MYTHS V FACTS
Exercise is not the key to weight loss
LILLIE IN LONDON Winter is cold and dark – but lots of fun
YOUR NEW GO-TO Nici Wickes' delicious Mac 'n' Three Cheeses
NIGELLATTA
10
Cup?
What kind of sandwiches did mourners leave as tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, following her death in 2022?
Compiled by Mark Fryer ANSWERS 1. An n.ultramaratho (It stands for: railUltra-T du nt-Mo Blanc.) 2. The Hebrides. (To be precise: the Inner Hebrides.) 3. Red. 4. A ker.pawnbro 5. The Da Vinci deCo 6. Macchiato 7. Baseball. 8. Tapa. 9. The nnstellatioCo Cup. 10. Marmalade sandwiches.
Let it snow, let it snow
LILLIE IN LONDON
As ex-pat Kiwi Lillie Rohan braces for the UK winter, she says it’s not all bad.
If you want to know what we Kiwis in London get up to in winter, picture a group of mid20s blokes in their Red Badge Security uniforms, beer in hand, high-vis showing, standing in the middle of the road
Welcome to the Kiwis in London Waitangi Day Pub Crawl
This year, the day was extra grey, the rain came and went multiple times, and there were about 1500 Kiwis head to toe in Kiwiana costumes, including Buzzy Bees, Alternative Commentary Collective hats, Four Square aprons and other creative outfits, all particularly excited not only for the day but because February 6 means we would only have three weeks of winter left and the sun would officially set after 5pm
The stars of the show were a group of lads who noticed that the expats were huddling around a pub on a very narrow road so narrow we were spilling out on to the road, and naturally, they did what any well-meaning Kiwis would do: they started directing traffic
Shutting the road down to one lane, they allowed cars, buses, even a police car through, and earned a few waves of thank you while doing so
I’ve been thinking a lot about that chaotic day recently, mainly because I just found my Vitamin D tablets Unfortunately, as you Kiwis welcome in your warmer days, we’re preparing for the winter, and when I say preparing, I mean it mentally and physically
London winter is truly something else It’s a time when the UK sees barely any sunlight about a third of what New Zealand sees in winter, which is why I was bawling my eyes out at 3pm in midJanuary, telling my mum it was so dark I felt about as nocturnal as the kiwi itself
Pair that with London’s average high of 10 degrees in peak winter, and yeah, you can say it’s tough, especially when it comes to regulating your body temperature
The underground, pubs, cafes, shops, anywhere that’s not outside in December feels like a Bikram yoga class in a Macpac jacket, but you have very little time to complain about temperature extremes because you’re too busy putting on or taking off layers
Thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom, and ironically, London is a city that comes alive in winter thanks to its short days and long nights
If you’re a diehard rugby fan, you’ll know the All Blacks Northern Tour has a huge part to play in this, and budget airlines like RyanAir make it dangerously easy to follow the team around the UK and Europe
If you’re not following them, though, you’re likely squished in a pub with hundreds of other rugby fans, pint in hand, with probably some beer spilling down your jeans, yelling at a huge screen
Once the tour is wrapped up, there’s no time to even think about how cold or dark it is because the city is very much alight Fairylights and ice skating rinks are everywhere, and there are so many markets that you don’t need to go without a mulled wine or hot chocolate for longer than 50m
Winter is also when you really discover London’s nooks and crannies
Hampstead Heath covered in frost feels like stepping into Narnia and the South Bank’s markets are worth braving the cold for (mostly for the cookies)
Back home, Christmas never really feels like Christmas, but here, it’s easy to feel like a kid again
Movie nights are more fun, mulled wine tastes better, and special Christmas pub quizzes are a highlight of the week It’s far more festive than anything I could have imagined
As for the indoor soirees, Clint from Kiwis In London rallies the expats and helps us fight the winter scaries the only way we know how: beers, boogies and bloody good pies
It’s called the Kiwis in London Christmas Party and is about to celebrate its 12th birthday this year
Last year was my first time, and honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had on a Sunday night
More than 1600 tickets were sold, Kiwi
and
One thing I have found quite hard to get used to, though, is that New Year’s is a bit of a nonevent, unless of course you go to Edinburgh, which is known to be the Kiwi hotspot Others snag a cheap flight to somewhere warm, and a lot of us actually fly home for January or February to “see family” aka escape the doom and gloom
So while winter is a whole different beast, it’s not all bad, actually quite fun I’ll never say I look forward to it, but I am kind of, sort of, maybe excited to be in my cosy coat and mulled wine era
London knows how to do winter, and Kiwis know how to do a pub crawl, says Lillie Rohan
accents dominated Clapham,
Sir Dave Dobbyn was on repeat
‘Real learning happens in a real life’
Psychologist and broadcaster Nigel Latta died on Tuesday, aged 58, following a battle with stomach cancer. On the day of his death, Latta’s long-awaited book on his life and what he learnt from his cancer diagnosis cancer journey, Lessons on Living, was released. Below is the book’s first chapter, giving readers a look inside his life, his legacy, his battle and the importance of pulling up a seat for conversation.
Ionce sat in a room with a man who’d kicked someone to death for no real reason at all I was in the room by choice; him not so much I was there in my capacity as a clinical psychologist completing a risk assessment; he was there because it was a prison, and he didn’t have a lot else to do
He smelt stale, I remember that, as if the air never quite reached his skin
“How you doing?” I asked him He just shrugged: “Okay ” And I remember thinking there was a whole lot to unpack in that response
I’ve sat in a lot of places at the far edges of things that a lot of people never get to see I once sat beside a woman who had been through all kinds of horrors and was hanging on to the will to live with ragged fingernails chewed all the way down to the quick, and another time with a kid who still found joy in the world even though his whole life had been stained with abandonment and cruelty
I once sat with a mother who’d seen her child murdered in front of her, and another time with a man who wore the uniform of a Catholic priest but was really just a hole in the world into which children would fall
I’ve sat in the cockpit of a fighter jet slicing a hole through the sky as the pilot said into the intercom, “You have control”, and felt all that speed and power through the stick, and banked left as steeply as I could without risking a telling-off
When I was a teenager I sat beside my best friend at the literal edge of a 200-foot cliff as he explained how he’d read in a magazine you could abseil without a harness, and then proceeded to loop the rope about himself in a rough approximation of what he’d seen in the article, took up the tension, and slowly walked back over the edge He made it to the bottom, but that was A-grade teenage lunacy
I’ve sat beside people who were so rich that money didn’t have any real meaning to them, and people who were so broke they literally couldn’t feed their kids
I once in a moment I will always treasure sat beside my daughter in an ancient fortress high in the mountains of northern Iran, the two of us completely alone, and another time beside a family of strangers at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia a building that is unquestionably one of the most beautiful structures humans have ever conceived and made real
I once sat at the feet of a swami in Pune, India, who sounded like the real deal but just said a bunch of silly nonsense like a clumsy tarot card reading That’s when I learned that weird long pauses can make even tissue-thin banalities sound profound
I’ve sat with prime ministers, and rocket scientists, and an Oxford maths professor who is both an actual proper 100% genius and the most lovely man I think I’ve ever met I’ve sat with hardcore violent gang members, and I’ve sat with Buddhist nuns, although not at the same time
And once, in a moment that was equal parts magical and zoological, I sat at a respectful distance keeping a dying Weddell seal company at Cape Bird in Antarctica as countless Adelie penguins traipsed up and down the beach between us, unmoved by either sadness for the dying seal or the breathtaking beauty of the place itself
Say what you like about penguins, but they are not sentimental in any shape or form And a few months ago I sat with a very nice doctor as he was telling me that the tumour they’d found in my stomach was incurable, and he estimated it would probably kill me in about six to 12 months I know, right? Type quickly
Right now I’m sitting in a comfortable leather chair, on an overcast Tuesday afternoon, in comfortable slippers talking with you
I’m now several months into chemotherapy for that incurable stomach cancer and I’m currently in my new default state, which is a shifting malaise of fatigue and nausea
at the presentation of a petition on
And yet, in spite of all that, I feel deeply and profoundly lucky
I have lived a full and interesting life so far I wanted to see the far edges of it all, the extremes that exist in the world, life and death, and everything in between and I have
All things considered, it seemed like a good time to stop and reflect a little on the journey thus far
Although it might be more accurate to say that when you get a diagnosis of incurable cancer, it pretty much punches you in the face over and over until the only way out is to do some reflecting on your life
In all those sometimes magical, sometimes terrifying, and often surreal moments I’ve found myself in over the last 57 years of just being alive generally, and over 30 years working as a clinical psychologist, I learned things about the world and how it works
I learned a lot about people, and why we do what we do, and I learned just as many things about myself and how to make things happen in my own life and in the lives of the people around me
Over all those years, I’ve assembled a personal toolkit for living, three simple principles that have taken me to all those places and all those people, and all the things I’ve ever done
And that same toolkit has got me through some difficult times as well like the whole cancer thing
And it also helped me find my way to the woman who is the great love of my life
Which made me think maybe I should share that learning with you, on the off-chance it may help you in your own journey Then I spent some time thinking about just how to do that? I could just give you the list and say, “Go forth and do that stuff”, but that isn’t how real learning happens
Real learning happens in the context of living the day-to-day ups and downs of our lives
Real learning happens in a real life
So I’m going to tell you the story of how I built this mental toolbox within the ups and downs of my own life These are very simple ideas, but they’re embedded in a rich context I didn’t have all this worked out from the beginning; I assembled it over time as I blundered from one confusing mess to the next
We learn the most from our failures, not our successes, which has worked out very well for me because I have f*****d up a lot of stuff in my life
There’s a line that runs through it all, but it’s not a straight line We’re going to need to zig and zag along the way
Sometimes I have to start at the end and go back to work out just when, how, and most importantly of all why I wired in each principle
This will be an unpredictable ride, and I am, by nature, a pretty zig-zaggy kind of guy
It’s more fun that way
● Lessons on Living: Finding your way through life’s ups and downs by Nigel Latta is out now, published by HarperCollins New Zealand
● See Andrea Molloy’s review of Lessons on Living on page 17
Nigel Latta in Antarctica; with Whangarei Youth Space panellists;
mental skills training for schools Photos / NZME Supp ied
5 weight loss methods that really work
Two nutrition experts bust the common myths about shedding the kilos
What do I have to do to lose weight?
