DIVA IN DEMAND

Jackie Clarke’s been keeping herself entertained for several successful decades – and music lovers right along with her.

WORDS JO - MARIE BAKER

There were only six people in the pub when a teenage Jackie Clarke turned up in Mount Maunganui, ready to put on a show. It was a Tuesday night in the mid-1980s and Jackie – wearing a vintage outfit and winklepickers, her hair teased high – was touring with her first band, Marching Orders.

“You really learn your trade by bravely singing your show when no one’s interested,” she laughs.

Four decades later, Jackie’s coming back to the Bay to perform on a considerably grander scale. The much-loved singer, actor and entertainer will return to Mercury Baypark Arena on November 28 for DIVAS! Christmas Special, alongside Tina Cross, Suzanne Lynch and Annie Crummer, and backed by a four-piece band.

The show is a festive reincarnation of the DIVAS! performance that premiered in Tauranga in 2024 before touring the country, celebrating some of the greatest female voices of the past six decades. Expect everyone from Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton and Nina Simone, to Whitney Houston, ABBA, Taylor Swift and P!NK.

Jackie says an important omission from the previous show will also be rectified. “We didn’t have any Mariah Carey last time, and I think we’ll definitely fix that, especially with this show’s Christmas vibe. We put a lot of thought into the songs we choose and it just releases the joy monster in people. It’s a great party.”

There will, naturally, also be frocks.

“We love any excuse to put on an amazing frock and let rip. To sing songs by Celine Dion and Adele and all the greats, you have to have a great frock to get you in the zone.

“Come dressed to the nines. If the audience is better dressed than us, that’s the perfect scenario. Don’t hold back.”

Behind all that glamour, preparations begin in more domestic surroundings. The women spend hours around their kitchen tables, drinking coffee, eating Tina’s home baking and painstakingly working on their vocal arrangements.

“We put a lot of detail into it,” says Jackie. “We don’t just turn up and sing. You work so hard so that it appears effortless, and that’s the magic – and when you get those moments of perfection, it’s just the best feeling in the world.”

That friendship and trust has been built over decades; Jackie has sung with Annie, Suzanne and Tina (in different incarnations) for almost 30 years. Together, she says, they tackle songs she wouldn’t dream of attempting alone, and if something still goes wrong on stage despite all that preparation, she can live with that too.

“People love mistakes. People love the humanity of watching things fall apart. That’s often where the real juice is.”

Tauranga has long been something of a second home. Jackie was involved with Tarnished Frocks and Divas from its humble beginnings in 2005 through to its spectacular arena productions, forging lifelong friendships along the way. The homegrown extravaganza gave hundreds of local women the chance to sing, dance, model and perform, often doing things they’d never imagined themselves capable of.

“The whole thing was such a beautiful kaupapa,” says Jackie. “All these people were given an opportunity to discover their best selves. Tauranga always has a special place in my heart. It lit a fire in a lot of people in the best possible way.”

Jackie’s career has been quite a journey from that near-empty Mount pub. Working across music, theatre and television, she found fame with musical comedy trio When The Cat’s Been Spayed, and became a familiar TV face through shows including Saturday Live and New Zealand Idol.

“It’s a wave that you ride, and it comes and it goes. I’m like a hardy perennial. I keep on keeping on through the highs and lows.”

At 60, she certainly isn’t seeking easier challenges. Just weeks before DIVAS!, she’ll take to Auckland’s Q Theatre in Songs for Nobodies, a one-woman play that requires her to portray 10 characters across five stories involving legendary singers Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday and Maria Callas.

“These one-woman shows are so petrifying,” she says, “but it’s a beautiful space to be in when you’re actually scaring yourself shitless with a huge challenge.”

It makes returning to Tauranga to sing with close friends all the more wonderful. The contrast is part of what Jackie still loves about her work – wildly different projects drawing on her “la la la” and “blah blah blah” skills. “I’ve just turned 60, and I feel like I’m in my prime. I really feel like I’m getting the hang of this.

“You can always feel how music feeds people’s souls, and it doesn’t matter if it’s in a bar for six people or it’s a massive arena show. The chemistry is the same. I’ve spent my life entertaining myself, and if you do that, the audience will be entertained as well.”

DIVAS.CO.NZ

FINDING YOUR FEET

Fontein Coaching’s Cass Fontein offers tools to support you to stay grounded, manage overwhelm and focus on what’s within your control. PHOTO CASEY VAN LIEFDE

You know those days when your brain has 47 tabs open? You’re replying to an email while thinking about the conversation you need to have later. Your phone pings. You remember something you forgot yesterday. Someone’s waiting for an answer. You’re worrying about something that’s happening next week. Suddenly, even the smallest decision feels much harder than it should.

Welcome to overwhelm.

Spring has a way of bringing energy back into our lives. The days get longer, our calendars fill up, projects gain momentum and before we know it, life feels very full again.

When that happens, our instinct is often to try to get everything under control. The problem is that a lot of what occupies our minds was never within our control in the first place.

We worry about what someone thinks of us, replay conversations that are already over, and take on responsibility for other people’s emotions. We spend energy solving problems that haven’t actually happened yet. Meanwhile, the things we can influence get lost amongst the noise.

When everything starts feeling like too much, I like to bring it back to one question: what’s actually within my control right now? Sometimes, the answer is surprisingly small.

I can put my phone down, send the email I’ve been avoiding, or say no. I can ask for help, or I can simply decide that a problem doesn’t need to be solved today. These things won’t magically remove everything happening around us, but they remind us that we still have agency.

It’s a picture I come back to again and again, with clients and in my own life. There are two circles. Inside the first is everything you can control, like your actions, your boundaries, where you place your attention, how you speak to yourself and what you choose to do next. Outside sits everything else, like other people’s opinions and reactions, the past, unexpected changes and the outcomes we wish we could guarantee.

When overwhelm creeps in, notice which circle is getting most of your energy, then come back to the present. Feel your feet on the floor. Take a slow breath. Notice what you can see and hear. Give your mind something that’s happening now to think about, rather than another scenario that may or may not happen later. Then choose one thing.

Being grounded doesn’t mean becoming someone who’s permanently calm or unaffected by life. We’re human. We get stressed. We overthink. We have days when everything feels like a lot. Being grounded is knowing how to find your way back when it does – back to what you can influence.

The next time your brain has 47 tabs open, you don’t need to close them all. Just find the one that’s actually yours, and start there. FONTEINCOACHING.CO.NZ

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

If your idea of a holiday involves some real get up and go, there’s a world of active adventures waiting to be explored. YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem explores everything from cycling and hiking to mountain biking and expedition travel.

WORDS LIZ FRENCH

Bike and cruise, Croatia.

Active travel isn’t a new concept but it does seem to be experiencing a major modern surge of late. Although walking, hiking and cycling holidays have existed for generations, post-pandemic lifestyle priorities and a demand for experiential travel have catapulted physical activity into a primary holiday choice, where travellers prefer active engagement over passive relaxation.

For families, couples and solo travellers alike, the options are wide-ranging, from cycling and hiking holidays to more adventurous expeditions.

Hvar, Croatia.

MEET YOUR MATCH

Cycling gently through scenery, mountain biking gnarly trails, rambling amid glorious views, hiking remote regions... Once you’ve decided on your style of holiday, there’s a destination and a tour (self-guided or with a group) to match.

One of the most important considerations is choosing a reputable tour company and making sure the experience matches your expectations. Active travel can be wonderfully liberating, but a little advance research can make all the difference.

Managing director of You Travel & Cruise Bethlehem Catherine Membery’s recent family cycling holiday in the Lauterbrunnen/Jungfrau and Verbier areas of Switzerland is the perfect example of this. Mountain trails, farmland and Swiss villages provided glorious alpine scenery, and cable cars and trains added another dimension to exploring the region. “Knowing the practical details in advance is useful,” advises Catherine. “We learned e-bikes can’t be hired to under-16s, while self-catering accommodation helped avoid the expense of eating out in Switzerland.”

Verbier, Switzerland.

That holiday also spanned a visit to the UK, where the family discovered exhilarating mountain bike trails in Wales.

The advent of e-bikes has made cycling holidays available to a much wider range of travellers. The array of adventures on offer for young and old can be overwhelming, though, so it pays to match the experience to your ability and interests.

“It’s great to extend your comfort zone, but not to be uncomfortably outside it,” says Catherine. “Preferred destinations, activities and ability levels can all help narrow down the choices, whether the aim is a gentle ride through countryside or a more demanding mountain adventure.”

Europe remains popular with active travellers, with the attraction of countries like Slovenia and Scandinavia increasing. Equally, there are amazing experiences to be had in Asia, from trekking in Nepal to golfing in Vietnam, as well as in Canada and South America, with skiing in British Columbia and hiking in Peru among the possibilities.

Denali Park, Alaska.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Of course, some quality R&R can go hand in hand with all that. In cruising and cycling Croatia, you enjoy life on board with wonderful coastal scenery, combined with stopovers to cycle inland. Not to mention the cool swims when you arrive back sweltering.

Taking a barge through the French or Netherlands canals with bikes on board is another brilliant combination. This style of holiday could appeal to couples, families or friend groups in which some are more sporty than others. Likewise, motorhome holidays, which are now available all over the globe.

Small-ship cruising is another active way to see the world – kayak among icebergs in the Arctic or Antarctica, or snorkel among turtles in Galapagos. Expeditions of all kinds are available to provide life-changing experiences in some of the world’s wildest places.

Seward, Alaska.

IN THE KNOW

Walking in Puglia is delightful in cool weather but decidedly not under the searing sun, yet although sweltering in Europe in mid-summer is a recurring theme these days, don’t let that put you off. Instead, consider the best seasons for maximising your active adventure, wherever you’re pointing your compass.

If ending each day fatigued yet fizzing is your idea of a perfect adventure, there’s a world of possibilities waiting to be explored.

YOUTRAVELBETHLEHEM.CO.NZ

DREAM SCENARIO

Built by Buildlab, this extraordinary Mount Maunganui home showcases meticulous craftsmanship and breathtaking views.

WORDS PIP CROMBIE | PHOTOS AMANDA AITKEN

While Mount Maunganui’s new builds are usually impressive, this one in particular is an absolute standout.

The sequence of spaces – contracted walkways opening dramatically onto large interior living areas and outdoor decks – creates a continual sense of surprise as you move through the three-storey home. The original house demonstrated the potential of the site, but the new design takes much greater advantage of its position.

Every transition has been carefully considered to maximise the treescape of the adjacent Mount Golf Club, with eastern and northerly views towards the ocean and Mauao beyond. The roofline reaches the most recent approved height requirements, and soars like a huge wingspan across the entire build.

This is clearly a dream home for both the owners and builder Matt Frost, owner of local high-end building company Buildlab.

“This is one of the largest house builds my company has completed,” Matt tells me. At around 450m2, it includes three bedrooms, a secluded media room, a kitchen and scullery that speak to easy entertaining, and an expansive, sun-filled dining/lounge area. An office nook with a view and an oversized window seat, plus a large garage with an extensive workshop complete the home.

The exterior combines silver-grey Accoya cladding with crisp white Abodo Vulcan timber, creating a distinctive yet timeless façade. Floor-to-ceiling aluminium joinery strengthens the architectural lines, and custom-folded aluminium fascias with concealed fixings provide a seamless finish. Externally, a floating concrete staircase forms a sculptural focal point, complemented by handcrafted batten screens individually made and installed by the Buildlab team.

