Tim Minchin changed my life: An unfunny interview with a comedic genius
Who is the real comedic genius? Greg Bruce makes friends with a very famous performer and turns the celebrity interview on its head. Tim Minchin as you’ve definitely never read him before.
Wellington’s fashion darlings Kowtow on finding their dream team, going plastic-free and their blueprint for the future
“Their goal is eye-wateringly ambitious: to infiltrate a million people’s wardrobes with just one item, replacing something plastic with Kowtow’s Fairtrade organic cotton.” If you’ve ever been guilty of thinking fashion is frivolous, you haven’t read Julia Gesler’s deep dive into the Wellington label that’s changing the world, one zip-free, nut-buttoned garment at a time.
Black Ferns Chelsea and Alana Bremner on New Zealand rugby’s biggest moment
Eden Park and the opening game of the women’s Rugby World Cup: “For those at the ground, or even those watching on television, it was clear that something big was happening,” writes Greg Bruce in this interview with Black Ferns siblings Chelsea and Alana Bremner. “The feeling around the ground was love, pure and simple … To feel that love from the grandstand was deeply moving. To have felt it as part of the team must have been something else again. To have been able to share that feeling with your sister? Only two people in the country have any idea what that was like.”
What is bouldering? Inside NZ’s cool, cultish climbing sport with actor Celine Dam
As Celine Dam casually hoists herself upwards, writer Madeleine Crutchley imagines gravity defeatedly shrugging its shoulders. In March, Viva launched a new series “How I Move” exploring sports in a league of their own and hobbies that do more than keep us moving – beginning with bouldering.
Celine Dam, Auckland-based actor and boulderer, who was interviewed for Viva’s How I Move series.
William Fitzgerald’s circular design is ‘shoddy’. The Mindful Fashion award-winner on why that’s a good thing
“In Ōnehunga, there is a factory where fashion goes to die.” So begins Madeleine Crutchley’s profile on design student (and former Royal New Zealand Ballet dancer) William Keane Jung-Ying Fitzgerald, winner of the Viva editorial prize at last year’s Mindful Fashion Circular Design Awards. His textile of choice? Removal company blankets, made from cotton and wool – also known as wool shod or “shoddy”.
The Beauty Chef’s Carla Oates wants you to unlearn everything you know about wellness
Not every chef is serving burrata and raw fish. Viva’s beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti meets Carla Oates, the refreshingly frank founder of The Beauty Chef. Sample quote: “There’s a lot of pressure for people to tick all the boxes. You have to eat this way. You have to do yoga, Pilates, infrared saunas, the list goes on. Wellness means different things to different people, and it would be good if it was a little bit more individualised. For me, I love doing crosswords. People ask me: ‘How does that have anything to do with wellness?’ Because it takes me away from my work and any daily stresses. It’s my kind of meditation.”
How to end power struggles at the family dinner table, according to a parenting coach
Weight gain, weight loss and body confidence. It’s the trickiest of topics to navigate with adults, let alone children. But what if there was an expert with 10 top tips for raising competent eaters? Joanna Wane meets an Arrowtown parenting coach and takes a look at how our obsession with “healthy food” can cause more problems than it solves.
Bubbah: Tina From Turners and Taskmaster tattoos are just the beginning
Greg Bruce sets out to interview an icon of car sales, a chilled-out comedian and a walking Taskmaster television show billboard – and discovers a true crime podcast. Or does he?
Comedian and actor Sieni Leo’o Olo, known as Bubbah, and Tina from Turners. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
My Style: Toni Street’s journey through fashion, from Canterbury jerseys to frothy frocks
She grew up wearing home-sewn tracksuits. Today, her favourite piece of clothing is the bright pink dress she wore to MC the New Zealander of the Year awards. Viva’s Dan Ahwa takes a look in Toni Street’s wardrobe and asks what she’s learned about herself through fashion. (Hint: Not everyone can wear mustard).
Architects on the New Zealand houses that changed their lives
Is there a house that changed you? That got under your skin and into your heart? Viva’s Johanna Thornton asked eight local architects and received responses that went well beyond the front door of some of the country’s most thoughtful and beautifully designed homes. “How a house can capture the sun, circulate the air, frame the view and encourage people to gather; these seemingly simple propositions require skill to execute, and the houses in this story, and the architects who chose them, do all those things and so much more,” writes Thornton.
After James Wallace’s sex convictions: What next for Pah Homestead and $50m art collection?
Anita Tótha is the recently appointed director of The Arts House Trust, the new owners of a 10,000-piece art collection started by convicted sex offender James Wallace. In her first interview, she talked to Kim Knight about moving forward from a tainted past.
