Many lament the annual adjustment that we are asked to make when the climate commits to its seasonal change. As we are forced to bid a rueful farewell to the sparkling sunny mornings and long, warm nights of summer and accept the teeth-chattering chill of winter, those with a more optimistic outlook gleefully anticipate the natural wonders that the brisk season can provide. One of the many unique winter phenomenon’s hailed in […]
While most of us are over here, checking the headlines everyday eagerly waiting for an update on this trans-tasman bubble to start our travel plans, Air New Zealand and Viva Expeditions have gotten ahead of the curve and been offering a unique quarantine-free travel experience for a lucky few Kiwis with some holiday savings to […]
The answer to this time-honoured quiz of course is; ‘to binge watch’! Why on earth not? TV shows – or serials as they call them these days – have been designed for us to enjoy one episode after another, the drama building one block on top of another. With the roller coaster ride for your […]
It’s that time of year again. The end of it. Thank God. Mind you, it’s not as though turning the page in the Gregorian calendar is going to fix everything. Life is not always easy of course, but there are always moments of joy, love, friendship, purpose and achievement to punctuate the way. A couple […]
He was a legend of the silver screen and was infused with the very essence of charisma. While we may be saying goodbye to the legendary Sean Connery, it does not mean we will ever forget what he did for cinema history. Coming to write this, I did not expect to feel the well of emotion […]
I have read all these recent book releases and can recommend them all (no back cover blurb reviews here!). In fact I don’t read the back’s of books, I find they ruin the excitement of seeing things unfold, like most movie trailers. So grab these and relax your mind and open up the thinking while […]
It’s not like us to rain on the parade of someone’s futuristic vision of mass transit, but we wouldn’t suggest you hold your breath at the ticket station for the arrival of Virgin’s Hyperloop anytime soon. While Virgin fanboys might use the news of the recent human trials in the Hyperloop as testament to its […]
Gabe Newell, he’s a man who needs no introduction if you’re a PC Master Racer and have lived through even one of Steam’s Summer Sales. But if you only understood half the words I wrote in the previous sentence, then allow me to introduce the man, the myth, the legend. Gabe Newell is worth roughly […]
The smallest violin is playing for tinsel town as they make a spectacle out of themselves over the pandemic. I guess spectacles are literally what they’re paid to do so you can’t begrudge them that. This year they really tried, and failed, to adapt to Covid. Pretend Everything’s Fine But everything’s on a timetable and […]
Dune, perhaps the most highly anticipated sci-fi of 2020 is finally here (covid willing). The Legendary Frank Herbert Novel has had a checkered history with cinema, with the only good adaption to date being a documentary about a failed attempt at making a Dune film. That doesn’t bode well, but if anyone can do this […]
We talk to General Manager, Brendon Lee, on his bucket list, advice for his 20 year old self and how people can fund a dream. What are the top three things on your bucket list? 1. Talk investment strategy with Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger. 2. Workout session with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. 3. Being […]
In this edition of Man on the Street, we quiz Stanley Henry, Managing Director of The Attention Seeker, motivation, success and his best piece of advice. What advice would you give your 20 year-old self? You are awesome sober! You don’t need to be the party guy who is always drunk. People love you for […]
We talk to Jade Lynn, Sales Trader at CMC Markets, about advice for his 20-year-old-self, the secret to success and his favourite restaurant. What advice would you give your 20 year-old self? There’s not much I would change from those days, but ‘whatever you start, don’t stop!’ The inspiration tide comes and goes and when […]
While Ireland may not be first on the list when we think of surfing destinations, surfer Conor Maguire showed us otherwise when he jumped at the chance to ride these epic waves at Mullaghmore, County Sligo in his home country. Taking advantage of the perfect conditions caused by tropical Hurricane Epsilon in October, Maguire was […]
Nadine Wallner shows us how ice climbing is done during a photo shoot in Hintertux, Austria on September 29, 2020. Just a two hour drive south from Munich, the Hintertux Glacier is one of the only resorts to offer skiing all year round. Unfortunately, as Covid restrictions roll across the country, even peaks 3,250m above […]
Acclaimed country music singer, songwriter and producer Shane McAnally is one of those songwriters that creates lyrics that really gets under your skin. Having written songs for the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Hunt, Keith Urban and Lady A, it’s no surprise that McAnally has received so many accolades for his writing. He’s […]
Music festivals are such a highlight in any city’s cultural calendar. A chance to unite with other music-lovers as you vibe with thousands of adoring fans to your favorite bands and sing along to the great sounds blaring from the massive stage speakers. In January next year, the Auckland Folk Festival will regain its title […]
To be the best in the world is a massive achievement. What a feeling it must be, scrambling up that last steep, slippery, rubble-strewn slope to finally stand atop the peak of your profession and gaze down on everyone else you used to look up to. Content. Victorious. Justified. Sure, some world beaters are hailed […]
