Gird your loins! Editor Nina Tucker
by Metropol | May 13, 2026 8:33 am
I was never going to start my first editor’s letter after the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2 without a reference to the return of this iconic film.
This movie has been the blueprint of my working life for years, and, happily, still is; it honoured the beauty of human creativity and the value of glossy magazines (like Metropol).
But Nigel’s (played by the formidable Stanley Tucci) iconic line feels very current for the era our city’s stepping into. There’s a powerful, fast-paced feeling in the air of Ōtautahi right now.
At the stadium’s first business event – before Super Round and the weekend that welcomed record spend and foot traffic citywide – Venues Ōtautahi Chief Executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said this: “For the cities who are jealous of us, we’ve been through enough. This is our time in the sun.”
Caroline confirmed that 500,000 people will attend events at the stadium in the next 10 months. This investment is the good fortune Christchurch deserves.
Foodstuffs South Island CEO Mary Devine said this is just the start line. “It feels like we’ve been athletes and we’ve been training hard. We’re ready for it and we’re global competitors now. We’ve had some very challenging times as a city… but we have done the hard yards, and it’s built an amazing resilience, and it’s also built an amazing confidence of what can be achieved by working together.”
That confidence is sparking an obvious shift in local business, its ripple effect flowing into other communities and attracting nationwide attention; interest in local real estate from North Island buyers is soaring.
“The council’s foot traffic data confirms what everyone could feel,” writes James Gough, former city councillor and executive director of The Terrace. “Central city foot traffic lifted from an average April weekend of 273,175 movements to 393,643. Evening and night-time activity from 5pm to 3am jumped from around 62,000 movements to 107,000.”
Momentum isn’t slowing down, either. Cover stars Six60, alongside Synthony, headline at One New Zealand Stadium for what’s set to be another spectacular weekend on 14 May. In celebration of New Zealand Music Month this May, and the excitement we’re all feeling, we found out how the band prepares for a history-making concert-opening performance.
Plus, deputy editor Tamara Pitelen’s interview with national treasure Gavin Bishop, two recipes that really stack up, a healthy dose of who’s-who at the city’s latest social events, and more.
So, it’s official. Christchurch is simply the best place (to live, work, holiday, dream about). So, gird your loins, Cantabrians, it’s game on!
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/gird-your-loins-editor-nina-tucker/