Will the real Karen Walker please stand up? What’s next for the leading fashion doyenne
The Karen Walker empire started with a floral shirt and an illustration of the world-famous fashion designer as a kind of alternate Colonel Sanders. Jessica Beresford takes afternoon tea with Walker and delivers a considered and highly visual look at the evolution of her business — from attention-grabbing campaigns and New York Fashion Week shows to today.
Skincare founder Katey Mandy takes on the NZ Government
“Skin cancer doesn’t discriminate, and neither should access to protection,” skincare founder Katey Mandy told Viva beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti in this interview that heralded the launch of a nationwide petition to bring New Zealand into line with Australian practice – and potentially save lives in the process.
3000 oysters and 4800 eggs: Behind the scenes at an epic Auckland hotel buffet
In which Kim Knight spend 24-hours at a luxury hotel buffet and discovers the secret to feeding 700 diners a day (may or may not contain gluten; definitely contains eggs).
NZ surgeon Ineke Meredith’s memoir On Call reveals her bold and bizarre operations
“Elbow-deep in her abdomen.” “She performs her first amputation, with a consultant explaining the procedure to her over the phone.” “A man in his 30s is admitted after swallowing 35 fish hooks.” It’s hard to pick the best sentence from Joanna Wane’s profile on Samoan-born and Paris-based surgeon Ineke Meredith but perhaps save this one for after breakfast.
Fashion designer Kate Sylvester announces the closure of her business after 31 years
When Kate Sylvester announced she was shutting shop after more than three decades, it was Viva’s Dan Ahwa she shared the news with first. The pair talk about the hard work, famous frocks – and why it’s someone else’s time to shine.
Actor Sophie Hambleton returns as Dame Jacinda Ardern in new Covid play
“Ardern is cancer.” The ferocity of the Dame Jacinda Ardern backlash is explored in this interview with actor Sophie Hambleton, who channelled the Prime Minister in a verbatim stage script two years into the Covid-19 pandemic – and again, in this year’s follow-up. “This time, it’s going to get ugly,” writes Joanna Wane.
Tom Hardy on his love letter to London, his dog Blue and the cologne he’s always asked about
An interview with an actor about a movie about a perfume inspired by his father and a love of London. Viva beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti covers plenty of territory in this Q&A with Tom Hardy (Inception, Peaky Blinders, etcetera), a companion piece to an earlier interview with fragrance queen Jo Malone. Could you list your own personal palette of memories evoked by smell? Hardy’s includes a dusty pillow, a dry barn in the sunshine – and the forearms of his mother and father.
Matt Heath on self-help, self-awareness and self-abuse
Recently, Matt Heath asked Prime Minister Christopher Luxon if he sleeps in the nude. He also asked him if he had pre-ordered a copy of his book – a 13-step self-help guide to loving the life you’ve got. Greg Bruce was there, recording a day in the life of the man who went on to advise the PM that “if you feel like you’re stressed, go and make some people some coffee … ”
US writer Ann Patchett’s long-awaited Auckland Writers Festival debut
This year’s Auckland Writers Festival was one for the record books. An 85,000-plus attendance, across 167 events, showcasing 240 participants – including author, Ann Patchett. Joanna Wane zoomed her for a conversation on luminosity and love, noting: “At the core of Ann Patchett’s novel Tom Lake is the difference between the wild, heady love you experience in your 20s and the deeply satisfying love you can have, if you’re lucky, in your 50s.”
Can New Zealanders walk in six-inch stilettos? Christian Louboutin, the most famous shoe designer in the world, thinks so
In a never-ending parade of activations, openings and parties, how does a designer stay true to themselves? Christian Louboutin shares the surprising insight he learned from his woodworking father with Viva’s Dan Ahwa. (Plus shoes. Really great shoes).
Dai Henwood’s cancer battle: New book The Life of Dai on living (and loving) with a stage-four diagnosis
“I was so scared of cancer,” Dai Henwood tells the crowd. “Then I had to do this crash course … cancer has been an amazing teacher. I feel I am a better man, better husband, father, comedian and member of society because I’ve had to deal with cancer.” The comedian, television personality and ice bath owner talks candidly to Kim Knight about the worst possible news.
NZ musician Hollie Smith on infertility, her new tour and art exhibition
Last year, Hollie Smith made an estimated $180 in global music streaming sales. And if that’s not shocking enough, wait until you see her newest project. Kim Knight sat down with the musician who bared all (literally) ahead of a new music tour and an unexpected art exhibition.
