital volunteer discovers a good yarn can be as therapeutic as medicine — for patients and himself alike.

Thomas Schneider’s whimsical approach to significant issues results in a profusion of sculptures and statues, flowers and trees, animals and birds, and all critters — great and small.

This Taranaki singer-songwriter writes her own rules for thriving in Aotearoa’s competitive music scene.

An illustrator and author gives children an insight into Aotearoa’s extraordinary natural world, from extinct monster birds to modern backyard beasts.

An environmental artist, dipping into her palette of life experiences, is painting a brighter future for young creatives in West Auckland. It’s her most powerful work yet.

A couple so in love with their picturesque village can’t help but come up with ideas to make it even better.

Take an ancient, fermented drink, then add a whole lot of coconuts and billions of beneficial bacteria. A Raglan business has hit on a winning recipe.

There’s a new player in Wellington Harbour cruising alongside the familiar red tugboats and lumbering Interislander ferries.