The Southern Alps covered in yellowing dust from the Australian bush fires, a whale cruising near Kaikōura, Flatmates hanging out in social isolation, Black Lives Matter Protests on Queen Street. 2020 is littered with events we have all been simultaneously divorced from but a part of. Touchstone moments we all share, even if the impetus […]
If you were looking for a timepiece to celebrate the end of 2020 and the journey ahead, we first need to go back to the 70s to simpler, more reliable times for inspiration. That’s exactly where Seiko went for its reimagining of the 1970 Diver’s Prospex, the SPB183J. The limited edition Seiko design calls back […]
“I like to tell the story of elegance in completely arbitrary and unexpected ways. Perhaps elegance is something in the air that sometimes you are not even ready for. Male elegance can be unpredictable and strange,” says creative director Alessandro Michele about his recent shoot for Gucci. The shoot consisted of three of the most […]
Geneva, 2020 – Sir Jackie Stewart has spent all of his life pushing the boundaries, whether taking the chequered flag in Formula 1 ®, revolutionising driver safety or running his own Grand Prix-winning race team. The Flying Scot has always been prepared to go beyond the perceived limits of achievement, an attribute perfectly aligned with […]
Oh boy! You win the UFC Light Heavyweight crown and you think you’ve got it made! The sun’s always shining, people wave to you in the street, everyone wants you at their parties, you don’t pay for your training gear anymore and all your protein shakes taste like champagne – life’s just so DARNED GOOD! […]
A little over a year ago, champion New Zealand downhill mountain biker and Adashiko ambassador, Brook Macdonald lay in agony, semi-paralysed and unable to feel his legs on a Quebec mountain for five hours waiting for a helicopter to arrive. Brook had sustained a serious spinal injury when he crashed during his first practice run […]
Printed hearts, pancreatic cancer research and Adashiko’s latest collagen release. M2 has all the health news you need for summer. Here’s Your New 3D Printed Heart After two years of R&D, Professor of Biomedical Engineering Adam Feinberg and his team have created the first full-size 3D bioprinted human heart. This isn’t just any old sort […]
2020 may have been a write off of a year for most, however Zoom founder and CEO, Eric Yuan can probably consider this year his most successful yet. After the rise in employees all over the globe working from home, Zoom quickly became the go-to software to keep communication (and rapport) up within virtual workplaces. […]
Here’s our collection of the Best Things Ever Said, by legendary American astronaut, Neil Armstrong. “I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.” “I think we’re going to the moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the […]
New Zealand’s current dynamic property market might be excitement enough for property investors and renters, but to add to that are the changes within the Real Estate industry, and specifically the Property Management Sector brought about by the amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act. Will Alexander, General Manager of Property Management at Property Brokers talks […]
We’ll be dealing with people working from home for a while now. It’s now the new norm. It might’ve started as a necessary safety measure in response to the pandemic, but has continued as lockdown has been lifted and New Zealand enjoys something resembling normal life again. To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if […]
When you are confronted with a threat or an opportunity you would do well to acknowledge your gut feeling when it comes to decision making. Whist you and I may not understand how that works it has probably been one of the key things that has allowed humans to survive and evolve. We live in […]
Talk about a lolly scramble! Ever since the first lockdown ended, we have been inundated with small and medium businesses desperate to take advantage of the digital world. Some have realised that an online marketing is a must, while others have been forced to close their real-life shopfronts in favour of purely virtual ones. Given […]
It’s a question that often plagued me; ‘What wine goes well with a curry?’ I’m arguably overly fond of both, yet had never found the ultimate wine match until recently. But after much trial and experimentation – you see the suffering a poor journalist goes through in order to get the scoop? – I discovered […]
While a bottle of the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky for christmas is always a welcome gift, nothing beats a personal touch. Due to its success, Glenfiddich are offering their complimentary service for the second year in a row. They will send you a personalised label that blends seamlessly with the original labelling […]
Not sure that homemade mask your mum sewed together for you is doing the trick? Worried about the next Covid-19 outbreak? Want to take up more space than you have any right to? This new PPE, BioVYZR, may be the Covid gadget for you! With a 360 degree shield, this Personal Air Purifying Shield can […]
Sure, we have note apps on our phones but nothing can really beat a good old piece of paper when scribbling down tasks at the morning meeting. The reMarkable 2 is a digital notebook that uses E-ink technology like the your classic E-Reader. However you can write directly onto this one. This allows for a […]
There are plenty of bike helmets with brackets for Go-Pros so you can upload the awesome footage of yourself getting sucked under a truck. But this Lumos Bike helmet is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment you can own as a bike rider. So what if they were a preventative measure, as […]