It’s a question many of us will have considered However, for anyone who has tried to shift the scales, it’s often not that simple daily trips to the gym and caloriecutting may have proved fruitless
Despite more than a century of research into calories and body weight, there is still confusion on how to achieve weight loss and where there is advice, it is often based on science that has been extrapolated “far beyond what a study actually demonstrates”, says nutrition and metabolism scientist Dr Kevin Hall
Food Intelligence, his new book with health journalist Julia Belluz, cuts through the myths about nutrition to provide clarity on what works, so that people “can look a bit more critically at the next book that’s telling them the secret to weightloss success”, he says Here are some of the most prevalent weight-loss myths and what actually works instead
MYTH 1: EXERCISING ENORMOUS AMOUNTS IS KEY TO WEIGHT LOSS
“Recently, I was talking to a friend who had put on weight and she was saying that she just doesn’t have time to go to the gym,” Belluz says “I was thinking, it’s not the exercise that is the problem it is the overconsumption of food ”
Despite exercise being brilliant for our health for building and maintaining muscle mass, protecting our heart from disease and even reducing our cancer risk research shows that its role in weight loss is minimal
Hall has seen this first hand during his time studying the contestants in the US TV show The Biggest Loser, where people competed for seven months to lose the greatest percentage of their body weight in return for US$250,000 ($432,000)
“What we observed was that when they were in this crazy competition and doing an enormous amount of unsustainable exercise [often at least three hours of vigorous workouts per day], when it came to weight loss, there was no correlation between the folks who did the most exercise and [those who] lost the most weight,” he says “It was primarily how much they cut calories in their diet ”
Separate research, which saw people complete supervised exercise sessions, confirmed this finding and highlighted that exercise was particularly ineffective at helping women lose weight “There are almost as many women who gain weight in the process as lose weight,” Hall says It’s thought that this finding, at least in part, is due to the body adapting to a higher activity level and restricting the overall number of calories it burns “Men tend to do a little bit better there is weight loss, on average, but it’s not an impressive amount they’re losing a few pounds,” he says
“When people start an exercise programme and they don’t see the numbers falling on the scale, they question what they are doing it for The answer is, you shouldn’t be doing exercise to lose weight You should be doing it to improve your overall health and functionality and to be able to enjoy life to its fullest, not for weight loss ” What works instead: Switching your focus
While exercise won’t fuel dramatic weight loss, it helps in successfully maintaining a lower weight, according to Hall Research from The Biggest Loser showed that those who maintained an active lifestyle were less likely to pile the pounds back on, though the reasons for this are not yet fully understood, he notes
“You shouldn’t be looking on the scale to see how your physical activity is affecting your weight loss,” he adds “However, it’s going to help you maintain
the weight loss that you’ve been able to achieve ” In other words, exercise won’t obliterate fat but it can help keep the fat off
MYTH 2: YOUR WEIGHT GAIN IS CAUSED BY A SLOW METABOLISM
Like many of us, Belluz had long blamed her slow metabolism when her weight increased the idea that her body was burning fewer calories than it should, meaning that eating a typical amount of food caused her to gain fat
In a bid to confirm her suspicions, she spent 24 hours in a chamber fitted with an array of metal pipes that measured exhaled gases from her breath the most accurate way of calculating metabolism
Results showed that the number of calories her body burned was completely normal for her age, sex, weight and height
“I fell prey to the myth in trying to understand my previous weight struggles,” she says
successful in losing weight also had the greatest slowing of metabolism “We think that the slow metabolism and the weight loss are both responses to whatever lifestyle changes you’re able to make,” he adds
What works instead: Hiding or getting rid of “treat foods” from your home
“The idea of slow metabolism being the causative agent of obesity was really derived by asking people of different sizes to track how much they’re eating,” Dr Hall explains In an infamous study, participants all reported their calorie intake as lower than it actually was, but obese people underestimated their calorie intake much more than leaner people
The researchers, who didn’t know that there was this bias, concluded that obese people were eating more or less the same number of calories as thinner people, so a slow metabolism must be to blame for their larger size
“It was only later, when we had accurate but expensive methods for measuring metabolism, that we realised that people with obesity actually burn more calories than leaner people, on average,” Hall adds “But still, the myth persists: ‘I have obesity because of my slow metabolism ’ For the vast majority of people, a slow metabolism isn’t the main reason that they’re struggling with their weight ”
While a slow metabolism “is not a causative factor” of weight gain, another factor outside our control is to blame, according to Hall and Belluz: the food environment
“The food environment is about our social interactions and social norms, what’s available to us, how it’s being advertised, what our friends are doing, how we’re being influenced by others, the products that are available,” Hall explains “All of those things have changed quite dramatically since the 1970s
”[There has been an] explosion of variety and portion sizes have increased, in addition to food becoming so much cheaper and more convenient No one’s arguing against many of those things, we all like to have choices, convenience and tasty options to have ”
However, easy access to high-calorie and hyperpalatable foods is undoubtedly driving the obesity crisis, the pair argue
In fact, during his time working on The Biggest Loser, he found that people who were the most
“We hope people take the blame off themselves,” Belluz says However, there are tactics that people can use at home to control the food environment as much as they can Hall has taken to hiding unhealthy food in his basement, so that it’s not easy to access, while Belluz limits how much she keeps at her house
MYTH 3: CUTTING 3500 CALORIES A WEEK EQUATES TO A WEIGHT LOSS OF A POUND A WEEK
The 3500-calories-per-pound (450 grams) rule has formed the bedrock of weight-loss advice for decades “That idea came from a very basic scientific question, which was: how many calories are stored in a pound of human fat tissue? It turns out to be pretty close to 3500,” Hall says
Exercise should be a means to improve overall health, not lose weight Photos / Getty Images, 123rf
However, that finding was extrapolated to the point that advice is issued from the likes of the Britain’s National Health Service as well as the National Institutes of Health in the US suggesting that cutting 500 calories per day from your diet will consistently lead to a weight loss of one pound per week, he notes People may be able to lose a few pounds following this rule, but it will soon stop being as effective, as the body fights against weight loss, Hall says “The point is you can’t create that deficit over and over again ”
“There were good intentions behind coming up with some sort of rule to tell people, but when that rule is based on inaccurate evidence, it ends up having really bad unintended consequences,” he adds “It suggested that if you just cut a little bit of calories out of your diet and just waited long enough, then you should be able to lose any amount of weight ”
What works instead: Being honest with yourself about your calorie intake
Unfortunately, scientists haven’t yet come up with a foolproof metric to give to those hoping to shift the scales
“Even if we did have an accurate rule of thumb, most people can’t track their calorie intake very well,” Hall says Research shows that people underestimate how much they’re eating by around 1000 calories per day, he explains
