Seven stages, a marathon of Kiwi music, a dead camera, a missing car and one very sore photographer. Homegrown’s return to Hamilton was never going to be a quiet day out. For someone who has spent 45 years photographing live music in New Zealand, it felt almost absurd that this was my first Homegrown. Still, […]
Attention. It is fleeting and near impossible to hold in a culture that scrolls through memes while passing a bowel motion, so the TL; DR of this piece is: Please put your hands down your pants. (In a private place) If you read to the end I’ll give you three hard facts, not hot takes, […]
If you have spent any time lately watching a teenager try to figure out how a cassette tape works, you will know we are living in a strange timeline. The same generation that could navigate a smartphone before they could walk is now obsessed with the clunky, imperfect technology of their parents’ youth. We are […]
Okay, as of going to print, we are full steam ahead into the new year, and there is no shortage of global and local political and economic intrigue. Europe/US relations, Iran, Venezuela, Ukraine and so on. Throw a dart at an atlas, and you will likely hit a hotspot. At the same time, throw a […]
If you’ve seen David Lowery’s The Green Knight then you know he has an eye for… Something. He demands a lot of his actors, none more than Anne Hathaway who describes her role in their new film Mother Mary the toughest of her career. “At one point Annie broke down and said, ‘I have to […]
Patek Philippe’s Passion for Workmanship exhibition returned to the capital for the first time in more than a decade recently, with Partridge Jewellers hosting and an evening event at Public Trust Hall alongside a menu curated by Ahi. This was not a random brand pop-up, too by the way. It is a relationship story, and […]
Jacob Elordi is on an absolute tear at the moment. If you aren’t familiar with his face yet, you will be. The Australian born actor has been making the last 12 months his as he first starred in Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein as the creature itself, and now as the lead in Wuthering Heights where […]
Just because special forces have swung through your window, killed all your security guards, knocked out your entire military defence systems and smuggled you onto a black helicopter to god knows where doesn’t mean you can’t look good in the process. The venn diagram of people into geopolitics and fashion has fully eclipsed on Nicolás […]
As a kid I had a copy of the Guinness Book of Records, and a few pages were more thumbed than others: the world’s tallest man, the fastest time for running 100m and the world’s tallest building. The 20th century saw increased activity in the latter with the Empire State Building grabbing the mantle in […]
Blimmin’ hackers! Always trying to get something for nothing. Breaking rules, squirming through loopholes and generally acting like unwanted raiders in the systems we use every day to survive in this modern world. Um… but before we get too high and mighty, we probably should take a moment to reflect on some of the stuff […]
Tom Slingsby Is a hard man to get hold of. But we managed! Captain of the Australian SailGP Catamaran, competitor in America’s Cup, International man of mystery, all round bloody nice guy. We asked him a number of questions to give us an understanding of the psyche of the man who is undoubtedly the most […]
So, Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson has been sacked as All Black coach. Wow, that doesn’t happen very often. In fact, this was a first. Sure, previous coaches have not had their contracts renewed when they would obviously have liked to have continued; Ian Foster, John Mitchell and Wayne Smith being recent examples. But all those prior […]
Mere minutes before an interview with one of the most successful and iconic boy bands in history, Five, my laptop decided to cark itself, go kaput. Panicked, I tried unplugging and plugging, unplugging and plugging. The time had just turned 7:58am on a particularly chilly Thursday morning and I was severely lacking in spoons. My […]
Social media’s killing us! Dumbing everything down to ‘vibe’ level. Whereas once upon a time we’d say something erudite like; ‘Her promise was like a politician’s handshake: full of conviction but with a firm grip on reality’ – now we just say💁♀️👍🤝! Our former love of metaphor, shrewd assessment and, above all, subtlety is gone. […]
