03 Magazine: April 05, 2024

Creating Friendships... 

Spinning yarns at the Alpine View Lifestyle Village in Christchurch 

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VERY BEST OF VIETNAM 

From charming Hanoi with its fading colonial architecture & national monuments, to the 

spellbinding scenery of Halong Bay and bustling Ho Chi Minh City on the edge of the 

Mekong Delta, Vietnam is as colourful as it is diverse. 

10 DAYS FROM HANOI TO HO CHI MINH CITY INCLUDES 

SAVE $200 PER PERSON 

from 

$2,855per person 

Share twin. Flights are additional 

TRAVEL UNTIL 30 JUNE 2025 - DEPARTS SATURDAYS 

Guided sightseeing • Bicycle ride to Tra Que 

village • Cooking Demonstration • 7 nights 4 star 

and special class hotels • 1 overnight sleeper train 

• 1 night aboard deluxe junk boat • Halong Bay 

Junk boat cruise & Mekong cruise • breakfasts 

daily, 4 lunches and 1 dinner • Economy class 

flight Danang - Ho Chi Minh City • Transfers and 

transportation in private air-conditioned vehicles 

HIGHLIGHTS Hanoi – Halong Bay - Hue – Tra Que Village – Hoi An - Mekong Delta – Can Tho – Cai Rong - Ho Chi Minh City 

CONDITIONS: Valid for new bookings made by 30 April 2024, travel until 30 June 2025. Prices are per person in NZ dollars based on share twin. Prices shown reflect discount 

and is valid for 03, 10, 17, 24, 31 August 2024 departures. A non-refundable deposit of $1000pp is due at time of booking with full payment due 90 days prior to departure. 

Other dates are available, but prices will vary. Airfares are additional. No further discount applies, except for repeat customer discount, can be used with Future Travel Credit. 

Travel Insurance: It is a requirement of this travel arrangement that all travellers must take out a fully comprehensive travel insurance for the full duration of this trip. For full 

booking terms & conditions please ask your House of Travel consultant. 

BET TE R TOG ETH E R 

COME IN-STORE | HOT.CO.NZ | 0800 713 715 

BARRINGTON 331 7182 | CHRISTCHURCH CITY 365 7687 | FERRYMEAD 376 4022 | HIGH ST LANES 335 3722 HORNBY 344 3070 

MERIVALE/SHIRLEY 385 0710 | NORTHLINK 352 4578 | PRESTONS 385 0220 | RANGIORA 313 0288 | RICCARTON 341 3900 | UPPER RICCARTON 343 0869

Vietnam 

HOW TO PLAN YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE 

How much time do I need to see the 

best of Vietnam? 

To see the main highlights, we 

recommend a minimum of 10 days, but 

ideally three weeks — to see the very 

best of Vietnam in its entirety. 

Should I travel north-south, or 

south-north? 

Either. However, if you want to ease your 

way into the Vietnamese lifestyle, start in 

Hanoi. The north is less chaotic than the 

culture-explosion that is Ho Chi Minh 

City, in Vietnam’s south. If you're short on 

time, we recommend you spend seven 

days in either just the north or just the 

south. You could fly into Hanoi or Ho Chi 

Minh or start centrally — from Danang — 

and work your way up or down via 

stunning Hoi An. 

North. It's cultural, with must-see sights 

such as Sapa rice terraces, Halong Bay 

and the city of Hanoi 

South. It's more chaotic than its northern 

counterpart, but fun. Ho Chi Minh City is 

bustling. 

What if I want all the best bits, plus 

beach downtime? 

Definitely allocate three weeks. Start in 

the north (Hanoi) or south (Ho Chi Minh 

City) and halfway through your holiday, 

spend 3 to 4 days at a beautiful Hoi An 

beach resort. Conveniently, Hoi An is also 

midway on the map. 

What’s west? Why does no one go 

there? Western Vietnam is rural and 

there’s little to explore. If you’re after 

somewhere less urban, Dalat is a city 

surrounded by farmland, and Quay Nhon 

is a coastal city, but the ambience is 

sedate. 

When is the best time to visit 

weather-wise? 

March and April are the ideal months. 

WHERE SHOULD I GO? 

Hanoi. The capital. Haggle in the Old 

Quarter, where narrow streets erupt with 

vendors, and walk around the lake in the 

city’s historical centre. Hanoi is also your 

easy gateway to Sapa and Halong Bay. 

Ho Chi Minh City. Bustling and cluttered, 

this city mixes traditional culture with 

modern commerce. 

Danang. If you’re after some beach 

relaxation, Danang Airport is 30 minutes 

from Hoi An’s resorts, but don’t spend 

long in Danang itself. 

Hoi An. The yellow-hued architecture is a 

crowd-pleaser, traffic is non-existent and 

the food’s sublime. Give yourself time for 

beach relaxation, cooking classes, 

cycling and exploring. 

Halong Bay. Giant limestone karsts, 

secret bays, caves, and overnight junk 

boat cruises. Spend a night on-board a 

junk boat. Fly in by seaplane if you’re 

adventurous. 

Sara. In the mountains and famed for 

emerald rice paddies with beautifully 

dressed hill tribes. The trekker’s favourite, 

but you’ll want a minimum of 5 days to 

hike the best of it. 

Hue. The former home of emperors and 

grand palaces, imperial Vietnam still 

stands strong. Enjoy savoury prawn 

pancakes and some tomb tours. 

HOW DO I GET AROUND? 

Small Group Touring. 

With group touring, you’re never alone, 

you’ll make friends on the first day, the 

other passengers will all be like-minded 

travel lovers, and you won’t have to think 

too much! All the niggly day-to-day 

planning is done for you. 

On the Go Tours has a range of small 

group touring options. Speak with your 

local House of Travel consultant and start 

planning today!! 

BET TE R TOG ETH E R 

COME IN-STORE | HOT.CO.NZ | 0800 713 715 

BARRINGTON 331 7182 | CHRISTCHURCH CITY 365 7687 | FERRYMEAD 376 4022 | HIGH ST LANES 335 3722 HORNBY 344 3070 

MERIVALE/SHIRLEY 385 0710 | NORTHLINK 352 4578 | PRESTONS 385 0220 | RANGIORA 313 0288 | RICCARTON 341 3900 | UPPER RICCARTON 343 0869

6 Magazine | Editor’s note 

As I write this, the leaves that were literally days ago a 

lush green swathe are shifting kaleidoscopically into all 

kinds of autumnal hues from yellow and gold to orange 

and brown, signalling the arrival of what is fast becoming 

my favourite season living in the south. 

It’s cold but not too cold and the air is crisp and 

fresh (but sometimes tinged rather romantically with 

woodsmoke), and unless you’re into snowsports, you 

might be starting to look indoors a little more. 

Perfect timing then, to release a new issue of (South 

Island celebrating) 03, with lashings of authentic content 

to keep you content, cosy, informed, inspired and 

entertained (and ensuring you and your interiors are 

looking chic to boot). 

Enjoy! 

PUBLISHER 

Charlotte Smith-Smulders 

Allied Press Magazines 

Level 1, 359 Lincoln Road, Christchurch 

03 379 7100 

EDITOR 

Josie Steenhart 

josie@alliedpressmagazines.co.nz 

DESIGNERS 

Annabelle Rose, Hannah Mahon 

PROOFREADER 

Mitch Marks 

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 

Janine Oldfield 

027 654 5367 

janine@alliedpressmagazines.co.nz 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Anthony Behrens, Ashia Ismail-Singer, Gerard O’Brien, 

Helen Templeton, Isaac Norton, Kim Dungey, Linda Robertson, 

Lottie Hedley, Marti Friedlander, Mike Yardley, Neville Templeton, 

Paula Vigus, Rebecca Fox, Sam Hartnett, Sarah Rowlands 

Every month, 03 (ISSN 2816-0711) shares the latest in lifestyle, home, 

food, fashion, beauty, arts and culture with its discerning readers. 

Enjoy 03 online (ISSN 2816-072X) at 03magazine.co.nz 

Josie Steenhart, editor 

Allied Press Magazines, a division of Allied Press Ltd, is not responsible for any actions taken 

on the information in these articles. The information and views expressed in this publication 

are not necessarily the opinion of Allied Press Ltd or its editorial contributors. 

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information within this magazine, however, 

Allied Press Ltd can accept no liability for the accuracy of all the information. 

Get decorating with Resene plant-based paints! 

At Resene we’re committed to producing paints and stains that lessen the 

impact they have on our environment. Which is why we’ve developed a 

range of new plant-based products that are made using plants and minerals. 

Available now at your local 

Resene ColorShop! Or to find out 

more visit: resene.co.nz/plantbased

8 Magazine | Contents 

In this issue 

24 

ARTS & CULTURE 

66 Sitting pretty 

One hundred and seventy years of chairs 

Resene 

Trek 

COLOURS OF 

THE MONTH 

COVER FEATURE 

26 Down to the wire 

The shake-up that kick-started a 

stylish furniture and homewares 

brand – and a carrot cake! 

FASHION 

24 Brown but not out 

This season’s delicious chocolatecoloured 

fashion favourites 

32 Frock stars 

Juliette Hogan celebrates a 

milestone and her favourite 

neighbours with a giveaway 

HOME & INTERIORS 

22 Most wanted 

What the 03 team are coveting 

right now 

44 Thinking inside the box 

The mind-bending refit of a 

warehouse-turned-girls’ school 

46 Pounamu & plywood 

A Nordic-inspired, awardwinning 

new build in Otago 

TRAVEL 

52 The Paris of the Pacific 

Nouméa’s new wave of cool 

RecoveR youR 

loved fuRnituRe 

Quality fuRnituRe specialists 

www.qualityfurniture.co.nz 

Monday - tHuRsday 7.00am-4.30pm | fRiday 8.00am-12.00pm 

(afternoon appointments by request) closed WeeKends 

424 st asapH stReet | Re-upHolsteRy specialists 

pHone 371 7500 oR KeitH HaRtsHoRne 027 566 3909

NoN-Surgical 

Hair reStoratioN 

We are excited to offer a specialised advanced Medical 

treatMent prograMMe for hair restoration. 

IndIvIdualISed tReatMentS FoR both MaleS and FeMaleS InClude the lateSt 

non-surgical approaches including stem cell and exosome treatments. 

Book with our medical team to learn more. 

For a personal consultation at no charge please call 03 363 8810 

145 Innes Road (corner of Rutland St and Innes Rd), Merivale, Christchurch 

www.facevalue.co.nz

10 Magazine | Contents 

60 

OUR COVER 

46 

An iconic Ico Traders campaign 

image shot at Bowls Canterbury. 

Photo: Sarah Rowlands 

Resene 

Very Berry 

READ US ONLINE 

Resene 

Idyllic 

ARTS & CULTURE 

34 Pick ’n’ mix 

Authors Helen Lehndorf and Liv Sisson 

share the risks and rewards of foraging 

40 When Jeffrey met Joanne 

Jeffrey Harris and Joanna Margaret Paul’s 

mutual portraits see the light at last 

72 Book club 

Great reads to please even the 

pickiest of bookworms 

MOTORING 

54 Red is the new black 

Take a ride in the new Alfa Romeo hybrid 

FOOD 

60 Spice up your life 

Ashia Ismail-Singer’s inspired new recipes 

REGULARS 

14 Newsfeed 

What’s up, in, chat-worthy, cool, 

covetable and compelling right now 

74 Win 

Curve table lamp, Molly Woppy cookies, 

Glasshouse Fragrance box set and a year’s 

subscription to 03 – in time for Mother’s Day 

FIND US ON SOCIAL 

03magazine.co.nz | @03_magazine 

GET A COPY 

Want 03 Magazine delivered straight 

to your mailbox? Contact: 

charlotte@alliedpressmagazines.co.nz 

04 - 29 April 2024 

OPENING EVENT 

06 April 11am 

GEORGINA HOBY SCUTT 

SEMPITERNAL 

SUMMER 

03 325 1944 

littlerivergallery.com 

art@littlerivergallery.com 

Main Rd, Little River

Designing Interiors 

to Treasure 

Even as a very young child I had a 

fascination with arranging things 

and, not unexpectedly, with age I’ve 

never lost that passion. 

Now I’ve found myself in the most 

marvellous position of being able to 

expand that interest with a trip that 

involves meeting (as part of a small 

group) some of the world’s foremost 

international design icons. 

I’m penning this from London where, in 

a few hours, this whole design adventure 

starts in earnest. 

But why bother? Why travel so far when 

you could just buy a book, watch a 

YouTube video or listen to a podcast? 

And that’s true, but the opportunity to 

get up-close and personal to the actual 

design process was simply too tempting 

and I’ve found myself making the 30- 

hour door-to-door journey (on my own) 

to add to my knowledge. 

Maybe in another life I might have 

worked in the design industry rather 

than property, but there’s significant 

crossover which I enjoy. 

The English design perspective/style is a 

busy one. 

There’s a riot of colour, pattern and 

texture at times and it’s fair to say it’s not 

for everyone, but the principles behind 

good design transfer across multiple 

countries and circumstances. 

One of those principles can be summed 

up by Kit Kemp, whose hotels I’ve had 

the pleasure of staying in. 

She writes that “the best rooms never 

want us to leave” and she’s right. 

Whether you’re selling or buying or 

simply living in them, it’s rooms with 

this ethos that provide emotional 

connections and those very same urges 

can go on to create the competition 

that many real estate professionals see 

played out in auction rooms. 

So where do we start? 

Firstly, light. Everything looks better with 

good lighting, be it people, property or 

objects. 