However, other dieting experts recommend multiplying your weight in pounds by 11 for the lower end of your calorie intake and by 12 for the higher end
For example, this would mean that an average woman, weighing 72kg could eat between 1750 and 1900 calories per day to lose weight
As a person’s weight decreases, so does the calorie range needed to continue achieving weight loss
However, this calculation is also just a rough guide
MYTH 4: AVOIDING CARBS WILL LEAD TO WEIGHT LOSS
Three macronutrients provide most of the fuel that our bodies need: carbohydrates, fat and protein
Both carbs and fat are frequently shunned in the name of dieting but, on its own, this won’t change
the number on the scales “You can change carb and fat intake by a huge amount,” Hall says, but if calorie intake isn’t reduced, this approach won’t help with weight loss
In other words, you need to eat fewer calories to lose weight and following a lowcarbohydrate or low-fat eating pattern alone won’t achieve this unless you’re eating less food overall
Hall showed this in a study of 19 obese people who followed a calorie-controlled diet that was either very low in fat or in carbohydrates
Both groups lost nearly identical amounts of weight, although those on the low-fat diet lost marginally more 40g per day (around the size of a large strawberry)
the proportion of UPFs in your diet, to prevent overeating
“When we presented people with minimally processed diets that varied in carbs and fat, almost everybody lost weight on both of those diets,” Hall says
But it was the calorie-intake differences that dictated the differences in body-fat changes and loss of weight
“People do have tremendous success on low-carb [and low-fat] diets,” Belluz notes “But when it comes to weight loss, on average, it doesn’t seem to be the thing to focus on ”
What works instead: Cutting out ultra-processed foods
Hall’s ongoing research shows that diets high in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) encourage us to overeat excessively He has recently tracked participants exposed to different diets, including minimally processed and ultra-processed, and allowed them to eat as much or as little as they want while sticking to these groups of food
MYTH 5: LOADING UP ON PROTEIN WILL BOOST RESULTS
Eating enough protein can aid weight loss because it can help with staying full for longer However, the vast majority of people are already eating enough protein and the proliferation of high-protein foods which are often UPFs aren’t necessary for getting trimmer, according to Hall
“The public is getting a hint of truth,” he says
“If you’re a bodybuilder or extreme athlete and you want to optimise your performance, the very first thing you should be doing is looking at your training regimen and supporting that with enough protein ”
However, the average person being sold these high-protein products probably believes that they are not eating enough protein and that they need to buy them to harness the benefits, which “is misguided”, he says
When following a high-UPF diet, participants consumed 1000 calories more per day and gained around 1kg per week
“That’s the only diet we’ve seen that causes people to spontaneously increase the number of calories they’re eating and gain weight and gain body fat,” he says It therefore makes sense to limit
“What we see again and again is focus on a single nutrient removed from other things in food,” Belluz notes “Now, it’s protein and glucose In the past, it was fat versus carbs
“You often miss the forest for the trees the big picture about what you should actually be eating and how your diet should look If you’re relying on protein-boosted pancakes [as your source of protein], it’s probably not a healthy diet in the first place ” What works instead: Eating more vegetables “The evidence on optimal nutrition has been clear and consistent over decades,” Hall and Belluz write in their book
“It’s boring by this point Eat more vegetables along with fibre, legumes, whole grains and fruits Limit sodium, sugar, saturated fat and junk foods ” Sometimes the simplest, most obvious methods are the most effective Telegraph Group Ltd
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Places of magic and mystery
Pop in and explore your favourite bookshop next
Saturday, says Canvas books editor
Karen McMillan
As NZ Bookshop Day marks its 10th anniversary on October 11, statistics show that rather than the industry going into decline, we’re in fact reading more books
Last year, Kiwis bought 5 9 million books, according to Nielsen Bookscan, and the number of adults who have read a book in the last year went up from 85% in 2021 to 87% in 2025, according to a Horizon Research report commissioned by READ NZ
Each year, Bookshop Day celebrates books and reading, offering booklovers a chance to discover new authors and revisit old favourites There will be activities all over New Zealand from competitions, readings and music to book-related tattoos
Renee Rowland, association manager for Booksellers Aotearoa NZ, is one of the organisers of the day
“Stories are what make us human, so the appeal of a story, in whatever form that takes, is always going to endure,” she says “The physical form of a book is a vessel for that story Books contain infinite worlds and possibilities ”
Booksellers are key to our communities, she says “They work with and encourage local writers and artists They bring authors to town to connect them with the people who have loved their stories, they host book clubs and story times, they encourage literacy in our tamariki, they sponsor thousands of school raffles and community events ”
She calls them a ‘third space’ a place that isn’t your home or your work, where you can go to just be
“Each bookshop reflects the tastes and passions of the people who run them and reflects the individual communities they serve ”
Use your local bookseller, she urges
“They hold an insane amount of knowledge and experience of stories and know how to connect a reader with a story they might not have even known existed but will become their next favourite thing
“Why wouldn’t you want to try that service for free?”
Booksellers Aotearoa NZ provides support services to bookseller, running an annual conference and lobbying for booksellers’ issues “We run BookHub, a very cool e-commerce platform that lets you search the shelves of over 70 bookstores around the country and buy directly from them ”
Rowland says the mood among the booksellers is high as Bookshop Day approaches “They are excited for Bookshop Day and hopeful for all the amazing books coming out that are going to be loved and shared by readers all around the country ”
Over the past 10 years, Bookshop Day has also played a critical role in advocacy and awareness, she says
“I would argue Bookshop Day has triggered a renaissance over the last decade that saw bookshop numbers grow again We have a new generation of bookshops and booksellers figuring out, individually and collectively, how to make this business work, striking a balance between idealism, culture and commerce and in the process showing us different ways businesses can operate ”
While Bookshop Day is undeniably a celebration, it is also a call to arms
“This year we’ve seen nine bookshops close; it’s disheartening, but it’s also galvanising: through showing us what we have lost, we better know what to fight for and celebrate
Among the activities planned, Enamoured Books in Remuera has tattoo artists Alex Heart and Kitty Stabler in-store, offering book-related tattoos to customers
Time Out Books in Mt Eden has a slot machine which, for a small donation, prints out stunning
images of the store as keepsakes They’re also running a Reading Rave, inviting teenagers to their upstairs room for music and reading Time Out, along with other Auckland independent bookstores like The Women’s Bookshop, is part of a book tour People travel to each store in one day, collecting stamps and receiving a prize for visiting all the stores
Ponsonby’s Dorothy Butler Children’s Bookshop has a Kids’ Feast, a full day of children’s author visits, drawing competitions, reading corners, toys, and more
● More info at: www.booksellers.co.nz/ bookshop-day-2025-events
Bookshop Day has triggered a reading renaissance, says Renee Rowland (top) To celebrate, there will be activities all over New Zealand including Enamoured Books (centre left), Time Out Books (centre right) and Dorothy Butler (below)
A childhood rebuilt with support
Sophie’s journey shows why McHappy Season makes a difference to families and communities around Aotearoa.
