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latest on m2
M2 December 2025 Issue – Editor’s Letter
Normally, I like to grab a couple of features from the latest issue and use them to make some sweeping comment about whatever macroeconomic or political drama is playing out at the moment. I have just checked LinkedIn though, and it turns out there are already more than enough experts telling us what to think […]
Chasing Infiniti
At 25 years old Chase Infiniti might have a vanishingly thin list of credits to her name, just an episode of Presumed Innocent, but the talent scouts could obviously spot enough raw potential in her to have her cast alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro in One Battle After […]
The Lamborghini Of The Sea
At this year’s Monaco Yacht Show we got a look at the new collaboration between Automobili Lamborghini and The Italian Sea Group of the new Tecnomar for Lamborghini 101FT. Named after it’s 30-metrE length The Italian Sea Group has successfully translated Lamborghini’s super sports car aesthetic to the sea. The interior is based off the […]
The Biggest Leveraged Buyout Ever
EA Games, publisher of Battlefield, Apex Legends, The Sims, Fifa and every other sports game you’ve ever played recently agreed to be acquired for US$55 billion, the second largest industry buyout ever. It sits behind the Activision Blizzard buyout Microsoft made in 2022 for 75.4 billion. Where it does hold a record though is for […]
Stil With Us
Stil, New Zealand’s finest triple distilled charcoal filtered vodka is getting a revamped new look, if you haven’t had the chance to try it yet, now is your best chance. Its new look has been etched with the topographical map of the Kaimai Ranges. These ranges are home to the pristine spring water used to […]
It’s a can! It’s a cup!
If you, like me, completely missed the boat on Asahi Super Dry Nama Jokki when it dropped in NZ last year then you have good reason. It sold out in record time. 32,000 sixpacks blew by in just 8 weeks. Now It’s here to stay with its own localisation just for us. Each 340ml can […]
Raising The Standards
‘Oh my, Standards have sure slipped’, ‘that’s not up to Standard’ and; ‘that’s the Gold Standard’. Talk to anyone over the age of thirty and you’ll hear such comments soon enough. But what are they actually wahing on about? What Are Standards? Standards are like those other invisible things that surround us like radio waves, […]
25 Years of Laughter
25 years ago, John Bishop stumbled into the brown-bricked Frog & Bucket Comedy Club on Oldham Street in Manchester on a Monday night, slightly depressed after divorcing his then-wife and looking for something to do. There were only a few others in the place. He put his name down on the open mic list and […]
Grounded in focus: Liam Lawson on Focus, Kiwi Mentality, and the Baku Challenge
Formula 1 is an octane and ego fuelled sport, so that makes New Zealand driver Liam Lawson a breath of pretence-free, humble air. In the days before the Visa Cash App RB driver prepared for the unique Baku street circuit, I had a Zoom call with him to understand what powers his journey at the […]
Asking About 3i/atlas Tells Us More About Ourselves
Image Above: Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus. Comet – or was it alien spacecraft?! – 3I/ATLAS barged its way uninvited through […]
The Presidents Dropping The F-Bomb On Netanyahu
So Israel has been popular recently huh? Tensions have been running so high that even here in little New Zealand some have been catching heat. Some have even had to pay the ultimate price, namely Winston Peters’ window and his dog which was suddenly garnished in broken glass. At the heart of all this is […]
Super Interesting Future Stuff and When to Expect It
The future’s always sneaking up on us, ready to leap out when we least expect it. Today we can be happy slurping away at a milkshake through a plastic straw, yet tomorrow we might just as easily get arrested for not using a sipper made from micro-woven hemp husk. But the future’s not always woke […]
ID Scans? No Skin Off Your Back
So Keir Starmer has just resigned as British PM? Well, no he hasn’t – but he is proposing a universal digital ID which sounds very, very similar to the ‘Poll Tax’ which Margaret Thatcher tried busting out back in the 80s. And though she was tough as old boots, the Iron Lady was melted down […]
M2 Bluffer’s Guide To The Australian Open
There are two types of people in Melbourne in January and February. The ones who know exactly why Jannik Sinner’s second serve is suddenly biting harder under the lights, and the ones who nod politely and change the subject to the weather. Photos courtesy of Rolex This guide is for the second group. The Australian […]
