Culture, spirit, style! Editor Nina Tucker

At New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW)’s Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival, a one-off runway experience called In Motion will bring together fashion, movement, music and sporting culture. From where the story began to where it might go next, In Motion celebrates not only 100 years of connection, but the generations, cultures and creativity that will carry it forward. (Don’t miss Metropol’s panel event, Fashion Forward: The Next Generation in Conversation, on the morning of 17 October where we bring together established and emerging fashion voices to find out where our industry is going next. See page 31).

Of In Motion, creative director, Dan Ahwa says, “NZFW has worked hard to honour the past while looking towards what comes next. That’s an important part of our creative direction as a brand – understanding the stories and connections that have shaped us, and finding ways to bring them into the present. The 100-year sporting connection between New Zealand and India is a powerful continuation of this.

Sport has been an important way for our two countries to connect across generations, creating shared experiences, friendship and cultural exchange.”

And, on 22 and 24 October, Christchurch hosts two BLACKCAPS versus India T20 internationals during the “smorgasboard of sport” that is October, as aptly described by ChristchurchNZ’s Chris Wilcock. Our city’s secret weapon is none other than cover star Ish Sodhi, often called a ‘spin magician’ (and, an avid birdwatcher, perhaps the biggest fan of Hagley Park’s birdlife). In his interview with deputy editor Tamara Pitelen, Ish says the fact that India thinks Aotearoa’s national cricket team is a worthy opponent is a huge compliment. Read about how Ish compares his love for cricket to that of a first girlfriend, from page 12.

To mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Metropol writer Sophie Lapsley sat down with survivor and picture of resilience Hayley Harding. She lost her husband unexpectedly, and five years into navigating widowhood, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Read her story of healing and hope – and how she came to never again wear her prosthesis – on page 10.

Kia pai tō rā.