Stories like Sophie Stocker s are at the heart of McHappy Season at Macca’s
At 12 weeks old Sophie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and her parents were told she d never walk or talk
Suddenly, the devastated family was facing an uncertain future – one of endless hospital visits and back-and-forth travel between Auckland and their home in Kaita - ia, all while juggling the needs of four other children
Over the next six years, Sophie would present at Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital every six weeks or less; but thanks to Ronald McDonald House Charities® New Zealand (RMHC NZ) the family never had to worry about accommodation
The charity provided safe comfortable housing home-cooked meals, friendly faces, and a safe haven away from the ward offering a silver lining during a difficult time
When the Stockers first arrived at RMHC NZ, they were exhausted from the five-hour drive and terrified for 12-week-old Sophie, whose impaired bowel meant flying was too risky They found comfort in RMHC NZ, which quickly became a home away from home
On arrival Ronald McDonald House was ready for us with welcoming arms and provided a safe place for my dad and sister to stay while mum was with me in hospital I was there for 10 days, undergoing different investigations and treatment This was just the beginning of many stays there All stress was alleviated by the ready accommodation for our urgent presentations to Starship,” Sophie recalls “They provided meals, friendly faces, and a homely environment in a concrete jungle so foreign to us It made the journey much less daunting ”
After Sophie was given the initial diagnosis of cerebral palsy, her mum, fraught with worry, found solace in other families and staff at RMHC NZ
My mum recalls the only way she was able to get through that next week or so was because of the support from the other parents and staff at Ronald McDonald House – those who had similar experiences and could wrap loving arms around my
whanau in a time of desperation and devastation, Sophie continues
Now aged 22 Sophie has defied all odds She began to walk at 12 months, and at 3 she began to talk
Cerebral palsy and a later diagnosis of syndactyly were ruled out
Somehow, those diagnoses faded away, the grief alleviated with support from RMHC NZ, and I had an incredible childhood Sophie says
Though I still would present to Starship every 6 weeks or less for kidney infections, surgeries, investigations – you name it – the trauma was replaced with fond memories of Ronald McDonald House Playing in the playground creating art in their art room, delicious home-cooked meals, meeting Santa getting my face painted and watching island dancers on Christmas Day – making Ronald McDonald House my home in the spaces between treatments at Starship
After spending years of her life in the care of Starship Hospital, Sophie wanted to return the favour Today the 22-year-old is happy healthy and a registered nurse at the Starship Children’s Emergency Department
She attributes her nursing career not only to healthcare workers but also to the staff at RMHC NZ who looked after her and her whanau during some of their toughest days
While doctors focus on saving the lives of Kiwi kids like Sophie, RMHC NZ ensures their families never have to worry about where to sleep what to eat or how to stay together
“Each visit to Ronald McDonald House felt like coming home to family They were part of my journey They saw me when I was 12 weeks old and watched me grow, ” she says “My childhood would be so different and I probably wouldn t be where I am today without it ”
As the founding mission partner McDonald’s franchisees, crew members, teams, and customers have provided vital support to help families like Sophie’s stay together Last year alone they raised a record-breaking $2 9 million for RMHC NZ showing how collective small actions can lead to lifechanging outcomes
This year, McDonald s is welcoming the return of McHappy Season its biggest annual in-restaurant fundraiser that supports the life-changing work of RMHC NZ From October 22 to November 1 Kiwis can get involved by purchasing McDonaldland cookies for $3 with all proceeds going to the charity Customers can also collect McDonaldland stickers and on McHappy Day (November 1) $1 from every Big Mac sold will go to RMHC NZ –helping local families stay together when their child is in a hospital away from home
This McHappy Season head into your local Macca’s and make a difference for families across Aotearoa
Visit mcdonalds co nz/rmhc for more information
Sophie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at only 12 weeks old
Sophie is now a registered nurse at the Starship Children’s Emergency Department
While doctors focus on saving the lives of kids like Sophie, RMHC NZ ensures their families never have to worry about staying together
Sophie and her family stayed at Ronald McDonald House in Auckland during her treatment
MATCHMAKING AT THE MUSEUM
Believe it or not, the apps aren’t the only places to find romance in the 2020s Auckland Museum is hosting its uberpopular Mingle at the Museum next week and it’s the perfect opportunity for you to meet someone the old-fashioned way: in the wild There are drinks and nibbles available for purchase, a DJ spinning tunes, a charismatic MC, and a cast of helpers ready to swoop in with games, quizzes and activities wherever they see some ice in need of breaking participation optional, of course There are two events Wednesday and Thursday with Thursday being Mingle at the Museum Pride Edition Gather some gumption and put yourself out there to meet some new friends or maybe lovers you won’t know if you don’t go October 8 and 9, 7pm-11pm Auckland Museum, Auckland Domain, Parnell Tickets $45 (10% discount for Museum members) from aucklandmuseum com
TACOTUESDAYSAND MARGARITAWEDNESDAYS
The school holidays are coming to an end, which means weeknight chaos is back and dinner dilemmas ensue If you’re out east, Despensa in Howick is offering two different solutions to this nightly struggle: Taco Tuesdays forget cooking, take the family out and get two-for-one tacos And Ladies Night on Wednesday forget cooking, leave the family behind and get two margaritas and a taco for $35 Either way, forget cooking, eat tacos and the rest will fall into place Tuesdays and Wednesdays (open Tues-Sun) Despensa, 21 Picton St, Howick Book at despensa.co nz or phone 09 532 9337
YE OLDE MARKET AT ALBERTON
Tomorrow is Alberton’s annual Vintage Market Day and there really is no more authentic location for vintage rummaging and quasi-time travel than this historic estate What this market lacks in size it’s mini with just 11 specialist stalls it makes up for in ambience Among the wares on offer are fine china, clothing, textiles, Crown Lynn, crystal, silver, kitchen and tableware, decor, jewellery, accessories, retro knick-knacks and more Coffee, gelato and homemade old-fashioned treats will also be available for purchase Entry to the market is free, however to maximise your vintage experience, we recommend paying for a look around the house as well
TAKE A BREATH FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
On Monday, Aotearoa New Zealand’s Mental Health Awareness Week begins and throughout the week the Art of Living Foundation is offering free online group breath and meditation sessions called Breathe Well Together The group sessions tie into this year’s MHAW theme Top Up Together, which is all about social connection and the benefits of shared, community-based approaches to wellbeing Every New Zealander is affected by mental health whether through their own struggles or those of their friends or loved ones Both breathwork and meditation can help with stress and anxiety, and next week you can join daily free online sessions at 12pm and 7pm, and give your brain and body some designated time to relax
October 6-10, 12pm and 7pm Visit http://bit ly/4mlW6P0 to register
R VERY OWN NEON COWGIRL
k goodness for Tami Neilson’s Kiwi husband for luring this erhouse country singer to our shores and allowing us to cla our own Neilson is touring her latest album Neon Cowgirl, a cowgirl sign in downtown Nashville that has been an icon Tami and a symbol of her career aspirations since teenhoo n get yourself along to Aotea Centre tonight then you shou untains to make it happen Tami never fails to bring the ho d tonight will no doubt be an absolute doozy ight, 7 30pm Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre Tic t at $99 + booking fees from plus1 co nz or ticketmaste
THE CASE OF THE TRAVELLING PLANTS
Auckland-based botanical artist Felicity Jones and photographer Mark Smith have a shared interest in the concept of botanical globalisation, which has resulted in ongoing creative collaborations the most recent of which will be launched next week The duo have travelled Aotearoa and the UK making images that “juxtapose the botanical with the cultural, native with exotic,” on display in a new exhibition Here There Now, opening on Thursday evening at Silo 6 in Wynyard Quarter The exhibition coincides with the launch of their new book Case Studies travel, which explores the his impact of botanical globalisa hopes to open the door for m discussions around sustainab futures
PLAN AHEAD
cides es: A story of plant istory and ation and more able IS IT TIME TO HEAD SOUTH?