Ever wanted to feel like professor Xavier while he’s using cerebro? Except instead of mind hunting mutants, you are just trying to find a little mindfulness before a packed day at work? The Muse 2 is a multi-sensory meditation device. Because even your brain patterns need to be analysed to monitor your progress these days. […]
Genshin Impact may just be the most successful game you’ve never heard of. It’s a free to play Breath of the Wild clone with RPG and Gacha mechanics slathered liberally on top made by the accomplished MIHOYO studio in China. The more you play the game, the more you realise that what I said about […]
This a Wenger 16999 Swiss Army Knife Giant. Is this even a real knife? I don’t even care, and neither do all the people who left Amazon reviews for it either. 5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising Results I tried to file my nails, but in the process I accidentally fixed a small engine that […]
Belkin’s BOOST↑CHARGE™ Dual USB-C PD GaN Wall Chargers 68W gives a damn fast charge, sending a MacBook Pro 15” from no battery at all to 50% in just an hour. Or for an iPhone 8 or later, it goes from nothing to 50% in about 30 minutes. To really appreciate it though, allow me to […]
Here we are, two weeks out from release day at the time of writing. I’ve been waiting, what like, eight years for this moment? World War 2 took less time to wrap up than Cyberpunk 2077. But it’s all worth it, it’s an absolute beast of a game. And it comes with all the depth […]
While PMG is based on a solid asset class of commercial property, this has not stopped a focus on innovation, revenue streams and different ways of engaging with investors. Under the leadership of CEO Scott McKenzie, PMG has seen 40% year on year growth in funds under management since 2012. We talk to Scott about […]
PMG might be one of New Zealand’s largest and most established property fund managers, with over half a billion dollars’ worth of property and funds under management on behalf of thousands of investors, but each of these investors have very individual goals and situations, from a seed for intergenerational wealth to larger portfolio diversification. The […]
I was thirsty for more VR games after clocking Boneworks and Half Life: ALYX. Unfortunately not many of the current Steam offerings are turning me on very much at the moment. This has taken me further afield to the weird indy space, which has always been my home away from home anyway. The Doom community […]
There are only two globally recognised Gold level mountain biking centres in New Zealand, the other five are all in North America. The International Mountain Biking Association looks long and hard at a venue before awarding the Gold status, and Rotorua ticks all the boxes. Whakarewarewa Forest is right next to town – you can […]
In being content with the rugged terrain of New Zealand’s beautiful biking tracks, a cross-country cyclist yearns for a good challenge. With an ever-changing landscape, the mixture of adrenaline and dust, the heat of metal and the whizz of turning wheels, the testament of the racer is most definitely in the skill of the riding. […]
We live in strange times, and while everything is in flux, it may have made some of us hyper aware of where the next stable job might be found. It seems that gigs that aren’t so reliant on brick and mortar stores or social gatherings are the most Covid-resistant industries. It was one of our […]
No matter what your fitness goals and the training you are undergoing to reach them, your hard work doesn’t stop once you leave the gym. There are plenty of steps you can take to ensure that your workout routine is supported with regular healthy lifestyle choices that will ultimately push you towards accomplishing your goals. […]
Aside from the changes to the property market forced by a global pandemic, New Zealand renters and landlords are already part way through a shift in the quality of rental properties thanks in part to regulations like the Healthy Homes standards, but also to a growing awareness of the long term impacts of living in […]
The last couple of laptops I’ve managed to play with recently have been dinky work machines, so it’s been a breath of fresh air to finally get my hands on with something with some serious grunt in it. The Predator Helios 300 from Acer is a beast and it keeps up with my home rig […]
In that great political high stakes boardroom of the U.S. presidential race, there is a new head of the table with the 45th President Trump making way for the 46th President Joe Biden. While the last few years have really put Biden in the global spotlight, his journey to the top seat goes back many […]
Thanks to COVID – and technology to be honest – we live in a crazy old world where the lines between home and work have become so blurred it’s getting even more difficult to differentiate them. We work from home; participate in business video conferences from our bedrooms; and even post on social media with […]
For some, Christmas is a difficult time as they never know what to get as gifts for the people they know and/or like. You’ve heard the laments; ‘Oh, what do you get someone who’s got everything?!’ or ‘Jeez, I don’t know what such-and-such is into!’ Of course, one solution is to just hammer the monetary […]
Duncan Shand is a marketing guy. He spent most of his career client side at Air New Zealand, a biotech start-up and ihug, one of the original ISPs. He started YoungShand 10 years ago which quickly made an impact on the local agency landscape and is now one of New Zealand’s most respected independent agencies, […]
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You wouldn’t think that being a nerd getting POTG (Player Of The Game) in your game of choice would mean you’d need to know anything about thermodynamics. But at some point you’ve been like me, with your tower PC pressed between two desks and a wall, with all its heat pouring out the back with […]
