Mikayla Plaw is director of the Takapoto Classic showjumping event and partner Blair Tuke will be there to support her; David Seymour and Alexandra Vincent Martelli are engaged; Shane Green is the Kiwi taking the reins as CEO of Bill Foley's multi-billion dollar company. Photo / Herald composite image
Man about town Ricardo Simich brings you Society Insider. This week, David Seymour and Alexandra Vincent Martelli are engaged, Blair Tuke is supporting partner Mikayla Plaw’s Takapoto Classic, Taranaki-born hospitality star becomes CEO for Bill Foley’s multi-billion dollar empire.
Act leader David Seymour and his partner, property dynamo Alexandra Vincent Martelli are engaged.
After revealing they were a couple in November, Society Insider can confirm that Seymour proposed to Vincent Martelli over the summer break by the seaside, while in California.
“I feel so lucky to love a smart businesswoman with a golden heart,” Seymour told us.
They were seen loved up at the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales in Karaka last week, where onlookers spotted an engagement ring on Vincent Martelli’s finger.
The pair have since then been flattered by well-wishers congratulating them when they spot the ring.
Seymour, 41, chose a ring featuring a trilogy of emerald-cut diamonds, which Vincent Martelli, 36, says is beautiful.
It is understood Seymour designed it knowing his partner’s appreciation of elegant jewellery.
We are told Seymour secretly contacted a very close school friend of Vincent Martelli’s for a second opinion before he bought it.
Last month the busy pair enjoyed taking the time to tell friends and celebrate when they had rare spare moments.
They were introduced by mutual friends and have been dating for two years.
It is understood Seymour admires Vincent Martelli’s success as an independent businesswoman, and doesn’t mind that she has no interest in politics.
Along with wedding planning, Seymour has a busy year ahead of him. He will assume the position of Deputy Prime Minister from May 31, replacing Winston Peters.
Act’s Treaty Principles bill is currently in front of Parliament’s Justice select committee, with oral submissions being heard and expected to run for four weeks.
Meanwhile, he is working on “teething problems” for his free school lunches programme, after delays and questions over food quality in the first week of its rollout.
Seymour told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking last Friday that: “We are doing something new, it is only day five, day four with school holidays in some places. So we’ve got to get a bit of a reality check”.
The Act leader has also faced criticism over the handling of allegations into sexual abuse by the party’s former president, Tim Jago.
After cheering on her boyfriend, America’s Cup-winning sailor Blair Tuke, at the Auckland leg of SailGP, NZ rich list daughter Mikayla Plaw now has a big event of her own to prepare for.
Plaw, 34, is the director of the Takapoto Classic, a showjumping event held at the Waikato family estate of her parents, philanthropists Mitch and Kate Plaw.
The Classic, which started in 2018, has become a popular event on the calendars of those who like to see and be seen. Previous competitors have included Olympian riders Clarke Johnstone and Samantha McIntosh. A-list spectators known to attend the Classic include Honor Carter, Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams and Simon and Paula Herbert.
The Plaws are owners of New Zealand’s largest aluminium joinery business, Architectural Profiles Limited, which Mitch inherited from his late parents.
As well as sponsoring several sports teams and athletes, Mitch and Kate are Legacy Founders of the New Zealand Olympic Foundation, of which Mikayla is a council member.
The Plaws have lovingly restored their 243ha estate, 3km of which runs beside Lake Karapiro. Part of their restoration work included employing experts to create a world-class equestrian facility.
Mikayla says her family’s goal is to raise the standard of show-jumping in NZ, “to match the talent this nation possesses”.
“We want to see and celebrate more Kiwi riders on the world stage, and to do that we knew someone needed to give them the facility on home ground to be the solid foundation on the road to world-class riding,” Plaw tells Society Insider, adding that the Takapoto facilities are unique in New Zealand.
