Our People

A tragic search-and-rescue mission prompted these innovators to rethink aircraft safety.

Detective novels were such fun to read, this travel writer wondered if they would be as much fun to create. She found out.

A Raglan couple developed an alternative idea over six years — and now they’ve fermented it.

A devastating diagnosis forced an ambitious athlete to give up the sports she loved. Determined to keep exercising, she took the plunge into ocean swimming.

So she said: ‘I’d really like a stone glasshouse.’ And he said: ‘Sure, I know exactly what you mean. I’ll build it.’ And he did.

A steady hand helps this Lower Hutt woman create tiny scenes, people and things.

A block in Raglan that started with very few prospects is now one of the most wish-listed places to stay on Airbnb.

Tora Bay on the South Wairarapa coast is home to a new venture and top-notch kaimoana.

A psychology student’s budding business, providing solace when she most needed it, is rooted in the belief that homegrown flowers can heal the mind, body and soul.

Several generations of two families — one Japanese, the other Bohemian — live on in the work of two artists, a couple working in Tīmaru.

Dion Kilminster produces top-quality beef and lamb — but the road to success constantly challenges him.

A pastry chef is constructing a slower, sweeter life in Hastings after bidding adieu to a law career in Paris.

This Christchurch entrepreneur hopes the country will fall back in love with woolly wonders.

The founders of beverage company Ārepa are aiming high with the twin goals of creating the world’s smartest drink and building New Zealand’s first billion-dollar beverage company.

A mad idea sown in a tin shed has grown into a bountiful business, taking this go-getting family from the Waikato to the world.

Father and daughter, John and Susan Badcock, are just two members of the thoroughly paint-spattered Badcock family tree.

Paul Morgan is shaping the future by investing in current Māori leaders and training the next generation.

Ben Foster has come to realize his car project is a form of therapy for himself and his mates after the psychological and mental anguish of the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake and the last year of the pandemic.

Ricardo Christie started surfing almost before he could walk and was still in his teens when he won the national championship.

A Featherston couple has set up two studios, separate but connected, on the town’s main street. While one favours neutral hues, the other is drawn to a profusion of pigment.

Kay Paku feels life has delivered her a series of career options — each a lucky chance rather than a deliberate choice.

It started as a surfing holiday and ended as a lifestyle choice, growing vegetables and herbs south of the border, down México way.

Combining friendship with work can be risky but two go-getting Tauranga women, each with a desire to create a more sustainable world, have chosen to join forces.

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

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

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

Finding herself unemployed in the middle of a recession, Kathleen Green began restoring vintage wool blankets to their former glory.

A former fine-arts student finds his muse in providing Aucklanders with organic produce.

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.

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.

Italian flair comes to Ōhakune in the form of a racy little italian number.

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.

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

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