In residential sales there’s an old adage 

that if you turn one light on, turn them 

all on, and the selling process is always 

helped significantly in homes where 

natural light abounds. Whether I’m 

staging a property or involved in selling 

one I try to capitalize on its ability to 

appear light and airy, and knowing that 

this is a primary consideration from a 

design perspective makes perfect sense. 

Next, colour. I’ve got to take care here. 

I have a high tolerance for colour – in 

fact, it’s more a love of colour, lots of it 

– and although I admire the structure 

and restraint of monochromatic colour 

schemes it’s not something I’ve ever 

wanted. 

Regardless of whether you favour 

colour or not, it’s fair to say if you are 

choosing colours for a property with the 

specific purpose of selling (go gently!) or 

planning to experiment, get advice. 

Personalization. If it’s your home, enjoy 

filling it or conversely restricting it to 

what you love. Not what someone else 

tells you to do. For me, that always 

includes groupings of the same items. 

Books, pictures, flowers and art have 

been with me since my first flat, back 

when I was nursing, through every home 

that I have had since. 

These familiar objects ground me, as do 

items that we’ve collected as a family. 

I know we are all being encouraged to 

get rid of surplus ‘stuff’ but one man’s 

– or should I say woman’s – stuff is 

another’s treasure. 

So, there you are, finishing with the word 

treasure feels perfect as I will treasure 

both this opportunity and this chance 

to learn new ways of approaching the 

wonderful world of interiors. 

Stay warm, autumn is here! 

Lynette McFadden 

Harcourts gold Business Owner 

027 432 0447 

lynette.mcfadden@harcourtsgold.co.nz 

24TH APRIL 2024 

FROM 4PM 

GOLD AUCTION ROOM, 

471 PAPANUI ROAD 

PAPANUI 352 6166 | INTERNATIONAL DIVISION (+64) 3 662 9811 | REDWOOD 352 0352 | PARKLANDS 383 0406 | 

SPITFIRE SQUARE 662 9222 | STROWAN 351 0585 | GOLD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 352 6454 | 

SPITFIRE SQUARE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 027 772 1188 

GOLD REAL ESTATE GROUP LTD LICENSED AGENT REAA 2008 A MEMBER OF THE HARCOURTS GROUP 

www.harcourtsgold.co.nz

12 Magazine | Newsfeed 

Newsfeed 

What’s up, in, chat-worthy, cool, covetable and compelling right now, 

specially compiled for those in the south. 

Love & marriage 

A collaboration between the NZ Portrait 

Gallery and Heritage New Zealand, Love and 

Marriage: Images of Romantic Unions showcases a 

selection of paintings and photographs depicting 

(as the name suggests) love and marriage in 

New Zealand from the 1800s to present day. 

On at Kate Sheppard House, Christchurch, until 

June 23, 2024. 

katesheppard.co.nz 

Photo: Matthew Grace, ‘Gregory O’Brien and Jenny 

Bornholdt (after Robin Morrison)’, 2015. Collection of 

the New Zealand Portrait Gallery 

Te Pūkenga Whakaata. 

Giddy up 

Two of Deadly Ponies’ coveted 

favourites are back for a new 

season in fresh, soon-to-besought-after 

materials. The 

timeless Desert Rider jacket has 

been updated in sumptuous Burnt 

Toast-hued suede leather while its 

cool nod to the biker jacket, the 

Pony Rider, has been recut in DP’s 

iconic and luxurious textured Bulle 

leather. The best part? Buy either 

topper before April 16, 2024 and 

get a free ultra-lush mohair scarf 

(see full T&Cs online). 

deadlyponies.com 

Call your Bluff 

There’s a new Kiwi-made gin on 

the block and as you’d guess from 

where it’s made, it’s unapologetically 

authentic. Clean, bold and pretty 

bloody good, Bluff Distillery’s gin 

is made on-site by the sea with a 

unique twist – the instantly iconic 

custom bottle pays homage to an 

old glass buoy, reminiscent of the 

(sometimes rebellious) maritime 

heritage that defines the town. 

bluffdistillery.com 

On the West Coast 

From our fave South Island 

candle co Nevé, new limited 

edition fragrance West Coast 

pays homage to founder Tessa 

Lyes’ home region, with the soft 

green earthiness of nīkau palm 

and harakeke, crisp top notes of 

ozone and sea salt and a deep, 

woody base of moss, amber 

and driftwood. “This unique 

fragrance really captures the 

West Coast magic. It’s grounded 

but fresh, earthy but clean 

and instantly transports me 

to the calm of my birth town, 

Hokitika,” says Tessa. 

neve.co.nz

LATEST DIGITAL 

ISSUE OUT NOW 

Scan here to view 

our latest edition 

www.harcourtsotago.co.nz 

Highland Real Estate Group Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008


Dunedin’s new foodprint 

Having extended into the South Island across 

Canterbury and Nelson Tasman in 2023, beloved 

non-food-wasting app Foodprint has now (finally!) 

arrived in Dunedin. Whether you’re after a fresh 

loaf from the local bakery, a pile of authentic Italian 

pasta, a cabinet treat from a top cafe or a full 

Chinese banquet to take away, the innovative app 

helps you reduce food waste and enjoy delicious 

meals from your favourite eateries at a fraction of 

the usual price, with tasty new spots being added 

all the time. 

foodprint.app 

Taste Nature owner Clinton Chambers. 

Photo: Linda Robertson 

Rain on me 

Get set to embrace the wet weather 

in top-to-toe style with a trio of 

complementary fashion rain gear, 

with much-loved Kiwi designer Karen 

Walker at the helm. All in an on-trend 

Ecru/Chestnut colour combo, start 

with Karen’s latest umbrella collab with 

a monogrammed Metro brolly from 

BLUNT, then add a fully waterproof 

rain jacket and puddle-ready signature 

Tully boots from her partnership 

with makers of playful yet practical 

outerwear, Merry People. 

karenwalker.com 

Encountering Aotearoa 

In this must-see major body of new work at Christchurch Art Gallery 

Te Puna o Waiwhetū, artist Cora-Allan reflects on her recent twoweek 

voyage by sea around Aotearoa. Using whenua (land) pigment, 

hiapo (Niuean tapa cloth) and other resources from the ngahere 

(forest), she has documented the shapes and views of the whenua of 

Aotearoa from the perspective of the moana (ocean). Encountering 

Aotearoa builds on Cora-Allan’s research into the artists and botanists 

aboard the Endeavour during its first exploration of New Zealand’s 

waters in 1769, responding to the legacy of colonial mapping and 

recording practices and early encounters between Māori and Pākehā. 

christchurchartgallery.org.nz 

Cora-Allan ‘Ko ao, ko ao, ko Aotearoa!’ 2023 (installation view, Dunedin Public 

Art Gallery, 2023). Whenua and kāpia ink on birch plywood panels. Courtesy 

of the artist. Photo: Justin Spears


Art for art’s sake 

Yes, it may be held in Auckland, but we’re able to overlook 

this unfortunate detail, as the Aotearoa Art Fair is one of the 

most significant art events in New Zealand’s cultural calendar, 

and as well as welcoming thousands of local and international 

visitors each year, it also represents a wealth of South Island 

artists and galleries. The Fair spotlights the breadth and diversity 

of contemporary art in our region, bringing together leading 

galleries from New Zealand and Australia to showcase a range 

of works by emerging and established artists. Whether you’re a 

seasoned collector, occasional buyer or just curious about art, 

this is your opportunity to browse and buy from hundreds of 

works, from painting to sculpture, print to ceramics. Viaduct 

Event Centre, Auckland, April 18–21, 2024. 

artfair.co.nz 

Nuts about chocolate 

Get ready to indulge your taste buds once again as nutty 

Nelson-based Pic’s announces the triumphant return of its 

beloved Peanut & Chocolate Butter made with Whittaker’s. 

After a hiatus that left taste buds longing and pantries 

incomplete, an army of peanut butter lovers persuaded Pic’s 

(yet again) to run an encore release. Pic’s founder Pic Picot isn’t 

a chocolate lover himself, so it took approximately every other 

Peanut Butter Maker on the team to convince him it deserved 

a comeback. And this time it’s here to stay! Packed with 

protein from Pic’s signature fresh roasted Hi Oleic peanuts and 

mixed with Whittaker’s chocolate, this scrumptious spread is a 

perfectly balanced addition to your morning toast, afternoon 

snacks, weekend baking or late-night cravings. 

picspeanutbutter.co.nz 

Kick it 

One heck of a cool Kiwi footwear collab is back 

by pre-order. Staying true to the Commonplace 

intention of producing thoughtfully considered 

pieces designed for the everyday, the timeless 

Commonplace x McKinlays Anderson Slip On 

(in black or brown leather or khaki nubuck) 

will be your new go-to. McKinlays Footwear is 

a fifth generation Dunedin-based shoemaker 

with a founding focus on quality and traditional 

techniques that has remained the same since its 

inception, meaning that every single pair – including 

this covetable fashion fusion – is handcrafted in 

Dunedin by a team of exceptional makers. 

shop.commonplace.co.nz

稀攀戀爀愀渀漀


Seeing stars 

Experience Pink Floyd’s famous 

The Dark Side of the Moon album 

like never before in Tūhura Otago 

Museum’s 360-degree planetarium. 

Settle into a reclined seat and enjoy 

an immersive experience that pairs 

incredible music with psychedelic 

art and scenes from space. With 

just eight dates running to July 31, 

2024, it’s your last chance to see 

this phenomenal show, so book 

in before the curtain falls on The 

Great Gig in the Sky. 

otagomuseum.nz 

Get fizzed 

Mac’s is back with a fresh look and 

yum flavours to match: Ginger Beer, 

Tropical Pash, Lemon Crush and Feijoa, 

Pear & Elderflower. “Mac’s is such an 

iconic brand, and we’re so excited to be 

launching four fun new flavours to really 

make soda fans feel nostalgic for long, 

lazy summer days no matter the season” 

says Lizzy Yeo, CMO of Natural Sugars, 

who now manufactures, distributes and 

markets Mac’s soda range. 

@macssodanz 

Counting sheep 

Two of New Zealand’s most innovative wool brands have come together 

in a special collaboration to launch the Woolbabe x Honest Wolf moses 

basket. Both brands are renowned for their unique use of NZ wool, 

Woolbabe for their natural, organic baby sleepwear and Honest Wolf for 

their range of functional accessories. The result of 14 months development 

between the brands is a high-quality, safe sleeping bassinet for babies, 

made using felted wool sourced from Honest Wolf’s Papanui Estate 

station and fitted with a Woolbabe merino and organic cotton sheet. 

honestwolf.co.nz

89,990 

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Roam Free offer is available on all new Jeep Grand Cherokee (WL) 5-seat models only. This includes new 

Jeep Grand Cherokee Night Eagle – 5-seat, Grand Cherokee Limited – 5-seat, Grand Cherokee Overland – 5-seat and Grand Cherokee 

Summit - PHEV – 5 Seat. Offer includes six months complimentary fuel, complimentary tow bar, fitting and wiring pack, and complimentary 

3 year / 45,000km service plan per factory schedule. This offer excludes on road costs. This offer is available for a limited time 

or whilst stocks last from authorised Jeep Dealers only and is not available in conjunction with any other offer. This offer is not available 

on any other Jeep model. For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.euromarque.co.nz/jeep-roam-free. 

120 Saint Asaph Street, Chch • Ph 0800-888-100 / 03-366-0229 • euromarque.co.nz / drive@euromarque.co.nz


Open doors 

With 50 open buildings, four 

guided walks, three landscapes, 

three special events and more than 

40 activities (from expert talks 

and tours to workshops), Open 

Christchurch 2024 is an unmissable 

celebration of local architecture. 

For just one weekend only (May 

4-5), experience many of the city’s 

best buildings and spaces from the 

inside, from cathedrals to private 

homes, and with 35 of the 50 not 

requiring advance bookings, you can 

just turn up on the day. 

openchch.nz 

Former Law Courts Building 

(Ministry of Works, 1980-85). 

Photo: Peanut Productions. 

Going green 

Award-winning Christchurchbased 

B Corp certified beauty 

and wellness experts Jeuneora 

have unveiled their latest 

innovative supplement Greens+ 

– a daily super powder packed 

with 45 gut-loving fruits and 

vegetables, designed to tackle 

digestion, bloating and boost 

energy levels. Lightly flavoured 

with lemon and mint, every scoop 

of Greens+ is full of vitamins, 

minerals and antioxidants thanks 

to nutrient-dense superfoods 

such as astragalus root, spirulina 

and chlorella. 

jeuneora.co.nz 

The perfect getaway for groups of friends and 

families, nestled on the shores of Lake Ohau 

beneath the Southern Alps. 

A beautiful, modern 

lodge combining 

comfort and style. 

Sleeps 

24. 

Enquiries to: info@lakeohauquarters.co.nz | www.lakeohauquarters.co.nz

22 Magazine | Wishlist 

Most wanted 

From things that sparkle or add glow to objects of desire in mood-enhancing hues 

– plus a biscuit-scented candle – here’s what the 03 team are coveting this month. 

