Life as Christchurch’s leading event stylist
From the foothills of Aoraki Mount Cook to the top of China’s Great Wall, Christchurch event stylist Kim Chan is a veteran of many venues. With Metropol editor Nina Tucker, Kim talks about styling, sustainability and who she can’t live without. “I’m not a minimalist.” Kim Chan darts between tables in Te Pae’s […]
Cabbages and kings
Want to cook cabbage like a chef from a Michelin restaurant? Try this recipe from Simon Levy of Michelin-star Christchurch restaurant Inati. Author Lewis Carroll wrote the now-famous “cabbages and kings” line into his poem, ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’. In China, the cabbage is a symbol of prosperity, and two cities boast […]
Suits you
Curated by Nina Tucker ‘Androgynous chic’ has long been my answer to how I describe my style. A balance of masculine and feminine shapes where ease meets elegance – perhaps because I grew up reading every book I could find about Coco Chanel and her design principles (she famously revolutionised 20th century fashion […]
Supermarket superman Craig Grant
What does it take to create Christchurch’s most aesthetic (and award-winning) supermarket? Award-winning businessman Craig Grant of FreshChoice Merivale reveals the stories of success he’s always been too humble to tell with Metropol editor Nina Tucker. FreshChoice Merivale is the first-class plane flight equivalent to grocery shopping. Each piece of fruit and vegetable […]
The fight against homelessness: Christchurch leaders swap warm beds for cardboard
On one of winter’s coldest nights, 13 August 2026, more than 40 leaders and key figures in the Christchurch community will swap warm beds for cardboard at an inaugural sleepout inside One New Zealand Stadium, in a bid for public donations and to raise awareness for Ōtautahi’s alarming homelessness figures. The Big Sleepout […]
Escaping corporate beige: Editor Nina Tucker
When Christchurch’s striking architectural and historic settings form the backdrop for every local conference and event, our city’s people become the beating heart. Shaped by a playful phrase I heard in conversation – “escaping corporate beige” – this issue welcomes a world where events can look however you want them to and be […]