Inside, Abodo timber continues in the custom-crafted stair balustrade, lift walls and feature areas, creating a strong connection between the interior and exterior. Custom kitchen cabinetry is paired with travertine-finish benchtops, while plaster walls complement the exterior. Rough-sawn plywood linings feature every groove individually hand-routed, and tongue-and-groove raked ceilings follow the roofline.

Full-height flush doors, recessed cavity sliders and custom negative details create clean, consistent shadow lines without conventional architraves. Negative-detailed plywood continues into the garage and workshop, ensuring the same visual is carried into these spaces. A thoughtful mix of polished concrete, engineered timber and carpet adds warmth, luxury, texture and practicality throughout.

Matt spent 10 years working with a previous employer, progressing from apprentice to project manager and eventually running around half of the business. He set up Buildlab five years ago, and the company has grown from three to a team of 16. Early on, Buildlab focused mainly on renovations, cementing its reputation and proving itself to clients, but has since moved to high- end, architecturally detailed homes that require exceptional craftsmanship and technical expertise.

“I’d worked with the owners of this build previously on a townhouse development. They’d considered renovating the current home, but it became obvious after several sets of renovation plans that it was never going to be what they really wanted. They finally settled on a new build and recruited Brendon Gordon Architects to design it. They asked Buildlab to price it up – we were stoked! I’ve worked with Brendon’s designs before and his attention to detail is amazing. His plans are precise and clear, and he works with the client and builder on every element, right down to colour. I knew working together would result in a seamless construction process with very little rework required.

“The construction was particularly complex,” Matt continues. “The house is built around a substantial structural steel frame – a ‘birdcage’. Timber framing was then craned onto site and hand-built within the structure. We reached the third level in approximately three months, an exceptionally fast pace that brought comments from neighbouring contractors about how quickly the project was progressing. The speed came from careful planning, efficient sequencing and our highly experienced team. I’m really proud of how it all came together.”

One unexpected challenge occurred when the owners sold their previous home several months earlier than originally planned and needed to move in. “I heard from them right before the Christmas break,” recalls Matt. “The end of March was the original deadline, so it was a bit of pressure. We pulled out all stops, and got the carpet in right before the owners moved in – and then we just worked around each other on the finishing touches.”

The success of the project relied heavily on planning. “A standard house requires thinking two steps ahead, whereas a project like this requires anticipating 10 or 15 stages in advance to ensure every hidden detail works perfectly as construction progresses. There were a lot of moving parts, but working closely with Brendon, then Jacqui from Twill Interiors, meant that the project evolved through strong teamwork, detailed documentation, excellent communication, and the genuine passion my staff and I have for solving difficult construction challenges.”

A defining feature was the clients’ desire for Buildlab to complete as much of the work in-house and minimise subcontracting. “This enabled us to take ownership of many elements we wouldn’t ordinarily do, such as specialist architectural detailing, custom screens, extensive timber work and feature finishes all made on site. It gave us greater control over quality and consistency, creating a home that showcases our workmanship”.

As I leave and look back, the orb lampshades over the stairwell glow like huge owl’s eyes seeing me on my way, waiting to guide the next person into this beautiful, liveable, ambient home.

BUILDLAB.NZ

NOW YOU SEE THEM

But many don’t, which is just the way the makers of the mounts propping up the displays at Tauranga Museum like it.

WORDS JO-MARIE BAKER / PHOTOS MICHAL PINKERTON + SUPPLIED

When Tauranga Museum opens in 2028, visitors will marvel at the taonga and objects on display. What they probably won’t notice are the hundreds of bespoke mounts that support them.

That’s exactly how specialist mount maker Den Feaver measures success. With more than 30 years’ experience creating mounts for New Zealand’s leading museums, Den, of Feaver Museum Service, is working with Tauranga Museum’s exhibition team to make custom supports for hundreds of objects destined for permanent display, while passing his specialist skills on to collection specialist Chelsea Tairi.

Objects range from tiny obsidian shards and shark-tooth fishhooks to historical surfboards and a 3.5m plaster cast of a broadbill swordfish. Mounts for displaying them are typically crafted from stainless steel into bespoke brackets or armatures designed to hold objects securely while disappearing into the background.

Den’s mount-making career began almost by chance. While photographing a ceramics collection in New Plymouth, he stopped to help an artist install another exhibition and was subsequently offered a technician’s role.

Den says good mount makers need fine motor skills, attention to detail and, above all, empathy for the objects they’re handling. “A good mount is the mount you don’t see, one that keeps the object safe and puts it in a positive light. And if you do see it, it needs to accentuate the environment, rather than detract from it.”

Whether he’s handling a plastic cup from the 1970s or an irreplaceable taonga, Den says every object deserves exactly the same care and respect.

Over the coming months, Den and Chelsea will work side by side to create hundreds of bespoke mounts. She’s looking forward to picking up skills as the project progresses.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she says. “Sharing the responsibility of mounting the taonga and objects that will be on display in our new museum is very exciting, and I’m lucky to be part of that. I’m really excited to soak up everything I possibly can from Dennis.”

After 15 years working in museums, Chelsea says she’s become fascinated by the craft of mount making. The unsung heroes of the permanent displays being developed for Tauranga Museum will prop up taonga Māori, social history and contemporary objects, all carefully curated to tell fascinating stories of our region’s past and present.

LETSTALK.TAURANGA.GOVT.NZ/PROJECTS/ TAURANGA-MUSEUM

COME TO YOUR SENSES

Books are only part of the story at Tauranga’s brand new library and community hub.

WORDS HAYLEY BARNETT

He Puna Manawa, Tauranga Library and Community Hub.

As the highly anticipated new Tauranga Library and Community Hub gets set to open its doors on October 16, it’s not just book lovers who have something to look forward to.

“For people who maybe reading books isn’t their thing, these other experiences mean everybody’s included,” says Joanna Thomas, Tauranga City Council’s manager of Libraries and Community Hubs. “It’s a place that every family can go and have an outing and create a memory.”

One of those other experiences sits on the first floor, the same floor as the children’s and youth spaces, where things get loud. It’s a soundproofed sensory room with blackout blinds and a wall built for projecting colour across it. When you turn everything up, it hums with lights, texture, vibration and sound. Turn it down and it goes almost silent.

The sensory room.

Joanna says the idea goes back to 2017, when the Council first consulted the community on what a library and museum in the city centre should look like. Families were already asking for something like this. They wanted somewhere neurodivergent kids and adults could go that wasn’t a school or a hospital.

“There wasn’t anything like that that was open to the public,” says Joanna.

One of the people who pushed hardest for it was Joanna’s colleague Michelle Anderson. “She’s been a great inspiration for all of the development,” says Joanna.

The council ran workshops with stakeholders, including Tauranga Special School, CCS and Parent to Parent, to work out what the room needed to do.

“Parents and caregivers who book the room will have exclusive use of the space to meet their children’s needs,” says Joanna. “They’re not out in an open space where it can be quite distracting.”

Joanna Thomas.

Adults with disabilities and their caregivers have the same option. The library runs sensory storytimes too, creating a safe welcoming environment where kids can explore stories at their own pace.

Funded fully by Lottery Grants, the room will be free and booked in advance, and a short induction will be included so everyone knows how to use the equipment safely.

He Puna Manawa, the new Tauranga Library and Community Hub, will open with a dawn blessing, followed by a community celebration day on October 17, with open sessions for the sensory room and tours through the rest of the building.

The sensory space is small, just 5.3 by 6.5m2, but it’s doing what Joanna set out for the whole building to do. “Not everyone who comes through the door is just here for the books,” she says. “Now there’s somewhere for them too.”

LIBRARY.TAURANGA.GOVT.NZ

RACE TO THE TOP

How a Mount Maunganui coach built an unlikely speed-climbing programme that’s producing world champions.

WORDS JO-MARIE BAKER / PHOTOS KATIE COX + JAN VIRT

At 12 years old, Mila Piatek could barely reach the starting hold. The former gymnast stretched as high as she could, her fingertips straining for the grip that marked the beginning of the Olympic speed climbing route. She was so small it took more than a month just to master the first move. There were no shortcuts. She climbed, she fell, and she climbed again.

Three years later, teenage Mila raced 15m up a wall in 7.77 seconds to stand on top of the podium at the World Climbing Youth Championship in Italy, becoming an Under-17 world champion and Oceania record holder.

Her journey to become the world’s best is remarkable in its own right, but perhaps the more extraordinary story is how Mount Maunganui has built the speed- climbing programme that made it possible.

Rob Moore saw potential in Mila long before any medals arrived. The vastly experienced coach looks for athletes with either strength or elasticity (what he calls “power and pop”) that can translate into explosive speed on the wall.

“One of the things that was really obvious about Mila right from the start is she had an incredible amount of pop. She bounces between the holds like Tigger.”

Rob’s competitive streak runs deep. He has competed internationally in speed skating, climbing and mountain biking, and his fascination with chasing records can be traced all the way back to his childhood.

“Every Christmas holiday, the first thing Dad and I would do was find the biggest hill nearby and find out what the record was to get to the top. Then we’d spend our entire holiday training to break that record.”

The instinct to find a benchmark, then figure out how to beat it would eventually underpin an audacious experiment here in the Bay. Could New Zealand produce speed climbers capable of taking on the world?

Rob’s ambitions stretched well beyond winning at home.

“You can achieve success within the New Zealand climbing community, and some people think it’s okay to stop there, but to me, that was never enough. Why don’t we strive further and try to be the best in the world?”

Rob opened Mount Maunganui’s Rocktopia climbing gym in 1999 and has coached the New Zealand climbing team since 2001. His focus on the competitive side of the sport sharpened after he began coaching a tenacious Sarah Tetzlaff towards the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. But there was one glaring problem – New Zealand didn’t have the right facilities. Training for the speed discipline meant travelling as far as New Caledonia.

Rob decided to fix that. Through the Bay of Plenty Sport Climbing Association (BOPSCA), funding and local support were secured, and in 2019, New Zealand’s only Olympic-sized speed wall opened at Blake Park – an exact replica of the standardised route used in competitions around the world.

In 2022, Rob launched a dedicated, high performance speed-climbing programme from scratch and made a controversial call: athletes who joined would have to specialise exclusively in speed, giving up the traditional Boulder and Lead disciplines.

Six signed up. Among them was Tauranga teenager Julian David, who would later go on to win a Youth World Championship and compete alongside Sarah at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“This shouldn’t have worked at all, when you look at it from the outside,” says Julian. “Not knowing how it was going to go was crazy, to be honest, but Rob’s drive, determination and passion for climbing is incredible.”

Julian’s journey began as a student at Tauranga Intermediate School. He loved climbing trees, and when he inevitably fell out of one, a teacher offered some practical advice: “We’ve got a climbing wall in the gym. Go climb that instead.”

He did. Aged 12 and with no formal training, Julian entered the AIMS Games and came third. The result caught Rob’s eye.

Once he joined the speed programme, Julian’s rise was rapid. He secured New Zealand’s first Youth World Championship title in 2023 and the Paris Olympics suddenly became a realistic goal for the French-born athlete. A year later, aged 19, he finished eighth in Paris with a personal best of 5.20 seconds.