1 

3 

4 

2 

12 

14 

5 

11 

13 

9 

10 

8 

6 

7 

1. Deadly Ponies Poucheroo bag in Granite Python, $339; 2. Diamond Trio 14kt white gold and 0.36 carat diamond stud earrings, $1510 at 

Polished Diamonds; 3. Teva Hurricane XLT2 Revive sandals in 90s Archival Revival, $170; 4. Domino ceramic mug, $33 at Any Excuse; 

5. Acne Studios blanket scarf in Turquoise/Camel, $479 at Workshop; 6. Wallace Cotton Dreamscape cushion cover, $50; 

7. Dyson Solarcycle Morph desk light in Black Brass, $999; 8. Emma Velde Schaffer ‘All in a Flush’ mixed media on canvas, 900 x 400mm, 

$950 at Little River Gallery; 9. Kathryn Wilson MW Brigid boots in Black Suede, $359 at Wink; 10. Guerlain KissKiss Bee Glow lip oil in 

Honey, $71; 11. Moochi Frame sequin skirt, $350; 12. Diptyque & Café Verlet Collection Limited Edition Biscuit candle, $137 at Mecca; 

13. ghd Chronos hair straightener in Black, $500; 14. Le Creuset 26cm cast iron round casserole dish in Rhône, $750

4 Normans Road, Strowan 

MoN -FR i 10-5 Sat 9.30-4.30 briarwood.co.nz

24 Magazine | Fashion 

Brown but not out 

From chocolate, chestnut, cola and caramel to rich raisin and a spectrum of coffee 

hues, this season’s most delicious colour palette is all about beautiful browns. 

3 

4 

1 

2 

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8 

7 

13 

5 

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9 

6 

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1. Storm leather skirt in Chestnut, $449; 2. Stolen Girlfriends Club Talon Cluster sterling silver and cola quartz hoop earrings, $499 

3. RUBY Rue blazer in Donkey, $369; 4. Kireina Gwyneth coat, $509 at Zebrano; 5. Briarwood Camilla top in Camel Velvet, $499, and Cynthia 

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Shop 5, 1027 Ferry Road, Christchurch 

Phone 03 928 1690 | @ilovewinkshoesnz 

ilovewink.co.nz

26 Magazine | Feature 

Down to the wire 

The Christchurch earthquakes were a catalyst for creative soul Miranda 

Osborne to take a new direction – and the result is renowned furniture and 

homeware company Ico Traders, which focuses on community, sustainability 

and celebrating our chic and unique Kiwi lifestyles with family and friends. 

INTERVIEW JOSIE STEENHART 

Miranda, you have a background in art, textiles and 

fashion – tell us a little about that… 

My first career out of art school was painting, selling my art 

through galleries in and around New Zealand and the UK. 

My second ‘career’ was creating fabric designs (painting 

patterns by hand) and buying ranges for James Dunlop 

Textiles. I travelled overseas on buying trips and became 

involved in sales and marketing too. That gave me a 

great base of experience across all aspects of the design 

business. It also gave me my first taste of working with 

international manufacturing companies. 

My next career was as a womenswear buyer in the 

clothing industry. This involved lots of overseas travel, 

selecting, curating and designing ranges for New Zealand 

clothing companies and managing the offshore production. 

And how (and when) did that evolve into Ico Traders? 

When the Christchurch earthquakes turned our lives 

upside down, it forced me to rethink many aspects of my 

life. I decided to leave my job, which required frequent 

overseas trips, and look for a more sustainable career 

that allowed me to stay closer to my husband and two 

young daughters. 

In 2012, I founded Ico Traders. I was working from 

home so it was a natural progression for me to start 

designing for in and around my environment. Wire 

furniture became my obsession and continues to this day. 

How has the business evolved over the years? 

I actually started selling vintage-style lighting for a short 

while, but then I found a factory making wire furniture 

and decided this was what I wanted to do. It’s still the 

same factory I work with today and we have been able 

to build a strong working relationship over the years. 

In 2023, we made the exciting step into the Australian 

market, joining forces with Forj Living Australia, who 

distributes the Ico Traders brand over there. 

What do you think sets Ico Traders apart in the market? 

I strive to be authentic and transparent in our everyday 

running of Ico Traders. 

My furniture designs are simple and because they 

don’t follow fast trends, I hope they are timeless. My 

aim is that a customer will invest in our pieces and keep 

them forever. After time they can be recoloured to 

bring new life, passed on to others or recycled. 

You still run the whole business from home (and 

even make team lunches most days?!)… 

I wouldn’t have been able to do this for so long if 

Bridgett and Georgia were different personalities. 

They have worked through renovations of the house 

and are surrounded by family life. 

Animals are a big part of all of our lives and now 

Bridgett brings her new puppy to doggy daycare. 

Ted is obsessed with Alfie and cries to get out of the 

truck as soon as he realises they’re coming to work. 

Making lunch each day is my language of love and 

appreciation of those who work with me. 

What was the very first Ico Traders piece you 

designed, and do you still produce it now? 

I started with three designs, I imported them in 

and stored them in my mother-in-law’s sitting room 

that had been boarded off and deemed unsafe from 

the earthquakes (it was later rebuilt). One of those 

designs was the Coromandel chair, which is still one 

of our favourite Ico Traders pieces. 

Tell us about the range of colours you offer… 

I hand-mix all the colours myself and they are then 

matched into powder paint. These are used in factory 

production, but we also work with industrial painters 

in Christchurch who hold stock of my powder for 

me. This means that if you see a style you like, but it 

doesn’t come in the colour you want, we can custom 

colour it for you. 

What are some of the current bestsellers? 

Always the Hokianga hanging chair, it’s a statement 

piece and a chair you can take time out in. 

The Benmore bench because it’s so versatile, these 

are used in so many different ways (at the table, in 

hallways, at the end of beds, outside). 

The Piha lounger, it looks like it came straight out 

of the ’60s (the inspiration came from someone’s 

veranda chair I used to walk past all the time, it had 

big mattressy cushions on it when in use and a wire 

skeleton when not. We modernised it and made it 

comfortable to sit in without needing cushioning 

(it’s something we pride ourselves on – all of our 

chairs are super comfy to sit in, with or without 

another layer).


Quite a number of your designs, including the wood 

pieces, are made in Christchurch… 

Yes – we work closely with Christchurch craftspeople to 

create original designs exclusive to Ico Traders. All of our 

cushions and chair pads are made here in Christchurch 

too, and a few of our smaller metal designs are made 

here too. 

Lately you’ve been strongly focused on sustainability 

across the business… 

Ico Traders is only a small company, but I care deeply 

about this issue and I know that lots of small companies 

can add up to big numbers of people making changes. 

At Ico Traders we design furniture made from steel, a 

sustainable resource and a recyclable material. We audit 

our business yearly and positively contribute 120 percent 

carbon credits to offset our footprint. 

All of us at Ico Traders have ties to Banks Peninsula. 

Our funds help to grow and protect Waipuna Bush, part 

of the Te Ara Pātaka Summit Walkway. Thanks to the 

generous hospitality of Bob and Carol, owners of the 

land, we have become personally involved, walking the 

land, understanding the pest control programme and 

learning about the native environment of Waipuna Bush. 

We are by no means perfect but we are constantly 

reviewing the way we work, removing plastics in our 

packaging and reducing waste. 

You’ve also done some very cool collaborations with 

other Kiwi brands over the years, tell us a bit about 

some of those… 

Yes it’s pretty amazing to work with the likes of Tanja 

from Misery who has a large international following for 

her artwork, collaborating with her on our Kailani Girl 

range of sand-free towels and sun umbrellas. 

Another favourite was working with Wellington artist 

Greta Menzies who generously donated her time and 

talent, creating an original art piece for the lining of our 

charity Sophie tote bags, raising money to buy SOS 

HaloGuard smart watches for victims of domestic abuse. 

You’re a Canterbury girl, right? 

I’m originally from a farm in Woodbury, my husband 

Richard is from Christchurch. We moved back down 

from Auckland 15 years ago for the quiet life (not so 

quiet with all the Christchurch events that life has thrown 

us). We said we would only be here for five years, but 

both of us have close family around and we’ve become 

attached to the place. 

What do you love about living here? 

It’s exciting to be part of a new city which has still held 

onto its community vibe. We’re surrounded by magic 

scenery and places to discover that are close by and we 

have an incredible close network of family and friends.

Feature | Magazine 29 

Tell us a bit about the image on our cover… 

It started with the tennis shoot, it was meant to be two 

models, but friends got involved and it grew from there. 

The scenes were meant to be slightly Slim Aarons inspired 

but with a comical twist, they have become more slapstick 

and less about the furniture over the years. 

It’s huge fun to source costumes and dress up and it 

means a lot to me as it’s always my friends featuring in 

the photos and if we can get the owners of the scene we 

are photographing in we will (we haven’t yet failed at this, 

Erica is a staff member of Bowls Canterbury and was brave 

enough to say yes). You can see the full range of photos on 

our website gallery ‘Any Year Anywhere’ page. 

OPPOSITE: Miranda’s dog Alfie and daughter 

Henrietta, who’s currently interning at Ico Traders. 

Photo: Sarah Rowlands 

ABOVE: Two recent Ico Traders campaign images. 

Photos: Sarah Rowlands 

I love the behind-the-scenes/personal vibe of your social 

media, how has creating that kind of environment served 

you, do you think? (Also, any chance you could share that 

carrot cake recipe, even though it didn’t quite work out?!) 

I do all the social media myself, I think the behind-thescenes/personal 

vibe is really just my unpolished lack of 

expertise in this area. Having my friend Sarah Rowlands 

who does the majority of photography for Ico Traders 

saves me!


MIRANDA’S CARROT CAKE 

Not all things go well on our Ico Traders product shoots. I made this 

carrot cake for a project and thought I’d done a pretty good job, but 

when we cut into it, the middle was far from cooked. Sign of a true nonbaker 

who thinks it will be okay to double the recipe and the size of 

the tin. Safe to assume that I did not get the baking gene in our family! 

2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

½ teaspoon fine sea salt 

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1¼ cups vegetable oil 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

4 large eggs, at room temperature 

3 cups grated peeled carrots (5 to 6 medium carrots) 

1 cup chopped walnuts 

LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING 

75g cream cheese, at room temperature 

1 cup icing sugar 

50g butter 

Squeeze of lemon juice 

Finely grated rind of one lemon 

Edible flowers (you can buy these now at the 

supermarket in the herbs section) 

Double if you want to ice the sides too. 

Mix to create icing. 

Preheat the oven to 180°C. 

Grease two 22cm round cake pans, line the bottom 

with parchment paper – do not put in one big tin like 

I tried to… I failed, it did not cook all the way through! 

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a 

bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, granulated 

sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each one, 

then add the dry ingredients in three parts, gently 

stirring until they disappear and the batter is smooth. 

Stir in carrots and walnuts. Divide the cake batter 

between the prepared cake pans and bake for 35–45 

minutes, until the tops of the cake layers are springy 

when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the 

centre of the cake comes out clean. 

Cool the cakes for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out 

onto cooling racks and wait until cold. 

Ice and decorate with edible flowers.

32 Magazine | Promotion 

Sew much to celebrate 

This year, New Zealand fashion designer Juliette Hogan celebrates 20 years of her 

much-loved label. We caught up with Juliette at her South Island flagship store to talk 

milestones, bringing the brand to the south, how to get yourself a $50 The Crossing gift 

card and where to find the best blow-waves and breakfasts in the city. 

Congratulations on the brand turning 20! What have you 

been doing to celebrate? 

It’s both exciting and surreal to have reached this milestone, 

and I wouldn’t be here without all the people who have 

been such an important part of the JH journey over the 

past 20 years. I am so incredibly grateful for each and every 

one of them. 

We’re currently planning how we want to celebrate and 

recognise this support, as well as reminiscing on our past 

collections and milestones to see how far we’ve come. We 

have some exciting celebratory events in the works for later 

this year. Watch this space! 

What have been some of the milestones along the way? 

There have been so many, but a couple of major highlights 

would be the opening of my very first store, and further 

expanding into the South Island in Christchurch in 2022. 

Each time I’ve shown at New Zealand Fashion Week – there 

really is something special about showcasing our clothes on a 

catwalk that nothing else can match. 

My first magazine cover was an amazing moment, as was 

winning the Supreme Business Excellence Award at the 

Westpac Business Awards in 2021. 

Why did you choose to locate your Christchurch store 

within The Crossing? 

I believe the unique and natural landscapes of Canterbury to 

be some of the most beautiful in the world and I find so much 

inspiration and joy spending time in the region. It had long 

been a dream of mine to have our own home for JH in the 

South Island and we took our time to find just the right spot. 

Christchurch and The Crossing felt like such a natural fit for 

us, and it has been wonderful to be able to connect directly 

with our loyal following down there. The Crossing is a hub for 

all things fashion and I appreciate how many local brands they 

support. The environment and the people both contribute 

to making it a great place to be. Our clientele are strong and 

inspiring – as is the team that have chosen to spend their time 

with us in the store. The city has an energy about it that I love. 

Tell us about some of the special details of the interiors of 

the Ōtautahi store? 

I’m constantly inspired by the natural world, and as you walk 

in the store you’re greeted by this beautifully curved oak wall 

with the rings of the tree trunks still visible – it feels strong and 

protective. This wall, alongside the marble counter and the 

linen changing room curtains, are reminders of the natural 

world around us. They also provide a calm, rich and textural 

backdrop to showcase our collections from. 

We worked with Ōtautahi local Alice Lines to help bring 

our vision for a welcoming and sophisticated space to life 

and feel that together we have achieved exactly that. 

Anything else people might be interested/surprised to 

learn about The Crossing store? 

Firstly our in-store team is fantastic – Lara and Courtney are 

both passionate about fashion, styling and the local industry. 

They form such warm and genuine connections with our 

customers and have such inspiring and unique approaches to 

help with styling to suit the individual for any occasion. 

We sincerely believe the in-store experience is just as 

important as our product and it’s so wonderful to know that 

our South Island customers are in their very capable hands! 

What are some of the most popular JH pieces in the south? 