Singer and painter Hollie Smith with her artwork, which she exhibited in June at a Grey Lynn gallery. Photo / Jason Oxenham
NZ actor Jodie Rimmer talks ageing and new solo play Nicola Cheeseman is Back
Is it time women started acting their age? Joanna Wane put the question to actor Jodie Rimmer (aged 50) as she prepared for a new solo stage show that skewers the idea that women tumbling towards menopause are obsolete.
Juliette Hogan has dressed politicians, Grammy winners and everyday New Zealand women. What next?
For two decades, Juliette Hogan has been one of our more consistent fashion designers, shaping the way New Zealand women dress. But how much do we know about her? The designer, mother and industry leader talked to Dan Ahwa about navigating the business of fashion, dressing everyone from Taylor Swift to Jacinda Ardern, and the type of future she envisages for our local fashion industry.
“Juliette has what many fashion designers don’t — business savvy,” Dan wrote. “She’s built a brand that plays to her strengths of adapting quickly to the market, while delivering clothes New Zealand women rely upon for every facet of their lives.”
Thinking of getting a vasectomy in NZ? Kiwi men share what it’s really like
When the head of the Alternative Commentary Collective, Mike Lane, decided to have a vasectomy, he knew it could make for a landmark moment in both broadcasting and vasectomies. After discussing it with fellow ACC commentator Jeremy Wells, he scheduled it to take place during that summer’s one-day international between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park.
The broadcast, which made global news, was billed as the first live sporting commentary to be delivered during a vasectomy, but for Lane it was far more important than that.
Sonia Gray and her daughter, Inez, with the family’s corgi, Baxter. Photo / Michael Craig
‘I love it now’: Sonia Gray on why ADHD is the best part of her
Sonia Gray has battled anxiety and depression, and was diagnosed with ADHD after a psychologist working with her daughter Inez suggested she and her husband, Simon, get tested. Her mother told her it explained Gray’s entire childhood.
“My big thing was that I couldn’t trust my brain, so I had to be hypervigilant and would get into absolute panics if things weren’t exactly right,” says Gray, Lotto presenter and host of the podcast No Such Thing as Normal. She knew from an early age that there was something different about her.
Medication has helped calm the chaos in her mind – “not completely, but just enough so it’s not 15 voices all speaking at the time and at the same volume”.
All seasons of Beverly Hills 90210 are available to watch on Prime Video. But should you devote your long weekend to a rewatch?
Beverly Hills 90210: Is the TV show that defined the 90s worth a rewatch?
The clothes! The cars! The side burns! The most famous zipcode in modern television is back, with all episodes available to stream on Prime Video, and we have thoughts. Beverly Hills 90210 screened from 1990 to 2000 and made household names out of actors Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, and Luke Perry (RIP). Writer Sarah Pollok wasn’t even born when the show started. Kim Knight was in her first journalism job. Dan Ahwa just wanted to live in Casa Walsh. In this story, the Gen X, Y and Z trio went back to where it all began to ask: Does 90210 stand the test of time?
Is it really possible to reverse your biological age?
Can science unlock the secret to eternal youth? Joanna Wane took on a 12-month challenge to dial back her biological age and in this story, she revealed the final results.
“The answer is… it’s complicated,” Wane wrote. “That’ll teach me to be smug after the results of my initial DNAage test looked pretty damned good. So did a follow-up six months later.
“The final 12-month report, on my ‘significant birthday’, produced far more mixed results… maybe turning 60 really does take it out of you.”
In this entirely subjective story, Bruce ranks 15 of Tāmaki Makaurau’s malls, from best to worst. Useful reading if you’re heading out for Labour Weekend sale shopping this weekend.
Webb’s to refund art photography auction purchases after ‘misunderstanding’
It’s one of the most sought-after pool views in the country – but are all Slim Aarons prints created equal? And why is Webb’s auction house offering refunds for reproductions of the society photographer’s work? Kim Knight reported on this curious art story – and her investigation brought about real change.
Just broken up? Here’s how to handle the rough first days
No matter your age, life stage or general level of robustness – the early days of a breakup can knock you off your axis. Outside perspective can be invaluable. Enter Wellington-based journalist and mother of three Sarah Catherall who has literally written the book on breakups. Her manual How To Break Up Well: Surviving and Thriving After Separation details lessons learnt the hard way following the dissolution of her own marriage in 2009. She talked to Tyson Beckett and shared big-sister-style tips on how to practically and philosophically navigate your own breakup, from day one.
Richard Osman’s new book We Solve Murders is out now. Photo / Connor O’Leary
Jonah Lomu’s Thursday Murder Club cameo – author Richard Osman explains
There is a theory that New Zealanders subconsciously seek out the letter “Z”. When it appears on the printed page our eyes, apparently, leap to the familiar. Are we there yet? Can the world see us now? In the fourth book of the wildly popular Thursday Murder Club series, we are definitely there.