Opening October 9, 5.30pm-7.30pm; thereafter daily until October 16, 11am- 6pm Silo 6, Wynyard Quarter, Corner of Beaumont and Jellicoe Streets, Auckland Central.
PHOTO CREDIT: ESSENCE OF AN ENGLISH GARDEN, LONDON BRIDGE, ENGLAND, 2023.
It’s the last weekend of the school holidays and if you’ve got the grandkids and are on the cusp of entering retirement living, then you can kill two birds with one stone today by taking them out to the Grand Day Out at Vivid Living Karaka The retirement village is hosting a free event specifically for grandparents and their families with free coffee, sausage sizzle, ice creams, entertainment and activities You’ll get to entertain the little people for free and poke your nose in at Vivid Living Karaka to see what it’s all about Today, 10am-2pm Vivid Living Retirement Village, 241 Park Estate Road, Karaka
’S PLAY
Auckland Cou play Octobe initiative Throug free complements 26) and, we Auckland Herit Auckland Pl Board B T na Satu impo n auck
COMING UP
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience: October 8-26, Christchurch, Wellington, Whanganui, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Tauranga, Auckland
Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones:
October 9-18, Artworks Theatre, Waiheke
BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival: October 11-12, Auckland Central
Y TIME IN TAMAKI MAKAURAU
kland Council wants Aucklanders to get out and this October with their month-long Celebrating Play tive Throughout October there will be a plethora of or low-cost activities taking place all over the city It plements Sport NZ’s annual Play Week (October 20nd, this weekend, overlaps with the final weekend of kland Heritage Festival, which this year has a theme of kland at Play Among the events on the programme are ard Games on the Waterfront today; classic schoolyard games at Back in the Day Play tomorrow; a Bubble Soccer Tournament next weekend; and a Kids and Whānau Festival at Auckland Art Gallery next Saturday When times are challenging, play is important Go have some fun On now until October 31 Visit ourauckland aucklandcouncil govt nz/tags/celebratingplay/ for the full schedule of events
PHOTO CREDIT: AUCKLAND COUNCIL.
The NZ Highwaymen tour: October 15-19, Tauranga, Putaruru, Auckland, Whangarei, Orewa
Trent Dalton’s Love Stories: October 16-19, The Civic, Auckland
Raybonanza Comedy Tour: October 17, Vic Cinema, Auckland
Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time:
October 21-November 8, Q Theatre, Auckland
Nelson Arts Festival:
October 23-November 2, Nelson
Titirangi Festival of Music:
October 25-26, Titirangi, Auckland
Bill Bailey Vaudevillean: nationwide tour from October 29-November 23
Dungeon of the Damned: October 31-November 2, Birkenhead, Auckland
CERAMIC OFFERINGS
The excellently named Claybenders Group opened a new exhibition at Arthaus Contemporary in Orakei this week Rituals and Offerings is a collection of works by the group’s 28 potters and sculptors that responds to that theme Celebrated sculptor Toby Twiss features as a guest artist in the exhibit, alongside the group’s established and emerging clay artists The Claybenders have also collaborated on an artwork that will be auctioned silently to raise funds for Auckland Studio Potters All of the work in the exhibition is for sale and members of the Claybenders Group are on hand to explain how the pieces are made On now until October 19, Wednesdays to Sundays, 11am3pm Arthaus Contemporary, 228 Orakei Rd, Orakei, Auckland
STYLE NEVER SLEEPS
Auckland Festival of Quilts: October 31November 2, Auckland Netball Centre
Analogue Aotearoa: November 1-2, Te Aroha Tofiga Fepulea’i, Shuuush Your Mouf:
November 1-8, Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga
The Dry House: November 4-15, Basement Theatre, Auckland
Kowhai Art & Craft Club Sale and Exhibition: November 7-9, Matakana Hall
NZ Sculpture OnShore: November 7-23, Devonport, Auckland
All Together Now Choir, Mixtape for the Mission: November 9, Auckland Town Hall
An Evening with Priscilla Presley, Life after Elvis: November 20, Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland
Eddie Izzard The Remix Tour Live: November 21-26, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland
H R The Musical #2: November 25-December 6, Q Theatre, Auckland
Kirk Franklin, The World Tour: December 10-13, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland
Dynamotion & Q Theatre present A Christmas Crisis: December 10-20, Q Theatre, Auckland
Oprah In Conversation: December 14, Spark Arena Auckland
The ASB Classic: January 5-7 Auckland
Jimmy Carr Laughs Funny Tour: Nationwide, January 7-28, 2026
Email canvasguide@nzherald co nz with brief details of your upcoming event, including dates/times, location and website
SAY CHEESE!
MAC N THREE CHEESES
Forget stodgy, this is version is anything but!
Serves 1-2
150g large-holed pasta or pasta shells
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced 2-3 rashers bacon, chopped
50g butter
2 Tbsp plain flour
300ml milk
1 Tbsp mustard powder (or 1 big teaspoon wholegrain mustard)
1 bay leaf
1⁄2 tsp sea salt and pepper
100g grated cheese mix of aged Cheddar, Parmesan, Gruyere, crumbled blue or whatever you please
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
Breadcrumbs and extra grated Cheddar and Parmesan for the crunchy top
Preheat the oven to 170C
Cook the pasta in large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente Once cooked, drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water
Heat oil in a saucepan and saute onion until soft Add bacon and fry for 3-4 minutes Remove and set aside
Make the cheese sauce in the same pan (I don’t bother with washing it) by melting the butter then stirring in the flour, mixing to a paste Add half the milk, mustard, bay leaf, salt and pepper and stir while it comes up to heat and thickens
Pour in the remaining milk and cook for 10 minutes, stirring to a smooth sauce Whisk in the pasta water until you have a pouring cream consistency, not a thick bechamel Stir in cheeses and heat until they melt into the sauce Stir in spinach
In a medium-sized ovenproof dish, mix together the cooked pasta, onion, bacon and cheese sauce until well combined Sprinkle over breadcrumbs and extra cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until the topping is golden and crunchy
Celebrate New Zealand cheeses with these recipes from Nici Wickes
I’m here to tell you to buy local when it comes to cheese Whether it’s oozy and smelly, sharp and crumbly, or nutty and mellow, we’re spoilt in Aotearoa New Zealand with the calibre of cheeses being made here
I can never quite resist bringing a wedge or two home when I pass through a farmers’ market or specialty food store but even the range at supermarkets is good enough to satisfy me
When it comes to cooking with cheese, there are a few I keep on hand Feta for when I’m after something salty and bright It’s perfect crumbled over roast veg or baked into a frittata Blue cheese is a must, and stirring a spoonful into a cream sauce or over pan-fried mushrooms for a knockout topping for toast, is an act of kindness towards yourself
An aged cheddar is essential as a pantry staple for grating into scones, pies or melting over a thick slab of bread under the grill
But don’t forget cheese in its pure, unadulterated glory; thick slices of brie with fresh pear or apple that classic sweet-salty combo A wedge of blue balanced with honey, roasted grapes and walnuts makes me feel instantly sophisticated Fresh burrata or mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and a decent pinch of flaky sea salt is one of my most decadent snacks And now that asparagus season is with us, all of these three options can easily accommodate some blistered spears on the side
My two-cheese onion tart this week is simple and glorious and perfect as a showcase for a local blue and brie Just slowly caramelise a pile of onions until they slump and turn golden, spread them over a pastry base, scatter over sliced brie and bake until the whole thing is bubbling before dotting over some blue cheese towards the end of cooking
And then there’s mac ’n’ cheese a dish that’s often stodgy and heavy Not mine My version is looser, silkier, almost elegant The trick? A cheese sauce that’s made with part pasta water or stock rather than just milk, so it stays light and coats the pasta instead of clumping And always always use large-holed pasta shells or rigatoni instead of those tight little elbows we endured in Home Ec The cheese sauce pools in the hollows, making each bite gloriously indulgent
Cheese is a comfort, a luxury, a celebration So next time you’re out and about, pick up a cheese, or three, made right here
You’ll be treating yourself and helping to sustain our wonderful cheesemakers who pour their skill and passion into every carefully crafted batch of curds
ONION AND TWO CHEESE TART
This tart is no fuss, even with making your own pastry, and what comes out of the oven is spectacular
Serves 2-4
Pastry: Pulse the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until it’s like course bread crumbs Drizzle in half the water and pulse some more Keep adding the water until the mixture sticks together when pinched between your fingers but it will still look very crumbly
Tumble out on a well-floured bench and bring together, scrunching it, into a thick flat rectangle Roll into a large rectangle around 20cm wide and 15cm deep Keep the bench well-floured because the dough is quite sticky at first Now fold the short sides into the centre of the rectangle, to meet, and then fold it in half, so it looks a little like a book Quarter turn it, roll out again, fold, then turn and repeat this twice more
This creates the layers that will puff Wrap and chill for 20 minutes while you get the onions on
In a large lidded pan or pot melt the butter and oil then add the onions, sugar and balsamic Cover with a lid and let them cook on low-medium for 20 minutes, stirring when you remember They ought to be lovely and soft Add in the thyme Cool
To make the tart, turn oven to 180 fanbake Roll out pastry to 5cm thick and transfer to a baking tray Spoon over onions and top with camembert Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30-40 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden Add blue cheese in clumps and cook for 2 minutes more Serve warm or cold
Get a sizzle on
These deliciously crispy pancakes are full of flavour and texture. They are a great option for a family meal everyone can customise their own ba ´ nh xe ` o according to what fillings they like The pancakes themselves are vegan and gluten-free.