Unsurprisingly, our winter layering pieces tend to be popular, 

but I do love to see how our Christchurch clientele loves to 

dress up for events too – they know how to celebrate 

a special occasion. 

Our Collection 2024.TWO has just launched in store and 

we’ve had such a great response. Our moody Dahlia Silk 

and playful geometric Motif Crepe prints have been really 

popular, alongside new cashmere and merino pieces and 

wool-rich statement coats and jackets. 

Do you get down south often? What are some favourite 

places to visit? And what JH pieces do you like to wear 

when you’re here? 

I do, I wish I could visit more though. We have great 

company around us in The Crossing – Twiggi do the best 

blow-wave I’ve had in Christchurch, and Bar Franco is the 

perfect spot for a drink and an evening bite. I also enjoy 

heading out to Estelle for breakfast when I can. 

In terms of my favourite pieces, depending on the time 

of year, I tend to have a long coat with me and a trusty 

turtleneck like our Roland Cashmere sweater. 

Whenever I do pop down I try to organise an overnight 

hike to be able to soak up some of the South Island’s unique 

landscape so a good pair of walking shoes paired with a JH 

puffer are always essential. 

GIVEAWAY | Juliette Hogan has fifty $50 The Crossing gift cards for Christchurch shoppers – simply make 

a full-priced purchase in-store at Juliette Hogan, The Crossing, and mention this promotion to qualify. 

For a limited time only. Full T&Cs at juliettehogan.com

Promotion | Magazine 33


Pick ‘n’ mix 

The popularity of foraging comes and 

goes, but for acclaimed authors and 

passionate foragers Helen Lehndorf 

and Liv Sisson it’s a lifestyle. 

WORDS REBECCA FOX 

From making your daily walk a bit more 

interesting, to creating a dye for textiles or 

seeking out a unique ingredient for a gourmet 

dinner – the reasons for foraging are many 

and varied. 

For Manawatū writer Helen Lehndorf, it’s the 

medicinal nature of herbs and plants that fascinates 

her, while for Christchurch writer Liv Sisson, it’s 

fungi and lichen that are her passion. 

Helen, author of A Forager’s Life, laughs when the 

recent popularity of foraging is mentioned. 

“I’m not often a person that hits a trend, so that’s 

been delightful and funny. If something is going to be 

trendy, I’m really glad it’s that.” 

There are many subgroups within foraging 

who have different interests such as picking 

excess fruit around the neighbourhood, weaving, 

seeking out plants for Māori plant medicine, 

mushroom-hunters like Liv and people passionate 

about seaweed. 

“Everyone finds their own way in and some 

just want to make their daily walk a little more 

interesting or become a little more plant literate.” 

Whatever the entry point into foraging, Helen and 

Liv say foragers are always learning and expanding their 

knowledge of plants and the natural world. 

Even now, decades after she began foraging, 

Helen, who describes herself as an amateur 

herbalist, still makes discoveries as her plant literacy 

increases through research. 

“All the time I’m finding things that maybe I’ve 

been buying to drink as a herbal tea or something.” 

Photo: Paula Vigus

Photo: Paula Vigus 

“People used to the pace 

of everyday life can 

struggle with foraging, 

as it’s not a fast-paced 

activity, even though it 

can be fun, joyous and 

exciting to do.” 

“I’ve thought I had to buy it, then one day I find it out 

foraging,” she says. 

“A plant you have been blind to before is suddenly 

available because of that increased awareness.” 

She had that experience with Shepherd’s Purse, a 

plant that is good for women’s menstrual health. 

“I had always been buying it from the health shop as 

I had no idea we could find it locally. 

“One day I was down at the Manawatū River and 

was absolutely astonished to find it. 

“It is a place I forage a lot and had never seen it 

before and there it was.” 

The question Helen gets asked the most is if she 

has poisoned herself or made herself ill from something 

she has foraged. 

“Touch wood” she never has. 

“I see the high level of anxiety around it. It is testament 

to how disconnected we are from our food sources that 

people have such anxiety about poisoning themselves.” 

It is a genuine concern, but she says the golden rule 

of foraging is to “never, ever” eat anything you cannot 

100 percent positively identify. 

“We have some excellent books from New Zealand 

writers written for here so they are all excellent sources. 

I would say take a foraging book for a walk and really 

study those photographs.” 

Taking a person with more plant literacy on your walks 

is another way to learn. 

“Don’t try to learn everything in one walk, as you’ll 

just get overwhelmed and confused.” 

People used to the pace of everyday life can struggle 

with foraging, as it’s not a fast-paced activity where a 

person can learn everything in one walk or one foraging 

class, even though it can be fun, joyous and exciting to do. 

“It’s a very slow practice. That is its beauty. For the 

beginning forager I’d say learn one plant a month and go 

deep with that one plant. Just 12 a year.” 

If people want to get serious about foraging, Lehndorf 

advises them to think of plants like a new friend. 

“If making a new friend, you don’t meet them once 

and go ‘you’re a firm friend’, you spend time with them 

and get to know them. And start with something in your 

backyard so you can form a deep relationship.” 

She recommends starting out with the common 

dandelion, as they are very easy to find and easy to dig 

up and examine from tip of root to the flower.


“Dandelions are medicinal powerhouses and full 

of beautiful mythology and folklore, art and culture 

and medicine. 

“I’ve been going a bit deeper with dandelion these 

past few years and there’s so much to learn. 

“Try to eat different bits of it, try to make different 

things with it and then when you feel like you have a bit 

of a handle on it try something else.” 

It is one of Helen’s favourite plants, along with the 

northern hemisphere nettle (not the New Zealand 

native nettle). 

“I drink a strong infusion of nettle everyday. It is a 

strong tonic plant to drink. It’s good for teeth, your hair, 

your skin, your vitality and wellbeing, your circulation. 

“It doesn’t taste especially good, it tastes like you’ve 

made a strong tonic out of grass clippings, but I have got 

used to the flavour and if I miss a day I start to crave it.” 

Another favourite is the elder tree, which is very easy to 

forage in the Manawatū along the river and railway lines. 

“If you have a Northern European-Pākehā genealogy, 

then it is a sacred tree in our folklore traditions. 

“It is another plant full of folklore, history and it’s a 

very beautiful, special plant.” 

While it does get categorised as a weed in some 

places due to its vigorous spreading, it can be harvested 

twice a year. 

In spring the elderflower can be picked, while in the 

autumn its berries can be picked. 

“I love that the elderberry can be picked in autumn 

when it’s such an amazing cold and flu medicine. 

“It appears just before we need it. You harvest in 

autumn and make various potions for when struggling 

with immunity and cold and flu season.” 

She infuses honey with the berries and also makes 

oxymels, a mix of honey and vinegar which she adds 

the berries to. 

Another concern people have about foraging is the 

sprays applied by councils and landowners to prevent 

weeds growing. 

“What I have observed in my wanderings around park 

lands and edges, is usually city councils are limited in 

budget and time and usually their brief is to make access 

ways weed-free, so that usually means about 12m either 

side. If walking somewhere frequently, you can see when 

the council has been,” Helen says. 

“Again, it’s slowing down and observing your local 

environment. Generally I advise wandering off the path 

a bit, foraging is about wandering off the main paths, 

looking around corners and behind things. 

“Get out of those spray zones and dog spray 

zones. Trust your instincts somewhat and your 

powers of observation.” 

Having councils take a different approach to 

planting fruit trees in reserves is a positive move that 

she welcomes. 

“There used to be some old-fashioned ideas about 

fruit trees on public spaces making a mess, or one person 

would strip the tree, that people don’t know how to 

share or look after something for all of us and I see that 

changing and I’m really heartened by that.” 

She’s not concerned about the increased interest 

from people. 

It is the second “blip” of interest in foraging she has 

noticed over the years. 

“Because it is such a slow relational pastime, you have 

to be committed to go very far and not many people are.” 

Richard Mabey, British author of Food is Free calls 

foraging ‘inconvenience’ food, which is “hilarious”, 

Lehndorf says. 

“He’s bang on. You don’t do it because you can get 

loads of stuff in 10 minutes. It’s about so many more 

things than accessing food. 

“Nature is generous – there is plenty there for all of us 

and people are pretty good at sharing, on the whole.” 

Liv, who grew up in Virginia in the United States, agrees. 

“Lots of people think it’s a money-saver, but I haven’t 

found that it is. It’s a lovely hobby, but not something that 

has saved me any money.” 

She became interested in fungi and lichen when 

studying geology in the US, especially what she 

discovered on field trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

“Rocks are changing on a very long timescale, so from 

day to day there is little change, so I began to notice all 

the cool intricacies in nature around them. 

“I’ve always loved nature and tiny things.” 

When she moved to New Zealand, she was captured 

by the beauty of the country’s native bush and the 

“cool” fungi. 

She first discovered her interest while living in 

Dunedin when she moved here to study. 

“I lived on Leith Street North in a student flat and spent 

a lot of time wandering around the Botans [Dunedin 

Botanic Garden] looking at lichens, moss and fungi. 

That’s when I really started researching and getting 

very curious.” 

While she headed back to the US for a while, she 

returned to New Zealand, settling in Christchurch and 

picking up her foraging hobby again. 

“Dandelions are medicinal powerhouses and full of beautiful 

mythology and folklore, art and culture and medicine.”

Photo: Anthony Behrens 

“I have been foraging fungi and plants for a while in 

Christchurch, it’s been something I’m enjoying and have 

been doing for a long time. 

“I’m still learning.” 

One of her favourites is the werewere-kokako, which 

features on the cover of her book Fungi of Aotearoa, 

although it is not edible. 

“It’s absolutely stunning. The first time I saw it I 

couldn’t believe it was that blue. That was pretty cool.” 

She was surprised to see one of her favourite eating 

mushrooms, porcini, growing in Hagley Park, as it is an 

introduced fungi. 

“It’s definitely the darling of the edible fungi world as it 

is so delicious.” 

Lichens are also a passion, as there are so many 

interesting ones growing in New Zealand. 

Lichens are a fungi and algae living together in symbiosis. 

“The colours, textures, shapes and sizes, there are 

no bounds. 

“I love researching parasitic fungi but I haven’t seen 

too many of those in the wild myself.” 

The edible fungi Liv does find she likes to dehydrate 

and preserve for later use, especially in the winter 

to beef up soups and stocks, and for her favourite 

porcini pasta. 

“I slice them thin and pop on a tray in the sun so 

they get a bit of air movement and they dry nicely.” 

People often ask her where to find particular types 

of mushrooms. 

“I’m happy to tell someone where to look, but if 

you do that they don’t actually get the joy of looking 

for something and they don’t develop the language 

of being able to read the land and understand where 

to look. 

“That kind of learning can be really exciting and fun. 

If I told them, they’d miss out on that. 

“It’s kind of foragers’ code not to do that.” 

She hopes people’s interest in foraging and wild-food 

sources translates into a greater passion for protecting 

those sources. 

“Looking after our wild-food sources is important 

for food resiliency. It makes a lot of sense coming off 

the back of Covid, when people had more time to 

connect with nature.” 

The cost of living crisis has also amplified people’s 

interest in the food system, which can only be a good 

thing if it gets people talking about the issues, she says. 

As a result of her interest in foraging, the work she 

did for the book, the food writing she does and her 

involvement in Eat New Zealand, Liv has become more 

aware of the issues with the country’s food system. 

“I’m really interested in that topic.”

Do you have 

unwanted, broken 

or worn out 

gold jewellery? 

• All forms bought, including Alluvial 

• We also buy Antique Jewellery 

Gold & Silver Bullion/Coins Bought & Sold 

Trusted since 1967

When Jeffrey met Joanna 

A series of works from the 1970s that celebrated Dunedin-based artists 

Jeffrey Harris and the late Joanna Margaret Paul did of each other in the 

early years of their marriage are being exhibited for the first time this month. 

WORDS REBECCA FOX


Jeffrey Harris was only 21 when he fell head over heels 

in love with Joanna Margaret Paul. It was the first time 

he had ever been in love. 

They met at a party at philanthropist Charles Brasch’s 

Dunedin home in 1970. Jeffrey had recently been 

invited to Dunedin by mentor Michael Smither, while 

Joanna was living in Port Chalmers, part of a charmed 

circle of artists which included names like Ralph Hotere 

and Colin McCahon. 

“I was knocked out by this intelligent person,” Jeffrey says. 

“It was all based on art, the same sort of interests.” 

The couple were soon sharing a studio in Royal Terrace 

and then married in 1971, moving to a small cottage at 

Seacliff, where they spent their time painting and drawing. 

It only cost $5 a week, and didn’t have hot water. 

“It was quite primitive living, but we didn’t mind.” 

The besotted artist couldn’t resist sketching his new 

wife, whether she was sleeping, reading, playing chess or 

just gazing out of the window. 

“It was a special time, sort of like a honeymoon period. 

It was good times, the best times. There was no pressure, 

in a sort of idyllic landscape, a beautiful little house.” 

Until now those works have been tucked away in his 

studio, but recently Jeffrey felt the time had come to 

sort through his studio and exhibit some of the more 

historically interesting works. It has also enabled him to 

touch up and restore any works that needed it. 

“I felt they should be seen. There’s quite a lot of work 

that has never been exhibited, it’s time to organise a lot 

of it – if I don’t do it, it won’t get done properly. It’s quite 

interesting from an historical perspective.” 

The drawings and paintings from life are the only ones 

Jeffrey has ever done. He has never felt the need to do it 

again in other relationships. 

“It was just that 12-month, year-and-a-half period that I 

did that. I don’t normally paint real people or from life or 

real drawings. It was a unique period. 

