North & South

North & South is New Zealand’s premier monthly current affairs and lifestyle magazine, specialising in long-form investigative journalism, delivered by award-winning writers and photographers. North & South also showcases New Zealand ingenuity and creativity, explores the country and profiles its people. It is a touchstone of New Zealand life.

From the Editor

Conversation

READER LETTER WINNER

Featured Contributors

North & South

HOUSE OF DREAMS • A refurbished arts centre does more than honour a legendary performer – it provides opportunities for rangatahi in Rotorua and beyond.

LESSONS FROM A CHURCH WALL • Fashion designer Karen Walker CNZM finds threads of family history in a Katikati mural.

SAVE THE DATE

KEEPING TIME • Sometimes life can feel like a constant battle against the clock, but these twists on timekeeping remind us that the ordinary can be an opportunity to play.

HOME, AND AWAY • When Newshub journalist Paddy Gower involuntarily declared “Fuck, they do know her!” when crowds in London called out to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, he may have been giving away more than he realised. She is an international star.

Features

LOST IN THE WEEDS • After a century of prohibition, it’s now legal to buy cannabis medications from pharmacies. But most doctors won’t prescribe it, the black market is still flourishing and despite local companies raising more than $100 million to grow it, it’s almost entirely imported from overseas. What’s gone wrong with what was meant to be a booming sector?

SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND BE IN TO WIN ONE OF 6 LEGACY PANS & SNUG COMBOS • Local business Ironclad is on a mission to create sustainable products crafted with traditional technique and made to last generations. Featuring The Legacy Pan and Pan Snug, the ultimate kitchen duo is made from the highest grade of recycled iron to last three generations, and premium leather from Whanganui to keep your hands heat protected.

TALOFA AND NI HAO • The escalation of both Chinese investment and a potential military presence in the South Pacific has China watchers concerned. In Samoa, there are mixed feelings about both Sino influence and the island nation’s growing indebtedness to the superpower.

Out of the Box • The “happiest club in Hawke’s Bay” helps people get used to the idea of death — and exit the mortal world in style.

EXPLORING THE EDGE • For 60 years, the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California has attracted spiritual seekers, social changemakers and psychedelic explorers. But the birthplace of the human potential movement also created cult leaders like Bert Potter. Now its focus is on Indigenous reconciliation.

MY SPACE

North & South’s Excellent Book of Puzzles • A beautifully illustrated collection of puzzles, quizzes, Sudoku and brain teasers.

Culture Etc

Beer and Loathing in Dunedin • A former scarfie reacquaints himself with Ōtepoti’s drinking scene and descends into an existential crisis.

GORSE! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? • From Chaucer’s time to our own, artists and writers have been enraptured and enraged by the spiky shrub.

Going Coastal • Mixing visits to wildlife sanctuaries with landings in Cook’s footsteps, a cruise in New Zealand waters offers another perspective on our natural and human heritage.

TRUE GRIT • A four-day guided walk in remote Fiordland offers unmatchable scenery, spectacular birdwatching — and a new appreciation of the hardships once endured there.

Sketching out Queenstown • Armed with a sketchbook and a healthy appetite, our adventurer samples Queenstown.

Small Town, Tall Tales • A return visit to the West Coast’s tight-knit community of Blackball leads to only-in-New Zealand...