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.

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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.

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Our Whare

Letter from the Editor, Ngahuru Autumn 2026 Edition.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Woman walks down a dirt road holding a watering can and a woven basket of foliage cuttings

Room to Bloom

Flora has nurtured her passion for planting from a young age. Today, she works to nurture that same passion in others through her gardening business.

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A bride and groom standing in a grassy field with umbrellas

The Best-Laid Plaids

Lizzy and Hamish Salvesen’s romance stretches from Aotearoa to Scotland and back again.

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Orange-red flowers growing

Time to Create

From a full-time career in the arts, Thelma Emslie has stepped back into a quieter life on the banks of the Ōwaka River in the Catlins.

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Woman hanging out washing with one of her children playing in a sheet

Building Upwards

Despite being flat-tack running a dairy farm and raising three children, Te Aroha farmer Kate is the successful owner of two small businesses.

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Black and white image of a woman holding an axe

The Swing of Things

Emma is a criminal defence lawyer in Whakatū Nelson. She discovered competitive woodchopping three years ago and fell in love with the heritage sport’s balance of power, grit and camaraderie.

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Mona Lisa with a Mangaweka backdrop, painted on a fence

Mangaweka

Born and raised in Mangaweka, Alison Dorrian, 73, and her husband, Henry, worked to protect its bush and wildlife while raising their six children.

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Takurua Winter 2026 Edition

Twenty-Sixth Edition

Our beautiful Takurua Winter 2026 Edition is out now.

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