The US dollar’s dominance has rested on America’s economy, strong institutions and deep financial markets, which made dollar assets the world’s preferred safe haven. Rising tariffs, a retreat from globalisation, and political pressure on institutions weaken the trade networks that support the dollar’s safe-haven role. Continued protectionism and institutional erosion could push the international monetary […]
Netflix is locked in a bidding war with Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery, with a $72 billion offer, highlighting the fierce competition in the media landscape. This consolidation reflects the evolution of global media, revealing how corporations shape cultural consumption patterns and influence audience habits. The implications of such mega-deals extend beyond finance, impacting society […]
With his hands covered in white chalk, 40-year-old Alex Honnold walked stoically up to the ruyi-inspired glass-and-steel façade of one of the tallest buildings on Earth, Taipei 101. 508 metres of bamboo-joints, reflective glass, jagged edges, metal beams and decorative fins, rising above the dense streets of Taiwan’s capital. The weather conditions on the 25th […]
2025 felt like a LONG year. Here in New Zealand we kept mostly to ourselves as is our want. We’re like our birds, we do our level best to not be noticed. If we are getting noticed it’s because we’re severely ill and stumbling around on State Highway 1. So I hope you forgive me […]
When Peaky Blinders first burst onto our screens back in 2013 we hadn’t seen anything like it for yonks. After a diet of glitzy shows like Madmen, OTT spectacles like Game of Thrones and beautifully costumed dramas like Boardwalk Empire – here came something genuinely gritty. Every scene seemed to feature belching smoke, thick fog, […]
Twenty years ago, Bugatti didn’t just drop a new car into the supercar ecosystem; it dropped a new unit of measurement for what a road car could be. The Veyron arrived with 1,001 hp, a top speed north of 400 km/h, and a level of refinement suggesting you could do all of that, then roll […]
The outdoors has a marketing department that deserves a pay rise. It’s convinced an entire generation that “disconnecting” is best achieved by buying more gear, driving further away, and then sleeping in a flapping nylon envelope while checking the weather app every 12 minutes. After my own recent tent-based experiment through one of the hottest, […]
While the rest of the car industry is busy trying to convince you that a luxury experience is best delivered by a whisper, an app, and the gentle hum of something that sounds like an air conditioning unit, Mercedes-Maybach has decided to do something magnificent. It’s built a tribute to the V12. Not “a nice […]
It is easy to like the Corvette E-Ray, the performance hybrid version of the Stingray Boasts 369kW and 637Nm from the mid-engined 6.2L LT2 V8 engine. But wait there’s more… 119kW and 169Nm from the front axle combine to provide a staggering 488kW and 806Nm. Yes, this is the first four wheel drive Stingray, and […]
Cyberpunk is the gristly bit of science fiction that stopped waiting politely for a clean utopian future and instead dragged it into a rain-soaked alley behind a neon-lit convenience store. The term is generally traced back to Bruce Bethke’s short story titled “Cyberpunk,” published in Amazing in November 1983, and the genre’s rulebook was effectively […]
We’ve written in the past about luxury car companies branching out into luxury apartments and hotels but Mercedes-Benz may have just gone up another gear with their latest project. You’re looking at the Mercedes-Benz Places Binghatti City being developed by Binghatti in Dubai. It isn’t even hyperbole to call it a city. It comprises 12 […]
Vertical Aerospace brought its new electric air taxi, Valo, to New York City recently, kicking off a U.S. tour that looks, in the glossy renderings, like the start of an urban air-mobility rollout over the Manhattan skyline. In practice it’s a roadshow aimed at investors, partners and regulators, with the aircraft turning up in the […]
There’s been a historical heatwave in Australia, and it’s been a pretty hot and stifling summer here too. You could make the most of it, put on some togs and jandels, get an ice cream and go to the beach, or you could go to the other extreme and find somewhere really cold to go […]
If we have learnt anything from Hangover 2, it is that a cool rooftop bar makes everything okay. I’m not sure that is the main takeaway, but it is an important one. There’s just something about the combination of altitude, open air, views, good cocktails and a hint of ungrounded detachment that can make for […]