“I was like everyone’s younger brother in the Olympic village. I love sport, so walking past world champions and people I watched on TV growing up was just surreal.”

Coming home proved harder. After years of setting personal bests almost every time he competed, Julian spent much of 2025 struggling to improve and grappling with the post-Olympic blues. He worked closely with High Performance Sport New Zealand and psychologists to strengthen his mental game and return to form.

At this level, progress is measured in tiny increments. “0.1 of a second for me now would be a huge personal best,” says Julian. “That would mean making finals consistently and being up there with the best in the world.”

Getting his mindset right is just as important as the physical preparation. “The margin of error when you’re racing up a 15m wall in five seconds becomes smaller and smaller the faster you go. Not making mistakes is super crucial, but really easy to do. Mindset is a huge part of it.”

For Julian, that means using familiar rituals, routines, music and visualisation techniques to shut down any nerves and let instinct take over.

“The ideal mental state is when you don’t remember what happens or what’s going on. It’s too fast to comprehend anyway. It should just happen. But getting into that state is what’s difficult.”

In July, after more than 12 months fighting his way back to form, Julian finally broke the five-second barrier, clocking 4.99 seconds at a World Cup event in Chamonix, France – achieving his biggest goal for 2026.

Days later, he was in Arco, Italy, watching his 15 year-old teammate, Mila, race for the same world title he’d won three years earlier. The parallels were uncanny. Neither had been expected to win; both found themselves up against world-record holders whose mistakes in the final knockout rounds unexpectedly opened the door.

“It was déjà vu,” says Julian. “I had never understood what it was like for my coach until that moment, and I’ve never been that amped to watch anyone climb in my life as I was to watch her.”

Mila’s campaign in Arco almost unravelled before it began. She slipped during her first of just two qualifying runs, leaving one final chance to make the knockout rounds.

“I was a little bit shook,” she recalls, “but Rob came behind the wall and told me to reset. He reminded me, ‘You’re at Worlds. This is your opportunity to let it happen and show what you’re capable of.’”

Rob took the pressure off, reminding Mila it was only her second international competition and helping to put the mistake behind her. After a couple of practice starts on the warm-up wall, she was calm and ready to go again.

Mila safely qualified for finals and, from there, simply kept advancing. Each knockout race ended the same way: she hit the stop pad and looked for one thing – the green timer signalling she was through. In the quarterfinals she clocked 7.70 seconds – a personal best and new Oceania record.

“I was bawling my eyes out between every single run just from joy,” she says. “I’ve never cried out of happiness before. I was just over the moon.”

The celebrations with her coach, family and teammates that followed her gold medal victory were overwhelmingly emotional. The young girl who had once spent six weeks trying to master the first move was now a world champion.

“I credit so much of my win to Rob,” she says. “If he wasn’t there, I don’t actually think it could have happened. Rob was incredible.”

Back home in Mount Maunganui, life has quickly returned to normal. Teachers have been lining up to see the gold medal, while her friends welcomed her home with a surprise party. She’s back at her part-time job at Rocktopia and has settled into her usual training regime.

Fortunately, training with Rob is never monotonous.

“Rob has so much energy and passion for the sport that it rubs off on you. He has a way of bringing the best vibes to every training session.”

Mila has already set her sight on new goals. Next year, she becomes eligible for the Open World Cup circuit, before the Oceania qualifying event for the LA Olympics takes place at Blake Park on October 23 and 24, 2027.

Only one women’s Olympic spot is available, setting up a tantalising contest between Mila and Paris Olympian Sarah Tetzlaff – her long-time mentor, role model and one of her earliest speed climbing coaches. Rob believes that rivalry could lift the entire programme.

“If they can both embrace it and both be pushing each other, then it’s only going to be good for our sport. We should be able to get everybody to lift together.”

Whatever happens, the groundwork for a successful future has already been laid. Rob acknowledges today’s youngsters are progressing faster because they’re benefitting from everything he has learned while coaching his original six athletes.

Now aged 21, Julian’s happy the next generation has experienced speed climbers to look up to and train alongside.

“But it goes both ways. I love training with those kids.

They’re so psyched on speed climbing and bring the vibes. They help me as much as I help them.”

Come October 2027, the Bay of Plenty will have the chance to watch them all chase their Olympic dreams on home soil.

LAST DRINKS

The kids are alright – and increasingly, they’re sober. As Gen Z turns its back on booze, older Kiwis are drinking at hazardous levels. UNO looks at why our relationship with alcohol is changing.

WORDS HAYLEY BARNETT

Ask 19-year-old Payten Thomsen what a flat party looks like these days and she’ll break it down like a pie chart. A third of the room are drinking, a third are high on substances, and the rest, herself included, are stone-cold sober.

“There’s not a lot of pressure to drink,” she says of her generation, first-years scattered throughout flats around Hamilton. “If you go to a party, you’re not the only one who’s not drinking.”

Her maths lines up with the official numbers too. In the 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey, hazardous drinking among 18- to 24-year-olds fell 13.2 percentage points in five years, down to 22.6 percent. Across the whole adult population, three in four New Zealanders had a drink in the past year, down from 81.6 percent in 2019/20, and the number of us drinking at hazardous levels has dropped from 21.3 percent to 16.6 percent over the same period. Something’s changing in how this country drinks.

Associate professor Andy Towers, co-director of Massey University’s Mental Health and Addiction Programme, says the stats are considerably less flattering for anyone over 45. “Everyone keeps talking about youth drinking as the problem. It’s not – it’s Kiwi drinking, and more often than not, it’s actually middle-aged or older drinkers who are the problem.”

Andy’s spent the past decade using Massey’s long-running study of ageing, which tracks around 4,500 New Zealanders, to look specifically at how people aged over 50 drink. What he found surprised even him. Roughly 35 to 40 percent of New Zealanders aged 50-plus qualify as hazardous drinkers, drinking often enough, or heavily enough in a single sitting, to put themselves at real risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke down the track.

When Andy’s team compared that figure with England, the US, South Africa, China, Mexico and several other countries, New Zealand came out worst. “We get the gold medal for drinking,” he says. “We drink more frequently on more days a week than pretty much anywhere else in the world, and about 16 percent of that group binge every single time they drink, which is around six or more drinks, whenever they touch it.”

He traces it back a century, to six o’clock closing, driven by the law that shut New Zealand pubs at 6pm from 1917 until 1967, and allowed no food, entertainment or women at the bar. Workers would finish their shift and race the clock.

“It taught two generations of Kiwis that when you drink, you drink to get drunk – it’s not for enjoyment or atmosphere,” says Andy. “We got rid of six o’clock closing, but we never got rid of the culture. It’s taken this long for it to actually start changing, and it’s not us changing it – it’s our kids.”

So why the generational split? Andy puts it down to a handful of things, including decades of clearer public health messaging that there’s no truly safe level of drinking, a cost-of-living squeeze that’s made big nights out a luxury, and a generation that grew up with phones recording everything.

“My own daughter, who’s 18, said to me, ‘I don’t want to be drunk and have people videoing me. I just don’t think it’s cool,’” says Andy.

Of course, there’s also the fact that Gen Z is doing more of its socialising online rather than at the pub.

Payten sees the same pattern from the inside. “It’s a big cost thing,” she says. “We’re students, we don’t have a lot of money, so it’s just not financially viable.”

She also points to a steady diet of short-form video content on TikTok and Instagram, flagging new research on alcohol and health. “I never see advertising for drinking. I see a lot more negative than positive.”

Where Payten’s non-drinking stance does get pushback is, funnily enough, from her own family at Christmastime. “They always offer and wonder why I won’t have one, and I’m like, ‘No, no, no,’” she laughs.

The rise of good non-alcoholic drinks has made this change feel a lot less like a sacrifice. Andy sees the boom in sophisticated zero-alcohol beers, wines and spirits as one of the reasons the change has stuck.

“People don’t have to choose anymore between being part of the occasion and looking after their health,” he says. “You can still hold a drink that fits a barbecue or a wedding or a Friday night – you just don’t pay for it the next day.”

The change in younger people not feeling the old pressure their parents’ generation still carries is, in Andy’s view, the real story. New Zealand’s official low-risk drinking advice hasn’t changed since 2011, when a moderate drink or two was still considered heart-healthy. It currently allows men up to 15 standard drinks a week and women 10, which is far looser than Australia’s revised limit of 10 drinks a week for anyone, and Canada’s proposed ceiling of two.

Andy’s helping lead the review of New Zealand’s guidelines, work that’s been repeatedly slowed, he says, by an alcohol industry with a habit of turning up to meetings public health researchers never get invited to. Nationally, alcohol is linked to roughly 900 deaths, 1,250 cancer diagnoses and 30,000 hospital admissions a year, at an estimated cost to the country of $9.1 billion.

For 41-year-old Sarah Jesson, these statistics stopped being abstract on a Friday night in May 2023. She and a friend had already worked through a couple of bottles of wine that night when they told themselves they’d just have one between them. They ended up walking to the bottle store for a box of RTDs. “I’d said I wouldn’t, and then I did,” she says. “My husband said he couldn’t really trust my word anymore. I realised then that I wasn’t in control.”

Two nights later, she was at an AA meeting with a friend who’d recently got sober herself. “I think I needed the shock factor,” she says. “I was in a room full of people whose lives had actually been derailed. It was a picture of where things could go.”

She hasn’t had a drink for more than three years now, though she’s candid that her first stretch exemplified what’s sometimes called ‘Cali sober’, when people swap wine for weed before quitting that too. Real sobriety started just over a year ago.

Underneath the drinking was anxiety Sarah had been managing since experiencing a run of hard life events. “It was masking it, but not fixing it,” she says.

“The odd drink did take the edge off, for a while, but I needed more and more of it just to feel normal.”

She’s seen a free counsellor through the Salvation Army, who talked her through what she calls the “pleasure-pain circuit”. It’s the idea that heavy, repeated use of a substance rewires the brain’s reward loop, and that the first two years of sobriety carry predictable relapse points at three, six, nine, 12 and 18 months.

The part she’s still working on is the identity that came with the drinking. “I’ve always been a party girl,” she says. “I love nothing more than a big night out.”

Rebuilding that without alcohol has meant relearning how to be silly, loud and sober at dinners and nights out that she used to think she needed a drink to enjoy. “It’s actually been a fun challenge, working out if that side of me exists without the chemicals. It turns out it does!”

Sarah admits she’s amazed at how ordinary it’s felt to ask for help, and how rare that seems to be among the generation just ahead of hers. Her mother worked in alcohol and drug detox for years and told Sarah that mid-life is exactly the moment to make the change, because habits set in more the older you get.

“I think it’s a lot harder for that Boomer generation,” says Sarah. “It’s the generation of silence. You’re stoic, you just get on with it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes it so much harder to put your hand up and say, ‘Actually, I don’t want to do this anymore.’”

Andy agrees, and has heard the same thing from retirees who come to his talks. Many only stop drinking once they’re already sick. He’d like to see people feel able to opt out long before that point arrives.

“If you’re thinking about it, there’s a good chance other people your age are thinking about it too,” he says. “They’re just too scared to say it first.”