“It was partly the influence of Joanna, she did a lot 

of paintings from life. When we met there was this 

cross-influence. I was influenced by her work, she was 

influenced by mine – but it didn’t last long.” 

The exhibition celebrates that period and hence its 

name, Portrait of a Marriage. 

“It was like a honeymoon period and once it’s over you 

can’t get it back. It’s a special time of life if you’re lucky 

enough to experience it.” 

When the couple moved to Wellington in 1973 life 

changed. Children came along, and so did the pressures 

of everyday life and a full-time job. 

“It was a whole different set of dynamics. That period 

of painting, that intimate relationship was over.” 

The couple, both of whom were awarded the Frances 

Hodgkins Fellowship – Jeffrey in 1977 and Joanna in 1983 

– broke up in the 1980s. 

In Wellington, Jeffrey moved back to painting in his 

own style, based on photographs and featuring religious 

iconography such as the crucifixion. He’s not sure where 

that interest came from, as he did not come from a 

religious family. 

“I self-educated myself with art books – I didn’t go to 

art school – I used to go to the Christchurch library and 

get out all these art books. 

“A lot of the ones I was attracted to had religious 

imagery, they were of Old Masters and something 

connected there with me. So I started doing my own 

religious paintings. 

“They’re nothing to do with religion, they’re to do 

with the intensity and emotions and feelings I saw in 

these paintings.”


Later on he saw the religious paintings of McCahon 

and Smither, which were not an influence but more of a 

“connection”, he says. 

“I’ve always been drawn to religious imagery, for some 

reason I don’t know.” 

He first started painting in high school at the 

encouragement of a good art teacher, but studying 

art or a career in art was not an option, as his deeply 

conservative parents believed a job and earning money 

was the right move. 

“My father was anti-university, he was a real conservative 

person. He took me to Christchurch one day and said 

‘you’re going to get a job by the end of the day’.” 

About a year later Jeffrey started painting again, and 

never stopped. 

“I got a job – I couldn’t care less what the job was or 

what I was going to get paid. I just wanted to do my art, 

so I did it in my spare time.” 

He contacted Smither, who encouraged him in his 

painting and helped him to start painting full-time by 

providing him with studio space. Smither had moved to 

Central Otago in 1969 and came to Dunedin in 1970 for 

the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship. 

“That’s when I came to Dunedin. He got me out of the 

job and away from my parents. I owe him quite a bit. My 

parents thought I was crazy, that I’d go back to the real 

world, but I never did.” 

Over the years, Jeffrey’s work, mainly figurative 

painting, has gone through many changes and stages, such 

as when he moved to Melbourne in 1986, where his 

work became more abstract. 

“It hasn’t progressed in a straight line, it has dipped 

down and gone around. I couldn’t do that work here, I 

don’t know why. It doesn’t fit in with my experience here.” 

Much of his work is influenced by places, such as Banks 

Peninsula, where he grew up. In Melbourne the heat and 

landscape of the area were influences. 

“Place is quite important, even if it is unconsciously.” 

Dunedin, where he has lived for more than 20 years, 

has always appealed because of its history and its 

“wintery cold” weather. When he returned to the city he 

got a studio in Bond Street, not far from where his old 

studio in the Skinner Building was in the 1980s. 

“It’s not too new, modern or plastic. I don’t like 

Auckland, I couldn’t work there. I can’t work with noise 

or distractions. 

“The landscape is great. It’s my favourite place in New 

Zealand – the other place is Banks Peninsula.” 

Jeffrey finds today he is still doing crucifixion paintings, 

as well as family groups.

PAGE 40: Jeffrey Harris in his Bond Street studio. 

Photo: Gerard O’Brien 

LEFT PAGE FROM TOP: ‘Joanna’, Jeffrey Harris, 1971, 

pencil, watercolour, pastel, 252×197mm. Photo: ODT files 

‘Portrait of Jeffrey Harris’, Joanna Paul c. 1971, oil on board, 

350×310mm. Photo: ODT files 

LEFT: ‘Jeffrey Harris and Joanna Margaret Paul, in Dunedin, 

1977’, silver gelatin print. Photo: Marti Friedlander, courtesy 

of the Gerrard and Marti Friedlander Charitable Trust. 

“The couple were soon sharing 

a studio in Royal Terrace and 

then married in 1971, moving to 

a small cottage at Seacliff, where 

they spent their time painting 

and drawing. It only cost $5 a 

week, and didn’t have hot water.” 

“I’m looking backwards and going through things. It’s 

not really new work, it’s reflecting back. I’m revisiting a lot 

of those themes, a summing up of all the work I’ve done.” 

He admits to not being a “people person” and enjoying 

the solitary life of an artist, although that’s not very good 

for relationships or having children. 

“I’m addicted to it. I get very fidgety if I can’t paint 

or get to the studio, I get twitchy. I find it very calming, 

painting. I’m at my happiest painting away and the phone 

doesn’t ring. It’s always been like that. It’s my life, painting, 

my driving force.” 

Until recently he hadn’t really been aware of being 

part of a significant time in Dunedin’s art history back in 

the 1970s. 

“People keep talking about it. I feel lucky in a way to 

have been part of it, as there were so many great people 

around at that time. It was good to have interacted with 

those people. It’s a bit thinner on the ground now. I think 

it was isolation then, you were in a pocket, you provided 

your own cultural stimulus. You were more supportive in 

a way, of each other.” 

He hopes Portrait of a Marriage will be the first of 

many shows featuring his early work in themed groups. 

He has hundreds of works stacked up in his studio to 

sort through. 

“Time is getting on with me. I walk past a lot of these 

works as I pass through the studio, they’re lying there. 

You think what’s going to happen to them. Getting older, 

you think about these things.” 

Portrait of a Marriage runs at Brett McDowell Gallery, Dunedin, until April 18, 2024.


Thinking inside the box 

Having been forced from its original Shirley site to a temporary home after the 2011 

earthquake, this year saw Marian College move into its innovative (and world-first) 

new space – a retrofitted former Foodstuffs warehouse in Northcote. 03 chatted to 

Sheppard & Rout’s design architect/director Jasper van der Lingen and design/project 

architect Joff Kennedy about the mind-bending building. 

INTERVIEW JOSIE STEENHART | PHOTO SARAH ROWLANDS 

First, congratulations – what an amazing space! 

How does it feel to have it completed? 

It feels great to have it completed. It has been a long, 

complex project that we started back in early 2020, so 

it’s a real joy to finally see the school fully move in this 

year and start to settle in and enjoy the place. 

From the largely abandoned, tired-looking, old, 

large industrial warehouse that we visited on day one 

to the fresh, vibrant place it is now, full of life and 

students, it has been quite a transformative journey 

and immensely satisfying. 

Have you worked on anything (even remotely) 

similar before? 

We’ve never worked on placing a school within a 

warehouse before, however, we were the architects 

for the Majestic Church project on Durham Street that 

transformed a series of old industrial buildings into a 

modern church and events centre. 

There were some similarities to the projects, but we 

haven’t been able to find an actual example of a new 

school being placed within an old warehouse structure 

like this anywhere in the world. 

Could you talk us through a brief timeline of how the 

project unfolded? 

We commenced the project in early 2020 and the college 

was fully open and operating for the 2024 school year. 

Whose initial vision was it to retrofit a warehouse into 

a high school? 

The original idea to retain the existing warehouse and 

place the school within came from the Catholic Diocese 

and Marian College themselves, we understand. 

Was there a brief, or how/where does something like 

this even begin? 

The brief from Marian College was for a fully 

functioning state integrated Catholic girls’ school for 

years 9–13. The roll was set at 430, but we developed 

a masterplan for how this could easily increase to 600 

pupils in the future. 

Being state integrated, the brief included the standard 

Ministry of Education requirements for facilities for a 

school of this size. However, due to having the school 

beneath the all-encompassing roof of the warehouse, 

we were able to achieve benefits beyond a standard 

school simply because of this situation. These included 

large breakout spaces outside the teaching spaces out of 

the weather, four covered sports courts, and generous 

upstairs spill-out areas for all to use. 

A further addition was the school chapel, a generous 

gift from the Bishop and Diocese that has become the 

central focus and heart of the school community. 

What exactly was already in place when the 

project began? 

The warehouse was old, with the original portion built 

in the 1950s, with further bays added over the decades. 

In its day it was the largest warehouse in the country. 

When we started the job, it had largely been abandoned 

and was feeling derelict in places. 

What has remained, what was removed/altered and 

what is new? 

We kept the majority of the warehouse but 

demolished some of the early 1950s bays, which were 

in very poor condition. This also allowed space for 

outdoor grassed playing fields, to balance the interior 

nature of the main school. 

What were some of the biggest challenges? 

The biggest challenges were budgetary. Money was 

tight and the build occurred largely through the Covid 

lockdowns and beyond, which saw issues with supply of 

materials and sharp cost escalations. 

The buildings are largely constructed of engineered 

timber, grown and manufactured into prefabricated 

building components in New Zealand, which helped 

mitigate these challenges somewhat while supporting the 

local economy and sequestering carbon. 

The chapel is obviously the major jewel in the crown… 

The chapel was a separate commission to the school, 

which we won in a design competition. It is the ‘jewel in 

the crown’ of the school, front and centre as you walk 

in. The chapel ceiling reflects the cultural narrative gifted 

to Marian College from the local iwi, which was centred 

around Te Pae Mahutonga, the Southern Cross. The 

ceiling is a representation of the celestial heavens as they 

were seen on the night Marian College was founded in 

1982 and prominently features Te Pae Mahutonga.


How have the students responded to their new school? 

The students have responded positively to the new 

school environment, and we understand have settled 

in quickly, finding their favourite spots and enjoying the 

sense of community it fosters, being under one large 

canopy roof. 

Also appreciated is the strong sustainability story it 

demonstrates with the adaptive reuse of an existing 

structure and the use of timber throughout, a learning 

tool in itself. 

But perhaps the most appreciated place is the chapel, 

a serene spiritual place that is the essence and heart of 

what Marian College as a Catholic girls’ school is about. 

What are you most pleased with/some favourite details? 

We’re most pleased with the sustainability outcomes of 

this project. 

Our favourite details would have to include the chapel 

ceiling with its representation of the heavens above, in 

the star pattern that occurred on the day Marian College 

was founded. 

Also, all the additional learning spaces and 

opportunities that have occurred due to the school 

being within the warehouse have been a real benefit. In 

particular, the central atrium, a courtyard gathering space, 

has really proved its worth, being used for multiple large 

group activities and events. 

Anything else people might be interested /surprised 

to learn? 

One of the most gratifying aspects of the project was 

that it was an economic new build. Due to being inside, 

the buildings didn’t need weather protection, roofs, 

gutter or exterior grade cladding, meaning the new 

buildings were constructed at a significantly lower cost 

per square metre than other standard school buildings, 

yet the facilities provided were well above those offered 

in other schools. 

Marian College will be open to the public on Saturday May 4, 10am–2pm (last entry at 1.30pm) 

– one of 50 buildings open for exploration during Open Christchurch, May 3–5, 2024. openchch.nz

Interiors | Magazine 47 

Pounamu & plywood 

The Wellington owners of this Nordic 

cabin-inspired new build in Central Otago 

wanted – and achieved, if recent accolades 

are anything to go by – a high quality 

but not extravagant holiday home that 

showcased the area’s stunning views. 

WORDS KIM DUNGEY 

PHOTOS ISAAC NORTON 

T 

his holiday home near Queenstown is inspired by simple 

Nordic cabins but its architecture and craftsmanship are 

anything but basic. 

Rich materials and top-notch carpentry are at the heart of 

the project, with pounamu-hued marble on the bench tops, 

negative-jointed Meranti Marine plywood on the walls and 

custom-made furniture in the bunkroom. 

Builder Stu Clark, of the Lakes Building Company, 

describes it as a beautiful home with “absolutely ripping 

views” of the surrounding area. 

The firm received the national award in the new home 

$1.5million to $2m category of the recent Master Builders’ 

House of the Year for its work on the Jack’s Point property. 

Wellington-based owners Tim and Fiona Arbuckle say the 

cabin concept was about building “something simple and 

minimal, informal yet stylish” and which would work well 

with the alpine setting under The Remarkables mountains. 

The couple wanted a house that was warm, natural and 

uncluttered and not “over the top”. 

“We didn’t need many of the things you may require in 

your permanent home like internal access, a kitchen island or 

wardrobes in the bedrooms. It was more important to have 

quality fixtures and fittings.” 

Pods arranged in a T-shape are wrapped in vertical 

Abodo timber cladding with steel-eyebrow eaves and corner 

windows with concealed blinds. A separate garage pod has 

externally accessed mezzanine storage. 

The first plans included a spare room above the garage, 

which did not meet local design guidelines. 

Instead, Assembly Architects added the extra space into 

the main house, extending the living area and including a 

bunk room – a layout that worked even better. 

The 210m 2 home has four bedrooms, including the bunk 

room, and an open-plan living area.

“Earthy-toned tiles and 

fabrics were inspired by 

the alpine surroundings 

and are a significant 

departure from the 

couple’s Wellington 

home, an 1890s villa 

with a white interior.”

Interiors | Magazine 49 

A pool table positioned between the dining and living 

areas, rather than in a separate room, reinforces the idea 

that the holiday home is a place “to relax and have fun”. 

“When we have friends and family staying, everyone 

gathers around it and has a game,” Fiona says. 

The use of plywood was suggested by the architects, 

to reduce the number of tradies on-site and to avoid 

material shortages during Covid. 

“It fitted with our brief of wanting something warm 

and cabin-like, so it was a good decision all round.” 

