Latest Articles
Oh what a night! Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons review
The standing ovation at the end of the opening night performance said it all. This high-energy show about the life of the original four members of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons made for quite the night indeed, writes Metropol’s Nancye Pitt, who soaked up all the excitement at the Isaac Theatre Royal. […]
Spring refresh: The Fitting Room
Help is at hand for the perfect fit. Spring is in the air, and it’s not only the flowers emerging from winter hibernation. With longer, warmer days, it’s time to shed the winter woollens and freshen up your wardrobe. Good foundation wear is the place to start. Bras that dig in or straps […]
Celebrate the legend of Phar Lap
On 4 October 1926 in Seadown near Timaru, one of the greatest racehorses in history, Phar Lap, was born. This year on 4 October 2026, enjoy the action and attraction of thoroughbred racing at a feature race meeting that honours Phar Lap on his 100th birthday at the Phar Lap Raceway in Washdyke. […]
Artists unite for local kids
Three local artists share why they’re putting their work under the hammer again for The Big Art Auction Fundraiser’s second year supporting youth mentoring in North Canterbury. After raising an incredible $16,000 in its first year, The BIG Art Auction Fundraiser is returning to Rangiora on Friday 2 October. Presented by Big Brothers […]
Waikuku wellness: Ageless Antidotes
A self-care sanctuary in the heart of Waikuku is where beauty meets wellness. “Holistic wellbeing is at the heart of what I do,” says Donna Kaiser, owner of Ageless Antidotes, a boutique wellness and beauty therapy space in Waikuku’s Old School Collective. “It’s as much about nervous system regulation as it is about […]
Butter lover
The latest trend to take the homewares zeitgeist by storm, these whimsy butter dishes are just begging for a spot on your counter. A butter bell is as cute as it sounds, keeping butter soft and spreadable with a water seal; or choose a simple rectangular butter dish if you prefer storing yours […]
Home comforts
Ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, make your sleep mean more with lounge and sleepwear collections that support two of New Zealand’s research charities. Something as fundamental for healthy living as sleep can now help such an important cause, with two local sleepwear collections raising money for breast cancer research. “Sleepwear […]
From bare paddock to regenerative vineyard: The Tiki story
Tiki Wine & Vineyards in Waipara has become the first such business in New Zealand to be certified regenerative. Metropol deputy editor Tamara Pitelen spoke to co-owner Royce McKean. When Royce and Sue McKean bought their farm in North Canterbury in 2004, it was a bare paddock. The couple, who first met in […]
Summer motoring is around the corner: Christchurch European
How better to enjoy warmer weather and longer days than in a Ferrari V8 convertible with the hood down? Two of Ferrari’s best are in stock right now at Christchurch European. A Ferrari 360 Spider (read our review on page 80) and Ferrari California are the latest hot property to land at the […]
Refreshed kitchens, real value: MF Turnbull Kitchen Renewal
Is your kitchen outdated, or does it simply no longer work for the life you are living today? There are options aplenty when you redesign with a specialist kitchen renewal business. Many homeowners believe that achieving a modern-looking, functional kitchen requires a costly, full-scale process that will take months. However, manager of MF […]
Tempo & tresses
Salon owner and senior hairstylist by day, dynamic musician by night. North Canterbury’s Michele Webb balances being the lead vocalist of a pop-rock band with owning a top Rangiora hair salon. How did you come to own a hair salon? I’d been hairdressing for around 14 years, working full-time on the salon floor, […]
Strawberry & white chocolate shortcake
This is food at its most fashionable. The recipe book GIVE in collaboration with charity Breast Cancer Cure invites some of Aotearoa’s top designers to share their favourite recipes to fundraise for breast cancer research. Biddie Cooksley, founder of Tuesday Label and lover of all things beautiful, believes women deserve to look and […]
Fashion that works: Sally Mac’s
Customer loyalty, friendly advice and enthusiastic staff have helped this ‘world-famous in Amberley’ institution of style thrive for the past 30 years. “I started Sally Mac’s because I was frustrated with trying to find clothes,” says Sally MacDonald, owner of Sally Mac’s a women’s clothing store in Amberley. “I felt that women over […]
