New Zealand music’s big night out took place this week.

The Aotearoa Music Awards celebrated its 60th year, with our biggest musical stars glitzed and glammed for the red carpet.

Taking out two awards this year —Best Solo Artist and the highly coveted Album of the Year— was Fazerdaze, also known as Amelia Murray.

It’s her first time winning an Aotearoa Music Award, and she told Francesca Rudkin when her name was called, she felt weirdly calm.

“It feels kind of like it’s been a really long time coming,” Murray says.

“I’ve been nominated quite a few times before and it was kind of, it was nice to finally take home a trophy.”

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The Government is set to trim hairdressing red tape.

Cabinet has accepted all the Ministry for Regulation recommendations, returning decisions on offering drinks during cuts, and allowing dogs in a salon to the business owner.

Changes come into force in July.

Kevin Milne may not be a huge fan of ACT, but he’ll say David Seymour is good at identifying silliness in rules and regulations.

He reminisced on the “pointless bureaucracy” that surrounds the hair styling industry.

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The ninth album to come from Miley Cyrus, ‘Something Beautiful’ is a concept album centred around the theme of healing.

The popstar says it’s “an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music”, and when discussing the inspiration behind the music, Cyrus said "the nastiest times of our life do have a point of beauty. They are the shadow, they are the charcoal, they are the shading. You can’t have a painting without highlights and contrast."

An accompanying musical film of the same name is releasing in early June.

Estelle Clifford joined Francesca Rudkin to give her thoughts on the album.

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"As Arrowtown glowed in its golden, fiery blaze of autumnal hues, it was a thrill to be back in this treasure-chest township, cradled by nature’s splendour. It’s one of my all-time favourite holiday playgrounds and I was eager for a fresh dip from its glorious offerings."

Read Mike's full article here.

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Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

wo sisters living on Martha's Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club - a spectacular novel inspired by true events from the bestselling author of Lilac Girls.

2016: Fresh from her mother's funeral, Mari arrives on Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts to study under the enigmatic painter Elizabeth Devereux. But she soon realises that her relationship to the island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

1942: It's World War II, and Smith sisters Briar and Ginny are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together as the US army arrives on their island. In an attempt for normalcy, the sisters start a book club that quickly grows in numbers and becomes a lifeline for the women who remain on the island. That is, until a German soldier's arrival casts shadows of doubt and danger. Who can they really trust in their tight-knit community?

In this spectacular novel inspired by true events, bestselling author Martha Hall Kelly weaves a captivating tale of love, loss and resilience.

The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and his Kingdom of Clay by Christopher Clarey

Tennis is not short on history. When Nadal arrived on the scene in 2005, the record for men's singles titles at the French Open stood at six, held by Bjorn Borg. Almost twenty years later, Nadal has more than doubled Borg's total with a mind-boggling fourteen titles. His record will undoubtedly remain his signature achievement - the stat that will define him in memory twenty, fifty, even a hundred years from now. Fourteen certainly looks like the only major tennis record that will never be broken even if Nadal, a modest champion despite his flashy resume, rejects that kind of definitive thinking.

Nadal has won big and won often on any of tennis's surfaces, securing two Wimbledon titles on grass and four U.S. Opens on acrylic hardcourts. But clay, the slowest and grittiest of the game's playgrounds, is where it all comes together best for his explosive movement and warrior mindset. Clay is the canvas on which he has mastered his choreography, underlining the precision, speed, and raw power required to accomplish one of the most impressive sporting achievements of the 21st century - it is the essential stuff of his life and success.

Legendary sports reporter and bestselling author Christopher Clarey has interviewed Nadal and his coaches from his first French Open victory at nineteen, marking his debut as a rising star on the premier clay-court event in the world, to his most recent victory in 2022, closing out an astonishing career as one of the greatest players of all time. Brimming with behind-the-scenes insight into the story of a global sporting icon, The Warrior is a must-read account for the loyal sports fan - and anyone interested in the evolution of excellence.

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The Department of Conservation is currently seeking feedback on its Predator Free 2050 strategy.

The current strategy aims to completely eliminate five predators from New Zealand: rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels and possums.

However, they’re now asking whether feral cats should be added to the list as well.

Predator Free NZ Trust CEO Jessi Morgan told Francesca Rudkin that there’s estimated to be between 2.5 million and 14 million feral cats in the native bush.

She says that at the time the strategy was originally created, people were less aware of the impact they were having on native species, but there’s now an awareness and willingness to have them included.

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The next few months we’ll be “in the dark” so to speak – the shortest days of the year puts us in front of the Low Emissions Burner, keeping warm while reading gardening magazines.

What kinds of plants give us colour at this time?

Go and visit your local Botanic Garden and take a note book with you – I often look at the stuff that Julie plants at our place.

Tree Dahlia are huge plants that can grow up to 4 or 5 meters tall. They are true Dahlias, just a bit taller than your ordinary varieties.

Their contrast with blue autumn and winter skies is remarkable. Easy to grow and easy to prune after flowering. They simply grow another lot of branches next autumn!

Nerines are currently spectacular. Bright pink flowers delivered by a bulbous plant. Seeing we’re in rather frost-free part of the Port Hills, they keep on flowering. They belong to the Amaryllidaceae (bulbs) and don’t care about soil quality as long as it isn’t too wet. Easy to transplant.

Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage). Works well in full sun with well-drained soil and flowers up to a meter high even at this time of the year, visited by hordes of pollinators – especially Bumblebee Queens.

Smoke Bush (Cotinus species) is an oldy but a goody. Many different varieties and colours, especially in the purple range (Royal Purple, “Grace” etc) but also in lime green or red. Flowers look like smoky patches, but right now smoke bush is a variable painting of artistic colours.

Liquidambar leaves light up the lawn. Those autumn leaves can come in a wide variety of colours, creating patches of oranges, yellows, and purple. Leave them where they are! Birds will attempt to find food under those leaves (worms and hibernating insects) and when those leaves have slowly decayed, you can put them in the compost bin: free Nitrogen.

We have a Eucalyptus tree that flowers profusely right now. No idea what species it is but the Tui and Bellbird, silver eye and bumblebees, winter moths and nectivorous flies, as well as huge Gum Emperor moths (in summer) love this tree for all its gorgeousness.

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Ha Ha Merlot 2023, Hawkes Bay. RRP $19.00

Ha Ha means – to ‘Catch your breath’ in te reo Māori

A palate of plums and blackberry fruit scents, there’s a light violet touch and generous fruity core. Fine tannins with medium+ acid line to frame the flavours of plums and red berry fruits. Balanced and refreshing with decent length and lots of style. Best drinking from 2025 through 2028.

The Food:

Merlot is one of those wines that bridges the earthy umami flavours of winter fare almost seamlessly every time. One such dish a chicken ballotine stuffed with spinach, lentils and prunes. You can substitute out the prunes for dates, raisins or even dried apricot.

The natural sweetness of the fruit with the meat is what Merlot likes. Spinach and red wine tannins like each other a lot, and lentils provide the earthy theme to the dish. The lentils can be served on the side if stuffing them into a rolled-up chicken breast or leg doesn’t fit your idea of using lentils in that way.

The Season:

2023 was challenging to a greater or lesser degree through Aotearoa NZ. The north island was challenged by the wind and rain. Hawkes Bay where this wine was grown got smashed by cyclone Gabrielle. Producers of wine were quick to react and harvest only the best fruit to make wine. The South Island not so much at all. The bottom line is wine from the 2023 vintage on the most part are wines to drink and enjoy now.

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