The chamber calls
String music brilliance returns to Rangiora with a powerful programme celebrating storytelling through sound. This year, the New Zealand String Quartet returns to Rangiora for the first time since 2008 with their 2026 season tour: Storytellers. On Thursday 7 May and during NZ Music Month, the concert will showcase a vibrant programme titled […]
Clean that carpet: Chemdry
In an instant, food, drink and everyday life find their way onto furniture, upholstery, and carpet. It’s one of life’s biggest frustrations, and more than that, it can impact the health of your home. A build-up of dirt, dust, bacteria and allergens sits deep within fibres, beyond the reach of regular vacuuming. That’s […]
From polo to produce
Words: Pattie Pegler | Images: supplied The fruit and vegetable shop in Woodend has changed a little. With flowers, fresh bread and pantry staples added to the existing range of produce, owners Becks and Dryden Power are transforming it into a cornerstone for the local community. This is more than just a business […]
Make it major: Mackenzie A&P Show
The Mackenzie Country’s A&P Highland Show is the largest one-day show in New Zealand, with 12,000 to 15,000 visitors through the gates. Organisers say this year is set to be the biggest and best yet. Held on Easter Monday (6 April) at the Mackenzie A&P Showgrounds in Fairlie, what began in 1899 has […]
Transforming a Timaru home
Six years ago, Timaru locals Stephanie and Peter McConnell set out to transform the worst house on the street. Since then, the Cain Street home has become something of a Timaru ‘Sagrada Família’ – a project they keep adding to. Architectural designer Stephanie and electrician Peter were well-equipped to renovate what would become […]
Transforming a Timaru home
Six years ago, Timaru locals Stephanie and Peter McConnell set out to transform the worst house on the street. Since then, the Cain Street home has become something of a Timaru ‘Sagrada Família’ – a project they keep adding to. Architectural designer Stephanie and electrician Peter were well-equipped to renovate what would become […]
Hunting for herstory
Words by Tamara Pitelen | Images by Larnya Bourdot Gleaned from archives, gravestones and ancient records, Roselyn Fauth has been unearthing and sharing the forgotten lives of South Canterbury women. “When I started the blog, I was not trying to write women’s history,” says Roselyn Fauth (née Cloake). “The blog began for a […]
Winning combination in North Canterbury: Charlie and Sarah Ballam
Between them, Charlie and Sarah Ballam have worked in medicine in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the North Island of New Zealand. Now happily settled and working in rural medical practices in North Canterbury, the pair say they’d never work anywhere else. “I’m a GP. I work at a rural practice in North […]
A hilltop haven
When Marion McKellow first drove up the secluded driveway of Pine Hill House near Cust, it was bleak midwinter. Words: Pattie Pegler | Images: Supplied The skies were grey and the garden was bare. But Marion instantly loved the peace and quiet, it was just the haven she was looking for – away […]
In for the log-haul: High Country Carpentry
Who has time to celebrate 20 years in business when you’re busy completing an enormous and awe-inspiring log home? Third and fifth-generation Mackenzie region residents Heather and Lain Hellmrich ticked over 20 years for their building and renovation business High Country Carpentry last December. But the husband-and-wife duo haven’t put their feet up […]