Dopamine décor
Inspired by Dame Trelise Cooper’s ‘dopamine dressers’, we invite you to oxytocin your interiors, Ōtautahi. Dopamine décor – the philosophy that heroes vibrant, personal aesthetics over rigid design rules – can boost your mood just as much as clothing that makes you feel good. What is dopamine décor? Decorating for your own happiness. […]
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Cuisine
Strawberry & white chocolate shortcake
This is food at its most fashionable. The recipe book GIVE in collaboration with charity Breast Cancer Cure invites some of Aotearoa’s top designers to share their favourite recipes to fundraise for breast cancer research. Biddie Cooksley, founder of Tuesday Label and lover of all things beautiful, believes women deserve to look and […]
Spring fashion, Spanish feast: The Curators House
While Spanish fashion houses deserve a spot in your wardrobe, Spanish cuisine deserves a place on your plate. Here’s where dining meets the moment when celebrating the Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival and beyond. Vibrant maximalism, bright colours, and coveted brands like Loewe and Manolo Blahnik, Spanish restaurant The Curator’s House is home to […]
Place to celebrate: The Redwood Hotel
Looking ahead to booking somewhere for an end-of-year gathering? Get in quick. If you have been tasked with planning an end-of-year celebration, the Christchurch Function Centre at The Redwood Hotel should be your top pick. Led by manager PJ Prasad Pilla, his dedicated events team will handle everything – from your first enquiry […]
Orange sorbet
Inspired to try one of the salmon recipes? This dessert is a beautiful complement. Do certain desserts go with salmon better than others? Yes. The best desserts to serve after a salmon dinner are light, bright, and fruity or citrus-based. Orange sorbet is perfect because it’s cold, zesty citrus cleanses the palate and […]
Fashion & Beauty
Spring refresh: The Fitting Room
Help is at hand for the perfect fit. Spring is in the air, and it’s not only the flowers emerging from winter hibernation. With longer, warmer days, it’s time to shed the winter woollens and freshen up your wardrobe. Good foundation wear is the place to start. Bras that dig in or straps […]
Why we need a fashion festival
Three reasons why Christchurch is the perfect host for a fashion festival. The Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival (CSFF) is a sartorial showcase, bringing stylish New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) events with South Island flavour. In a three-year partnership between sustainable economic development agency ChristchurchNZ and NZFW, it builds on last year’s landmark debut […]
Beyond the injectable Your cosmetic questions answered: Transform Clinic
Leading appearance medicine nurse with years of specialised experience, Katie McIndoe has built a reputation for excellence in advanced non-surgical aesthetics and is in constant demand. Katie sits down with Metropol to talk about the evolution of injectables and how treating a client looks different for everyone. Katie, how do injectables now compare […]
What’s new this spring? By Made in the Shade Fashions
Between custom-designed prints and vibrant spring colours, we track the latest collections and seasonal styles to this longstanding fashion location on Colombo Street. “A transeasonal wardrobe is rather important,” says Ali Donn in between unpacking spring additions for the Made in the Shade shelves. “Choose fabrics and colours that float seamlessly between winter, […]
Health
The power of walking
It’s not exercise. Walking is a physiological necessity like breathing, says foot and gait specialist Courtney Conley, author of Walk: Your Life Depends On It. Metropol deputy editor Tamara Pitelen talks the walk. “You’re probably not going to like me saying this, but I don’t view walking as exercise. Yes, on paper, it’s […]
5 pillars of wellness
As Canterbury prepares to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Wellness Weekend on 18 to 20 September, the five pillars of wellness come into the spotlight. From nature-based wellness experiences to mindfulness and movement, World Wellness Weekend encourages communities to enjoy free activities that promote healthier, happier lifestyles. What began ten years ago […]
The rhythm of life
What if the secret to feeling better wasn’t about adding more to your day, but about doing the right things at the right time? Deputy editor Tamara Pitelen looks at the chi cycle. Before the invention of electric lights, alarm clocks, televisions, and the 9-to-5 working week, we humans lived closely aligned to […]
