Issue 1, 2021

Woman NZ

A new magazine with a new voice. Yours.

Woman NZ1 min read
Ngāmihi O Te Tau Hōu!
Happy New Year Wonder Woman 4.30. 2 Sunnylife beach umbrella, $129.99, from TheMarket. ■
Woman NZ1 min read
Woman
Group Publisher & Editor Sido Kitchin Associate Editor Sophie Neville Assistant Editor Siena Yates Art Director Anna Revell Chief Sub-editor Jennifer Reynolds Senior Sub-editor Alex Scott Digital Artist Andy Kirkup Executive Assistant & Photo Manager
Woman NZ9 min read
Kanoa Cool, Calm, Connected
“You know, just holding steady is a massive accomplishment,” she says, as she reflects on 2020, the year none of us will ever forget. “So I don’t know, I guess my plan is just to hold on and be grateful for what I’ve got. I think when you come from w
Woman NZ11 min read
Queen Castle
raelene Castle is a woman who, whether she likes it or not, tends to stand out in a crowd. Perhaps it’s the bold lippy, the trademark hairstyle (a wig, but more on that later), the statement jewellery or her purposeful walk. There’s something about h
Woman NZ3 min read
Shape shifters
The trouble with summer is always the body. Gay laughter trills on the air as the handful of people whose bodies truly merit it celebrate the flaunting season. Enjoy. Santa won’t be delivering you one, but the sheer confidence of the less perfects’ b
Woman NZ8 min read
House Rules
Rachel House is not a tall woman but her energy takes up a lot of room – in the best way. She strolls in with an aura of high-energy and consults with the stylist dressing her for our photo shoot. No frocks and heels here – she’s a trousers and shirt
Woman NZ9 min read
COUTURE of DUTY
It seemed like a wonderful idea at the time. After Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel died, aged 87, on January 10, 1971, her good friend Claude Pompidou – wife of French president Georges Pompidou – suggested a special tribute to the iconic fashion designer. W
Woman NZ4 min read
Kiln It Softly
Visiting Katherine Smyth is a little like falling down a rabbit hole. At the bottom, you emerge in a haze of ceramics – colourful glazed vases, bowls and plates that look too nice to eat from. I’m at the Wellington ceramicist’s studio, next to her Ly
Woman NZ5 min read
Culinary Cents
The origin story of Destitute Gourmet fits so naturally into the dregs of 2020, it feels only right that creator Sophie Gray is returning with a new cookbook this January. “It seems like grand design that this book is coming out after what will have
Woman NZ3 min read
Girl On Fire
Text from 4448119: “Hi Emily. Our record shows that your smear is overdue. We are concerned. Please call us to make an appointment or let us know how we can support you.” The young doctor wore a mask – I’m assuming due to Covid-19, not because of the
Woman NZ7 min read
Waxing lyrical
Natalia Sheppard has made a lifelong habit of doing things people told her she couldn’t. She became the country’s – and one of the world’s – first female drum and bass MCs when everyone said it was impossible. She shrugged off small-town beginnings t
Woman NZ6 min read
Creature Comforts
In West Auckland, Nadia Sosa, 39, is bathing her five-year-old dog Frankie in medicated shampoo when Woman calls. “Frankie’s pretty high maintenance because he suffers from a number of skin allergies, as well as separation anxiety,” says Nadia of the
Woman NZ4 min readDesign
Amazing Grace
Tackling everyday situations in a wheelchair isn’t easy, but trailblazer and entrepreneur Grace Stratton is using her own experience to help others. She’s startlingly candid and describes herself as “incredibly dogged” – something that’s readily conf
Woman NZ1 min readPsychology
Even Closer Companions
Kiwis have yet to be surveyed about their experience of lockdown with their pets, but a UK study by the Waltham Foundation found that 86% of respondents felt they bonded more with their animals during lockdown. The same survey revealed that 60% thoug
Woman NZ4 min readPsychology
NOTE To Self
Is Rebekah Ballagh the nicest woman in New Zealand? Quite possibly. When I email to reschedule our interview following the death of my father-in-law, the Nelson-based mental health advocate (“Call me Becks”) and one of Aotearoa’s most successful infl
Woman NZ3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
The Big Chill
The magic of ice cream in a cone is never lost on me, and this vegan version will keep everyone happy. 2 cups frozen berries1 large banana, chopped and frozen2-3 dates, soaked in warm water2 tablespoons coconut cream or other plant-based milk Chocola
Woman NZ3 min readRegional & Ethnic
Get Fresh With Me!
2 tablespoons olive oil2 pita breads Salt and pepper to taste10 cherry tomatoes, halved1 teaspoon sumac½ red onion, thinly sliced½ cucumber, deseeded and sliced½ cup pomegranate seeds5 radishes, quartered4 handfuls lettuce leaves Handful mint leavesH
Woman NZ1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Fudge Factor