The biggest challenge for the builders was the level of 

detailing required, says Stu, adding there is “not one scrap 

of Gib” in the entire build. 

Every sheet of ply on the walls and ceiling has a 

negative detail – a 2mm to 3mm blank space between 

the panels which creates clean lines and the illusion the 

panels are floating. 

Care also had to be taken when cutting the pre-finished 

plywood, as there would be no paint to cover any marks. 

The high level of workmanship did not go unnoticed by 

the House of the Year judges, who described the home 

as breathtaking and skilfully crafted. 

Stu, who started Lakes Building Company with 

fellow builder Mark Ladbrook in 2009, says the firm has 

received gold awards but never won a national award 

before, “so it’s big kudos to all the guys in the team”. 

The homeowners were advised by the architects to 

keep the house as two simple mono-pitch structures, 

which would be more economical to build and allow 

them to spend more on fittings.

Those fittings include solid bronze door pulls and a 

custom brass pendant LED light in the living area. 

The entrance has bespoke coat racks and the 

floorboards are solid timber. 

There’s also a cast iron woodburner, with a glass front 

that slides up to give the effect of an open fire. The 

enormous fire surround behind it is made of raw steel. 

Earthy-toned tiles and fabrics were inspired by the 

alpine surroundings and are a significant departure from 

the couple’s Wellington home, an 1890s villa with a 

white interior. 

Framed views of the mountains are everywhere, with 

bedrooms looking directly at The Remarkables, Coronet 

Peak visible from the deck and the living room capturing 

a glimpse of Lake Wakatipu. 

The outdoor areas include a conversation pit off the 

deck and a barbecue area that provides shade in summer. 

Before building in the south, the couple had holidayed 

in Queenstown several times. Now able to work 

remotely, they visit for four or five days each month. 

They also enjoy sharing the house with their friends and 

three adult children. 

“We’re excited to explore more of the South Island 

and do more activities down there,” they say.

Treat Mum this Mother's Day 

Gift Mum some gardening inspiration and relaxation 

time with a subscription to Kiwi Gardener magazine. 

Plus receive a Living Light hand cream with a 12 or 24-month subscription. 

kiwigardenermagazine.co.nz // 0800 624 295


DIRECTORY 

HOME & LIVING 

RESENE 

When it comes to transforming interior spaces from ordinary to 

extraordinary, few elements wield the power of colour, and as interior 

design trends continue to evolve, innovative paint products have 

become a creative cornerstone for designers and homeowners alike. 

The new Resene FX Metallics Wallpaper Collection offers a simple way 

to add even more glimmer and glamour to your home. Choose from 

45 shimmering hues for your walls, ceilings and smooth surfaces for a 

flawless finish. Available from Resene ColorShops. 

resene.co.nz/colorshops 

ANY EXCUSE 

Compact, convenient, hard-wearing and 

complete with a matching cover sleeve, the 

much-coveted Metro umbrella from Kiwi 

company BLUNT is perfect to pop into 

your handbag, tote or backpack. Priced at 

$129.99 and available in five colours. 

anyexcuse.co.nz 

LITTLE RIVER GALLERY 

Punakaiki ceramicist Mark James specialises in copper-glaze 

raku fired pieces, an elusive technique that yields the most 

vivid iridescent-like finish; it’s easy to see why his work flies 

out the door. Recurring motifs adorning his pieces include 

native trees, sunsets and moonrises, fragments of scenes 

inspired by Mark’s immediate surroundings on the stunning 

West Coast. Ceramic (not watertight), 200 x 310mm, $400. 

littlerivergallery.com 

LE CREUSET 

Available in a selection of Le Creuset’s enamelled 

cast iron cookware, oven-to-table stoneware and 

accessories and capped with a luxe gold knob, 

the latest colour collection, Rhône, is elegant, 

elevated, timeless and rich in French heritage and 

flavour. 

lecreuset.co.nz

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 

with Tim Goom 

SET THE SCENE FOR NEXT SUMMER 

Why autumn is the ideal 

time to begin your landscape 

makeover 

Autumn is not the 

end of outdoor living; 

it’s the beginning of 

crafting your ideal 

summer landscape. 

by Goom 

As the vibrant colours of autumn leaves begin to paint the 

landscape, it’s not just a time for stacking your firewood, and 

taking your coats and scarves out of storage – it’s the perfect 

season to plan and start your landscaping projects. When summer 

fades, the hushed calm of autumn provides an ideal backdrop for 

transformation. Let’s explore why this season of change is your 

golden opportunity to create an outdoor oasis ready to bloom for 

next summer. 

Embrace the design phase without rush 

Autumn gifts you the luxury of time. With the bustling activities of 

summer behind us, the colder months allow for thoughtful planning 

and unhurried creativity. Whether you’re envisioning a serene garden 

retreat or a lively entertainment space, you can collaborate with our 

professional Landscape Architects to perfect your vision and ensure 

every detail of your dream backyard is meticulously crafted. 

Navigate permits and consents with ease 

Many landscaping projects, especially those involving significant 

structural changes like pool installations, require permits and 

consent from our local City Council. Starting in autumn means 

you’ll be ahead of the spring rush when homeowners flood 

planning offices with applications. By pro-actively managing these 

administrative tasks early, you can avoid potential delays so you are 

swimming and entertaining when summer arrives. 

Install pools for a splash-ready summer 

Imagine the first warm day of next summer, and your pool is already 

glistening in the sunlight, beckoning for a refreshing dip. Achieving 

this requires foresight, as pool installations are complex projects that 

benefit from the autumn’s stable weather patterns and contractor 

schedules. By starting in autumn, you ensure that excavation, 

installation and landscaping are completed without the pressure of 

looming summer deadlines. 

Create cosy corners with outdoor fires and pizza ovens 

As the evenings grow crisp, there’s no better time to appreciate 

the allure of an outdoor fire feature or the rustic charm of a pizza 

oven. Initiating these projects in autumn means they’ll be ready for 

those early spring gatherings, extending your outdoor living season. 

The completion of these projects in autumn or winter provides an 

opportunity for immediate enjoyment and testing before the summer 

festivities begin. 

In essence, autumn is not the end of outdoor living; it’s the beginning 

of crafting your ideal summer landscape. By leveraging the season’s 

advantages, you’ll be sipping your craft beers or buttery chards, and 

hosting barbecues in a beautifully transformed space that was once 

just an autumn dream. Call Goom Landscapes today, and turn the 

falling leaves into rising possibilities for your home’s outdoor future. 

Begin pool projects 

in autumn to ensure 

that permits, 

installation and 

landscaping are 

completed ready for 

summer’s start. 

The champions 

of landscape 

design and build. 

7 AWARDS – 2023 

DESIGN | MANAGE | CONSTRUCT 

Create a Lifespace with us | goom.nz 

IDEATION-GOM0187


Red is the new black 

The ultimate fashion accessory for 2024? A new Alfa Romeo Tonale 

hybrid in signature Alfa Red, according to 03’s editor Josie Steenhart. 

If you’re looking for a new-car write-up that’s heavy on 

reviewing revs, speaking specs and talking torque, this 

is maybe not the piece for you (though there will still be 

some serious car chat – I’m not completely superficial). 

But yes, I am focusing this feature around my 

recommendation that a luxe red car – and specifically 

this one – might be just the ticket to elevate not just 

your lifestyle but also your mood, your driveway and 

your wardrobe. 

Red cars are obviously not revolutionary, in fact it’s 

a paint colour that’s probably considered the ultimate 

classic automobile hue, especially for those with a need 

for speed, but I personally care pretty much not at all 

about pretending I’m in a race car, and instead I’m vibing 

on what is, in my opinion, the colour of 2024 (Pantone 

be damned). 

Ultimate style bible Vogue recently encouraged readers 

to embrace this “vibrant and joyful” shade, which it 

catalogues under “dopamine dressing” – so perhaps this 

is dopamine driving? 

Side note: anyone that knows me will know I’m really 

going out on a limb with this colour call, as someone 

who previously, when it came to clothing and cars, would 

almost always have said “black is best”. 

Side side note: the new Tonale does have a gorgeous 

all-black interior, so still goes a long way to appease 

that aesthetic attitude, and some would argue that true 

beauty is on the inside anyway, right?! 

And side side side note: it does also come in a 

spectrum of other still very chic tones (including black), 

from rich Montreal Green to metallic Misano Blue and 

Vesuvio Grey. 

But back to my new red whip (for the weekend, 

anyway, thanks to Euromarque), there is actually a lot 

more to it than fabulous good looks. 

The first thing of note? The price point. I’m quite 

clearly not a car guru, but a starting point of $59,990 

(+ ORC) for a shiny new Italian hybrid SUV strikes me as 

surprisingly accessible. 

The excellent Euromarque team, who patiently answer 

my patently uninformed questions, inform me that the 

Tonale is new territory for Alfa Romeo – its first-ever 

hybrid model and its first compact SUV to market – 

highly desirable qualities in the current climate (in both 

senses of the word), and beautifully done without 

compromising on all the things (aesthetically and under 

the hood) that the Italian powerhouse is renowned for. 

The Tonale is what’s known in the biz as a “mild hybrid”, 

but unlike others in that category, this baby can run on 

electric power alone for short distances, low speeds of 

up to approximately 20kph and when coasting – perfect 

when circling Christchurch’s super trendy SALT district 

looking for a park so you can pop into Estelle for maritozzi 

(cream-filled brioche buns, you’re welcome) or Paleta for 

gelato (they have Nutella on tap, again, you’re welcome). 

It has three drive modes – D (Dynamic), N (Natural) 

and A (Advanced efficiency). I stay largely in the sportyfeeling 

Dynamic because I like the va-va-voom, but it’s 

nice to have options – especially an eco one. 

The steering is light and agile (made extra luxe with 

a leather steering wheel cover) and the myriad driver 

assistance features include intelligent adaptive cruise 

control and nifty lane keeping. 

While the interior is spacious, this is unashamedly a 

driver’s car, with a high-tech environment that has been 

designed around the driver. 

The telescopic digital instrument panel Alfa Romeo 

calls its ‘Cannocchiale’ showcases a diamond-sharp 12.3” 

fully digital screen and the 10.25” touchscreen provides 

an engaging driving experience that works wirelessly with 

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

Four high-definition cameras positioned on the front 

grille, rearview mirrors and tailgate and 12 sensors assure 

easier parking and manoeuvring in tight spaces (a dream 

for the parallel-park-challenged such as myself). 

And whether you choose to heed my advice and 

go for on-trend red or prefer another pick from the 

palette (there’s really no wrong choice), you’ll still get 

some seriously stylish exterior details that set the 

Tonale apart from the rest of the SUV pack, from the 

striking ‘Scudetto’ (that’s Alfa Romeo’s signature grill) 

and diamond-cut alloy teledial wheels to its covetable 

wave-shaped lights both front and back that will have 

you admiring your indiciating in the reflections of the 

cars around you. 

The Alfa Romeo Tonale is available now at 

Euromarque in two models, Ti (from $59,990 + ORC) 

and Veloce (from $66,990 + ORC). A Lusso pack with 

additional features such as heated seats, steering wheel 

and washer nozzle, perforated leather seating and a 

14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system can be added 

for $5000. 

Contact Euromarque for more information. 

120 Saint Asaph Street, Christchurch. euromarque.co.nz

Promotion | Magazine 55

The Paris of the Pacific 

New Caledonia’s bustling capital, Nouméa, proudly flaunts 

its oh là là influence as a French overseas territory, where 

European chic mingles with laid-back Melanesian charm. 

WORDS MIKE YARDLEY | PHOTOS NEW CALEDONIA TOURISM 

If you want a tropical island getaway with a little 

Parisian panache and the best baguettes in the South 

Pacific, you’ve come to the right place. Nouméa is an 

instantly appealing city with its irrepressible botanical 

beauty. You won’t just be fanned by coconut palms, but 

banyans, breadfruit trees, and the ever-present column 

pines – so iconic of New Caledonia. 

I began my city exploratory in the heart of town, 

under lush palms and the radiant grace of those 

flamboyant trees that flank Place des Cocotiers (Coconut 

Square). Meticulously maintained, locals chatted and 

munched on lunch under the verdant canopy, while some 

played at the pétanque pitch or cooled themselves from 

the statuesque Celeste fountain. 

At the southern end of the square, two Kanak girls 

played at the foot of the Peacemakers Statue. Installed 

just two years ago, the statue represents the famous 

handshake between the anti-independence leader Jacques 

Lafleur and the independence leader, Jean-Marie Tjibaou, 

settling the troubles of the 1980s. 

From its hillside perch, grand old St Joseph’s 

Cathedral, built by convicts in 1888, casts a sentinel-like 

gaze over downtown Nouméa, seemingly visible all over 

town. There’s a generous sprinkling of colonial heritage 

and character villas peppering Nouméa. An evocative 

neighbourhood to stroll through is the Latin Quarter, 

where storied architecture abounds and the hilltop 

views are epic.

Travel | Magazine 57 

“What really stands out about these glossy beachside 

neighbourhoods is they’re so integrated with the 

local community, not just tourist confections.” 

The buzzing Port Moselle Markets are well worth a 

morning visit for the chance to mingle with the purveyors 

of the fresh produce on display, from the ocean and the 

land. The earlier you get here, the busier it will be as locals 

hustle for the catch of the day. Mangrove crab, coconut 

crab, lobster and blue prawns are always hot sellers. 

