Timeless architectural solutions: AQA

Creative yet practical outcomes are the forté of international award-winning Canterbury architect Alessandro Quadrelli when it comes to designing residential and commercial buildings.     Italian-born and trained, Alessandro is the man behind Alessandro Quadrelli Architectetto Ltd (AQA), combining his European origins and experience with a passionate love for the Kiwi lifestyle, landscape and people […]

Award-winning local joiners

Joinery is not simply a trade; it is a highly-skilled craft practised for centuries. Professional excellence in the craft is celebrated in the annual Registered Master Joiners’ national awards programme showcasing a range of constructions, such as kitchens, doors, windows and benchtops.     Canterbury joiners featured in the recent national awards. The outstanding level […]

From the Editor: 13 May 2021

Hello Christchurch and Metropol readers. I am excited to have taken the editorial reins of such a well-loved iconic lifestyle magazine and have already started exploring this beautiful vibrant city and its wider environs.     I am especially looking forward to meeting those who call Christchurch home, and discovering what makes it so special […]

Doing your home work: Ferg Waddell Homes

If there’s one piece of advice Fergus Waddell would give to Generation Y looking to buy their first home, it would be to be realistic and start thinking about where their work is and building close to that. “It pays to be geographically smart these days and consider the wider Canterbury district rather than concentrate […]

The Influencers: Lianne Dalziel

Is there a building that you’ve walked past and wondered what it is like inside? This month, for one weekend only, the doors to 46 of the city’s buildings will be thrown open to the public as part of a new festival of architecture, Open Christchurch.     The festival on May 15 and 16 […]

The Influencers: John Bridgman

Two brilliant white wing-like structures will begin making their way out of the ground mid-year, outside what will be the main entrance to Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.     Standing about eight metres tall, these will create a modern day ngutu or ceremonial entranceway. This will be where event visitors for formal cultural ceremonies […]

The Influencers: Leeann Watson

The recently announced trans-Tasman travel bubble has come as welcome relief. Prior to Covid-19, Australia was our largest international visitor market, accounting for almost half of all international visitor arrivals, and spending approximately $2.7 billion.     So as we head into the colder months, an influx of visitors from Australia will have a significant […]

A very hard shell

The fossilised remains of a turtle that lived between 25 and 35 million years ago have been found inside a pillar from an historic Christchurch church. Christchurch sculptor Paul Deans recently discovered the fossil embedded in the limestone core of a pillar from the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, which was built between 1881 and 1882. […]

St Margaret’s College: Meet the Principal

As we head towards the winter sport season, we are proud 90 percent of St Margaret’s College students are active in sport. And that’s just one aspect of their school life, with opportunities for artists, coding experts, dancers, debaters, environmentalists, film makers, musicians, singers, the list goes on…   Of course, first and foremost, we […]

Moving through grief

Sumner psychologist Julie Zarifeh has suffered immense loss, losing her husband and son in the space of two weeks. Her new book traverses the subject of grief, as Julie herself traversed the famed Pyrenees trail Camino de Santiago, the New York marathon, falling in love, getting engaged and becoming a grandmother.     Grief on […]