At Payten’s flat parties, nobody feels the need to be first. Sober is normal on a Friday night, alongside drunk and high and everything in between. It might be a slow handover, in which each generation’s deciding to drink less than the one before, but it’s a movement that’s quickly gaining traction.

New Zealand spent a century teaching itself to drink hard and fast. Now it’s taking its time teaching itself not to.

SHAPING THE FUTURE

Far from ‘just’ considering carpets and curtains, this interior design studio supports clients to live their best lives.

WORDS PIP CROMBIE | PHOTOS KATIE COX

Sally Lines

I first connected with Urban Lounge’s Sally Lines more than 20 years ago, in her early days of interior design and mine with UNO. Catching up with her now as her business nears an amazing 25-year milestone is very special. These days, she’s creative director of the Mount Maunganui design studio, among a team of nine multi-disciplinary design specialists who collectively bring visual impact and functionality to new builds, interior and exterior renovations, and commercial projects big and small, locally and beyond. This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest design studios in the region, the team bringing diverse expertise and a sprinkle of magic in all they touch.

“I really can’t believe it,” says Sally. “Urban Lounge has been shaped by every person who’s worked here. Each team member has brought a different flavour, perspective and contribution to the company over the past decades. The celebration we’re planning will acknowledge what we’ve built together and include team members past and present . Urban Lounge is not simply about me – it’s bigger than me. It’s about the whole team and the future of the company.”

Last year, Louise Blackmore stepped into the management and expanded leadership role. “I freed Sally up to be the creative director,” she says. “Me managing the day-to-day aspects of the business allows Sally to concentrate on the creativity she’s known for.” Thanks to her background in furniture design, Louise still contributes creatively too.

The perception of interior design has changed since the business began. “It was seen as a privilege, but most people now ensure a budget is incorporated into their project, as the process can be long and decision fatigue is very real,” says Sally.

“There’s research to show that interiors seamlessly melding with exteriors and the multitude of environments in which we live and work do impact our thinking, our sleep, the way we function on a daily basis. We focus on acknowledging the five senses in our design ethos. Do you want to block road noise, harness natural light, encourage airflow? Our value lies in the discussion, our experience and understanding how our clients live. It’s about examining the psychology behind a space and creating something that works in three dimensions, not simply producing an attractive, two-dimensional image.”

This comment leads me to ask the question every business seems to be dealing with today – what of the impact of AI in the design arena? “Yes, we’re certainly seeing it used, and of course we use AI in our administrative platforms,” says Sally. “AI can be helpful to visualise ideas, but an image is not a resolved interior. It doesn’t account properly for natural light, the site, surrounding trees, council requirements or how somebody actually lives. The result can be flat and one-dimensional. People sometimes treat AI-generated concepts as gospel, then discover that it doesn’t work in practice and call us in to rectify the problems. There’s more efficiency with a designer.”

Louise agrees. “Our approach is about keeping people in the process. AI can’t pull the extraordinary out of the bag; good design starts from scratch, provides practical solutions and beautiful aesthetics.”

From interior designers Kayla Celliers and Mel Walker, who you’ll encounter first as a new client, to registered architect Julianne Chou, your project will be sensitively approached by the entire Urban Lounge team. Sales and account manager Victoria Martin Gardner beams in from Melbourne, where she extends the business’s prowess in Australia.

From the first meeting, the process is design-focused and clients are encouraged to visit the studio to immerse themselves in product samples. “We meet representatives from all sorts of industries every week, so we’re constantly exposed to beautiful new things; however, our skill is looking beyond trends, analysing each project as a stand-alone and applying sound design principles,” says Sally.

Their workload shifts between residential and commercial projects, often in a 60/40 split one way then the other as the market changes. Christine Morris oversees the operational delivery of commercial projects, managing client budgets, purchasing and project administration for clients including Metlifecare and other boutique lifestyle villages. This work keeps around two of the team occupied almost permanently.

When I ask Sally what the most meaningful project of her career has been, she doesn’t hesitate. “For the past 10 to 15 years, we’ve had the privilege of working with Stand Tū Māia”.

Secondary specialist service Stand Tū Māia works as an alternative option to state care for children and families affected by complex trauma in New Zealand. “We’ve helped redevelop environments designed to support children and families, transforming spaces that once felt institutional into places that feel like a home, while remaining robust and durable,” says Sally. “Of all the beautiful homes and commercial interiors we’ve completed, this work remains especially important to me. I’ve attended openings with children and their families and cried every time. The organisation’s board and staff do incredible work, and we love being able to contribute.”

You’ll hear more from the Urban Lounge team in upcoming issues of UNO. “There’s so much more to interior design than choosing pretty things,” says Sally. “I hope our new column will help readers think more deeply about what they’re creating and why. We’ll be giving practical help based on the team’s collective expertise in a myriad of areas.” Watch this space!

URBANLOUNGEINTERIORS.CO.NZ

FEET FIRST

A podiatrist in Tauranga is challenging the conventional approach to foot problems, using hands-on therapy to address the underlying causes. Shaun McCann’s pioneering technique is helping patients get back on their feet, and back to the things they love.

WORDS KARL PUSCHMANN

PHOTOS KATIE COX

Podiatrist Shaun McCann had grown as frustrated as his patients. Every week, a patient would hobble into the clinic carrying a bag full of prescription orthotics that simply hadn’t worked. Along with their orthotics, they carried the desperate hope that he held the answer their previous specialists had missed.

The problem was, he didn’t.

“I started to get frustrated with the limitations of the treatment and methods that I’d been taught,” he says. “I thought there had to be another way of treating the foot and leg, without having to put someone in an orthotic or referring them to surgery.”

He couldn’t ignore the pattern, or the feeling that there had to be another solution, so he began looking beyond podiatry, talking to friends and colleagues in related fields, including physiotherapy and chiropractic. Conversations with his best friend, a physio, saw Shaun questioned on why podiatry sometimes relied on external devices or surgery, instead of working to strengthen and condition the body itself.

“This led me to foot mobilisation therapy,” he says, describing the hands-on technique he now practices that addresses misalignments in the foot, followed by strength and conditioning exercises designed to reinforce these changes.

Shaun holds a BHSc (Podiatry) and says that although orthotics have a role, they’re an aid, not the long-term solution. He’s also quick to point out that his approach isn’t the answer for everyone.

“Orthotics will work for a percentage of people, but not everyone,” he says. “It’s the same with my treatment. It doesn’t fix everyone – it provides another option.”

Foot mobilisation therapy uses manual techniques similar to those used by chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapists to treat conditions including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathies, hammer toes, bunions, osteoarthritis and ankle sprains. Strength and conditioning exercises are then prescribed for clients to continue at home.

“This addresses the underlying weaknesses and misalignments, so ultimately the patient can walk better barefoot again, rather than relying on external devices like orthotics,” says Shaun.

Treatment can also include other techniques, like category-four musculoskeletal laser, dry needling and strapping. Shaun says the approach is tailored to the individual, with diagnostic information such as X-rays or ultrasounds helping to establish a short-, mid- and long-term treatment plan.

A key part of Shaun’s approach is giving clients measurable evidence of change. X-rays can be taken before and after treatment, allowing changes in the foot to be assessed objectively, as opposed to relying solely on how their foot feels.

“I can physically see the evidence of why they feel better,” he says. It also helps him work towards a bigger goal: making clients less dependent on treatment.

“I’m trying to get someone from A to B, and then get them self-sufficient,” he explains.

Shaun spent five years working in Australia, including several years in a clinic dedicated to foot mobilisation. Working directly with patients allowed him to develop not only his understanding of the technique, but also the confidence and practical experience needed to manage the realities of treatment.

With a baby on the way, Shaun and his wife decided it was time to come home. They chose Tauranga, where his wife is from, and decided to see whether his new approach could take root here.

On returning, he saw an opportunity. He was the first to pioneer foot mobilisation therapy as a specialty in New Zealand, and today he says only two places in the country specialise in the practice. Over the past nine years, he’s opened two clinics in Auckland and Corrective Foot Solutions here in Tauranga, where he practices. Treatment is ACC funded, and private health insurance may also cover it where podiatry is included in the policy.

For people dealing with foot problems, particularly bunions, Shaun says early action makes the biggest difference. Exercise and appropriate footwear can help, but hereditary factors and the way a person stands and walks can also contribute.

“The sooner someone can get on to treating something like a bunion, the better,” he says. “The longer you leave it, the harder it gets.”

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to make feet feel better. It’s to help people return to the things they enjoy, whether that means exercise, socialising, shopping, Pilates or yoga.

“After treatment, people feel stronger on their feet and more stable and mobile,” he says. “And they always mention that they can wear their favourite shoes!”

CORRECTIVEFOOTSOLUTIONS.CO.NZ

BEHIND THE SEAMS

Three local designers reveal what it takes to be accepted into one of the country’s most prestigious, and arguably most creative, design shows – the wonderful World of WearableArt.

WORDS PIP CROMBIE / PHOTOS ALAN GIBSON + ANNE SHIRLEY + SUPPLIED

Whether as a career pinnacle or pure entertainment, the World of WearableArt (aka WOW – September 17 to October 4) is a significant fixture on the annual calendar for those who love fashion, creativity, drama and theatre. Sophisticated, swashbuckling and sensorial, it’s a show you simply must experience.

A sumptuous visual feast, WOW thrills audience who travel from far and wide to celebrate the creativity of those who are bold, brave and beyond ingenious in their artistic resourcefulness. Conceived by Nelson sculptor Suzie Moncrieff in 1987, it challenges designers to bring art to life.

The first show was attended by 200. In 2005, it relocated to Wellington, a move made to facilitate WOW’s creative and commercial growth. It paid off. Audience size surged 60 percent, with 28,000 attending that year. WOW is now seen by more than 60,000 people annually in sold-out shows that run for two weeks.

GLO! is the theme for 2026. Embedded in this are recurring competition sections (or ‘worlds’) Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, plus three unique themes announced annually. This year, they’re Bizarre Bra, Kinetic and Metallic.

The show itself is the culmination of a fierce competition, when finalists’ creations get their moment to shine. Secrecy shrouds the garments until they make their appearance and the winners are announced live. Careers have been launched on the WOW stage, talents recognised, opportunities offered.

So who are the people behind the wearable art, what drives them, qualifies them, tempts them to turn visual concepts into reality? Let’s meet three Tauranga locals who have achieved the coveted status of WOW 2026 finalist – each in very different ways.

ANNE-MARIE SIMON Anne-Marie Simon has worked on the education side of fashion since 2008, as a tutor at Toi Ohomai Polytechnic. Prior to this, she worked as a machinist, pattern-maker, production manager and designer, and overseas manufacturing interior soft goods for luxury launches. Over the years, she’s successfully entered art and design events such as the Miles Art Award and the Parkin Drawing Prize, enjoying working with textiles and thread to explore non-traditional creative works.

In 2025, Anne-Marie undertook academic research following her 2018 Master of Educational Leadership. For this, she explored the impact of technology on wearable art design and how designers integrate digital and traditional textile techniques in their creative practice. “Although new technology has an important place and enables outcomes that would likely be impossible by hand, you still have to have the creative idea, and bring that vision to life,” she explains.