Ba ´ nh Xe ` o (Vietnamese Pancakes)
Serves 4
Ingredients Batter
1
1
1
1
11⁄2
1
2
Filling Options use your choice of proteins and
300g
1
1
and onion Cook for 4 minutes
Fold the pancake over to cover the filling and slide on to a plate Hand it over to be eaten immediately or keep it warm in the over while you make the rest of the banh xeo
your
To eat: Tear off a piece of the banh xeo, fold it in a lettuce leaf with some fresh herbs, and dip into the sauce fresh co nz
Banh Xeo are
PHOTO / FRESH MEDIA
Best Boo
KAREN McMILLAN Books Editor
Nadia’s Farm Kitchen by Nadia Lim
(Nude Food, RRP $55)
Nadia Lim has created a gorgeous companion cookbook to her TV series featuring more than 80 hearty and wholesome recipes that the whole family will enjoy Organised by season, there are nourishing soups, vibrant salads, delicious mains and mouthwatering desserts The cookbook is infused with Nadia’s warmth and takes you behind the scenes of her real-life farm with husband Carlos at Royalburn Station A must-have cookbook
Karen McMillan
Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang
(HarperCollins, RRP $40) Fly, Wild Swans arrives more than 30 years after Wild Swans first captivated readers with its account of three generations of Chinese women This new volume continues Chang’s personal and political journey, exploring the profound bond she shared with her remarkable mother Courageous and deeply human, this is a moving family saga and an essential meditation on China’s past and present
Chris Reed
Beyond the Reef by Graeme Lay
(Creatively Limited, RRP $38)
A lifetime of short story writing is in this collection that is at once intimate and expansive Set against the backdrop of the South Pacific, these stories reveal the richness and complexity of island life, where ancient traditions meet modern realities and where the ocean itself is both setting and character The book situates human drama within the larger, timeless cycles of nature
Chris Reed
Lessons on Living by Nigel Latta
(HarperCollins, RRP $40)
In 2024, the late Nigel Latta revealed that he had been diagnosed with incurable cancer This book is an intimate and candid journey through some of the toughest days of his life, and he distils psychology into principles designed for life as it is: messy and unpredictable
Instead of telling you to “think positive”, he shows how to respond well to any situation A book for anyone navigating a rough patch
Andrea Molloy
100 Words That Make Us Kiwi by Mark Broatch
(Bateman Books, RRP $40)
What an entertaining book! This is perfect for anyone interested in language, iconic Kiwi words and quirky phrases Mark Broatch has researched their origins and how they have evolved over the years Curious to know more about “jandals”, “ghost chips”, “dawn chorus”, “cultural cringe”, “per capita”, “yeah nah”, and “bogan”? This compact hardback is a treasure trove of information about our distinctive language Choice!
Karen McMillan
● For more reviews go to nzbooklovers co nz
Shape doesn’t matter A great fi will make the world of difference you look and feel Try on NZ’s b range of larger cup Bras and Sw perfect
An epic adventure for our times
FRANCESCA RUDKIN Reviews
Could this be the film that finally wins director Paul Thomas Anderson an Oscar?
ilmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson
couldn’t have known 20 years ago, when he started tinkering away on this script, that when it was finally released it would be such a startling and relevant film
Very loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, it a unique and quietly exhilarating watch One Battle After Another refuses to sit neatly in one genre or stick with one tone, but manages to come together cohesively
An epic and sprawling adventure, its part comedy, action, thriller and satire; drawing on extremism, counter culture and politics from across the last 50 years to deliver a stirring and hectic ride
One Battle After Another drops us into an unspecified version of the present day and doesn’t overtly tell us what’s going on; we’re left to work it out through the camera work, costumes, art direction, and script It’s a world that’s been impeccably created and it’s hard to take in all the details in just one sitting
So, we just need to go with the flow, accept the
Songs for Nobodies
8-19 October
Five famous singers. Starring the incomparable Jackie Clarke.
Creative Talks
13 October
Free event featuring local legend Braydon Priest
REHAB
22-25 October
An authentic dark comedy exploring addiction
absurd and try to keep up Which can be challenging Anderson has gone with naturalistic performances and it can be hard to hear every line or utterance, especially over Jonny Greenwood’s jarring and often agitating score, which makes a pivotal contribution to the feeling of chaos
The story kicks off in the past, with militant group French 75 fighting for “Free borders, free bodies, free choices, and free from f**king fear ”
Led by the ferocious Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), the group raid immigration detention centers, blow up empty buildings, and rob banks to pay for it all
Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) is Perfidia’s boyfriend
and the group’s bomb maker, even though he struggles to keep up with what’s going on
After Perfidia gives birth to their daughter, she leaves Bob to look after Willa and returns to French 75
When a robbery goes wrong the group disperse and are forced deeper underground We then jump forward in time and find Bob now even more confused and paranoid due to drugs and alcohol as a single dad raising 16-year-old Willa (Chase Infiniti) off grid in a rural area
The father daughter relationship drives this story from here, as Bob and Willa try to outwit former ICE officer and nasty piece of work Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who is on a mission to track down the family
The casting is excellent Everyone shines, including Benicio del Toro as Willa’s sensei and Bob’s calming rescuer
One Battle After Another moves with great urgency, and as things get wackier and more absurd you’ll find yourself getting increasingly tense in your seat
And speaking of seats this is a film to be seen in a cinema Shot on 35 mm film using VistaVision cameras and with plenty of real life and in-camera action, visually it’s a cinephile’s treat
Amazingly, Anderson has across his career received 11 Oscar nominations across best picture, director, adapted screenplay and original screenplay categories and never won Maybe, just maybe, this fabulous, nutty, timely slice of storytelling will finally see him accepting a statue
Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another
Apt pupils: The King-makers
How do
film a Stephen King novel? Start
getting the master’s blessing, writes Carlos
Aguilar
If you want to adapt one of Stephen King’s many books into a movie, you’ll have to get his approval But don’t worry The former teacher turned star novelist is rather lenient
“A lot of times, I will approve a screenwriter, and it’s almost like sending a kid off to college,” King said “You hope that everything’s going to work and that they’re going to be good students and not get hurt or wind up in rehab ”
King has sent three of his “children” off to the big screen this year: The Life of Chuck, from director Mike Flanagan; The Long Walk, from Francis Lawrence; and The Running Man, from Edgar Wright “Steve is certainly involved in approving the script and the cast, and he isn’t shy about his opinions, but beyond that, he truly does give you space and freedom,” said Flanagan, who has turned several of King’s books into films
Over the years, King has been vocal about his dislike of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 rendering of The Shining But there are plenty of adaptations of his work that he’s fond of The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999) and the series The Institute (2025) are among them
King even thinks Misery (1990) is a better movie than it was a book
“The combination of Kathy Bates and James Caan was magic,” he said “And it had a touch of humour in it that was really missing from the book ”