Jason Momoa’s Guide to Life
Jason Momoa doesn’t enter a room so much as change its air pressure. One moment it’s small talk and canapé maths, the next it’s a six-foot-five wall of hair, ink and laughter. On paper he’s the shorthand we all know, Baywatch, Khal Drogo, Aquaman, Dune, the blind warrior from See. In reality he’s something far […]
Top 5 things to imagine before you start planning your brand new home
Building a new home is one of life’s biggest adventures, but before you dive into floor plans and colour schemes, there’s some important groundwork to do. Think of this as your pre-planning phase – a chance to really visualise what you want your new home to feel like, not just look like. These moments set […]
What to Expect From Early Retirement
I’m sorry to say that early retirement will cause you to have feelings. A lot of them. Many of the feelings are good—freedom, joy, contentment, gratitude, excitement—but you don’t need help navigating those. Let’s talk about the tougher things you can expect to encounter. Expect the Transition to Take Time “Midway upon the journey of […]
Balance is Dynamic: Rethinking the Pursuit of Success
We’re often told to “find balance,” as if it’s a single moment of alignment we can reach and hold forever. But balance is far less about perfection and far more about adaptability. True balance isn’t a goal to achieve. It’s a rhythm to cultivate. As business leaders, entrepreneurs, and high performers, we live with multiple […]
The Rise of Workslop
Around here at M2 we’re pretty pro AI, we have a whole event centering around helping businesses how to prepare for it and integrate it with their business. Of course with any tool, proper application is key. When you have an AI hammer that seemingly promises to fix everything, the entire planet starts to look […]
How Has Tech and Business Developed In The Last 12 Months?
Nyssa Waters, Co-Founder & CEO, Possibl.ai Prior to founding Possibl.ai in 2023, Nyssa held senior roles including Head of Financial Services & Fintech at Google Cloud NZ, and Sales Leadership with Spark and Telstra. She partners with organisations to transform data into actionable AI insights, driving efficiency, improved customer experiences and strategic advantage across industries. Nyssa […]
The Talent Needed to Fill the AI Skill Gap
James Laughlin, High-Performance Leadership Strategist & Executive Coach A globally recognised expert in high-performance leadership and personal mastery, based in Christchurch, James is a seven-time world champion musician. He now channels his exceptional mental discipline into empowering elite performers, from professional athletes to Fortune 500 CEOs, through his unique frameworks and coaching methods. As the mental […]
3 Years of AI Madness and What It Means for Business
Dr Peter Catt, Director of Quantum & AI, Virtual Blue Peter spearheads the integration of advanced AI, machine learning, and automation into business strategies and solutions. Holding a doctorate in applied computing, he brings deep expertise in predictive modeling and forecasting, helping organisations transform complex data into confident and actionable insights. He’s also a recognised global […]
Innovation, Regulation and the Exponential Rise of Gen AI
Cowan Henderson, Founder, Avocado AI Cowan focuses on bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI technology and the people who use it. His approach is highly practical and people-centric, rather than overwhelming teams with tools, he empowers them with the habits, safety frameworks and playful experimentation that make AI adoption sustainable. Cowan is known for turning […]
What We Did to Grow Productivity With AI
John-Daniel Trask, CEO, Autohive & Raygun CEO and founder of Autohive and the co-founder and CEO of Raygun, a global application monitoring company serving customers in over 120 countries including Domino’s, HBO, and Virgin Atlantic. With more than 18 years of experience building globally competitive Wellington-based technology companies, JD has been at the forefront of […]
Key Areas Businesses Can Start Today That Are Simple & Effective
Andrew Nicol, Founder, Preductive Through Preductive, Andrew works directly with CEOs and business owners to unlock clarity, establish solid foundations, and run hands-on “agentic sprints” that deliver AI-driven solutions within weeks, not years. He interviewed 100 senior leaders last year to understand their challenges, the rates of adoption and the market. His approach is software-agnostic, […]
Improving Health & Safety with AI to Compliment Existing Programmes, People and Teams