Interviewing and surveying previous WOW finalists about their processes and techniques inspired Anne-Marie to enter. She combined both traditional and digital techniques, experimenting, testing and problem-solving along the way, over many months and late nights in her home studio. Did her research influence her garment? “Absolutely – that and a large bucket of RJ’s Licorice Allsorts. The experience has also led to my next project, The Digital Seam, an exhibition I’m curating for Toi Ohomai’s Mauao Gallery in October, featuring works from previous WOW finalists. I’m thrilled that Georgia [Chalmers-Jones, overleaf] will be part of the panel on opening day!”

GEORGIA CHALMERS-JONES Film and television costumer Georgia Chalmers-Jones has entered WOW three times, each time gaining a finalist nomination. In 2023, she was a sectional winner with her first piece, The Golden Age of Queens, inspired by the reigning queens of the 14th and 15th centuries. The mainly leather piece was made with traditional leather tooling (largely self-taught) and by hand-cutting the lace with a scalpel.

Having studied at the South Seas Film & Television School in 2013, then worked in the UK for a couple of years on Outlaw King and Outlander, Georgia has been part of the film industry for 10-plus years, contributing to movies and TV shows including East of Eden, Spartacus, Time Bandits and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. She’s currently working in Wellington on The Hunt for Gollum, and when UNO spoke to her, she was “hiding in a cupboard because it’s so noisy in the design room! I’m usually part of a 50- to 80-strong costume department... embroiderers, jewellers, sculptors, seamstresses, dye and textile technicians, art finishers, illustrators, leather workers. Each is so skilled and exacting in their craft, there’s such a wealth of knowledge and shared techniques that I can learn from and experience in my day-to-day.”

While creating her current piece for WOW, Georgia was working on The Legend of Zelda. “I made it at home in every spare moment I could find. I didn’t have enough space to paint it, so I laid dropcloths in the lounge. It wasn’t quite as wild as my 2024 entry, Hakuturi, though. For that, I had to soak and flatten the ends of nīkau palm leaf before I could cut it, and the only way was to get in the shower wearing it.”

EMMA HIGHFIELD A six-time finalist since 2007, Emma Highfield’s no stranger to fashion. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Elam School of Fine Arts, she launched a bespoke lingerie brand. “I handcrafted everything myself; I’m a self-taught pattern-maker and seamstress. My designs, Emma Highfield Lingerie, were showcased in [lingerie show] Project Born in 2012, alongside Wētā Workshop. I’ve always loved creating art in many mediums. I’m a co-founder at [women’s fashion label] Dear Dylan, which is very design-based work, but also very different to my personal creative pursuits. WOW’s an opportunity to explore my interests in new and exciting ways.”

Having had a break as she grew her business and became a mother, she’s back with passion. Her 2026 entry was inspired by time spent in her flower beds, an environment where growth is shaped by tenacity and care. “It’s always such an amazing achievement to be selected as a finalist and have my work showcased in such a spectacular event,” she says. “I already have a few exciting concepts I’m pondering for WOW 2027.”

Like Georgia and Emma, Anne-Marie’s work may become a fixture at WOW as well. “Regardless of the judging outcome, this experience has inspired me to enter WOW again,” she says. “I was thrilled and genuinely shocked to be accepted. After researching and admiring the work of previous finalists, it feels quite surreal to now be one myself.”

Georgia agrees. “It’s always such an amazing feeling. It’s both a sigh of relief and intense. You spend all that time creating and making and putting your soul into the piece, then you wait while it goes through the judging process, and you almost forget you have an entry. It’s so exciting to see how it’s featured on stage.

“I’ve caught the bug,” she continues. “I was warned by another designer after my first entry, that it’s a real possibility that you’ll give up a good chunk of your life to create a new and exciting piece every year, if you can. It’s definitely not a bad problem to have!” WOW fans are in for a treat, and the judges have a challenge on their hands.

WORLDOFWEARABLEART.COM

LAUGHING MATTERS

Vulnerable, powerful and a whole lot of fun, Riley Brebner’s brand of entertainment both tickles the funny bone and tugs at the heartstrings.

WORDS MONIQUE BALVERT O’CONNOR

Former Aquinas College student Riley Brebner used to get in trouble now and then for laughing and talking too much at school. Imagine turning that into the foundation of a career.

Riley’s done just that, and the theatre-maker will soon be on stage to deliver a smash-hit, debut solo show as part of the upcoming Tauranga Arts Festival – at which laughing will be fully encouraged. UNO’s thrilled to sponsor this home-grown talent.

Riley learnt about the power of laughter at an early age. It turned out to be an invaluable tool when it came to dodging detention and fitting in.

“I could diffuse a situation by making my teachers laugh, and I got into the popular group because I was funny,” they say. “I think I laugh more than many people. Humour’s a big thing for me – it’s how I connect with people. I’d never survive in a serious job.”

Instead, 25-year-old Riley has a job that’s designed to make you chuckle. Their hour-long solo comedy show Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat, which Tauranga festivalgoers will soon get to enjoy, was a sell-out success in Auckland recently. It also won Riley the Most Promising Emerging Artist award and the Dunedin Fringe Tour Ready award at the NZ Fringe Awards in Wellington.

In a mockumentary format, the show follows four students (all played by Riley) rehearsing for a Stage Challenge performance. It’s written from the teenager’s perspective as they endeavour to win the nationals, and tracks the rehearsal process – in which lots of things go wrong and relationships form.

Speaking from their parents Megan and Mark’s Tauranga home, Riley says, “I describe it as a love letter to the arts. Think of the number of hours you put into preparing for a performance like Stage Challenge, and at a time when your understanding of the world is so funny. It’s when you learn about bigger things, form opinions and your own identity, feel vulnerable, have crushes, discover where your passion lies. As a teenager, I remember thinking, ‘This is my whole world’.

“It’s so fun to perform and play these teenagers, who are based on people I went to school or drama school with – and I reckon I’m a little bit of all of them. It’s nostalgic in terms of overall high school experiences.”

Speech and drama and a good dose of acting were all part of Riley’s school years. They enjoyed performing in Tauranga Musical Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz and The Little Mermaid, then directed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang during a gap year before heading off to study at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art in Christchurch. They graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts and the realisation that acting and creating work was a passion – as well as the way to be seen and get work in Aotearoa’s performing arts world.

Riley says their favourite thing about theatre is how impactful it can be. Educational work to benefit young people was an early post-graduate focus, via school tours of performances including Crash Bash, about safe driving, and Sex Wise, on sexuality, consent and online safety. Then came a successful audition for TV show, Camp Be Better, which spurred a move to Auckland.

Riley loves that their adopted city has a fabulous improv scene and a group called Bull Rush that puts its hilarious, fast and fearless acting on show every Friday at Basement Theatre. “That’s been my launch into the Auckland theatre scene... how I got seen and got to meet the right people and set up important connections,” says Riley, citing comedian Tom Sainsbury as a mentor.

Performing with Bull Rush, touring Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat, writing a TV show, creating a play, working to pay the bills, and studying towards a post-graduate qualification in teaching all keep Riley happy and busy. Becoming a drama teacher one day could be on the cards.

“I have a passion for working with teenagers. It’s the seed from which a lot of my work inspiration comes from. Teenagers need stories in which they can see themselves.

“My favourite theatre is vulnerable comedy – it comes from people living in their truth. ‘Tickle the ribs, then stab the heart’ is a quote I really love. You’re allowing your audience to feel safe, connect with you and let you in, and at the same time you’re talking about really important things. These are the shows that affect me and inspire my own work.

“Oh, and it’s great to have people laughing.”

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A Canadian acrobatic troupe, singing sensation Macy Gray, local legends Hittmen Bucket Drummers, bilingual theatre, cult cabaret, music shows, classical piano, a pocket orchestra, a light installation, a poetry slam, a zinefest, a literary programme, an interactive gaming event, comedic performances and more – Tauranga Arts Festival 2026 is set to deliver big time.

Eleven days and nights will be jam-packed with fun from October 22 to November 1.

Visit TAURANGAFESTIVAL.CO.NZ for information and tickets. Tickets are also available from Baycourt and Eventfinda.

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

The seeds of world record-holder Sam Ruthe’s success may have exploded into full bloom recently, but they were sown nearly eight decades ago. Jamie Troughton retraces the remarkable story of a family of runners, which could be culminating in the current generation.

WORDS + PHOTOS JAMIE TROUGHTON + SUPPLIED MAKE-UP DESIRÉE OSTERMAN

If you learn nothing else about Sam Ruthe, just know he’s the type of 17-year-old boy who treasures time with his grandparents.

His ‘Poppa’ and ‘Nan’ are Trevor and Rosemary Wright, who moved to Tauranga 44 years ago. They left behind a life in England, as well as extraordinary athletic careers in their own right.

Sam often pops in during study breaks to see his grandparents at their house in Tauranga’s Avenues, or on his way home from Tauranga Boys’ College, where – almost incongruously – he’s a Year 12 student.

These days, into their late 70s, Trevor and Rosemary are still active. And recently, on a warm autumn day for the umpteenth time in their lives, they were perched on a park bench at Welcome Bay’s Waipuna Park watching cross country. On show was Sam’s younger sister Daisy, and she was putting on an absolute clinic. Not only did she demolish her age group to win the Western Bay under-16 girls title but she cleared home ahead of the entire field of boys, who started at the same time.

“I get more nervous watching the kids and grandkids run than when I used to run myself,” says Trevor. “When I was running, it was down to me and I knew what I was doing, but you can’t control how the kids run their race and you don’t want them to be disappointed.”

Disappointment, however, seems a rare commodity in this family these days. In 1971, Trevor set the world record for the fastest debut marathon, and collected podium medals at the European championships, the New York City Marathon and the London Marathon. His best marathon time would have been enough to finish in the top 40 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But the former electrician relished the chance to move to New Zealand in 1982, with Rosemary, four-year-old Emma and two-year-old Jess. Now, the girls have five kids of their own and the Wrights are frequently on the sidelines, offering gentle encouragement but a distinct absence of advice. Their once-powerful flame of ambition, which carried them both to achieve worldwide athletic feats, is now just a gentle warm joy for the next generation.

“They really don't talk about their running that much,” says Sam. “Nan's theory is that you don't really need to do too much to be good at running, and she views it as a simple thing you can get good at by doing quality over quantity. She tells me stories about how she used to hide around the corner and eat chocolate while others trained. It might not be a great tip, but it definitely makes running a lot more casual, having that perspective.”

It turns out that Rosemary grew up in Whakatāne – where she spent the first 14 years of her life – next door to the grandmother of one of Sam’s good mates and training partners, Ronin Dickens. That piece of trivia has absolutely no bearing on anything, other than to provide a comforting reminder that, in this country, we live in merely a large village.

Sam’s village is tight and trustworthy and nourishing; his family is his foundation. He may or may not become the greatest runner New Zealand has ever produced, but he will always know where his feet stand, and who has put him on his journey.

“That’s the really cool thing about having a family full of runners – everyone’s been there and done that, and things like records don’t interest them as much,” says Sam. “They understand everything that’s going on, they don’t see you as ‘a runner’, and it helps build your own identity within your family.”

Fifty-six years later, Rosemary can still hear the pulsing roar of 5000 Edinburgh throats, opening as one. Meadowbank Stadium, newly opened for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, shook on its foundations as the women’s 800m field leaned into the final curve.

