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Caramel Walnut Slice
“In my eyes, a seasonal fruit tart is hard to beat. This tart is the perfect way to use up any of the final sun-ripened autumn fruit.”
This is the first of three recipes Jaz Mathisen shared with us from her cookbook, A Year at Awakino Station.
Chat on the Chathams
Greer Paterson, 32, our resident columnist – and also a school teacher, fencing contractor, mum of two and much-loved Shepherdess team member – shares the special highlights and challenges of teaching in a place as remote as Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Islands.
Still on the Station
Cath Ward (Ngāti Raukawa) found a new purpose for both herself and Pahi Station when she and her husband, Zander, established the Pahi Coastal Walk – a private walk that takes in the farm’s sweeping coastline, rolling farmland and native bush.
Leek & Cauliflower Cheese
“Cauliflower cheese is a classic family favourite, made even tastier with chunks of sweet and tender leeks and crunchy breadcrumbs. This is fab served with a roast or sausages, or it could easily be served as a vegetarian main dish with fresh crusty bread and a green salad.”
This is the third comforting recipe Olivia Galletly shared with us from her first cookbook, The Hungry Cook.
Rustic Fruit Tart
“In my eyes, a seasonal fruit tart is hard to beat. This tart is the perfect way to use up any of the final sun-ripened autumn fruit.”
This is the first of three recipes Jaz Mathisen shared with us from her cookbook, A Year at Awakino Station.
Turning up for Each Other
Kath Menpes, 48, a born and bred Southlander, grew up inland in Heddon Bush and now lives in Orepuki, a small coastal settlement, with her husband, Paul, and their two children, Jamie, 15, and Lizzy, 13, on Paul’s family’s third-generation sheep farm. Three years ago, she joined PGG Wrightson as the store manager at Tuatapere. Five times a week, she channels her commitment to staying active into community fitness sessions for local women, where it’s not just muscles that get strengthened.
A Dream & Hard Graft
A way of life with a love of horses at its core, encompassed by a strong belief that horses can heal.
Peak Wool
Former army medic Anastasia Tristram knows the drill when it comes to farming sheep in her idyllic corner of Wanstead, Hawke’s Bay, but it’s her faith in the educational power of wool that’s taken Floating Peaks to new heights.
Making Life Happen
After a life that has included solo parenting, learning how to shepherd and weathering the sudden loss of her husband, it is by acting on this maxim that Connie has ended up in her happy place amidst her menagerie of animals.
Belonging at Bendigo
Watching her parents – merino industry pioneers Heather and John Perriam – always strive to step out of the box and do business differently has shaped and inspired Christina Grant.
Taumarunui
Juanita Duncan, of Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāpuhi, works at Taumarunui High School – the same high school she attended as a teenager. Juanita believes the small town in the central North Island is a hidden gem in Aotearoa.
Dancing in the Woolshed
Getting married in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, Abby and George Whitehead’s celebration wouldn’t have been possible without the support of an incredible community of family and friends.
The Ebb and Flow
Now a professor in marine science and aquaculture, Kura looks at innovative ways to restore Te Wahapū o Waihī – the Waihī Estuary – in Te Moana-a-Toi Bay of Plenty and ensure its kai moana can thrive for generations to come.
Takurua Winter 2026 Edition
Twenty-Sixth Edition
Our beautiful Takurua Winter 2026 Edition is out now.