Bede Cammock-Elliott, Founder, seeo.ai & seedigital Since 2003, seedigital has become a world-leading interactive remote video monitoring company, protecting over $5.5 billion worth of assets for some of New Zealand’s most iconic brands and organisations through integrated CCTV, intrusion detection, audio, and access control technologies. Bede Cammock-Elliott’s keynote is a blunt reminder that AI in […]
AI & AI Agents Your Team Should Be Using Now For Growth
Caelan Huntress, Head of Training & Enablement, Agentic Intelligence Caelan Huntress starts off with some simple definitions. GPT is “generative, pre trained, transformer”, LLM is a large language model, NLP in this context is natural language processing, and MCP is the Model Context Protocol, the emerging “language” that lets different AI agents talk to each […]
Using AI to Make Your Team Great
Under Danu’s technical leadership, Rush has built platforms and products used daily by millions of people, including the NZ COVID Tracer app, large-scale digital systems for global brands, and AI-powered solutions that now serve 1 in 10 New Zealanders. Trained as an engineer and known for his ability to translate cutting-edge research into applied technology, […]
AI & Cybersecurity – What You Need to Know
Alex Johnson, Senior Systems Engineer, Arctic Wolf. Alex works with organisations across industries to strengthen their defences against evolving threats, helping executives translate cybersecurity complexity into practical strategies. Drawing on findings from the Global Cyber Risk Report, Alex will share where AI is creating both risk and opportunity and what leaders can do right now […]
Customer Retention & Growth At Scale – Asa Cox, CEO & Founder, Arcanum.ai
Under his leadership, Arcanum has delivered AI-powered solutions that fast-track retention, streamline workflows, and drive real business impact across diverse industries. Asa leads strategic development of Numa, a practical AI platform that helps SMEs grow profitably by turning business data into actionable insights and automation. Asa Cox doesn’t talk about AI like a futurist, he […]
The McLaren W1, It’s The One
The pinnacle of automotive performance is an ever moving target and with McLaren’s racing heritage, the challenge is fundamental to the brand. Following the legendary F1 and the paradigm-shifting hybrid P1, the company faced the huge task of writing the next chapter. The result is the W1, a vehicle conceived not merely to be fast, […]
The Corvette Z06 This Car Means Business
I’m sitting in the Corvette Z06, the angry older brother of the Stingray. This has a 500 KW (670 hp), 5.5 litre flat plane crank V8. This LT6 configuration with titanium internals has a red line of 8600 RPM and it is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever fitted to a production car. This […]
Inside Triumph
Triumph is an icon at the core of the English automobile scene and is the sole remaining all-British-owned major brand. They have made some of the most beloved motorcycles on the planet. The brand appeared in 1877 after two years of importing bicycles and started making motorcycles in 1902. By 1918, Triumph was Britain’s largest […]
The Rolls-Royce of Tours
Engineer Henry Royce set out to create the pinnacle of luxury car experience in 1903. His passion soon attracted the sales and marketing talent of Charles Rolls. Together, they launched the Rolls-Royce Motor Company, and now, 122 years later, the brand defines the ultimate car experience and the very definition of quality itself. The ultimate […]
Driving The Electric Mercedes-Benz G580 G-Wagen
The G580 has the same character of the G63 gas burner, the same retro brick-inspired exterior look, the same interior, if somewhat updated, it even almost sounds the same with the V8 inspired mumbly grumbly soundtrack that can be mistaken for the real thing. I’m actually sold on this artificial sound. It gives you genuinely […]
Icedriving The Ferrari 12Cilindri V12
Driving a 12-cylinder, 830-horsepower Ferrari is good on any day, but testing it on the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds on ice has to rate as one of the top vehicle experiences possible. With a massively powerful, rear-wheel-drive, ultra-expensive car, you don’t always think of putting it on a bed of ice and snow. It doesn’t […]
Up The Hill In An Aston Martin – Vanquishing Goodwood
Always a brand that’s uniquely recognisable, and with such status, it was right at the top of my hit list when planning to experience the British car industry. The Goodwood Festival of Speed was already on the books so the cherry on the top was an invitation to spend a day in their Aston hospitality […]
Pictures That Move. You.