The craft stalls are equally enticing, with an enterprising 

array of Kanak handicrafts and souvenirs for sale – many 

of which are produced in nearby villages. The stylised 

and glazed coconut shells, artfully crafted into serving 

dishes, are particularly good. Then there’s the profusion 

of artisan goods, whether you’re eager to try some local 

liqueurs or New Caledonian-grown vanilla beans. 

Pull up a stool at the unpretentious central cafe, La 

Buvette du Marché, whistle up a croque madame and 

café au lait, and soak up the Franco-Pacific vibes. I was 

intrigued to discover how incredibly cosmopolitan 

Nouméa is, with strong populations of Middle Eastern, 

African and Caribbean French nationals all adding to 

her melting pot. 

There’s no denying a deliciously persuasive reward 

for visiting Nouméa is the fact that it boasts some 

of the best boulangeries, fromageries, patisseries and 

chocolatiers this side of the Arc de Triomphe. Péché 

Mignon on Rue Jules Garnier is the fan-favourite 

for art-gallery-worthy cakes and pastries, while for 

handmade soft and hard centres, the locals swear by 

Chocolats Morand in the Latin Quarter. The flavour 

range is astounding. 

I also took quite a liking to the irresistible range of 

macarons at Passion Macaron at the Promenade Complex 

in Anse Vata Bay. The macaron masters of Ladurée would 

be suitably impressed. Truth be told, they became my 

recidivist guilty pleasure while staying at Anse Vata. 

Nouméa is blessed with two glittery beach strips, 

Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons. They’re like slices of 

the French Riviera in miniature, with sweeping crescentshaped 

promenades, white-blonde sands and velvety 

lawn frontages. Unlike a lot of South Pacific destinations, 

what really stands out about these glossy beachside 

neighbourhoods is they’re so integrated with the local 

community, not just tourist confections. 

Fancy a wine and cheese tasting? I highly recommend 

popping in to Chai de l’Hippodrome, next door to 

my hotel in Anse Vata. Romain Brousseau opened this 

convivial wine bar several years ago and as I watched the 

friendly locals drift in and out, this place pulses with an 

unmistakable feel-good neighbourhood vibe.

58 Magazine | Travel 

Romain whipped me up a fabulous flight of four wines 

and cheeses. The oh-so-gooey brie with a sprinkling of 

truffle, accompanied with a glass of cabernet sauvignon 

sure worked its magic on me! (If you’re wondering 

about the hippodrome reference, Nouméa’s delightful 

racecourse is right across the road.) 

Another dining must? Le Roof is designed like a 

thatched overwater bungalow, reached via a longcovered 

pier from Anse Vata beach. Straddling the 

emerald-blue waters, the restaurant’s terrace seating 

means your dining experience is likely to be accompanied 

with an aquatic show. 

A splashy, playful pod of dolphins delivered quite the 

cabaret act as I blissfully breezed through a selection of 

dishes, spanning lagoon fish carpaccio, pan-fried shrimp 

in a creamy bisque, coconut crab and the most divine 

raspberry nougat ice cream for dessert. 

New Caledonia’s World Heritage-listed lagoon and 

reef is a colossus. Spanning more than 1.3 million square 

kilometres, Le Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail is one 

of the largest nature preserves on Earth – twice the size 

of Texas! 

“Sitting pretty in a marine reserve, this 

alluring island resort has serious bragfactor, 

home to New Caledonia’s only 

overwater bungalows.”

Travel | Magazine 59 

I enjoyed an incredible overnight stay at Doubletree 

by Hilton Ilot Maitre Resort. Sitting pretty in a marine 

reserve, this alluring island resort has serious brag-factor, 

home to New Caledonia’s only overwater bungalows. 

Moreover, they’re the closest overwater bungalows to 

New Zealand – and unlike other South Pacific overwater 

offerings, they won’t cost you the earth. 

Just a 20-minute boat ride from Port Moselle in 

Nouméa, Ilot Maitre is a stupendous island escape, 

with all the trimmings. Stand-up paddle boarding is 

wildly popular given the languid, benign waters of the 

lagoon, while a spot of snorkelling here is instantly and 

repeatedly rewarding with the marine reserve status 

revving up the aquatic show. Best of all, the lagoon 

brims with green sea turtles. Over the course of an 

hour snorkelling in the lagoon, I encountered a dozen 

of these graceful mammals. 

But the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly the 

unfurling necklace of overwater bungalows, fanning out 

into the lagoon. Sumptuously designed and generously 

sized, savouring a sunset in such a setting is beyond 

dreamy – it’s delirious. 

“If you want a tropical island getaway 

with a little Parisian panache and the 

best baguettes in the South Pacific, you’ve 

come to the right place.”

60 Magazine | Food 

Spice up your life 

Between cooking feasts for her family and friends and her ‘day job’ as a nurse, 

fabulous foodie Ashia Ismail-Singer has somehow found time to cook up a delicious 

new book of recipes drawing on her time in Africa, the UK and New Zealand. 

WORDS & RECIPES ASHIA ISMAIL-SINGER | PHOTOS LOTTIE HEDLEY 

Mine is an immigrant’s cuisine, of sorts, merging old 

traditions with new ones, creating food that spans 

generations, geography and ethnicities. Food evokes a 

passion in me that I cherish, one that has grown from my 

early childhood days in Malawi, Africa, to my teenage years 

in England, and the last twenty-plus years in my beautiful, 

adopted home country of New Zealand. 

Being of Indian heritage, my love of cooking first started 

at an early age, and some of my favourite recipes are ones 

that have been passed down through my family, adapted 

by each generation to suit the ingredients available. As 

someone who wears many hats, I cook and create recipes, 

source props and style. As well as this, I have a ‘day job’ as 

a nurse and I have just retrained to start a career in real 

estate, with the hope of making real estate and food writing 

my full-time gigs. 

My grandparents were Memon Muslims who came from 

Gujarat, on the western coast of India. Sometime in the late 

1930s to early 1940s, they emigrated to Malawi, Africa. My 

dad was born in India, in Jamnagar, in the southwestern part 

of Gujarat. He was only one year old when his family left for 

Malawi, known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’. My mother’s 

family was already in Malawi, and she was born there. 

My sisters and I were all also born in Malawi. Because of 

political instability, we left as a family in 1987 to immigrate 

to the UK. We all had British passports, as Malawi is part of 

the Commonwealth, and my father had lived and studied in 

the UK during the 1960s. It was a chance for a better life 

for us all. 

Regardless of where we lived, cooking was always a 

big part of our upbringing. My parents loved to entertain, 

and my mum had no qualms about cooking a biryani, a 

layered meat and rice dish, for a hundred guests on special 

occasions. Together, my mum and dad always planned 

what dishes were to be served at family gatherings. We 

celebrated every festival and special family occasion with an 

abundance of food. My parents loved having parties for our 

birthdays, especially since my sister and I are twins. There 

weren’t very many twins in our social circle, so we were a 

bit of a novelty! 

I loved being in the kitchen with my mum, and with my 

aunts who would visit. Families always had an open-door 

policy, so you never needed an invite. Our cook, Medson, 

prepared the ingredients, and then mum would come in 

and finish things off. He would make excellent rotis; my 

mum taught him, too. I remember the fragrant smells of 

spices cooking, beautifully aromatic, heady, a mixture of hot, 

salty, sweet and sour, perfectly balanced. 

Recipes were never written down but remembered by 

taking part, helping and learning as you went, developing 

your tastebuds, which became more attuned with age and 

experience. And this led to cooking by instinct, which is 

how I cook now. 

In Malawi when I was growing up, fruit, vegetables and 

meat did not come packaged. We grew our produce or 

slaughtered the animals ourselves. We had a chicken coop, 

which also housed goats. I have fond memories of going 

to the dairy farm with my sisters, my cousin, my mum 

and aunt to collect our milk, which we would carry home, 

sloshing about in a big aluminium milk pail. 

The ingredients we used were always fresh, and the 

dishes were predominantly Indian. But Mum was making 

‘fusion food’ long before fusion was fashionable. A confident 

cook, she effortlessly adapted Western recipes – Sunday 

roasts, casseroles and shepherd’s pie – to incorporate 

Indian flavours. 

Moving to the UK from Malawi was an eye-opening 

journey. Although my father had lived in the UK in the 

1960s, things had changed a lot when we immigrated 

there as a family in 1987. I navigated this new life with 

apprehension. But what brought me comfort and joy was 

being part of a close-knit family and coming home from 

college and cooking dinner. Both my parents worked, and 

my sister and I, being the eldest of four girls, would come 

home and start cooking the family meal. I was studying 

fashion and design at art school, and I loved getting 

creative in the kitchen, too. It was here that my love of 

cooking blossomed. 

There was a large population of South Asians in the 

UK, and we could go to the Indian grocery stores and get 

spices and vegetables that we were used to. But we also 

started using ingredients that we hadn’t been able to get 

in Malawi and so the melding of food cultures continued, 

creating recipes which built bridges between all the 

countries I have called home. 

Moving countries on my own in 1997 was probably the 

most exciting – and also the hardest – thing I ever did. 

Always outspoken, adventurous and passionate, I followed 

my wanderlust. I eventually arrived in New Zealand, 

falling in love not just with the country but with one Kiwi 

in particular, who I ended up marrying and having two 

amazing children with. Now, having spent more of my life 

in New Zealand than anywhere else, I truly call it home. 

But that doesn’t stop me from being an immigrant and 

missing ‘home’, which is ultimately wherever the rest of 

my family is.

62 Magazine | Recipe 

PARMESAN-CRUMBED 

PANEER WITH CHILLI 

& MAYO 

Paneer is quite a bland source of protein usually 

dressed up with a spicy curry sauce. Using 

parmesan in the crumb gives a lovely, strong, 

nutty flavour which works well with paneer. It 

is a perfect addition to a mezze or finger food 

platter. Serve with a chilli and mayo dipping 

sauce, or any other sauce that takes your fancy. 

Serves 6–8 as an appetiser 

2 blocks (400–500g) paneer cheese 

1 cup panko breadcrumbs 

½ cup grated parmesan 

Salt and pepper 

1 egg, beaten 

Neutral oil for frying 

½ cup mayonnaise 

1–2 tablespoons Thai sweet chilli sauce 

Chilli flakes 

Cut paneer in sticks, lengthways, about 2cm thick. 

In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, 

salt and pepper. 

Dip each paneer stick into the beaten egg then coat 

in the crumb mix. Set aside. 

Heat a frying pan with just enough oil to cover the 

base. You want to shallow-fry the sticks until golden 

all over, turning with tongs. 

To make the dipping sauce, simply mix the 

mayonnaise in a small bowl with chilli sauce. 

Once all of the paneer sticks are fried, place them 

in a bowl with the chilli dipping sauce on the side. 

Sprinkle with chilli flakes and extra salt.

Recipe | Magazine 63 

SPICED LAMB SHAKSHUKA 

Originally from North Africa, shakshuka is essentially a vegetarian dish, but 

I have given it a twist by using mince. Growing up we often had lamb or 

beef mince curry with potatoes and peas served with fried eggs and roti for 

the perfect Sunday brunch. This is my fusion version of those two wonderful 

dishes, combining the spicy tomatoes, mince and eggs. 

Serves 4–6 

1 tablespoon oil 

1 medium onion, finely sliced 

2–3 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 teaspoon salt 

500g lamb mince 

400g can diced tomato 

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

1 teaspoon chilli powder 

1 teaspoon ground paprika 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

½ teaspoon ground cumin 

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 

½ teaspoon rose harissa or harissa 

2 small potatoes (200g), diced 

½ cup frozen peas 

4–6 eggs 

Handful of chopped fresh coriander 

Heat the oil in a large lidded pan over a medium heat. Cook 

onion until translucent, then add garlic, salt and the mince. 

Fry the mince until browned, then add the tomato, tomato 

paste, spices and diced potatoes. Cook for a further 20 

minutes over a low heat. Add the peas. If you need more 

sauce, add ¼ cup water. 

Cook for a further 10 minutes until the sauce thickens 

and the potatoes are cooked. 

Make 4–6 wells in the sauce and break an egg into each. 

Pop the lid on and cook the egg to your liking. 

Sprinkle with a handful of chopped coriander and serve 

with kesra bread or naan. 

TIP 

To make this dish vegetarian, swap the mince for a mix 

of butternut squash and diced mixed coloured capsicums 

(500–600g combined). You can also swap the peas for red 

kidney beans and swap the coriander for parsley.

64 Magazine | Recipe 

BAKLAVA CHEESECAKE 

WITH ORANGE 

BLOSSOM SYRUP 

Nothing beats the flavours of a gorgeous 

baklava – think orange, saffron, honey 

and pistachios. Imagine the perfection of 

combining those flavours with a creamy 

baked cheesecake. A Middle Easterninspired 

treat, perfect for a celebration. 

Serves 8–10 

FOR THE BASE 

250g pistachios 

200g mixed nuts (e.g. almonds, 

walnuts, hazelnuts) 

¼ cup sugar 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ground cardamom 

12 sheets store-bought filo pastry 

125g butter, melted 

FOR THE FILLING 

450g cream cheese, at room 

temperature 

120g sugar 

15g plain flour 

3 eggs 

75g double cream 

FOR THE ORANGE 

BLOSSOM SYRUP 

½ cup honey 

½ cup water 

½ cup sugar 

2 teaspoons rose water 

2 teaspoons orange blossom water 

Pinch of saffron (optional) 

Dried rose petals, fresh rose petals 

and extra pistachios, to garnish 

Extracted from The 

Laden Table: Recipes to 

share, infused with spice 

by Ashia Ismail-Singer, 

photography by Lottie 

Hedley. Published 

by Bateman Books, 

RRP$60. 

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake. 

Grease a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin. 

