Fashion designers Madeleine Harman and Jessica Grubisa toast success. Photo / Victoria Russell
A Moet & Chandon event celebrating success was held last week in an Oscars-style glitzy evening at the Advanced Flight helicopter hangar.
About 150 celebrities, sports stars and business people attended the event, where All Black Beauden Barrett, Silver Fern Maria Tutaia, jewellers Alex Bunnett and Rachel Sloane from Naveya and Sloane, fashion designers Jessica Grubisa and Madeleine Harman from Harman Grubisa, NZ pro surfer Paige Hareb, musician Ladi6, as well as designer Georgia Alice Currie of label Georgia Alice were celebrated for their success.
As part of this, a $30,000 six litre gold leaf-coated bottle of Moet & Chandon was signed by the group and will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to CanTeen.
The auction closes on Thursday, December 10.
Summer may finally be on its way but business duo Rob Fyfe and Tenby Powell have opted for a cooler climate. They have made the five-hour trip to Antarctica where they have been staying for the last week with the board of Antarctica New Zealand for its annual meeting.
Powell will step down from the board at the end of the year, having served the maximum six years allowed. The pair spent the week camped near Mount Erebus to experience the conditions and went through field training to better understand what it was like for the New Zealand research teams and scientists in the field.
Powell said it would be impossible to be a director of an entity of that sort without experiencing the on-ice conditions. It was not all serious work though, with ice caving, kite skiing, and snow biking also on the cards over the week.
On leaving the role, Powell said: "It has been a privilege serving on this board and working with many dedicated colleagues, scientists and the wider support and logistics teams. New Zealand has globally recognised polar scientists and it has been very rewarding supporting their endeavours in the pursuit of discovery and peace."
Powell was presented with a carved miniature of the 2m-tall pouwhenua that sits in front of Scott Base as a thank you for his time and work for the organisation.
It is understood that Powell's board replacement has been chosen but would not be publicly announced until sometime next year.
Mercedes is focusing on its New Zealand marketing strategy, partnering with a range of glamorous business names to increase its market appeal and share.
The car brand, the No1-selling luxury vehicle manufacturer in the New Zealand market, became an official sponsor of New Zealand Fashion Week last year, returning to the scene this year with an additional partnership with fashion designer Kate Sylvester.
Mercedes' latest friend of the brand announcement is Simon Wright, owner of The French Cafe. The partnership will see Wright host clientele events, incorporating bespoke menus, fine dining and an opportunity to engage with one of New Zealand's top chefs.
To celebrate the partnership, Mercedes hosted an exclusive lunch at Parihoa Farm on the cliffs of Muriwai, with a three-course lunch prepared by the chef himself. Not a bad way to woo potential Mercedes clients.
In 1955, a group of 77 foundation members each donated £50 to a capital fund for Auckland-led medical research. They recognised that Government research funding would never be enough to provide all that was required for a sound and stable research base in Auckland and started a drive for life members, annual members and donors to sustain the Foundation.
Last week, this group, the Auckland Medical Research Foundation, celebrated its 60th anniversary with an event hosted by BNZ Partners, with more than 300 guests, including Graeme Hart, Sir Stephen and Margaret Tindall, Sir Don and Lady McKinnon, Sir Peter Gluckman, Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman, Sir Graeme Douglas and Sir Harcourt Caughey. The evening also celebrated a number of up-and-coming scientists and researchers, as well as the continued support from many of the Auckland business and science community.
Sustainability and environmentally friendly are phrases that are becoming increasingly important among New Zealand's business community, as evidenced by this years NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards.
Last year's event saw around 130 guests attend the awards night. This year, that number grew to around 600 - businesses, government agencies, social enterprises and individuals - all there to celebrate the contribution that many of them had made to a more sustainable New Zealand.
Although the event has been running for 13 years, the leap in guest numbers this year suggests it may be one of the biggest awards nights of the season in coming years -- one to put in the diary.
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