Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 51, 2025 i New Zealand Woman's Weekly

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, the Princess of Wales was making a tentative return to royal life after taking most of 2024 off to have cancer treatment. Twelve months on, Catherine has pulled out all the stops for events that showcase the royal family to the world, such as the State Banquet for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Windsor Castle earlier this month. Kate, 43, dazzled in a striking blue gown alongside husband Prince William at the Christmas-themed function. Royal commentators say it’s been a year of reflection and reinvention for Kate, and knowing she has the full backing of William to do things at her own pace has made it easier to recover from serious illness. William, meanwhile, has been juggling his duties, as…

From childhood visits to the library with her older sister to teaching children with disabilities, hiding from her family to squeeze in a few more pages and 52 years as a member of what may be New Zealand’s longest-running book club, reading has brought Annette Hill countless moments of joy. “From day dot, I read anything and everything I could,” shares former principal Annette. “When I was younger, I even used to love getting fish and chips wrapped up in the Truth newspaper because you never knew what you were going to be able to read.” Now 84, she is the only remaining founding member of Christchurch’s first Book Discussion Scheme group. “Sadly, over time, I’m the only one left, but it’s evolved and kept the same feeling of closeness,”…

Shell be right Decorate mussel shells with pretty paper and gold leaf to use at your next barbie or dinner party as candle holders or salt and pepper pots Paper passion Print a design on white paper and cut it out to match the size of the mussel shell. Use Mod Podge or another clear-drying glue to stick the picture to the inside of the shell. Seal it with another layer of glue and leave to dry before you use it. Midas touch Paint a thin coat of glue that’s suitable for applying gold leaf to the inside of a mussel shell and wait a few minutes so it can become tacky. Stick a sheet of gold leaf onto it and use a soft brush to remove the excess gold…

CAPRICORN Dec 23 – Jan 20 A practical approach will pay dividends, especially in work, finances and personal projects. If health routines have lapsed amid all that holiday activity, grab a friend if you can’t face exercising on your own. To ensure January begins with control, delegate some tedious chores that are causing you undue stress. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! They’re a pair of Christmas babies, so hopefully their celebrations won’t be overlooked by the man in the red suit! Ricky Martin will no doubt be Livin’ la Vida Loca on Christmas Eve when he turns 54, and it’ll be Sweet Dreams on Christmas Day for Eurythmics star Annie Lennox when she has her 71st festivities. AQUARIUS Jan 21 – Feb 19 A fresh pair of eyes is what’s needed – familiar…

Proud as punch For the past decade, they’ve played on-screen soulmates across three Creed films, so it was only fitting that Michael B. Jordan, 38, was on hand to honour his movie wife Tessa Thompson, 42, at the Critics Choice Association Celebration of Black Cinema & Television awards in Los Angeles. Hilary lets it B! Seven Sharp’s Hilary Barry, 56, may have been the one on stage with Oprah Winfrey, 71, but it was her usually reclusive husband Mr B who made the real connection. The presenter wasn’t too fazed, saying, “The hand-holding between them is actually too adorable.” BEST OF THE FEST As a first-time festival jury member, Naomie Harris, 49, pulled out all the stops on the final night of the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia.…

Welcome to our special summer issue. With Christmas here, the pōhutakawa are blossoming and I’m looking forward to ocean swims and long days of reading. On our cover this week is the ever-popular Ryan Bridge, who has had a big year juggling his role as presenter of Herald NOW, while still waking up early for ZB. He chats about the highs and lows of 2025, as well as the health kick he’s currently on. I’m on one too, although I’ll admit it has gone out the window with the arrival of the silly season. Ryan was, as you’d expect, great fun on our annual “Summer with the Stars” photoshoot. It’s always one of our favourite days of the year and we were lucky enough to have perfect weather to match…

Summer with the stars All Imogen (née Wells) needs for her dream Kiwi summer is balmy nights sitting outside, shooting the breeze with friends or burying herself in a crime-thriller novel by Richard Osborne. “Don’t take me to a New Year’s Eve music festival or party,” laughs the bubbly Three news presenter. “Just plonk me on a seat outside where I can sit all evening with our pup Bean on my lap and that is me happy!” Looking back, her favourite summer ever was when her parents hired a bach north of Auckland with tents on the lawn, where they fished and had lots of family time. These days, Imogen, 32, and her husband Matt, 37, have a backyard deck to call their own. The couple, who has just celebrated…

Wedding Michaela Blyde & Michael Brake Black Ferns superstar Michaela, 29, and Olympic rower Michael, 31, sealed their love with a Bay of Plenty wedding on January 4. With rain forecast, Michaela followed an old wives’ tale of burying a sausage in the garden – and the day was clear. After exchanging vows and Michael Hill rings, the pair – both gold medallists – walked up the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered before partying the night away. Melanie Brown & Rory McPhee The Wannabe bride wore an ivory Josephine Scott gown. The groom wore a traditional Scottish kilt in his family tartan. Former Spice Girl Mel B, 50, got her happily ever after with hairdresser Rory, 37, in London on July 5. Mel’s three children, Phoenix, 26, Angel,…

