From Anika Moa to Dolly Parton, Victoria Spence dives into a musical exploration of “mother” and creates a playlist of songs that go straight to the heart for Mothers day. You can go very deep when you start examining the notion of motherhood, but I’m not here to lay down a treatise on the Cult of Domesticity or third-wave feminism. Instead, let’s make a musical exploration of “mother”, lending our ears to the textures of verb, noun and social construct. This month’s lovingly curated playlist mines the rich seam that nourishes (if we’ve been lucky). With hanky tucked in bra, we’ll traverse the ..read more

Building Your Digital Empire: A Small Business Guide to Crafting a Powerful Online Presence In today’s digital age, where the line between virtual and reality blurs more each day, crafting an online presence isn’t just an option for small businesses—it’s a necessity. However, diving into the digital world can feel like navigating a vast ocean without a compass. Where do you start? How do you make your brand not just visible but vibrant and vital in the eyes of your audience? This is where the art of crafting an online presence merges with the science of building your brand online. Layin ..read more

Building Your Digital Empire: A Small Business Guide to Crafting a Powerful Online Presence In today’s digital age, where the line between virtual and reality blurs more each day, crafting an online presence isn’t just an option for small businesses—it’s a necessity. However, diving into the digital world can feel like navigating a vast ocean without a compass. Where do you start? How do you make your brand not just visible but vibrant and vital in the eyes of your audience? This is where the art of crafting an online presence merges with the science of building your brand online. Layin ..read more

Mood boards help visualise what matters most and noting down our strengths can be the motivation we need to achieve our goals, and learn something in the process. Human beings are teleological; we like ticking things off. Dr Denise Quinlan of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience, says: “When we set a goal and achieve it, it builds a sense of who we are, it builds our sense of confidence.” Finding our purpose and place in the world improves our self-efficacy and wellbeing, but how do we get there? For Dr Quinlan, the process, where we get to know ourselves, is the most importan ..read more

With a sharp eye for chic design, footwear designer Sarah Street is finding success with her minimalist brand, Bronwyn. Sarah tells Evelyn Ebrey about what she’s learned five seasons into her own business and how her Virgo perfectionism drives her forward. In the fast-paced world of fashion, Sarah Street is making her mark as a talented designer and businesswoman, who is redefining modern footwear. The ethos behind her stylish brand Bronwyn is to create footwear that complements the multifaceted lives that women lead, something Sarah innately understands as a working mother. Her focus with ..read more

New Zealand Fringe Festival Director Vanessa Stacey (Ngāti Kuia/Te Atiawa) is a Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based multidisciplinary artist with over twenty-five years of experience in Creative Arts and Arts Education. This year, working with an incredible Fringe team, she delivered the most diverse, inclusive and successful NZ Fringe Festival to date. This led to the production of a tour through September and October of the multi-award-winning Fringe show ‘ARAWHATA’ by Wellington Ballroom. Vanessa also curates the Ngā Toi and Indigenous artists for the local festival CubaDupa, with a particular f ..read more

Gaia Chinniah is an internationally known healer, medium and spiritual coach. She founded Soul 33 a healing company and the modality of Soul Progression Therapy. Using the energetic cycles and seasons to set your goals, heal and manifest what you want in life is such a powerful tool to help us to navigate life daily without resistance. To use this February Energy Forecast, review once in its entirety and then at the beginning and end of each week remind yourself what the energy of the week is asking of you. WEEK ONE: 1–11 February  This is a powerful month! Starting with Chinese ..read more

Fancy a gourmet restaurant dinner, but don’t feel like leaving the house? Well, for the month of February (including Valentine’s Day) you can enjoy a meal from three of Auckland’s top restaurants – Anise, Gilt Brasserie and kingi from the comfort of home thanks to My Food Bag’s limited-edition Gourmet Edit. An exquisite recipe from each of these three acclaimed restaurants will be added to My Food Bag’s gourmet menu in February, with the option to purchase a one-off Guest Chef meal kit for two for $39.99 plus delivery. And what’s more, everything you need to create it, conveniently delivered t ..read more

Gaia Chinniah is an internationally known healer, medium and spiritual coach. She founded Soul 33 a healing company and the modality of Soul Progression Therapy. Using the energetic cycles and seasons to set your goals, heal and manifest what you want in life is such a powerful tool to help us to navigate life daily without resistance. To use this January Energy Forecast, review once in its entirety and then at the beginning and end of each week remind yourself what the energy of the week is asking of you. WEEK ONE: 1 – 7January  Happy New Year! The 1st of January brings mercury ..read more

From business executive to world-renowned psychic, Gaia Chinniah’s spiritual awakening has surprised no one more than herself. Donna Fleming discovers why. The first time it happened, Gaia Chinniah thought she was losing the plot. She’d been going to a Māori healer for massages and herbal treatments to help her soaring stress levels, and on one visit the woman told Gaia she’d sensed an energy change in her, and suggested they swap places. The healer got on the massage table and told Gaia to do “what you know how to do”. Gaia didn’t have a clue what the woman meant. She was a busy executive, r ..read more