Contrast therapy and the coolest place to try it: Elemental
Gwyneth Paltrow swears by contrast therapy. Cristiano Ronaldo made it a cornerstone of his post-match routine. And Metropol editor Nina Tucker believes that Hanmer Springs’ new contrast therapy experience, Elemental, rivals the most premium of celebrity wellness rituals. She takes you inside the guided 75-minute session inspired by the alpine village’s elements. Can […]
Home & Living
Home comforts
Ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, make your sleep mean more with lounge and sleepwear collections that support two of New Zealand’s research charities. Something as fundamental for healthy living as sleep can now help such an important cause, with two local sleepwear collections raising money for breast cancer research. “Sleepwear […]
Butter lover
The latest trend to take the homewares zeitgeist by storm, these whimsy butter dishes are just begging for a spot on your counter. A butter bell is as cute as it sounds, keeping butter soft and spreadable with a water seal; or choose a simple rectangular butter dish if you prefer storing yours […]
Refreshed kitchens, real value: MF Turnbull Kitchen Renewal
Is your kitchen outdated, or does it simply no longer work for the life you are living today? There are options aplenty when you redesign with a specialist kitchen renewal business. Many homeowners believe that achieving a modern-looking, functional kitchen requires a costly, full-scale process that will take months. However, manager of MF […]
Dopamine décor
Inspired by Dame Trelise Cooper’s ‘dopamine dressers’, we invite you to oxytocin your interiors, Ōtautahi. Dopamine décor – the philosophy that heroes vibrant, personal aesthetics over rigid design rules – can boost your mood just as much as clothing that makes you feel good. What is dopamine décor? Decorating for your own happiness. […]
One on One
Margi Robertson
Designer and creative director Margi Robertson has been as influential in her almost 50 years of fashion as she has for the future of it. Shaping the next generation as much as she’s defined Dunedin’s sartorial landscape, she chats with Metropol editor Nina Tucker. Walls draped in the work of cult fashion labels […]
Dame Trelise Cooper
Few carry prestige in New Zealand’s fashion industry like Dame Trelise Cooper, her work featuring in Vogue and Marie Claire’s pages and the wardrobe of Julia Roberts. She talks about four decades of fashion, summer in France, and what modern dressing means in her 60s, with Metropol editor Nina Tucker. Dame Trelise Cooper […]
Johannes van Kan – A picture of success
For about 20 years, Johannes van Kan was a judge for the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography awards. This year, he challenged himself to enter. It paid off. He has just been named the 2026 Professional Wedding Photographer of the Year. Johannes talks to Metropol deputy editor Tamara Pitelen about his life […]
Christine Prince – instinct and impact
From international marketing roles to leading an emergency air rescue trust in New Zealand, Christine Prince has built a career defined by purpose. Now in the role of chief executive at Cancer Society Southern, she tells Metropol writer Hannah Noordanus about the experiences that have shaped her leadership and the sense of meaning […]
ESSENCE
Artists unite for local kids
Three local artists share why they’re putting their work under the hammer again for The Big Art Auction Fundraiser’s second year supporting youth mentoring in North Canterbury. After raising an incredible $16,000 in its first year, The BIG Art Auction Fundraiser is returning to Rangiora on Friday 2 October. Presented by Big Brothers […]
Waikuku wellness: Ageless Antidotes
A self-care sanctuary in the heart of Waikuku is where beauty meets wellness. “Holistic wellbeing is at the heart of what I do,” says Donna Kaiser, owner of Ageless Antidotes, a boutique wellness and beauty therapy space in Waikuku’s Old School Collective. “It’s as much about nervous system regulation as it is about […]
From bare paddock to regenerative vineyard: The Tiki story
Tiki Wine & Vineyards in Waipara has become the first such business in New Zealand to be certified regenerative. Metropol deputy editor Tamara Pitelen spoke to co-owner Royce McKean. When Royce and Sue McKean bought their farm in North Canterbury in 2004, it was a bare paddock. The couple, who first met in […]
Tempo & tresses