When the sun drops behind Duke Street and Cambridge settles into its evening hush, a new hotel doesn’t so much open its doors as set a scene. Lights glow through restored stained glass, the brickwork holds its age with quiet confidence, and somewhere downstairs a bar hums with the promise of conversations best kept off […]
The Siena Awards Photo Festival 2025 concluded with a glimpse of what’s happening in the world. From the beautiful to the mundane people’s stories were unspooling in front of people’s lenses all over the world. This is a different look back at the year that was. “The photographs awarded in this edition remind us of […]
Don West Got Dapper If you’re wondering why Australian singer Don West and his band are looking even more dapper than usual it’s because of a light kiwi touch of style. Karen Walker and her team partnered with Levi’s to create completely custom looks for the night’s entertainment celebrating the opening of the National Gallery […]
In the fashion world, there’s a particular kind of confidence which puts more focus on the details of something as opposed to the loud, logo-first stuff that tries to shout its net worth at strangers. A fine example of this is Monti Castello. The brand’s thesis is simple: classic men’s accessories, built around texture, finish, […]
Glenn Martens has never been one for subtle entrances. For Diesel’s latest campaign, titled “The Houseguests,” the Belgian creative director has effectively hijacked the high-fashion narrative, replacing the sterile aesthetic of modern luxury with a dinner party that feels like a cinematic fever dream. It is a sharp rejection of “quiet luxury,” swapping out minimalist […]
Earlier last year, I worked with a team preparing for a winter season in Antarctica. Picture months of darkness, extreme cold, isolation, and the psychological weight of being unable to leave. Most people would immediately see the limits. They would list what will go wrong, how tough it will be, and what they will miss. […]
In The Engine Room Of The Future Dr. Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens at CES 2026 revealing how AI, digital twins, and automation are transforming manufacturing and infrastructure. Siemens AG is one of those companies that never gets headlines but is quietly keeping the world humming, as is the way with B2B. It’s […]
One of the biggest leadership myths is that intensity is either “good” or “bad.” It tends to get labeled as hustle, grind, pressure or obsession and it is assumed it inevitably leads to burnout. Or we are told that some parts of life will always be intense, while other parts never see that level of […]
Finally an Ultrasonic Knife Have you ever wanted a knife that vibrates between 10 to 20 microns so it can wiggle between the atoms of your tomato? Then buy the C-200 UltraSonic Chef’s Knife. It’s IP65-rated so you can handwash it like normal. It has a removable battery that’s recharged via USB-C, or if you […]
I had heard of Dillistrate in passing, many moons ago, in my rugged uni days. I knew that they were musical royalty. They’ve been heralded before as legends, ‘musical weapons’ on the kiwi music scene for years. The duo…Henare ‘H’ Kaa and Tim, who had worked together for years and years before Dillistrate. Henare and […]
Four years after the series concludes Netflix has greenlit a feature film directed by Tom Harper. I don’t know what the budget is but I assume the 1% left over after decking out Cillian Murphy’s trailer went toward making one hell of a film. The movie takes place in Birmingham in 1940 at the height […]
Ever since Angelina Jolie took on the role of one of videogames most iconic heroines we’ve had expectations of what to expect from the character. Much like Indiana Jones, they ARE incredibly attractive and Are able to handle themselves in TOUGH situationS. No offence to Alicia Vikander but it didn’t look like she could handle […]
Woah, what’s happening with the markets already? Gold and silver completely spazzed out recently, the Yen just climbed to insane highs and everyone’s talking about the Greenback tanking. I looked up the definition of ‘jittery’ in the dictionary online and it had a screenshot of today’s Nasdaq closing! I.e.: It’s time to diversify your investments, […]
I like to let my nerd flag fly on the back page, so there’s nowhere more appropriate than here to set up a tombstone and tip one out for EB Games closing up shop across the country. We went in on one of the final days to pick through its corpse. It was swarming with […]
