Queen Street: the heart and the backbone of Auckland

Walk from Karangahape Road to the waterfront and Queen Street will give you a view into the soul of Auckland. Alice Webb-Liddall explored the street’s history and how it has shaped the city. What connects all significant streets is their ability to bring people together. On Queen Street, heritage buildings like the Town Hall, grand … Read more

What do doughnuts and fried chicken have to do with art?

Tonight in the Auckland CBD you might stumble across a tequila-soaked glamour queen and a T-Rex with no head — but don’t worry, you won’t go hungry. What links a headless dinosaur and a vegan fried chicken burger? Art, that’s what. StreetArtDego, now in its third year, teams artists with purveyors of street food, with each … Read more

Sausage fest: The problem with dude-centric food events

Sure, cheffing is a male-dominated industry, but shouldn’t food festivals be leading the way in promoting equality? An event at upcoming food festival Visa Wellington on a Plate insists “the future of food is female”, bringing together five woman chefs to chat about the topic with broadcaster Susie Ferguson. Meanwhile, the Auckland equivalent, American Express … Read more

Taking high fashion to the streets of downtown Auckland

To mark 4 Days of Fashion in the City, four of downtown Auckland’s fashion personalities are sharing their experiences of the industry. Today, Simon Pound of Ingrid Starnes writes about putting fashion on the street and the community it takes to make it happen. Last year, on a late March night, with dusk landing just … Read more

The family shoe store that first brought Dr Martens to New Zealand

To mark 4 Days of Fashion in the City, four of downtown Auckland’s fashion personalities are sharing their experiences of the industry. Today, iconic shoe store owner Pat Menzies recalls the era when flares and platforms graced the nightclubs of Queen St, and how that history has kept his store relevant in 2018. One day … Read more

A certain style: moving fashion forward by looking back

To mark 4 Days of Fashion in the City, four of downtown Auckland’s fashion personalities are sharing their experiences of the industry. Today, founder of the New Zealand Fashion Museum Doris de Pont celebrates the legacy of Bruce Papas. Fashion is synonymous with change and while the 4 Days of Fashion in the City is providing … Read more

How to make men like shopping

To mark 4 Days of Fashion in the City, four of downtown Auckland’s fashion personalities are sharing their experiences of the industry. Today, Barkers’ managing director Jamie Whiting, discusses the changes technology has brought to bricks and mortar retail.   The changes for fashion retailers in the last decade, but particularly the last three to … Read more

Auckland Art Gallery is vital to the city’s identity. It desperately needs more money.

The future of Auckland Art Gallery’s funding is in the hands of the council as it divides up its 10-year budget. Viv Beck, Heart of the City chief executive, wants them to fix the funding gap for the sake of Auckland’s cultural soul. Our mayor recently made a bold step to declare his support for allocating more money … Read more

Ten ways to make Auckland a glorious city of the night

How can Auckland create a bigger, stronger and more rewarding night-time economy? Simon Wilson sets out a plan. Partner content in association with Heart of the City, who are interested in growing the vibrant night-time experience in the city centre. In the new year we’re getting lights on the harbour bridge. It’s a great initiative. And … Read more

City of art: Auckland’s unmissable Artweek starts on Saturday

What is art and what is it good for? Artweek, starting this weekend and running to the end of next, turns the central city into a showcase with a thousand answers: events, exhibitions, gallery tours, talks, open spectacles, hidden surprises and untold delights. I saw a video of a man dancing to Samuel Barber’s Adagio … Read more

The charms of eating odd: a top ten list for Restaurant Month

It’s Restaurant Month in Auckland and the theme is Eat Odd. Simon Wilson, a more than occasional odd eater himself, identifies a favourite top ten food experiences you might not have tried. Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Korean, Turkish, Cajun. High-end dining: Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, Spanish, Maori. Unusual fish. Truffles. The best of the best: that … Read more