Salon owner and senior hairstylist by day, dynamic musician by night. North Canterbury’s Michele Webb balances being the lead vocalist of a pop-rock band with owning a top Rangiora hair salon. How did you come to own a hair salon? I’d been hairdressing for around 14 years, working full-time on the salon floor, […]
Build
Refreshed kitchens, real value: MF Turnbull Kitchen Renewal
Is your kitchen outdated, or does it simply no longer work for the life you are living today? There are options aplenty when you redesign with a specialist kitchen renewal business. Many homeowners believe that achieving a modern-looking, functional kitchen requires a costly, full-scale process that will take months. However, manager of MF […]
Building boom
Ten of the city’s newest greenfield residential subdivisions. 1. Harakeke Halswell A 16 hectare development delivering 252 homes across five stages. Located between Halswell, Aidanfield, Addington and Cashmere, with Halswell Quarry and the Halswell commercial area nearby, developer Fletcher Living describes it as a 21-hectare “thoughtfully masterplanned” community in Halswell. The first off-plan […]
Dream kitchens: Dream Doors
You could have the kitchen of your dreams in just five simple steps. The Dream Doors five-step process guides clients through consultation, design, manufacturing, installation, and handover. This structured client-focused approach is designed to reduce renovation anxiety through effective communication. Managing director Adrian Kay emphasises the importance of each phase: “We focus a […]
Beginners guide to subdividing
Wondering if you could subdivide? Factors to consider: Anyone who lives in Christchurch with eyes in their head can see that the city is undergoing massive change. New residential subdivisions are sprouting up all over the city and in older suburbs, standalone family homes built in the 1960s and 70s are being bowled […]
ArtScene
Oh what a night! Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons review
The standing ovation at the end of the opening night performance said it all. This high-energy show about the life of the original four members of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons made for quite the night indeed, writes Metropol’s Nancye Pitt, who soaked up all the excitement at the Isaac Theatre Royal. […]
Steve’s scene
Long-time friend and publicist for the late, great Dolly Parton, Metropol culture columnist Steve Guest attempts to sum in words what the amazing lady meant to him. I still can’t quite believe I’m writing about Dolly in the past tense. How do you sum up more than 20 years of friendship, laughter, adventures […]
Greg Johnson at 60
He’s a multi-instrumentalist fluent on piano, guitar, and trumpet; he’s just played the historic Hollywood nightclub Whisky a Go Go, and he’s married to a famous stuntwoman, but as Kiwi singer-songwriter Greg Johnson prepares to tour Aotearoa, he tells deputy editor Tamara Pitelen that he is tussling with the reality of turning 60. […]
Artscene
A snapshot of exhibitions to catch from now until November. Now – 11 October: An Taigh / The House: Held – Fifty Years of Friendship This exhibition showcases the remarkable support and generosity of the Friends of the Aigantighe since their foundation in 1976. Founded in August 1976, Friends of the Aigantighe have […]
Business
The power in precious metals: Commonwealth Vault
How do you make smart investment moves in uncertain times? To find out, Metropol sat down with Myles Chandler from secure bullion storage facility Commonwealth Vault. What’s been happening with gold and silver lately? After a stellar price rise in February, and a fall off for the last few months, both metals have […]
Aerospace age
Kea Aerospace gains altitude with the opening of a new Christchurch facility and fresh local and international investment. Kea Aerospace is entering its next phase of growth with a new Christchurch manufacturing and operations facility, fresh international investment and a new generation of aerospace talent on the horizon. The company recently opened its […]
Weddings and wills: Port Hills Law
Getting married? Dresses and cakes are fun, but wills and powers of attorney are key, says lawyer and director of Port Hills Law Kristy Rusher. There are lots of conversations happening when you are planning a wedding. Family, clothes, venue, the overall look and feel, as excitement builds before the big day. However, […]
Staying well at corporate events
Health and wellbeing at events is a growing focus as part of efforts to combat burnout, seek genuine human connection, and reject exhausting, over-scheduled agendas. From organic food options to chair yoga and mindfulness, the modern business conference is a far cry from the boozy corporate beige events of the past. As the […]