The Sony World Photography Awards have wrapped up again for another year celebrating the photographers capturing the dramatic everyday life this planet delivers. Whether it’s the quiet contemplation of rivers patiently slicing through Iceland mountains or the excited screaming of soccer fans in Indonesia something is happening somewhere always. Over almost two decades, the Awards […]
Land Of The Long White Everything – Turkmenbashi’s Marble Masterpiece
And in more hot Guinness Book of Records news; Turkmenistani capital Ashgabat has finally lifted the prestigious title of World’s Highest Density of White Marble-clad Buildings. After a fierce competition that’s raged for at least a couple of millennia, Ashgabat wrenched the title from the grasp of divisional heavyweights like Agra, Washington, Athens and Rome. […]
It’s Not a Suit, It’s Zegna
If you need someone to be the embodiment of style and class you can’t do much better than Mads Mikkelsen who’s starring in Zegna’s FW25 Campaign. The shoot took place inside the Teatro Regio di Torino, an Italian opera house in Turin. This calls back to Ermenegildo Zegna’s personal tailor in Torino back in the […]
The Grand Prix Of Time
For the first time ever the Monaco Grand Prix has a title partner, and it’s none other than TAG Heuer. TAG already had its fingers in plenty of high octane pies, but by becoming the title sponsor in one of the most classiest events of the year they’ve truly staked their claim. To celebrate CEO […]
Fashion: Monti Castello, French Cinema And Rugby Nostalgia
He Blue It At the Fifth Annual Academy Museum Gala in October the fits were good, and a number were spotted in Prada. Our favourite goes to Damson Idris who wore a PRADA light blue mohair suit, white poplin shirt, black grosgrain tie and black leather monk strap shoes. Monti Castello – Made in Italy […]
The Spectrum SS25 Collection
Mandatory has been a stalwart of kiwi’s men’s fashion since Clare Bowden and Fiona Voisey first saw a gap in the market back in 1997. They take pride in tailoring to their clients and using the finest materials, because in their words “it is not worthwhile putting cheap fabrics with expensive labour. That makes everything […]
Kojima Making Games Meet Movies
If there’s one person we weren’t expecting to see mooching around the Prada Spring Summer 2025 catwalk it was Hideo Kojima. Although it makes a whole lot more sense knowing he was there in the context of recently collaborating with Danish movie director Nicolas Winding Refn and using Prada’s Aoyama Tokyo space to host their […]
The Lenovo Legion Go and All The Gadgets You Need In Your Home In 2025
The Lenovo Legion Go If you had told me that this XGIMI MOGO 4 Series was a bluetooth speaker or perhaps an omni-mic I would have believed you, shrugged, and moved on. You, like me, may be surprised however to find out that this is in fact a mini projector. It pushes 550 lumens, with […]
Playing Footsies With The Original Playstation
Do you want to feel real old? The PlayStation 1 is now 30 years old. To celebrate, Reebok, the king of 90s culture has generated an exclusive range of region-specific sneakers to honour their combined legacy. This drop is being done in conjunction with PlayStation’s other 30th anniversary collection, a limited run of PS5 consoles […]
Hands On With the Logitech G A20X and MX Master 4
Logitech has a wave of new kit coming out, my favourite of which is the Logitech G Astro A20 X Lightspeed, here on out called the A20 X for brevity. I’ve been hunting for a new headset to wear at work to block out bosses and coworkers and using the A20 X for this purpose […]
Can A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Rekindle by the GoT Fun We Need?