Time has blurred out most other details for the long time Tauranga teacher, clad that day in the white and St Andrews blue of her adopted Scotland. Intriguingly, she was also something of a prodigy. Then Rosemary Stirling and still just 22, she was at her second Commonwealth Games after a promising debut in Jamaica four years earlier, where she’d picked up a pair of fourths in the 400m and 800m.

Just eight years after moving back to the UK with her British-born parents, and having overcome injury in the lead-up, she was still only rated an outside chance in the 800m on the final day of the Games.

“I remember [England's] Sheila Carey falling over on the first lap and thinking, ‘That’s good’ because she was the favourite to win,” the now 78-year-old recalls of that 1970 final. “And I can just remember crowds. There were huge crowds shouting and bawling and just screaming. It definitely lifted me.”

After two compelling laps, it all came down to the final few desperate strides, when the Kiwi-born Scot lunged at the line to beat England’s Pat Lowe and Australia's Cheryl Peasley. It was the closest finish of the Games, and Scotland’s first-ever female track gold medal at Commonwealth level. It’s given Rosemary an enduring legacy in Scotland. She made the Olympic final in Munich two years later, and her 800m national record stood in Scotland until 2002. She was invited back to help open the 1986 Games and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow in 2014.

These days, Rosemary downplays her own athletic feats to the point of irrelevance. “It’s only running,” she says. Though dismissive, there’s a glimmer of steel in her tone, well known to the thousands of Tauranga Girls’ College students she’s taught over the years. And there’s also a deeper philosophy embedded in that short truth, one that has become something of a family mantra.

It’s only running. You can see that, later that same autumn day, when Sam starts rekindling his deep, abiding love affair with the sport. On Tauranga Domain’s busy synthetic track, he’s taking the first, slightly tentative steps from a fast walk to a light jog, six weeks after suffering a stress fracture in his fibula during a casual game of backyard football. At 17, it was his first major injury, which has since ruled him out of emulating his grandmother’s Commonwealth Games heroics – this year, at least.

Around him, his village takes note and quietly celebrates. Coach Craig Kirkwood sends his burgeoning training squad on their way, pacing out meticulous laps, alongside Tauranga Boys’ College’s gun running posse, coached by Sam’s uncle, Gareth Hyett. All of them have had front-row seats in the past two years, as a young man in their midst – their buddy, protégé, training mate and schoolmate – burst onto the world stage in the most extraordinary manner.

Sam’s most recent piece of history came at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University in late January. The mile race featured three Olympians, a world champion, a junior world champion, a US champion and a two-time US college champion – and yet, striding past Belgian Olympian Pieter Sisk in the final 200m, came a 16-year-old from Tauranga, jaw clenched in the final straight, clocking a scarcely believable 3:48.88.

Trevor and Rosemary Wright – aka Poppa and Nan – with Sam and Daisy.

Since New Zealand’s John Walker first broke the three minute 50 second barrier in 1975, only 63 men worldwide have managed it. None were under the age of 18.

As well as breaking the under-18 world mile record – and this is one for the stats lovers – it was also the fastest mile run during the month of January. Ever. But the greatest race of Sam Ruthe’s career – so far – was a curious moment for the Tauranga schoolboy.

“I didn’t really get any sense of satisfaction. Once I finished that race, I thought, ‘I definitely have more to give’. I was just off the plane and know I can definitely go a lot faster than that. At the time, I also didn't really realise how perfect the race went, how even the splits were, the atmosphere at the track and all the factors that played into it.

“But running’s a sport where you’re never satisfied and I don’t even really have goals, so it wasn’t as if it was even a goal for me to run the New Zealand record or the under-18 world record. I guess I was happy about it, but I wasn't satisfied.”

After all, it’s only running. That Boston race was bittersweet for the other Kiwi in the field, who just happens to be another Tauranga prodigy, until recently also coached by Craig, two-time Olympian Sam Tanner. Of course, the 25-year-old has known for a while that his young training partner is something a little bit special. They notably shared the New Zealand 1500m title last year in an enthralling dead heat, and Tanner paced Ruthe on the way to his historic sub-four-minute mile as a 15-year-old weeks later. Things were actually shaping up perfectly for Tanner in Boston, until disaster struck 400m in, with his young training partner tucked in behind.

“I told Sammy before the race, ‘Just turn your brain off and follow me, bro – you’ll be sweet’, and he turned his brain off and followed me. We got in a perfect position, and then the dude who chopped between us clipped my Achilles and I had to pull out. Sam ended up behind him, but then he just went around because that guy was falling off, and then he just followed Peter Sisk, which was perfect.”

Injured, Tanner watched the rest of the race unfold from the sideline, with mixed emotions. “It's not very often that you get a perfect set-up like that for a 3:48 mile. I’ve been waiting five years and I thought it was my chance; often the races that I’ve been part of have had a 3:45 pace or a 3:46 pace and I’m not quite there. You end up blowing up and run 3:50, or 3:49, like I’ve done a couple of times.”

Tanner’s also wise enough to know that a great running career is a thing to build brick by brick, and he piles credits onto Craig for his craftsmanship in that realm.

“Kirky’s just so good at seeing where an athlete’s at, making the best decision and trying to guide them, rather than just thrashing them. He lets the talent speak for itself and just cultivates that. And for Sammy, it just means that a little bit of work goes a really, really long way.

“Sammy and I just got lucky; we can both punish ourselves and enjoy the punishment for the sake of success. And when you've got parents who are good at goal-setting and you look up to them in that sense, it becomes a perfect storm.”

For his sake, young Sam has been exposed to the likes of Tanner, triathlete Hayden Wilde and top Tauranga runner Julian Oakley from the time he started running seriously at 14.

“It's pretty incredible when you can see someone in the training group and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s the level I need to get to, to make this my career’,” says Sam. “It’s a cool feeling when you’re running with Tanner. Heading off with Ben on the US tour in January, on which Sam broke numerous records. Sam signed with Nike in March 2025. It’s not like, ‘I’m training with an Olympian’ – it’s the feeling of knowing exactly where you need to be to make it. The coolest thing was seeing how close I could get to him, every time I’d run with him, and that brought me to the level I am today.”

Sam has always been polite, quiet, even shy, says Sam’s father, Ben Ruthe. He has a good yarn about his young son at daycare, when a clown came in to make blow-up balloons. Swords, crowns and sausage dogs were being requested and handed out to the other kids, while Sam sat there quietly, as his parents had instructed.

“It wasn’t until right at the end that he went up and asked for a sword, and the clown had run out of balloons,” recalls Ben, clearly still a little mortified. “I thought it might’ve been quite crippling – we'd taught him to be quiet and patient and polite and never demand or ask things, and he’d missed out. I think we spent the next 10 years trying to encourage him to vocalise what he needed!”

From left: Jess, Daisy, Sam and Ben.

These days, Ben has his own semi-permanent air of bemusement about him. He knows a fair bit about running himself, having won the Auckland Marathon in 2008 and New Zealand titles in the 1500m and 5000m.

Sam’s mum Jess, meanwhile, won the Auckland Marathon in 2009 and New Zealand titles in the 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and the 10,000m (twice). Still, they’re amazed by what Sam has achieved so quickly – it’s been far more life-changing for them than their eldest child. While the sub-four-minute mile was staggering, Ben had an inkling things were about to go up a level late last year.

“There were signs in training in November that Sam was in really good shape,” he says. “He was training with Tanner, who couldn’t have been a better training partner, and all of a sudden, instead of a kid trying to keep up with an Olympian, it was, ‘Sam’s starting to hold on here’, and, ‘Sam’s taking his fair share of reps’.”

Sam’s memory is even clearer. He can pinpoint one typical early-Saturday session along Ōtūmoetai’s Beach Road in particular, when he realised he could genuinely foot it with international-class seniors.

“Tanner always makes us share the reps, and when Craig sets us a pace, sometimes I might push it a little bit faster than that, just to test things a bit. I remember one session when everyone else was dropping off and I was thinking, ‘How hard is Tanner puffing right now?’ and I got the feeling that I was nearing his level because he took over and dropped the pace down again. Little moments like that are really cool to look back on.”

Ben points out that Sam’s recent injury has also had the unintended benefit of encouraging him to ask for help, but it also heaps more pressure on the parents of an athlete, when everyday decisions start carrying increasingly larger ramifications.

“We had a debate about suggesting he didn’t go out and play barefoot soccer with his mates. We weighed it up and decided, ‘Nah, we want him to enjoy the best of Kiwi youth’ – and that’s the day he picked up a fibula stress fracture!

“But if I went back in time, I’d still let him go out and play football, because you learn so much from something like this. His mindset now is around strength and conditioning, stretching, core work, cross training. He was a good runner, but now he’s got a much broader view of all of the ingredients he needs.”

Because of that inbuilt, humble mindset, Ben also has no fear that Sam’s international success will cause him to get cocky.

“We really haven't wrapped him up in cotton wool,” says Ben. “We’ve constantly put him in situations where he could test himself, and that comes with risk. He genuinely just enjoys the process and has never wanted fame. He just wants to work hard and work towards results, and any sort of fame is not a motivator for him.”

INTO THE WILD

From Big Five encounters to Cape Winelands and Cape Town’s coast, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem explores South Africa’s extraordinary richness firsthand.

WORDS LIZ FRENCH

Most travellers to South Africa have wildlife top of mind, then discover so much more in a country of remarkable depth and diversity.

YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem’s Brenda Stephen and Lydia Haydon each visited this big, beautiful country recently. Both returned raving, and not just about their safaris. From vibrant cities to untamed wilderness and world-class wine regions, they got a tantalising taste of the best of South Africa.

Getting to South Africa involves just two international flights. Brenda and Lydia agree that any uneasiness you may anticipate is completely allayed by the hosts of the tours they can organise for you, ensuring you’re wrapped in an exhilarating bubble from the minute you step off the plane.

A LAND REVEALED

Between them, Brenda and Lydia experienced three private game reserves and that being a guest confers pertinent privileges. Thrill at wildlife sightings from the comfort of a purpose built jeep with guides who have an intuitive (aided by technology!) ability to get you up close and personal with elusive and unforgettable beasts in their natural habitat. Game drives typically start before sunrise, with golden light spilling across the savannah, and are repeated from late afternoon for entrancing evening encounters.

Brenda stayed at the Lion Sands River Lodge in the prestigious Sabi Sand Game Reserve. It borders Kruger National Park, a public reserve often congested with traffic. Add the luxury of a suite above the river where wildlife wanders past your deck, and the benefits of a private reserve richly reward your investment.

The luxury continued at Ngala Private Game Reserve with extraordinary encounters with rhino and elephants, and wild dogs on the hunt. The Ngala Treehouse experience where guests spend a night open air under a star spangled sky was described by Brenda as the perfect honeymoon or once in a lifetime stay.

Lion Sands River Lodge

Lydia arrived by air at Phinda Private Game Reserve in the KwaZulu Natal region, an equally amazing private reserve with six luxury lodges spread out over varied habitats and safaris into areas where the ‘big five’ (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) roam freely. The abundance of wildlife and the proximity of unsoiled coastline and spectacular reefs make Phinda the perfect bush and beach adventure.