Flanagan and four other directors talked about their experience translating King’s words into compelling film iterations
THE RUNNING MAN,
EDGAR WRIGHT
Even as a teenager, Wright realised how wildly different the 1987 version of The Running Man was from King’s 1982 novel In making his version of the story of Ben Richards, who must survive being hunted for 30 days to win a large sum of money in a dystopian reality, Wright focused on preserving the text’s subjective perspective “You don’t see anything or hear anything that he can’t see or hear That’s how the book is written,” he said
Wright recalled a nerve-racking weekend when King read the screenplay, sending feedback on each page via email
It also wasn’t lost on the director that the timely logline for the book warns that “in the year 2025, the best men don’t run for president, they run for their lives”
THE LONG WALK, FRANCIS LAWRENCE
Lawrence zeroed in on the elements of The Long Walk, about a group of boys who must walk nonstop to win a deadly contest, that he thought would make his adaptation relevant today The book, released in 1979, was an allegory for the Vietnam War, Lawrence said “But we leaned into the idea of financial nihilism, the loss of the American dream, and how everywhere in the world people are having a really hard time making enough money to put food on the table and a roof over their head ”
THE LIFE OF CHUCK, MIKE FLANAGAN
To Flanagan, King is so effective because he understands the characters and how the horrors in his stories derived directly from them “Too many people focus on the wrong elements when they approach his work for adaptation ” Flanagan explained his process to keep the humanism front and centre and not get distracted by the horror “The darkness in his stories works so well because he’s more focused on the light ” He said The Life of Chuck, which traces key moments in the history of the title character using
a fantastical end-of-the-world framework, illustrated King’s intent throughout his work
“It seems to be a story about the end of all things, about a world dying around its baffled and helpless inhabitants,” he said “But in King’s usual way, that’s where the magic trick happens: He’s not writing about death; he’s writing about life ”
IT, ANDY MUSCHIETTI
As a teenager, film-maker Andy Muschietti had read King’s 1986 novel, It, when he came across a 1990 TV adaptation and was not impressed For his 2017 big-screen take on the story of children facing off against a malevolent entity, he aimed to do justice to the more shocking, R18 aspects of King’s text that couldn’t be shown on TV
Muschietti updated the look of the creature, keeping the essential traits (the silvery fabric of the costume, the orange hair) but jettisoning the mid-20th-century Bozo the Clown look He had always been captivated by how enigmatic It was about the origin of the terrifying monster and its intentions
“King can be very granular and hand it to you on a tray, stimulating your imagination with description,” he said “But he can also be very cryptic about things ”
PET SEMATARY, MARY LAMBERT
King’s 1983 tale of a man whose dead child returns to life was the first one the novelist himself adapted into a screenplay, to be filmed in his native Maine
“I had no intention of changing anything,” director Lambert said of her 1989 film “I was completely on board with bringing his novel to life in the most thoughtful and penetrating way that I could ” Lambert compared working with King to doing improv with actors, as he would build on her suggestions Most of her ideas were visual and subtextual For instance, she thought putting 17thcentury New England-style portraits of dead children on the wall of one character’s childhood home would underscore the theme of grief
And it was Lambert’s idea to put King on screen as a priest, even though some of the producers thought his recognisable presence would pull viewers out of the story “I understood fandom from my years directing music videos,” she explained “I said, ‘I don’t think you guys understand fandom People want to see Stephen ”’
The New York Times
Writer Stephen King appears in the 1989 film version of his novel Pet Semetary
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11 35 Keeping Up Appearances PGC Hyacinth decides to hold a riverside picnic.
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7 10 Tagata Pasifika 3 0
7.35 Songs of Praise 3 0
8 10 John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen 3 0
9am Q+A with Jack Tame 0 10am Waka Huia
10 30 Marae
11am Rich House Poor House 3 0 Noon Attitude PG Hear about the experiences of those with cerebral palsy, in a raw, emotional, funny, and insightful way.
12.30 Find My Country House Canada PG
1pm Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals 3
1.30 Coronation Street PG 3
2pm Chateau DIY 3
3pm Find My Country House: New Zealand 3
3.30 New Zealand’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer 3
4.30 Fishing and Adventure PG 0
5pm The Chase 0
6pm 1News at Six 0
7pm Country Calendar PG 0
7.30 New Zealand’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer 0 Phil explores three homes that celebrate evolution: of an inner city suburb, a house, and an island retreat.
8 30 I Fought the Law M 0 Ann pressures the police to find out what happened to Julie before a suspect is charged and is subject to a jury’s verdict.
9 30 The Couple Next Door MLS 0 After the events in Antwerp, Charlotte tries to distract herself with work.
10 30 Reunion 16C
11.30 Q+A with Jack Tame 3
12 30 Infomercials
0
6am Children’s Programmes Darwin and Newts; Love Monster; Bluey; Night Eyes; Royals Next Door; Scooby Doo and Guess Who?
8.10 Island of Mystery
8 25 Young Riders 3
8.30 What Now? 0
9 30 The Voice USA 0
10.20 Home and Away Omnibus PG 3
12.20 Dog Squad Puppy School 3 See what a trainee Land Search and Rescue snow pup gets up to in summer, and mobility puppies play go-home, stay-home
12 50 MKR PG 3
2.30 M Hook 3 1991 Family fantasy When Captain Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.
5.05 Two and a Half Men PG 3
6 05 The Big Bang Theory 3
7pm Highway Patrol PG 0 A self confessed marijuana user crashes his motorbike into the back of a car in busy Melbourne
7.30 Ambulance Australia PGC 3 0 The ambulance responds to an 88-year old with a severe head wound, a motorbike accident in Sydney’s busy M4 tunnel, and a life-saving call on an isolated bush trail.
8 30 M No Time to Die MVC 2021 Action. After leaving MI6, James Bond is living a peaceful life. But when he is contacted by a CIA friend, Bond is thrown back into the service. Daniel Craig.
11 30 The Graham Norton Show PGL 3
12 30 F Watson M
1.15 FBI: International MV
2am F Seal Team 16VL
2.50 F Unidentified Bodies PGC
3 35 I Knew My Murderer MVC 4am Infomercials
6am Beachfront Bargain Hunt 3 0
6.30 Leading the Way PG
7am Charles Stanley PG
8am Key of David PG
8.30 Turning Point PG
9am Guy’s Ranch Kitchen PG 0 Guy Fieri’s chef friends recreate Vietnamese spring rolls and chicken and merguez tagine.
9.25 The Hui 0
9.55 You Live in What? 3 Home conversions with history, including a 17th century Mission, an old train depot, a former summer camp, and a 19th century stables.
10.45 The Great Food Truck Race 0
11 30 Motorsport: FIM Speedway GP (HLS)
12 30 Motorsport: Nascar Xfinity Series (HLS)
1 30 Motorsport: British Touring Championship (HLS)
2.30 Motorsport: Nascar Cup Series (HLS)
3 30 Motorsport: MotoGP (HLS)
4.30 Sailing: SailGP (DLY) Spain: Day One.
6pm Three News 0
6 30 Gold Coast Cops PG 3 0
7pm Ultimate Escape PG 0 Beginning at Mount Cook, the captives must navigate their rescuers through the sixth 24-hour leg.
8.30 M The Batman M 0 2022 Action When the Riddler begins murdering political figures, Batman is forced to investigate Gotham’s hidden corruption and his own family’s involvement. Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz.
11.35 Roadies 16 A tight-knit group of roadies, for a successful rock band, puts the show on the road while never losing their love of the music.