Page 342: “There was a rugby union player, Jonah Lomu, a New Zealand Tongan, who rewrote the rules of the game, because of his size and speed. No one had seen anything like him before. This hulk, this oversized tank, who moved with such grace and pace.”
How did a Jonah Lomu cameo end up in a book about four senior citizens who solve murders? Kim Knight asked television funnyman turned Thursday Murder Club novelist Richard Osman to explain.
The rise of male sex toys: How technology is removing the stigma and increasing the pleasure
This story begins with a warning: “contains sexual content and is suitable for adults only”. Where it goes from there, is surprising, sometimes shocking and very funny.
Greg Bruce takes a deep dive into the world of male sex toys to find out what’s available and how technology – especially AI – is helping men to work out what they want. Prepare to have your mind blown.
Emerging designers on their favourite moments of Te Wiki Āhua O Aotearoa
Youth-focused community fashion week called Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa took over the moody studio of Raynham Park on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd in September. The event brought together young creatives from across the country.
Each evening of the five-day schedule saw the space booming with DJ sets and a crowd spilling on to the streets, for a fashion-focused celebration in a year where New Zealand Fashion Week had announced a postponement. The attendees ranged from local industry to established academics and fashionably focused peers.
After taking a weekend of rest, creatives from behind the scenes of Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa shared with Madeleine Crutchley their favourite moments and reflected on what the week-long celebration meant for them.
In his darkest hour, Shihad’s Jon Toogood doubted he’d get through. Here’s what saved him
As he prepared for the launch of his first solo album, Jon Toogood took Greg Bruce through the bad times. And there were many.
The death of his mother, while he was stuck in Melbourne during Covid lockdowns. Being stuck in New Zealand the following year, away from his wife and children, again, due to Covid lockdowns. His brother-in-law being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Debilitating symptoms caused by, you guessed it, Covid.
How did he get through? And how did making his album act as medication?
Richard O’Brien talked to Joanna Wane ahead of touring his new musical The Kingdom of Bling.
An audience with the queen: Rocky Horror’s Richard O’Brien on the monster behind his new show
It’s been 50 years since The Rocky Horror Show became a global phenomenon. Now, creator Richard O’Brien is heading back out on the road and he says the world has a lot more to worry about than some sex-crazed, cross-dressing aliens.
O’Brien told Joanna Wane about the inspiration behind his new show – Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch and the state of the world, which distresses him intensely. “If all you’re going for is greed and a celebration of wealth and isn’t it great that I’ve got so far and f*** you, it’s not good enough,” he says. “You’d think character would count for something. But that’s where we are at the present. It’s a very scary time.”
Can I fix my menopausal face without needles? A $2250 skincare experiment
In this revealing, funny and in-depth story, Kim Knight writes about how, aged 54, she realised that her low maintenance skincare routine was suddenly no longer enough.
“Marilyn Monroe is said to have glowed in photographs because of the way the camera flash caught her facial fuzz,” Knight wrote. “As a woman on her way to developing a full menopausal beard, even candlelight is dangerous. Like, literally, a fire risk.
Waterview’s Te Whitinga bridge follows a curved line linking Mt Roskill/Puketāpapa with Mt Albert/Ōwairaka. Photo / Supplied
18 great Auckland walks because the city isn’t just bars, restaurants and shopping
Auckland is a treasure trove of walks. With its 53 volcanic cones, beaches, parks and sprawling suburbia there are endless pockets of the city to explore. While classic walks like Tamaki Drive to Mission Bay will always be a joy on a sunny day, this roundup highlights some of the lesser-appreciated corners of Auckland, some of which have been slowly regenerated to create more urbane environments, with shared paths for walkers and cyclists, native planting and signposting.
Some walks take you through swathes of towering trees and urban waterfalls, mere metres from dense housing, others weave under motorways and on to overpasses and emerge into a city park. It’s this sense of contrast that makes an exciting walk, whether you’re in it for fitness or pleasure.
From Charles Leclerc to Liam Lawson, why Formula One drivers are the new fashion influencers
While the concept of sport and fashion has been well documented, the glamour factor is hard to ignore in the world of Formula One, writes Dan Ahwa, in this deep dive into the new breed of F1 stars who are accelerating their earning potential outside of racing.
“The circuits alone take place in some of the most moneyed towns on the planet – including the glitz of Miami and Las Vegas to the sport’s blue ribbon showcase of the Circuit de Monaco,” Dan wrote. “Despite the impracticality of the course, the tiny principality on the French Riviera offers the perfect backdrop for luxury: superyachts, good-looking people watching and some of the world’s best F1 cars in all their glory.”