CITIES, COASTLINES AND CABERNET

South Africa is much more than the big five. Brenda found Johannesburg (Joburg to the locals) far beyond expectations. Learning of the country’s journey to democracy on a visit to Constitution Hill proved a “poignant eye-opener”, and an inspection of the legendary Rovos Rail (The Pride of Africa Train) encouraged her to recommend this luxury rail journey.

Of all the most lauded hotels Brenda stayed in on her tour, the waterfront Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town was a favourite, perfect for exploring one of the world’s most beautiful coastal cities, where style, culture and cuisine is ever framed by the silhouette of Table Mountain. Excursions to Chapman’s Peak (cited as the most scenic drive in the world), to windswept Cape Point, and to see the penguins at Boulders Beach were among many highlights.

Table Mountain, Capetown.

Lydia relaxed and imbibed happily in the Cape Winelands, staying at the utterly gorgeous Franschhoek Country House and Villas, where vineyard covered valleys meet Cape Dutch architecture. A day trip from Cape Town to the wine country gave Brenda a taste of its charm and vintages.

In just under two weeks, these YOU Travel & Cruise consultants experienced the wonder of wildlife in superior private reserves, cultural richness, scenic beauty and historical significance in the cities, renowned wine regions and culinary experiences – all enhanced by luxury accommodation, each exuding unique character. What’s not to love? Lydia’s well qualified to name South Africa, “one of my top three travel destinations”.

Brenda’s and Lydia’s trips were aimed at achieving a lot more than having a wonderful holiday. Like many others taken by the YOU Travel & Cruise team, their South Africa journeys were all about gaining personal experience they can share with their clients. YOU Travel & Cruise believes that by investing in knowledge, they add genuine value as travel advisors and facilitators, and enhance the enjoyment and satisfaction travel provides – not to mention the peace of mind of having a professional on the job as you plan and embark on much-anticipated adventures worldwide.

Sundowners at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve.

If South Africa is on your radar, the experts at YOU Travel & Cruise in the Bethlehem Town Centre would love to share their first-hand knowledge of what makes this country an extraordinary destination, and to curate an unforgettable holiday for you. YOUTRAVELBETHLEHEM.CO.NZ

MEET YOUR GROCER

Ian Harrison’s rapt to have opened a restaurant all his own, and everyone’s invited. Just don’t call it fine dining though, okay?

WORDS HAYLEY BARNETT / PHOTOS ERIN CAVE

As I enter The Grocer through the kitchen, the first thing Ian Harrison does is apologise for swearing. The second thing he does is swear again.

He’s standing in the middle of his new restaurant's kitchen on Tauranga’s Strand, talking about duck fat and why he hates the term ‘fine dining’. He’s also prepping plates of confit duck, mushroom gnocchi and crispy chicken, all updated versions of dishes from his revamped menu.

“This isn’t fine dining,” he says, gesturing toward a duck salad layered with beetroot, orange and walnuts. “If it was fine dining, the orange would be a jelly, there’d be micro herbs everywhere and the sauce would be some over-reduced, complicated bullshit.”

He looks at me, warily.

“I just want to cook really good food.”

For people in Tauranga, Ian Harrison hardly needs an introduction. Over the past decade, he’s become one of the city’s defining hospitality figures. He’s helped shape restaurants including Sugo, Clarence, Alpino and Florence. Ask around local food circles and his name comes up quickly, usually alongside words like ‘perfectionist’, ‘obsessive’ and ‘brilliant’

– sometimes all three.

The Grocer is different because, for the first time, it’s entirely his. After years spent building other people’s visions, this is the place where he finally gets to cook exactly what he wants.

It’s only a few months old, yet Ian has already reworked the menu, tweaking dishes, refining portions and adjusting it based on what people have responded to. Winter is pushing things further toward hearty British gastropub territory, with slow braises, rich sauces, duck fat potatoes, steak and Sunday roasts. Summer, he says, will pull everything back toward lighter seafood and vegetables.

“It’s probably more Pommie than anything,” he laughs. “But then there’s Asian influence, Kiwi influence, Māori influence. If I feel like putting a curry on later in the year, I’ll put a curry on.”

Ian talks about food the way some people talk about architecture or music. He doesn’t like trends, but he does like details.

“If we do eggs benedict here, I want it to be the best eggs benedict someone’s had,” he says. “Not because we’re trying to be fancy – just because we’ve thought about it more.”

Ian’s mentality was moulded long before he arrived in Tauranga. He grew up in England and spent years cooking his way through Europe. He worked in Michelin-starred kitchens where precision ruled everything. He cooked at three Australian Grand Prix without seeing much more than the inside of a kitchen. Eventually, exhausted by the intensity of hospitality, he decided he wanted out altogether.

He planned an enormous trip from Papua New Guinea to London, using boats and buses, working and diving along the way, but after arriving in Auckland in 2011, he stayed.

“I remember thinking, ‘I’m not doing those chef hours anymore’,” he says, “so I went front-of-house instead – because I’m good with people, I can talk.”

His talent earned him hospitality awards and briefly pulled him away from the kitchen entirely. Then he met Krystal, now his wife, and eventually followed life south to Tauranga. Now they have two daughters, Hine Ao Manawanui and Māia, who have become the centre of everything.

“I probably would have left hospitality completely if this place didn’t happen,” he admits. “It was kind of now or never.”

The Grocer occupies a historic building on The Strand that once housed a grocer’s store, among other things, and Ian liked the idea immediately. He wanted to recreate a neighbourhood place filled with essentials, like preserves, sauces, wine, good bread, conversation. He’s already begun bottling house-made condiments to sell, including tomato ketchup, duck fat and preserves made from ingredients used in the kitchen.

“I like the idea that people can take a little bit of the place home with them,” he says.

The restaurant itself feels warm. There are candles at night, heavy plates, proper portions and staff encouraged to read tables rather than recite scripts.

Ian talks as passionately about service as he does food.

“I wanted adults,” he says of his team. “People with personality. People who can actually read the room.”

He speaks openly about the realities of hospitality too, especially in Tauranga, where rising costs and cautious spending have made survival increasingly difficult for restaurants. He jokes about seeing himself less as a restaurateur and more as a “drug dealer”, trying to get customers hooked on the experience before they drift elsewhere. But behind the humour is very real pressure.

“This winter’s going to be rough for a lot of places,” he says. “You’ll see casualties.”

Ian remains optimistic, partly because he believes Tauranga’s dining culture is changing. He intentionally chose this location before major developments around the waterfront are completed, because he still believes people want genuine hospitality.

That’s also why he’s resisting labels like ‘fine dining’, despite his background. He says he doesn’t want hats or awards. “I don’t care about being a celebrity chef – I really don’t.”

Ironically, Tauranga already treats him like one. Customers regularly stop to talk to him. Diners specifically ask whether he’s cooking that night. His social media videos pull strong engagement, despite the fact he openly admits he hates spending time on his phone.

“I’d rather be home with my wife and kids, having a wine, than sitting on Instagram.”

That said, he understands modern hospitality requires visibility, and so he appears in videos; talks to media, like me; and promotes the restaurant, even if reluctantly.

“No one sells the place better than I do,” he says with a shrug.

Really, all The Grocer’s aiming for is good food, generous hospitality and enough warmth to make people want to stay awhile. And while Tauranga’s still figuring out exactly what its dining culture can become, that might be exactly the right recipe.

THEGROCERTGA.CO.NZ

GUIDING GENERATIONS

A global legal career meets a pull back home, as Rebecca Steens brings international expertise to Tauranga’s ever-changing wealth and succession landscape.

WORDS PIP CROMBIE | PHOTOS DEBORAH DE GRAAF

There’s no place like home, or so the adage goes. It certainly proved true for the most recent female partner to join Holland Beckett, Rebecca Steens. She and her husband, Michael, were feeling quite settled after four years in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands. The active, outdoorsy lifestyle they enjoyed on the self-governing British Crown Dependency, located around 20km off the French coast, was offset by the rich mix of French and British history and culture on offer. Rebecca loved her rewarding role specialising in trust litigation within an international context, but New Zealand and family tugged them home in late 2019, only a few months before COVID-19 unleashed lockdowns and other restrictions.

“While it was the close of a wonderful part of our lives, the draw of home and all that offers was the right decision in the end,” explains Rebecca.

Nearly seven years on, as a highly regarded succession and estate planning lawyer with more than 12 years’ experience advising clients on trusts, estates, succession planning and asset protection, Rebecca says her life and background have brought focus to her practice.

“My life so far – the diverse travel, living and working overseas, being a daughter, wife, mother, first home buyer, working parent… all have brought a different perspective to me as an estate planning lawyer, and a partner at Holland Beckett.”

Rebecca's husband Michael runs an engineering business specialising in marine welding, giving her an appreciation of the day-to-day workings and challenges faced by small, industry-specific businesses. That said, she feels at ease with a diverse range of locals and large business owners, having grown up during the burgeoning Bay of Plenty growth phase, in an economy driven by orcharding, ocean industries, port expansion and extensive property development. Like others at Holland Beckett, her significant international experience contributes to the comprehensive legal services on offer by the firm.

In late 2019, Rebecca joined Holland Beckett as a senior solicitor in the firm’s litigation team. She transitioned into the Succession, Trusts and Estates team in 2021, where her leadership has been instrumental in shaping its growth and reputation. “We’re living in a time of the biggest intergenerational shift of wealth from the Baby Boomer generation,” she says. “The recipients of the trusts set up by that ageing generation do not always live in New Zealand. There are tax implications, the division of wealth is not as straightforward as people may believe – many don’t even know where their money will go if they don’t have a will. There’s often an assumption it goes to their wife or husband, but this is being challenged in real life as the Administration Act 1969 [which deals with rules on intestacy] is not consistent with the way we live now.”

Rebecca feels driven to ensure her clients have a clear understanding about the value and division of their wealth, no matter what size it is. She says the increase in blended families, relationship disputes, dependents living with disabilities needing life-long care, those with terminal health diagnoses – all manner of life situations – deserve transparency and guidance in ensuring their wishes are met, and not open to dispute by those left behind.

Joining the now 17-strong partnership at one of Bay of Plenty’s largest legal firms felt right to Rebecca. She describes a law partnership as a relationship and in the way of any relationship, had a clear understanding of what she could bring to it.

Rebecca’s happy to report it has been a completely positive move. “It has enriched my life. The support I’ve had from the partnership and my team to get where I am has been so valued. I navigated the added responsibilities through parental leave and two very young children. Having such a strong female presence in the partnership [seven of the 17 partners are women] is something I appreciate, as is the depth and breadth of experience in our partnership.”

Holland Beckett prides itself on its community involvement, with one of its initiatives being free Wills Month in September. Sponsorship of various awards, a diverse range of charities, pro bono work… the firm is engaged in doing its bit. With 50 staff in 2012, the growth to over 160 by 2025 has seen the need to move to larger premises. Rebecca joins the partnership at the start of this exciting next chapter for the firm, now based in a purpose-built, modern space on The Strand in Tauranga – future looking, with room to expand. Now that Rebecca and Michael’s children are three and four, they’re looking forward to returning to adventurous outdoor activities – cycling, hiking and water pursuits – and hopefully as time allows, travelling intrepidly with their young family.

HOBEC.CO.NZ

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

Registered nurse and director of Cashmore Clinic, Leanne Cashmore, says taking a seasonal approach to caring for your skin can make a significant difference to how it looks and feels year-round.

