As the new season of Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It drops, Tara Ward investigates how the gurus can help us with our own interpersonal property dilemmas. We’re approaching the second week of national lockdown, and it’s about now that many of us will begin to have the “love it or list it” … Read more
Whether it’s a robot uprising, a woman catfishing into the publishing world or a bunch of lovestruck islanders, Neon has you covered. Here’s what we’re bingeing on Neon for the foreseeable future. Westworld Just in time for lockdown, there’s a buzz-worthy show with endless discussion points coming out on a weekly basis. Yup, it’s Westworld. … Read more
Dua Lipa’s new album, Future Nostalgia, is an ode to good memories and a gateway to Zumba. Josie Adams listened to it and took a heady trip into her past. We’re only three months in, but I’m calling it now: Future Nostalgia will be one of the best pop records released this decade. It’s dropped … Read more
Simon Day and Calum Henderson celebrate some iconic matches from the Black Caps’ back catalogue. The only thing better than watching live cricket is watching classic cricket. It’s a sport that’s built on characters and narratives, and to be honest, four out of five games are just a bit disappointing. But with nostalgic games, you … Read more
With Covid-19 causing major downturns and worried investors wondering what to do next, Kiwi Wealth’s head of fixed interest shares her thoughts and experience on how to get through these challenging times. From the City of London to New York’s Wall Street, Diana Gordon has worked at the frontlines of global investing for more than … Read more
HBO’s biggest drama since Game of Thrones returns for a third season to NEON. Here’s everything you need to know about Westworld season three. Obviously, major spoilers for Westworld seasons 1 and 2. It’s been a year and a half – remind me where we left off. Okay, strap in! At the end of season … Read more
In an impossibly crowded market, New Zealand beers are rightfully being recognised as some of the world’s best. According to one of the men behind Garage Project, that didn’t happen by accident. New Zealand grows some of the best hops in the world. New Zealand also brews some of the best beer in the world. … Read more
As a new season of My Brilliant Friend lands on TVNZ OnDemand, we take a look at some of television’s most iconic and enduring friendships. Life is for living, so close the curtains, lock the doors, and wrap your optic nerves around My Brilliant Friend. It’s a treat for the eyes and a treat for … Read more
Like Benee, BBNO$ and about a thousand other acts that suddenly became superstars in the last 18 months, Ashnikko is blowing up off the back of a TikTok craze. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see that there’s much more to this blue-haired rapper than Miley Cyrus memes. Barely a second into the intro, … Read more
Nearly 30 years after its first episode, award-winning sitcom Mad About You is back. Tara Ward travels back in time to celebrate the show’s most ’90s moments. Mad About You is back on our screens, and it seems the only thing that’s changed since 1999 is the colour of the Buchmans’ kitchen cabinets. The series … Read more
What makes us save and invest the way we do? Jihee Junn explores how history and culture have shaped our approach to investing and why, despite our ‘rockstar economy’, many are feeling left out. A lot of great things happened in 1987: New Zealand officially went nuclear-free, Māori became recognised as an official language, and … Read more
His idea to reprocess used medical devices is already helping reduce waste in the New Zealand healthcare sector. Now Oliver Hunt of Medsalv discusses plans for the future and what’s needed for a small business to hum. In healthcare, the need for sanitation and sterility has dictated a throwaway culture, where millions of single-use devices … Read more
To celebrate the return of Country Calendar to TVNZ1, Alex Casey tracks down the show’s biggest canine fan. This Sunday night at seven o’clock, Suki will run to the television and demand that her parents turn on TVNZ1 so she can hear her favourite theme song. She’ll then sit, nose against the screen, to watch … Read more
On the heels of the arrival of The Outsider on NEON, Jean Sergent explores how screen adaptations of Stephen King’s work are able to take on a life of their own. Stephen King, the 72 year old horror author from Portland, has a better work ethic than you or I and that’s just science. The … Read more
Fancy a quick trip to Europe without leaving the comfort of your own couch? Tara Ward rounds up the best European drama for your viewing pleasure. Anyone who reckons travel is the only way to expand your mind has never had the pleasure of lying on a couch for three days while hoovering up several … Read more