FOR THE BASE: Place the nuts in a food processor and 

whizz until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl, add the 

sugar and the spices and stir to combine. 

Place a sheet of filo pastry in the cake tin and brush with 

melted butter. Cover with one more layer of filo brushed 

with butter – the sheets will hang over the edge. Sprinkle 

a layer of spiced nuts over top. Butter 2 more filo sheets 

and place them on top of the first layer of pastry and nuts. 

Repeat the process with the remaining filo pastry and nut 

mixture, ending with a layer of filo. 

FOR THE FILLING: Using an electric beater or stand 

mixer, whisk the cream cheese with the sugar until fluffy, 

about 2 minutes. Add the flour, eggs and double cream and 

whisk until just combined. Pour onto the prepared filo base. 

Cut the overhanging filo around the edge of the cake tin. 

FOR THE SYRUP: In a saucepan, combine the honey, water 

and sugar over a medium–high heat, stirring until the sugar 

dissolves. Cook until the syrup thickens, then remove from 

the heat. Add the rose water, orange blossom water and 

saffron (if using). Stir to combine and set aside. 

Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes, then carefully remove 

the sides of the cake tin and bake for a further 20–25 

minutes until golden. Remove the cheesecake from the oven 

and pour the syrup over the edges and sides. Allow to cool 

completely and then serve with dried rose petals, fresh rose 

petals and pistachios to garnish and a cup of apple tea. 

TIP 

It’s best to use double cream for the filling. You can find it 

near the fresh cream in your supermarket.

#SAVE 

THE 

ARTS 

CENTRE 

The Christchurch City 

Council has proposed 

a Long Term Plan that 

doesn’t include funding 

for The Arts Centre. 

Without funding, The Arts Centre 

as we know it won’t survive. 

We now have a short window 

until 21 April to publicly request 

they support The Arts Centre. 

ADD YOUR 

VOICE. 

SUBMIT BY 

21 APRIL. 

This is a crucial moment to 

collectively make our voices 

heard – Council will listen if 

we’re loud enough! 

@savetheartscentre 

#CCCPlan 

SCAN ME, OR GO 

DIRECTLY TO: 

WWW.SAVETHEARTSCENTRE.CO.NZ

The art of seating 

A fascinating new exhibition arriving at Objectspace this month will 

have Christchurch saying “chairs”. We spoke to curator and gallery 

director Kim Paton about The Chair, which showcases a select group of 

singular seating from a project collating 110 chairs made across 170 years, 

each piece chosen for its expression of design and making in Aotearoa. 

INTERVIEW JOSIE STEENHART | PHOTOS SAM HARTNETT

Arts | Magazine 67 

Kim, what sparked the idea for this exhibition? 

It all began with a desire to take a single object form, one 

that was recognisable and broadly relatable, and consider 

it over an extended timeframe. We were curious about 

how one object could express something about material 

culture in Aotearoa – what stories and insights might 

emerge. The chair was an easy choice. As a design object, 

the form jumps across disciplines, speaking strongly to 

craft-based practice as well as design and architecture. 

It’s also a particular object in terms of how 

democratically it is used throughout domestic, public, 

and professional contexts – it’s ubiquitous, although 

holding a body in a seated position at a particular height 

is no easy design task! 

For many reasons, chairs remain sought-after and 

well-loved objects. 

Tell us a little about your personal chair history… 

The chairs I remember from my childhood came in 

suites. Tightly stuffed armchairs that belonged to a 

three‐part set, upright and plump with a pleated fabric 

fringe that hovered off the ground. The steel-tube-lines of 

the chairs and Formica table in the kitchen. The original 

chairs from my grandparents’ Oamaru farmhouse with a 

red-chequered seat – these are still used every day by my 

children, the tiny matching table long since delegated to 

the sewing room. 

The most memorable single chair I remember 

encountering is the La-Z-Boy. My grandparents each had 

one: in prime position by the fire and with a clear line to 

the television, the two objects dictated the hierarchies 

of the lounge. They were luxurious and costly for the 

time; under no circumstances were they to be sat on 

by grandchildren. 

“Chairs have come from 

all across the country 

– spotting something 

familiar is highly likely!” 

The Objectspace website states of the exhibition, 

“This is not the definitive history of chair design and 

making in Aotearoa. Instead, it is a story of ad hoc 

research and discovery that begins and ends with 

an evocative whalebone chair that resides today in 

Auckland Museum” – could you talk to this a little bit, 

and tell us about that chair? 

One of the first chairs that made it to the list for The 

Chair is the Whalebone chair that resides today in 

Auckland Museum. Found in Russell in 1944, it’s thought 

to date to before 1880. 

Composed of a whale vertebra, with three bones 

inserted for legs, the chair is a product of necessity, made 

by a whaler needing something to sit on. It’s an evocative 

thing, bringing to life a time of early colonial settlement 

and the unpalatable conditions of the whaling industry. 

Not many of us have seen the Whalebone chair in 

real life (myself included) and yet it’s one of the few 

pieces of historical New Zealand furniture that have been 

documented and written about with some frequency.

Arts | Magazine 69 

The 1800s whalebone chair is not in the exhibition – 

it’s too fragile to be loaned. Instead, a one-to-one replica 

is in its place. Made with the benefit of contemporary 

three-dimensional printing technologies, the 2023 model 

is both one of the oldest and newest chairs on display. 

How did you decide what to include/omit? 

The research process culminated in a long list of around 

300 chairs. Some we couldn’t locate or get access to. 

Despite this it was difficult to narrow it down – first to 

110 chairs for the Auckland showing, and then harder still 

to select a group of chairs to travel to Christchurch for 

exhibition in our modestly sized satellite space. 

Ultimately each chair was chosen as it offered an 

interesting and purposeful reflection on design and 

making in Aotearoa – because its story contributes 

something meaningful to our material culture. 

How did you source so many chairs, and how long did 

it take to come together? 

It began with the collections of major cultural institutions, 

quickly evolved into a series of conversations and 

interviews, and ended with a public call-out and hundreds 

of suggestions submitted to our tip line. One chair led 

to another. Spreadsheets and paperwork grew and grew, 

and eventually chairs from across the country (and the 

years) were brought together – around a year after our 

research began. 

Any particularly challenging chairs to source? 

There are many chairs missing from historical records 

and from this project: we had institutional loan requests 

declined, and chairs that we searched for but couldn’t 

find. We met many people who no longer design or 

make, most of whom shifted course in their careers with 

little lasting record of their own work. 

PAGE 66 & LEFT: Installation views of The 

Chair: a story of design and making in Aotearoa at 

Objectspace, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. 

Endaxi Design’s ‘Ena’ suite of sofa and chairs from 

1988 was commissioned for an Auckland tanning salon 

and subsequently ordered by Bev Smaill for her home. 

Smaill’s three-piece now resides in museum collections, 

split between Te Papa and Auckland Museum. With 

its bright-orange ball and cone feet, tubular steel and 

excessively bolstered upholstery (the sofa resembles the 

back seat of a car), Ena is a stand-alone example of the 

Memphis style designed and made in New Zealand. 

We were extremely disappointed at not being 

permitted to loan an Ena chair from one of our public 

collections and couldn’t locate any in private hands. We 

decided to include the chair in the publication despite it 

not featuring in the show – I’d love to see the suite in the 

flesh one day. 

Tell us a bit about a few of the chairs travelling 

to Christchurch? 

The set of chairs en route to Christchurch are diverse – 

with the earliest made in the 1870s and the most recent 

finished last year. One of the most electrifying objects I 

encountered researching The Chair is included – a chair 

made around 1890–1910 and attributed to a woman 

maker (a rare thing in any decade of the exhibition). 

Its base form follows an 18th-century British design, 

and it is adorned with intricate chip-carving. Imagining a 

woman undertaking the spectacular surface treatment 

at this time is awe-inspiring and made me rethink my 

assumptions about life in the late 1800s in New Zealand. 

The group also includes a significant chair 

by Humphrey Ikin, one of our most important 

contemporary furniture makers who is often cited 

as the forefather of Pacific minimalism or late Pacific 

modernism. His singular approach to materials is striking 

– he composes furniture to reveal the making process, 

resulting in a kind of material intuition.

One of David Haig’s Monogram rocking chairs is 

also included. Nelson-based David has a successful 

career as a studio woodworker and has made a 

significant contribution to craft education. His design 

for this rocking chair is a spectacle – to imagine its 

making is a marvel and a mystery – David jokingly 

laments that this chair is both his most commercially 

successful and his most challenging design to make. 

Do you have a favourite/s, and why? 

They’re all brilliant for their own reasons. I’m often 

drawn back to the Studio Furniture movement in the 

1980s and ’90s and chairs by Gary Hunt and Marilyn 

Sainty that will feature in the Christchurch exhibition 

speak to the ferocious energy of this time. Both 

chairs originate from significant exhibitions in the late 

1980s, and possess the attitude and spirit of this era 

– probably the most energetic and interesting single 

timeframe in New Zealand furniture history. 

Any that have South Island origins/connections that 

you know of? 

Pre-eminent colonial furniture expert William 

Cottrell contributed knowledge and expertise to 

the exhibition from the early research stages and is 

Canterbury-based. One of the chairs William kindly 

lent us will exhibit in Christchurch: a superb rimu hall 

chair originally made for William Larnach’s ‘castle’ on 

Otago Peninsula, which we hear William intends to 

donate back to the house at the close of the show. 

Chairs have come from all across the country – 

spotting something familiar is highly likely! 

“The original chairs from 

my grandparents’ Oamaru 

farmhouse with a red-chequered 

seat – these are still used every 

day by my children.” 

TOP LEFT: Marilyn Sainty, Cocktail Chair, original 

1988; remade 2020, courtesy of Marilyn Sainty. 

LEFT: Dunedin Iron and Woodware Company 

Ltd, Aesthetic Movement Hall Chair, 1873–74, 

collection of Dr William Cottrell. 

RIGHT: Carin Wilson, Kura Kōwhatu Chair, 1991, 

courtesy of Carin Wilson.

72 Magazine | Read 

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FROM LIFE 

Felicity Milburn, Lara Strongman 

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Read | Magazine 73 

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Christina Henríquez 

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It’s 1907, and 16-year-old 

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WIN WITH PICCADILLY BOOKSHOP 

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Send us 50–75 words on why you recommend it, with the title and your first and last name for publication, 

to josie@alliedpressmagazines.co.nz and you could win a $25 voucher to spend at Piccadilly Bookshop. 

we love books 

www.piccadillybooks.co.nz 

Shop 1, Avonhead Mall Corner of Merrin Street & Withells Road, Avonhead | P. 358 4835

74 Magazine | Win 

Win with 03 

Every issue, 03 Magazine sources a range of exceptional prizes to give away. 

It’s easy to enter – simply go to 03magazine.co.nz and fill in your details on the 

‘Win with 03 ’ page. Entries close April 22, 2024. 

Light up your life 

Much-loved Kiwi home and lifestyle brand A&C Homestore 

(with a South Island location in Christchurch’s The 

Crossing) are offering the opportunity to light up your 

living space with a Curve table lamp in Off-White (valued at 

$170) to win. Modern and minimal with a powder-coated 

metal base and frosted glass globe, this elegant beauty will 

sit perfectly anywhere that needs a little elevating. 

achomestore.co.nz 

03 to your home 

If you’re reading this, you’ve obviously got your hands on 

a copy of 03 – did you know we can also deliver direct to 

your door every month? We’re offering one lucky winner 

a year’s subscription to 03 (worth $79), which will ensure 

you’re among the first to receive your very own issue of 

our South Island-celebrating lifestyle mag straight into 

your letterbox. 

03magazine.co.nz 

Cookie monster 

Premium cookie connoisseur Molly Woppy is celebrating its 

recent launch into select Woolworths by giving away two 

decadently delicious prize packs (RRP$56), each containing 

their range of artisan cookies including Cranberry Dark 

Choccy Chunk, Gluten-Free Milk Choccy Chunk, Peanut 

Butter Choc Chunk, Zingy Ginger Delight, Gingerbread Kids, 

Gluten-Free and Plant-Based Choccy Coconut Ruff, and 

Gluten-Free Sticky Date Walnut & Chia. Cookie bliss! 

mollywhoppy.co.nz 

Garden scent 

Glasshouse Fragrances has released its muchanticipated 

limited-edition nine-piece collection, 

Enchanted Garden, just in time for Mother’s Day. 

Exuding “strength, feminine energy and modern twists 

from deep in the garden”, we have a beautifully boxed 

Moon and Back eau de parfum and candle duo in 

Glasshouse’s signature Sugar Dust & Lily fragrance to 

gift, worth $100. 

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PREVIOUS WINNERS 

Sophie Hansen What Can I Bring? cookbooks: Julie Ahlfeld, Kerrie Jacobs 

Karen Murrell lipstick set: Gwenda Hodges; 03 Magazine subscription: Brendan Barker 

Dermalogica PowerBright Dark Spot System kit: Cara Mitchell 

*Conditions: Each entry is limited to one per person. You may enter all giveaways. If you are selected as a winner, your name will be published in the following month’s edition. 

By registering your details, entrants give permission for Allied Press Magazines to send further correspondence, which you can opt out of at any stage.

Country boots, tweeds, accessories and more. 

Available exclusively from Rangiora Equestrian Supplies. 

623 Lineside Road | 03 313 1674 | www.rangiorasaddlery.co.nz

THE NEW 

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Come say hello in person at CHRISTCHURCH MINI GARAGE. Book in for a test drive today 

and indulge your senses, as everywhere you look there is something exciting to discover.

03 Magazine: April 05, 2024

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