Page 2: Horse power for the polo

Rory Thorne rides Angelina alongside a Range Rover Sport. Photo / NZME

One of the highlights of Auckland's summer calendar, the New Zealand Polo Open, is set to have a rebrand next year with luxury car company Land Rover taking over as the official sponsor from BMW. Now in its 49th year, the Land Rover New Zealand Polo Open 2016 will be held at Auckland Polo Club in Clevedon on February 21 with executive director of the open Simon Wilson describing it as "the most significant partnership ever announced for the New Zealand Polo Open", adding that it reflected the growth of the sporting event both on a national and international stage. Guests on the day can look forward to the annual battle of the horsepower - a race between a pony and a high performance car - this year with organisers promising an exciting twist. Land Rover joins other sponsors Heineken, Veuve Clicquot and NZME.

Snapshots

Shaken not stirred

Sean Connery in

Goldfinger

was the first James Bond to utter "shaken not stirred". Since then, Bond's vodka martinis have become a signature of the franchise, with fans a little upset when the double 00 agent was seen drinking Smirnoff and then worse - beer, in previous films.

Belvedere vodka.

The latest film

Spectre

has partnered with luxury label Belvedere vodka as the official vodka of James Bond, and fans will be pleased to see Daniel Craig order his traditional drink "dirty" in the film. Belvedere has also created an MI6 bottle featuring the agency's headquarters and a 007 bottle. In New Zealand, the brand has been putting in the effort to woo fans, hosting a preview screening of the film and drinks at Bellini at the Hilton - which also featured Bond's car of choice, a silver Aston Martin, parked outside.

Business faces

The most talked about event of last week, the Vodafone Music Awards, had something for everyone with performances from Gin Wigmore to Dave Dobbyn - and a number of Auckland's business identities were there to enjoy the event. Vodafone chief executive Russell Stanners was spotted in the audience along with Kevin Kenrick, chief executive of TVNZ, among the artists and celebrity faces.

Gin Wigmore wins Best Female Solo Artist at the VNZMA. Photo / Getty Images

Kevin Kenrick. Photo / Greg Bowker

Russell Stanners.

Wardrobe change

Perhaps the biggest change in outgoing Warehouse chief executive Mark Powell's life next year will be his change in attire, with the executive joking that he would have to find a whole new wardrobe after giving up his red polo. Powell said he was looking forward to wearing something other than red, but said he would miss the team and the people - despite being ready for a change.

The Warehouse chief executive Mark Powell. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Lightning streak

After two successful Auckland programmes, digital start-up accelerator Lightning Lab is back for round three next year. The accelerator provides $20,000 in funding as well as connecting teams to over 100 successful New Zealand business mentors, who provide time and advice to help speed up the growth of these companies. Earlier this year, the programme saw nine start-ups go through from the 71 applications the organisation received. The programme concludes with the Demo Day pitch event, which has generated more than $7 million to date from New Zealand's leading investors. Lightning Lab said it was taking applications now for the next round in 2016.

Let us know
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