New Zealand’s game creators are competing for talent with a lavishly subsidised film sector, but they’re still finding ways to thrive, says Simon Dasan of Wellington powerhouse A44. There’s an uncanny parallel between New Zealand’s gaming industry and Ashen – the action role-playing game which is one of its most accomplished and celebrated productions. Ashen’s … Read more
After 43 years on the telly, Fair Go knows exactly how to stick up for Kiwi consumers. Tara Ward talks to Sophie Baird, the woman changing New Zealand, one consumer complaint at a time. For over four decades, Fair Go has been our saviour. They’ve defended us when we’ve been ripped off, chewed up and … Read more
Last week Nick Loosley, founder of food waste and food poverty charity Everybody Eats, was named the 2020 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year. He talked to Alex Braae about how a more sustainable approach to our food system can help feed those in need. There’s a theme of reconnection that runs through … Read more
Jennifer Ward-Lealand’s dedication to acting, directing and te ao Māori saw her named the 2020 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year at a special dinner in Auckland last night. Alice Webb-Liddall speaks to her about how she hopes to nurture the future of the craft that has given her so much. Back in the 80s … Read more
In Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, the titular Zoey starts to hear the thoughts of those around her – but expressed in song. Sam Brooks investigates what would happen if Zoey took a trip across the Pacific to sunny ol’ New Zealand. If you could pick any superpower, what would it be? Flight? Maybe, but all those … Read more
A year after they went carbon neutral, The Warehouse Group’s chief sustainability officer reflects on the journey so far and the work that is still to be done. It was a year ago that the red shed made its biggest commitment to going green in its 38 year history. The Warehouse Group – comprising local retailers … Read more
Are you a time-poor urban apartment-dweller who’s put composting in the too-hard basket? Read on… About half of what Aucklanders chuck in their rubbish bins is actually compostable material. That means a whopping 90,000 tonnes of Auckland households’ food waste ends up in landfill each year. Why is that a problem? It breaks down without … Read more
The government has announced a ban on electricity retailers using promotions to lure back customers who’ve changed companies. Flick Electric’s Nikki Cockburn explains why this is a victory for consumers and competition. Progress on the Electricity Price Review (EPR) might be slow – especially when it comes to putting recommendations into action – but yesterday … Read more
Our writers celebrate the best performances you can watch right now on NEON. Basically? They’re iconic. We all love a good story, and a great plot twist can turn a mediocre TV show into addictive weekly viewing. But what really keeps us coming back are the characters, and seeing actors at the height of their … Read more
Three Countdown stores are currently trialling drastically reducing plastic from their fruit and veg… but it’s a solution that comes with problems of its own. Ah, plastic. The synthetic material we love to hate. In a world where many of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis are not exactly easy to give up – … Read more
After 20 years on the telly, Jamie Oliver is back with a new show that celebrates the humble vegetable. Tara Ward looks back on the celebrity chef’s achievements. If anyone has the power to make us see carrots in a new light, it’s Jamie Oliver. Since he burst onto our screens over 20 years … Read more
A highlight of this year’s New Zealand Festival of the Arts are the collaborations between some of the best artists and creators in the world. Sam Brooks talks to artists about the work they’re making and what collaboration means to them. Whether it’s the relationship between a writer and an editor, between a choreographer and … Read more
New Zealanders insure their cars and contents at almost four times the rate that they insure the thing that pays for all of this – their income. Alice Webb-Liddall learns about insuring her most essential asset. Going about their daily lives, most people don’t think about all the different ways things could go wrong. It … Read more
Duncan Greive shares his three philosophies on buying shares in global giants for people who are curious but terrified about investing. Like any perfectly normal twenty-something, I started investing in sharemarkets after reading a Warren Buffett biography. I came across The Making of an American Capitalist in a second-hand bookstore. It’s a well-regarded account of … Read more