There’s something about holiday time that makes a reading retreat feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity. Maybe it’s the slower pace, the longer evenings or simply the urge to create a pocket of calm amid the season’s swirl of social happenings. Whatever your reason, the right nook can turn even a 10-minute reading break into a tiny summer holiday. Light night Good lighting is the foundation of any practical reading corner. Natural light is ideal ‒ a sunny alcove, a bright corner of the living room or even a spot near patio doors can instantly energise the space. Aim for indirect light to avoid glare on your pages or screens. For evening readers, look to warm, low-level lamps, soft fabric shades, adjustable wall lights or even…

Linda and I live in a sweet little Kāpiti village called Raumati Beach. Raumati is the Māori word for summer. So you could say I live in Summer Beach, which sounds like the perfect spot for spending this time of year. As this issue is our summer special, I thought I might tell you about it. It’d be an exaggeration to call our summer here “hot”. This is Kāpiti, after all, on the lower North Island’s West Coast. When the weather disappoints, I grumpily call it “North Greymouth”, though it’s never actually that bad. “Pleasantly temperate” rather than “hot” would be a truer description. As temperatures continue to rise year on year, I’d go for balmy rather than hot anyway. From our cottage, perched 15 metres up on a prominent…

I’ve discovered something new about Megan and I. After all these years, I just realised recently we have yet another set of complementary traits, which have no doubt contributed to our lasting partnership. Some time ago, I wrote about how we like different chocolates in the Cadbury Favourites selection – there’s never an argument if one of you is grabbing the Caramello as the other dives for the Turkish Delight. A grand test of a relationship, if ever there was one. Complementary skills strengthen a team and I’ve found a new one: She prefers to attack chores in the morning and I don’t. Before you get upset and write a letter to the editor about how I’m not carrying my weight, I should clarify I do help out and complete…

After a 2024 that rocked the royals to the core, following the cancer diagnoses of the King and the Princess of Wales, a far more settled 2025 was on the family’s wish list. Happily, there were no more serious illnesses, but this year brought its fair share of drama, largely thanks to the former Prince Andrew. Here’s a look back at the royal family in 2025... The King and Queen As far as we’re aware, he’s still having treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer, but that didn’t stop the King from taking on a busy schedule of official duties, including trips overseas and hosting international leaders at home. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, he made two visits to the Vatican to meet with two popes – the late Pope Francis…

WHAT SPF REALLY MEANS SPF stands for sun protection factor. It measures how well a sunscreen shields your skin from UVB rays – the type of ultraviolet light that causes sunburn. The higher the SPF number, the greater the UVB protection. For example, SPF15 blocks about 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF30 blocks 97 percent and SPF50 blocks 98 percent. No sunscreen blocks 100 percent of UVB rays, but higher SPFs do offer more protection. SPF only measures protection against UVB, not UVA, which penetrates deeper and contributes to premature ageing and long-term skin damage. That’s why a broad-spectrum sunscreen is a smart choice ‒ it protects against both. How to wear it daily Sunscreen isn’t just for beach days. Here’s how to make it a seamless part of your…

As we wave goodbye to 2025 – some of us possibly with a middle finger extended – I am considering its gifts. A Pollyanna by default, I try to focus on the good bits. And honestly, this year has not been an annus horribilis for me. Not all the people I love can say that, so rather than bathe in survivor’s guilt, I’ll exercise gratitude. I’m sure I’ll get my turn again. I’m grateful, then, for things I did not know until this year taught me – some big, some small. Here’s one: plant food actually works. I thought it was a consumer con, but it turns out a teaspoon in the watering can now and then makes a visible difference. My cyclamen won’t stop flowering and the peace lily…

Normally in the week before Christmas, the tree would look like I feel – slumped in the corner, drooping from the heat, bedraggled and unkempt. But not this year. My daughter gave me the fright of my days this month. She came downstairs and said, “Mum, I have something to tell you.” She looked very serious and my first thought was that something had happened to one of the kids, but she hastened to reassure me everyone was fine. It was just, she said, that she’d decided – after much thought and many years of stress, frustration and disappointment – that this year, she couldn’t do a real Christmas tree. She knew, she said, that for me when it came to Christmas trees, it was real or nothing, and as…

Champagne & cunning A woman flees France to build on her liquid assets A historical epic that home in the company of spans generations, her cabin boy Quill, who taking readers from she has rescued from his the French Revolution to tough life at sea. colonial Van Diemen’s Land, There she starts trying to this is a novel of struggle establish herself with her and survival. Richly detailed, new identity. She buys a brimming with colourful cottage on land where she characters, drama and finds the remains of an old adventure, it tells the story Champagne vineyard and of a woman trying to hold becomes determined to her own in a man’s world. restore it. It is 1836 and Caroline’s Champagne is in Caroline’s life has already been marked blood…