12 45 Infomercials
6am Kiri and Lou 3 0
6.10 Extreme Cake Sports 3 0
6.30 The Drawing Show 3 0
6.40 Kea Kids News 3 0
7am Religious Programmes
9am Tagata Pasifika
9 30 Only in Aotearoa PGL 3 0
10am Football: Premiere League (RPL) Arsenal v West Ham
Noon Rugby League: NRL Preliminary Final One
12 15 Rugby League: NRL Preliminary Final Two
12.30 Rugby League: NRLW
12.45 Rugby League: NRLW
1pm UFC: PPV Prelims
3pm Rugby Championship: Australia v All Blacks (DLY) 0 From Optus Stadium, Perth.
5pm Lolo: The Champion Maker 0 At 65-years-old, combat sports coach Lolo Heimuli is focusing on developing not just great fighters but great people.
6pm Rugby Nation
6.30 Pointless Australia 0
7pm SOS: Extreme Rescues PG 0
7.30 N Gary Barlow’s Food and Wine Tour: Australia MLS 0 Gary Barlow and Tim Minchin sample kangaroo and local wine at the Sydney Opera House; in the Hunter Valley, Gary and Sophie Ellis-Bextor take a motor-trike tour through the vines.
8 30 M Olympus Has Fallen 16VLC 3 0 2013 Action. When a terrorist kidnaps the American president, a disgraced former guard becomes the president’s only hope. Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman.
11pm The Breakdown 12am All American: Homecoming MLS 1am Infomercials
Puzzles and horoscopes
ACROSS
1. Eating meat makes the Navy voracious (11)
8. The tongue – and a lung – age had to adapt to (8)
9. It is an eternity at any time (4)
10. Poplar that trembles like a quill (5)
13. Work doggedly at skipper’s first record of voyage (4)
16. Second vowel repeatedly heard to slacken off (4)
17. End of movement for fish with a tail (4)
18. Sugar root honeymaker gets first taste of (4)
20. Intermediate class may be explosive (5)
24. The hour one met with disruption (4)
25. Break the rules of the ring in fine mix-up (8)
26. Presenting Count riding around (11) DOWN
2. She may be relatively free with her advice (4)
3. Words that signify nothing among sisters (5)
4. Virginia to take half of those invited, but it’s not certain (5)
5 Bowling spells finished by beginning of September (5)
6. With which one lying may come clean? (7,4)
7. Anyhow forged it for about a month if unwillingly propelled (4-7)
11. Capital in which one may get plastered (5)
12. Army signal half made gun go
Pleasure is free for one to deal with it (5)
Sharpened one in having hid one away (5)
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): In the art gallery of your life, you're too close to the picture, so close that you can only see brushstrokes, not the whole painting Step back Distance gives you clarity. The bigger picture comes into focus.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): While the whirring mind calculates the benefits and detriments as seen in one moment by one person, the heart connects with a larger picture and comes up with answers to serve the collective Keep following
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 21): Your brand of openness is what people need most right now, more than clever phrasing or polished responses. Your sincerity is the message, and it carries farther than any perfect wording could.
CANCER (Jun 22-Jul 22): You'll blend what you want with ways that others can join in. The best plan will be flexible and inclusive. You'll end up with something more beautiful and sustainable than the original vision.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Stories are often quite different from the objective reality of a situation, but that doesn't make them untrue Your feelings, perceptions and subjective reality matter, too. The performance of life is part of life, too.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): Yes, you're the sovereign of details But occasionally, your mind could use a break from the vigilance Blow out the picture until it all goes a little fuzzy and let that be the beauty you live in.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): Sometimes you have to find your way through a situation, but today, you're remembering as though you've done it already. With your interesting lens and creativity unbound, you'll solve problems that vex others
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): Not all pressure stresses you out. Today's brand is exhilarating. It's just the sort of challenge that opens deeper resources. The energy, creativity, optimism and talent are all inside you, just waiting for activation.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): Doubt, when balanced with reflection, is part of wisdom. Unwavering confidence is a red flag signalling ego inflation. Fluctuations in self-concept are not signs of weakness, but of awareness.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Everything good builds on the bedrock of acceptance From there, you will create solutions, systems or even beauty around the reality, instead of exhausting yourself by resisting the truth of what is
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): You can spot a phony a mile away. Hunches are often the aggregate of subtle hints, invisible to the conscious mind. Also, the less you know about a person, the more spot-on your initial impressions will be PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Excellent friends don't just give back; they cater the gift to the other person's preferences Your brand of generosity will be truly selfless and astute
Styx KenKen
Across
1. Manager in the centre hired a distracted person with no brains (7)
5. Mart is damaged by fall’s last strong wind (7)
9. Scaled shellfish remain a bright colour (9)
10. Cuts and strains (5)
11. Spring fixed between two bearings expands (6)
12. Learner wearing swimmers talks nonsense (8)
14. Blend of honey, to men, is just right (2,3,5)
15. Colloidal suspension in a liquid is so light initially (3)
18. Constituency not supporting a firm (3)
19 Is agent backing swindle standing firm? (10)
21 Plumbago covered in fruit is a surprising success (8)
22 Pour, using an utensil, two loads of nitrogen into fuel container (6)
24. Equipment used by an angler to catch river fish (5)
25. Expert, in case restricted by obligations, becomes sour (9)
26. Head of surgery repaired uterus with stitches (7)
27. Lid stretched across opening is tied up (7)
Down
1. An escort’s damaged roots (9)
2 Tailored teenager, at least, for a job in property (4,6,5)
3 Person prepared to preserve the writer in sculptured marble (8)
4 Staff fixed up married quarters for boarders (4)
5. Eldest maid worked in block of Arabic-speaking countries (6,4)
6. Icon public relations featured in web location (6)
7. “Test cricket is on,” corrected genius (6,9)
8. Stops having prepared lesson ended early (5)
13. Leaders supporting some arranged time in farm accommodation (10)
16. Sanctioned member teased ladies (9)
Last week
17. Accepting an amount as part of ill-gotten gains (8)
20. One following a metal engraver (6)
21. Young women, darlings, giving up DNA in a drunken state (5)
23 Small group of people returned items from collection (4)
Across: 1 Rookie, 4 Espoused, 10 Godfather, 11 Taboo, 12 Ski pole, 13 Lentils, 14 Reeve, 15 Inflated, 18 Leftists, 20 Phone, 23 Agitate, 25 Verdant, 26 Spill, 27 Tentative, 28 Send word, 29 Severs Down: 1 Registry, 2 Old-time, 3 In a moment, 5 Surf-lifesaving, 6 Often, 7 Subside, 8 Dropsy, 9 Chief inspector, 16 Aspartame, 17 Deftness, 19 Elision, 21 Opaline, 22 Causes, 24 Aglow
How to play It’s like sudoku: each vertical and horizontal line has to contain the numbers 1-6, and the numbers can’t be repeated in any row or column The numbers in each heavily outlined set of squares must produce the number in the top corner For example, 5+ means the numbers add up to 5, 15x means the numbers multiply to 15
Across
1. Long pants (8)
7 Correct (5)
8. An award for bravery (5)
9 A vegetable that grows underground (6)
10. A long soft seat (4)
12 Not any (4)
14. A television user (6)
17 A large bird of prey (5)
18. Things for smoothing wrinkled clothes (5)
19. Mixing with a spoon (8)
Down
1. A large striped cat (5)
2 Get (6)
3. Arithmetic problems (4)
4 Listen to music on this (5)
5 Played make-believe (9)
6. A large seabird (9)
(7)
(7) 22 A single man’s part in a revolution that’s mentioned in CV (9,6) 23 Quietly, I’m scared to take a look (4)
And the others? Flipping tardy! (4) Down 2 Reduced what you did with iron? (9) 3 Losing independence, foolishly electing to pass by (7)
German spoke roughly –understood? (7)
What’s primarily nethermost? Absolutely dreadful, irredeemably rotten? (5)
Gauges – that sounds like fruit? (6) 16 Shakespearean character s farfrom-bold hair (7) 17 Waking up, finding topless partying (7) 18 Raw currency (6) 20 Relative regularly ignored indigencies (5)
Crossword
A two-piece beach suit (6)
Time of darkness (5)
Incorrect (5)
WEEKDAYS6AM–9AM
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