PHOTO SALINA GALVAN

If you ask me, winter presents the perfect opportunity to reset and repair your skin. Whereas summer is often focused on protection and maintenance, this time of year is all about nourishment, restoration and correction.

During the cooler months, humidity reduces, and cold air outside combined with indoor heating can leave skin feeling tight, dehydrated, flaky and more sensitive than usual. Many people notice increased redness, irritation or dullness, because the skin barrier – the outer layer responsible for retaining moisture and protecting against environmental stress – has become compromised.

In the skin industry, winter is widely considered to be ‘treatment season’. Reduced sun exposure and heat mean you’re able to recover more comfortably and effectively from advanced treatments, plus many professional treatments increase sun sensitivity, making winter the safest time to achieve optimal results.

Resurfacing treatments are one of the most popular winter options. They work by exfoliating the skin, encouraging cell turnover, and targeting concerns such as pigmentation, congestion, uneven texture, acne and fine lines. Having such treatments in winter reduces the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation.

For safety and best results, laser treatments targeting pigmentation, redness, acne scarring, rejuvenation and overall skin correction are also best performed when sun exposure is lower. Laser technology works by creating controlled stimulation within the skin to encourage collagen production and improve imperfections.

The less-sweaty season is an effective time for microneedling too. By creating tiny micro-injuries within the skin, it stimulates collagen and elastin production to improve scarring, texture, enlarged pores and signs of ageing.

You have much to gain from even just a quick reassessment of your skincare routine. Avoid over-exfoliating and, ideally, use active ingredients under the supervision or guidance of a professional. For home care, look for ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin and essential fatty acids that will boost hydration and support a stronger, healthier skin barrier. And remember, SPF is still non-negotiable. UV exposure remains one of the leading causes of premature ageing and pigmentation, whatever the weather.

A thoughtful reset can create long- term improvements that are difficult to achieve during sunnier seasons. Rather than viewing winter as a challenging time for your skin, I say see it as an opportunity. CASHMORECLINIC.CO.NZ

Results achieved from Ultra Veloce. One treatment only in conjunction with medical-grade skincare.

BUILDING FREEDOM

UNO’s new columnist, Mount financial adviser Adam Stewart, shares his grounded, practical approach to investing, retirement and financial freedom.

PHOTOS DEBORAH DE GRAAF

At 32, Compound Wealth founder Adam Stewart has already spent more than a decade immersed in the world of investing, KiwiSaver and financial planning. But despite managing more than $170 million in funds under advice and working with clients across New Zealand, his approach to wealth remains surprisingly grounded.

Raised on a dairy farm in Ashburton, Adam says growing up in a hardworking farming family shaped much of how he thinks about money and long-term security. “There’s no such thing as days off on a farm,” he says. “The cows still need milking on Christmas Day.”

His parents’ work ethic left a lasting impression. So too did the realities of farm ownership, with debt, weather dependence and the relentless pressure that can come with running a business tied so closely to the land.

“I saw a lot of toil from my parents,” he says. “I think that got me thinking about how I could do things in a smarter way.”

That curiosity eventually led him to study finance and commercial law at Victoria University in Wellington, where he landed a part-time role at a financial planning firm while still in his teens. It was there, while working on matters related to the relatively new KiwiSaver, that something clicked. “I got really passionate about KiwiSaver because I understood the power of compound interest.”

Like many people who eventually end up in finance, Adam says he was also drawn to the idea of independence. Reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad at a young age sparked an interest in financial freedom and business ownership, concepts that would later become central to both his career and personal philosophy.

After university, Adam worked for a government-appointed default KiwiSaver provider, eventually moving into a role in which he travelled the country advising financial advisers on investment products and KiwiSaver strategies. The experience exposed him to a huge range of financial businesses – the good, the bad and everything in between.

But it was conversations outside the office that inspired him to launch Compound Wealth. “I’d be at the rugby club or out socially and people would ask me what KiwiSaver fund they should be in,” he says. “I just assumed most people knew what they were doing financially, but they didn’t.”

What shocked him most was not a lack of intelligence, but a lack of guidance. “I was meeting CEOs, lawyers, accountants and people with two or three hundred thousand dollars sitting in the wrong fund.”

At just 24, Adam started Compound Wealth with the simple goal of helping ordinary New Zealanders make better long-term financial decisions. Initially, much of that work centred around KiwiSaver and moving clients into funds that better matched their goals and risk tolerance. Over time, however, the business evolved into retirement planning, investment strategy and helping clients create lives that feel financially secure.

Today, Adam’s typical client is approaching retirement or already retired, often with more than $1 million in investments, property or KiwiSaver assets. “A lot of people have worked extremely hard for decades, but they don’t actually know how to spend their money confidently,” he says.

It is a surprisingly common problem. Adam says many retirees remain overly conservative with their investments, worried they’ll run out of money. Others hold onto wealth purely out of fear.

“Too many people think they need to die with exactly the right amount left over,” he says. “But often they could afford to enjoy life a lot more.”

Instead of simply focusing on investment returns, Adam says much of his work now revolves around helping clients align their money with the lives they actually want to live. That might mean helping someone structure their finances so they can travel more in their 60s and 70s, give money to their children earlier, or feel comfortable spending what they’ve spent decades building.

“If you want to take the family to Fiji and pay for everyone because you can afford to do it, great,” he says. “If you want to help your kids get ahead while you’re still around to see the benefit of it, great.”

Adam’s philosophy around investing itself is notably measured. Rather than chasing hot stock tips or market timing, he advocates for low-cost diversified investing and long-term thinking.

“We’re not trying to pick the needle in the haystack,” he says. “We own the haystack.”

It’s advice he applies to his own life. Adam started Compound Wealth in his mid-20s, while living rent-free back in Ashburton and playing Heartland rugby. The early years were difficult. He admits earning trust as a young adviser came with “a lot of hard knocks”.

“People would think, ‘Who’s this 24-year-old advising me on my finances?’” he laughs.

Still, he kept showing up. Over time, the business grew steadily, helped in part by the digital shift brought on by COVID-19, which accelerated online financial advice across New Zealand.

Now based in Mount Maunganui with his wife and young family, Adam has built both the lifestyle and the business he once imagined for himself. He sponsors local rugby and tennis clubs, and works from a modern Mount office. He says maintaining balance remains important.

“I don’t want to build some huge corporate monster. I enjoy my lifestyle. I try to live the way I teach my clients to live.”

That may be the core philosophy underpinning both Adam Stewart and Compound Wealth. Financial planning is not really about money at all.

“Financial freedom,” he says, “is having the ability to do what you want, when you want, with the people you care about.” COMPOUNDWEALTH.CO.NZ

CULTURAL COUP

Claire Regnault is bringing big ambition and fresh energy to Tauranga Museum.

WORDS JO-MARIE BAKER | PHOTO YOAN JOLLY, TE PAPA

For a city that has waited decades for a museum, the appointment of Claire Regnault is a major coup.

A highly respected curator with more than 30 years’ experience, including 15 years as senior curator New Zealand Histories and Cultures at Te Papa, she will now shape one of the most visible parts of Tauranga’s new museum: its temporary exhibitions and public programmes.

She wasn’t actively looking for a new job, but one look at Tauranga Museum’s plans was all it took to lure her north.

“It was exciting to see something that was ambitious and obviously had momentum. The buildings aren’t just pragmatic, they’re beautiful buildings designed with care and thought.”

For Regnault, it was that sense of pride and forward thinking that stood out. Public infrastructure projects can often feel constrained in New Zealand, -but Tauranga’s willingness to invest in something culturally bold was compelling.

Beyond her curatorial work, Regnault is also one of New Zealand’s leading voices in fashion history. Her book Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910 won the illustrated non-fiction category at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. She plans to quietly work away on a new book while focusing on building an engaging museum programme that will appeal to visitors of all ages.

“The team have their dream list of projects that they would love to do – things from the collection, or ideas that they’ve been sitting on relating to Tauranga. So it’ll be a mix of exhibitions that we develop ourselves, plus exhibitions from the national touring circuit. There’s aspirations to also bring in international shows. We really want the museum to hum.”

That ambition extends beyond exhibitions themselves. Programming will be designed to activate the building and create a sense of energy and connection. “It could be anything from an in-gallery hands-on learning activity to a lecture series, floor talks or film nights.”

At its core, Regnault sees the new museum as a place for enjoyment, reflection, and social connection – a warm, welcoming space where there’s always something on offer, and where visitors can keep returning and engaging in different ways.

“You want some levity and fun, but it will be balanced with opportunities for serious reflection and exhibitions that might be a bit challenging to prompt people to think and create empathy.”

Outside of work, Claire’s already settling into Tauranga, describing the city as gentle and beautiful. Much of her time is spent exploring local parks and walkways with her greyhound, Devo, and connecting with the region’s greyhound community. She’s also looking forward to joining the Tauranga Film Society.

At the museum, work is already well underway on what will be a dynamic programme of exhibitions and experiences. While the doors won’t open until 2028, some exhibitions can take up to two years to develop.

“Our job is to make sure the exhibitions are as spectacular as the building itself, and people feel like they belong, take ownership, and are really stimulated and excited by what’s inside.” LETSTALK.TAURANGA.GOVT.NZ/PROJECTS/TAURANGA-MUSEUM

A WEEK IN MY CHAIR

Shelley Pullar of Salon G reveals this season’s top hair trends, as well as the challenges her clients are up against this winter.

PHOTOS KATIE COX + SUPPLIED

Shelley Pullar.

Winter always brings about a change, not just in the weather, but in how people want to feel. Lately, I’ve noticed a real move toward looks that feel intentional yet effortless.

Short hair is having a moment. I’ve had a run of pixie cuts that are soft, textured and full of personality. Think longer layers, feathered edges and movement that doesn’t feel too “done”. It’s a natural fit for winter, when collars come up and scarves go on. These cuts hold their shape but still feel touchable, which is key.

For those keeping their length, I’ve seen a change in styling. Clients with classic straight bobs are asking for a subtle directional flick – something that gives the hair a bit of attitude without committing to a full restyle. It’s the kind of look that works just as well the next day. It’s a little looser and a little more lived-in.

Colour-wise, warmer tones are leading the way. Rich coppers, ambers and deep cherry shades have been especially popular – bold colours that aren’t too overpowering. At the same time, blondes are leaning softer. The focus is on blended, “lived-in” colour, like buttercream, beige and soft gold tones that melt seamlessly from root to end. Nothing harsh or stripy, just beautifully diffused colour that grows out gracefully.

One of the most rewarding parts of my job, though, has been working with first-time curly clients. Many arrive a little hesitant, often after past experiences that didn’t go well. Curl trauma is real, and it usually comes down to misunderstanding how curls behave, especially with shrinkage.

For me, these appointments are about building trust. I take the time to really listen and understand their hair history, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what they’ve disliked most. From there, it becomes a collaborative process. Nothing is rushed, and nothing happens without them feeling comfortable.

Education plays a huge part. I talk them through each step as we go, including how much moisture the hair needs, how to encourage a more even curl pattern, and the difference between air drying and diffusing. The goal is for them to leave not just with great hair, but with the confidence to recreate it at home.

When your hair feels right, everything else falls into place. SALONGRANGE.COM