HBO continues to chase the breakout success of Game of Thrones, but can it ever harness that spark ever again? The GoT universe has plenty of fertile content to work with, George RR Martin may be a serial procrastinator when it comes to finishing off the original books but there are plenty of short stories […]
Tron Goes Into Hibernation
In the last issue of the mag I hand-wrung over the difficulty Tron has always had as a concept. It has never been appreciated in the time it comes out in and Tron: Ares is no different. Tron is anathema to critics who spend too much time reflecting on the décor of their colon. But […]
Marty Supreme Is King
Is it too much to say Timothee Chalamet is a once in a generation actor? Name me one bad movie he’s been in… Wonka? Ok you got me on that one. But his latest film coming out from A24 costars Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, and Tyler the Creator among others. Chalamet plays Marty Mauser in […]
The Movies You Should Check Out As We Slide into 2026
Frankenstein If there is one man who can pull off Frankenstein it has to be the the monster guy himself, Guillermo del Toro. The film Stars Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his Monster. Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Charles Dance also star. This time the monster is assembled from the […]
One Of These People Is The Killer
Daniel Craig’s turn as a murder mystery sleuth by channeling KFC’s colonel sanders is far from over. His third outing as the larger than life protagonist is kicking off again in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”. This time he’s sporting long hair, because why not. The last location, a tech bros paradise […]
Avatar: Fire And Ash
It’s been three years since Avatar: The Way of Water broke box office records and now we’re picking up the story again right where it left off. Avatar: Fire and Ash starts with the Sully family still living amongst the Metkayina Clan in the picturesque reefs of Pandora, but is learning to adjust to life […]
Jimmy Carrn’t be serious
Fackham Hall introduces itself proudly as being “From the studio that watched the first two seasons of Downton Abbey” and doesn’t look back as it delivers physical, visual, and literal gags one after the other. After a year where we’ve already been blessed with a fresh Naked Gun movie, it feels like we’re back to […]
BMW X7 on a road trip: Big is Beautiful
The first impression of the BMW X7 is its size. It is not small, in or out. It’s a genuine seven-seater with a robust physical presence. The second thing you notice is the comfort, the large seats – space abounds. The third thing you notice is the effortless luxury of endless leather, Alcantara and more. […]
Oxford Plant: MINI Factory tour
The Oxford plant has been building cars since 1913 in the same spot, and it’s built everything from the Morris Oxford Bullnose to models for brands as diverse as Austin, Rolls-Royce, Range Rover, Honda based Triumph models and MG. In many ways it’s been the heart of local automotive production lines. English car manufacturing may […]
Liam Lawson on Focus, Kiwi Mentality, and the Baku Challenge
Formula 1 is an octane and ego fuelled sport, so that makes New Zealand driver Liam Lawson a breath of pretense free humble air. In the days before the Visa Cash App RB driver prepared for the unique Baku street circuit, I had a Zoom call with him to understand what powers his journey at […]
Editor’s Letter – M2 Sep/Oct 2025 Issue
I’m conscious that this is meant to be an energetic and positive welcome to this issue. Actually, I’m not sure there’s a rulebook for editor’s letters, but I presume they’re meant to be upbeat. And generally, over the years, I’ve taken an overly optimistic bias to things. Some have even accused me of being optimistic […]
Stay in your (Louis) Lane
Superman has officially become the highest earning movie in the franchise, surpassing the high tide mark left by Man of Steel in 2013. This is despite a strong opening for Man of Steel overall which pulled in an extra 40 million over this latest film. While Louis Lane didn’t get as much screen time as […]
This Robot Wants to Park Your Car
Cooping, thatching and wainwrighting; all great skills we used to be expert in once upon a time – but ask anyone to make a barrel, straw roof or wagon today and you’re more likely to get blank stares than quality products. The sad truth is; we just don’t need those skills anymore so we’ve let […]