Movember may be over, but that’s no excuse not to neglect the beard you put so much time effort into. A casual rub with the hand first thing in the morning to get rid of the toast crumbs and coffee droplets simply ain’t gonna cut it. Some serious grooming is in order to do it […]
Every now and then, a British movie comes around that captures the whole world’s imagination with its memorable story, characters, wit, humour and unique sense of style. We’ve seen it before with the James Bond, Harry Potter and Bridget Jones franchises and now we’re seeing it all over again with the recent Kingsman movies. Obviously […]
Christmas isn’t just an All Blacks Test or mate’s barbeque – it’s a special occasion. One that should be celebrated with a glass of quality wine in hand, and Taylor’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port fits the bill to perfection. My Christmases have featured Taylor’s for about fifteen years now – so it’s my favourite […]
Simon and Garfunkel; Cheech and Chong; Donald Trump and falsehoods; some things just seem to go together naturally. The same is definitely true for port and cheese. Oh man, what a perfect ending to a meal – especially around Christmas – to bust out a cheeseboard together with a sly bottle of Taylor’s Vintage Port. […]
There’s a simple law of oenophilia: if you like wine, you’ll love port. That’s because port has all the things about wine you appreciate; flavour, body, pleasing colour and a mild alcoholic buzz – but without the risk of ending up with a wine you don’t like. Ports are blended wines, so, if you like […]
Christmas is of course a time for celebration, gifts, moments with family and some good drink and food. It is even better to have all these things bundled together and it is even betterer (technically speaking) when these things all involve Taylor’s Port. For a start, Taylor’s Port have been going since 1692 which not […]
Whether you’re in a bar or in a tent in the bush or in a meeting room listening to a presentation, the best storytellers have us in raptures. Their tales aren’t just lists of facts like you’d hear from a police representative in a courtroom, these magicians personalize every human emotion, populate their yarns with […]
Talk to most actors off stage or screen and they are usually consumed with self-doubt, worrying about whether they did a good job of playing this role or that part. You can spot them easily as they are always anxious for positive reinforcement from anyone within earshot, whether they be a critic or just a […]
You would think Chen Kun could relax now. With a string of incredibly successful movies under his belt including The National Anthem, The Knot, Chongqing Hot Pot and Painted Skin and a virtual permanent residency within the Forbes China Celebrity 100, Chen is a household name in his home country. Yet taking it easy isn’t […]
E-Sports has taken the world (both the real and the virtual) by storm over the last few years. Not only do audiences rival the world’s largest sporting matches but some players have reached superstar athlete status. In fact, some gamers are bigger than some superstar athletes across the metrics of fanbase, status and earnings. And […]
As gaming fans we’re constantly getting showered with new tech to lure us in. The console market is constantly sharpening its teeth on each other while the PC side is pushing the boundaries of how much raw power and flashing LEDs we can pack into our towers. So it might surprise you that up until […]
King Kong (2005) The first is Peter Jackson’s 2005 King Kong coming hot on the heels of Return of the King. Jackson was never going to have more star power than this, and it’s a shame he didn’t save any of it for the Tintin movie. Starring Andy Serkis as the big ape, Naomi Watts […]
Called the Shenzhen Bay Culture Park, the new concept designed by MAD Architects is going to be China’s latest artistic spin on their Silicon Valley. Chinese multi conglomerate tech greats, Tencent, have been conceptualizing and putting plans in place for urban developments, offices, parks and a waterfront area for Shenzhen Bay. Called Net City, the […]
In a new feat of engineering from Amsterdam-based Isaac Burrough Design, a new 110-metre superyacht concept looks at taking a major focus on sustainability and energy-efficiency. Inspired by Māori guardian of the ocean ‘Kiwa’, Isaac Burrough’s 110-metre motor yacht concept brings sustainable seafaring into the luxury superyacht world. For you environmentally conscious billionaires out there […]
It was in this year and out of a caravan in Hamilton that Damon Kelly formed the tech company Enlighten Designs which today is NZ’s largest website design, systems design and software development companies – employing over 70 staff. In 1998, you’d be at the cutting edge of things if you had a 56kb dial […]
Asking customers to part with their hard earned cash isn’t easy. It’s even harder if you’re an online brand, with little reputation, and not yet a household name. That’s what we at Cove are facing as we work to build one of New Zealand’s first truly digital insurance brands. Besides dropping millions on TV and […]
Ham and Cheese. Lamb and Mint. Pork and Apple. Some ingredients just go together, well, like salt and vinegar. They just taste like they were made as two halves of a divine pairing and once upon a time some chef with a sense of adventure had discovered these long lost twins and repatriated them in […]
Happy birthday to you! It’s 100 years since Prohibition started in the USA – sorry I’m a little late on the anniversary, the Eighteenth Amendment was actually passed on January 17 1920, but I’ve had a killer hangover… The US Prohibition lasted for 13 years until President Roosevelt signed off the Cullen-Harrison Act that basically […]