This recipe has been a fan favourite for more than a decade. Cut it into slices for the kids or into tiny squares to have with a cuppa. It also freezes well, so you can stash a few squares away to enjoy when no one’s looking. Makes: 24 pieces, depend
Woman NZ1 min readEarth Sciences
Surfside’s Up!
New Zealand is a nation of beachgoers – “Sun, sand, surf and summer” is almost a Kiwi mantra. And it’s often at about this time of year, after visiting the family bach and returning to our favourite beaches or trying out some new ones, that we start
Woman NZ6 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Crops In Pots
With backyards shrinking and more people living in apartments, we need to find a range of fruit, veges and herbs that can thrive in small spaces. Whether you love lush leafy greens, tangy citrus, crunchy carrots or vine-ripened tomatoes, there are lo
Woman NZ4 min read
Spot The Difference
Being comfortable in your own skin isn’t just a goal for our general state of mind. We should be taking it literally, according to dermatologists, getting super familiar with our skin and being comfortable really looking at our bodies – all over. Tha
Woman NZ2 min readPsychology
Reading recovery
For me, one of the biggest positives to come out of 2020 was the fact that the Covid-19 lockdown meant I finally had more time for reading. I’ve always been a bookworm, but the big battle has been fitting it into the day. When we were forced into our
Woman NZ1 min read
Gemma’s Top 2020 Reads
This was one I just didn’t want to end. It tells the story of Kya, a wild and mysterious young girl left to fend for herself. She leads a lonely life, but there is also hope, and it’s a story I’m still thinking about months after finishing it. I ador
Woman NZ3 min read
The Beauty Of You
Do you know how much you’re loved and how beautiful you are? You’re beautiful of thought, beautiful of heart, beautiful of face, beautiful of body, beautiful of soul – and so are your precious tamariki. Our beautiful selves, and especially our bodies
Woman NZ2 min read
On The Shelf
I normally wouldn’t put my hand up for fantasy narratives, but the first of a new trilogy from uber-successful author Nora Roberts (more than 220 books so far!) may have converted me. Breen Kelly hates her job and is drowning in student debt. But the
Woman NZ3 min read
A Sense Of Place
Ng? mihi o te tau hāu! Happy New year! Or should I say, with relief, nau mai e te tau hāu – welcome to the new year, and a grateful goodbye to the bizarre 2020. hope you’ve managed some whakatā – downtime, relaxation and maybe even some travel around
Woman NZ3 min read
Analyse This!
It’s 2021. It’s well and truly 2021. We climbed the hill of doom and disaster and here we are. Did anything magical happen? Nope. Not yet. But I’m open for magic. I’m open for magic, romance, money, gifts, men on white horses, revolutions and a blood
Woman NZ3 min read
Flip the Script
Obviously there are many reasons to kick 2020 to the curb with joyful abandon. Yes, it was the best year for novelty New Year’s Eve glasses and we’ll have to wait for 2030 to get another crack at that. But, what with the world otherwise going to hell
Woman NZ4 min read
Mind Games
1 Mouthful of abuse 4 Avoided (capture) 7 Adjust 10 Deleted 13 University head 15 Needless alert (5,5) 17 Cries 19 Smell 21 Reed instrument 23 Fit & active 25 Major Turkish city 28 Cavort 29 Small earphone 30 Peculiar 32 Visionary 36 Wined and dined
Woman NZ1 min read
An Eye for An Eye
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN In cinemas January 7 Female power and a thirst for revenge come together in this compelling directorial debut from Emerald Fennell (who recently graced screens as Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown). Emerald steps behind the cam
Woman NZ2 min read
The Cutting Edge
THE SURGEON’S CUT Streaming on Netflix New documentary series The Surgeon’s Cut, produced by the BBC’s Science Unit for Netflix, follows four groundbreaking doctors from around the world. It offers an intimate look into the world of surgery through t
Woman NZ2 min read
Q&A with Grace Palmer
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? I guess I always wanted to be an actor. I can’t remember wanting to do anything else. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE DISNEY MOVIE? Toy Story, because I truly believed my toys came to life! WHAT WAS THE MOST MOMENTOUS
Woman NZ1 min read
OUR WOMEN Ngā Wāhine O Te Motu
Emily Wickenden, 19 Childcarer and softball coach, Auckland ■
Woman NZ3 min read
EDITOR’S LETTER nā; Sido
Im shamed to say it. I love Wonder Woman. There, I said it. I was lucky enough to go to a preview of Wonder Woman 1984 with my boy Darcy. Lucky, because it was a free film with popcorn and ice cream; lucky because there are many cities around the wor

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