You Can’t Play The World’s Smallest Violin
When one is given the unenviable task of entertaining some privileged belly acher with some music, it behoves one to find the world’s smallest violin. Only the smallest will be sufficient for playing the level of sad music required for a person you don’t give a single micron of organic fertiliser about. Unfortunately the world’s […]
The Rockers With the Beards
Founded in 1969 in Houston, Texas, the Southern rock-blues-boogie band, ZZ Top, has reigned supreme as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. With 15 studio albums, a raft of awards and a fan-base that continuously stay devoted to the hard-rockers, ZZ Top are very, very hard to beat. Synonymous with long white […]
Your Backyard Needs A Bespoke Micropub
The days of the mancave are played out. Now is the time of the tiny Irish pub. Look out at your lawn, would you like to not have to mow a couple more meters of it? Why not put a miniature booze temple there instead. You’ve always dreamed of owning a tavern, now it’s time […]
New Single Malts And Tequila are Incoming
The World’s Oldest Single Malt Coming Soon Gordon & MacPhail has announced their plans to release the world’s oldest single malt scotch whisky. Cask number 336, a handsome American oak sherry cask was started back in 1940 when WW2 was heating up and rationing had started to bite. A lack of manpower and other factors […]
Go Alcohol Free with Free AF
There’s a lot of booze on the following pages so let’s start things off on an alcohol free note. The team at Free AF are back at it again with a cocktail in a can, this time the non-alcoholic Mango Margarita that’s unapologetically punchy AF. It’s got the same alcohol style afterglow delivering a tingly […]
6 New Zealand Gins Tasted, Judged, Confirmed.
Each issue, Tim Warren, our untamed reviewer of all things that make life wonderful, turns his attention to the bountiful New Zealand gin scene. Awildian Manuka Coromandel based Awildian has been making waves since their London Dry won “Best in the World” in 2022. This “Old Tom, new tricks” promises an updated 18th-century recipe with […]
Habits of High Performers
James Laughlin has spent his career in the company of champions and not just in the pipe band world, where he’s a seven-time world champion drummer or his award-winning podcast. As a high-performance coach, he’s worked with elite athletes, CEOs, founders, world-class musicians, and leaders at the very top of their game. These are people […]
Faking Out Reality: Is the truth just getting too weird for us to handle?
In case you hadn’t heard; we’re living in the Digital Age. Therefore we expect – nay, demand! – neat, clean, efficient answers. No more of those messy analogue imperfections. Ours is a world of instant updates, real-time data, and domestic appliances that answer our questions on demand. So when scientists, economists or politicians can’t explain […]
Why The Female Gaze Crowns Pedro Pascal Its King
In case you hadn’t noticed; Pedro Pascal is so hot right now. Fresh off a never-ending series of hit shows he’s made a significant impact on like: Game of Thrones, Narcos, The Last Of Us, and The Mandalorian, Pedro seems to be everywhere. His tired, lived-in face with its kind and caring eyes seems to […]
Life After Retiring Early
The question came from my friend Sam, who’s just quit his job. Together, Sam and I co-founded two businesses. The first, a user research consultancy, was sold to PwC in 2014. The second, a SaaS business supporting user researchers, was sold to a private equity firm in 2021 (although we both remain minority shareholders). Thanks […]
Sacrificing Pharmac: Why NZ Is The Perfect Pawn In USA’s Price Game
In May this year, An executive order from the United States was written up titled ‘Delivering Most‑Favored‑Nation Prescription Drug Pricing.’ The idea here was for American health agencies to set U.S. drug prices equal to the lowest price paid by comparable (i.e. ‘wealthy’) nations. It’s been tried before with a similar MFN scheme in 2020 […]
Making GMOs User-Friendly: The CRISPR Rebrand
Anybody know who convinced Americans that Elon Musk was the ideal auditor for government spending? Or who managed to sell Joe Rogan as a legit expert on archaeology? If you know these dudes, send them our way – we’ll need their help explaining why CRISPR might be more like penicillin than Frankenstein. Gene Modding is […]