In the lead-up to the Classic, the Plaws have been enjoying some time on the high seas, taking part in The 2025 New Zealand Millennium Cup in their beautiful Royal Huisman-built 34m aluminium yacht, Sassafras.
The Cup saw them competing with some of the world’s most elegant superyachts in the waters of Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, including the 81m Royal Huisman sailing yacht Sea Eagle and the 34m luxury sail super yacht Kawil.
Sea Eagle is owned by Taiwanese businessman Dr Samuel Yin and Kawil by a US couple, with the captain known to the sailing community as Spook.
In the first race, Sea Eagle won, Sassafras came second and Kawil third.
Perhaps Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was the Sea Eagle’s lucky charm. He was on board the beautiful superyacht as a guest of Darren Entwistle CM, the president and CEO of Canadian telecommunications giant Telus and his wife Fiona on Sunday, and told Society Insider “it was a thrill”.
By the end of the Cup this week it was Kawil that was victorious.
This week, Mikayla has been competing in the Bay of Island Sailing Week, an event for which she last year took out line honours, skippering the series in B Division, and second place on PHRF. This week Mikayla skippered again, this time in the series A Division, and had a clean sweep winning taking out line honours on the line and first place on PHRF.
Tuke will be back from the SailGP in Sydney to support the Classic and the Plaw family, who last year travelled to Barcelona to cheer he and Team NZ in the America’s Cup.
The Classic, which runs across six days, is designed to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone from non-riders up to world-class athletes, says Plaw. She adds the event is not just a competition, it’s a place to socialise too.
“We also have ticketed events, like high teas where people can get dolled up, or the Skrewball Hoedown, which is set to be a fantastic party.”
Other events include the “phenomenally popular” farm-to-table dinner which showcases the wines, produce grown and raised on the estate, such as fruit and vegetables, beef and venison.
“The final Sunday Grand Prix lunch is the fanciest and most fantastic event on the Takapoto Estate social calendar,” Plaw says.
That’s all topped off by activations from premium sponsors and partners, including Land Rover, Partridge Jewellers, Dawson & Co and GH Mumm Champagne.
Plaw says this year the Classic has a brilliant line-up, which will provide some great competition.
“We are excited for Sophie Scott, who has won three of four World Cup classes this season, to be bringing her two horses, Waitangi Skynet and Benrose Stella, to the event this year.”
Plaw says to also keep an eye on Logan Massie who will be riding Bravado Ego Z owned by passionate Hawke’s Bay show jumping couple Logan and Sue Holden.
Taranaki-born Shane Green has recently been made CEO of US billionaire Bill Foley’s global hospitality and sport organisation, Foley Entertainment Group (FEG), and he promises young New Zealanders will benefit from having him at the helm of this multi-billion-dollar business.
Green’s new boss Foley is well known in New Zealand for his hospitality businesses like Wairarapa luxury lodge Wharekauhau Estate, wine brands including Te Kairanga, Mt Difficulty, Dashwood and Te Tera, and Foley Hospitality, which has 10 venues including Andiamo, Soul Bar and Bistro and The Jervois Steak House.
But he became a favourite honorary Kiwi last year with the extremely successful launch of Auckland FC.
Foley is the majority owner of the club, with local investors ZEIL’s Anna Mowbray and her husband, former All Black Ali Williams. It’s the fourth football club for Foley, who also owns AFC Bournemouth, FC Lorient and Hibernian. He also has ice hockey team the Vegas Golden Knights.
Green, 50, was born and grew up in Stratford, Taranaki, attending Francis Douglas Memorial High School in New Plymouth.
While studying at Canterbury University, he worked at the Park Royal Christchurch to pay his way through college.
At 21 he headed away on his OE and says he got a job at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey soon after arriving in the US. He spent seven years learning the ins and outs of the luxury hospitality business.
Green went on to open and manage a number of luxury hotels and resorts, including Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Osaka, Japan and Shanghai, China; Westin and W hotels in the US; Italian-owned hotel group Cipriani; and then later, Hayman Island in Australia, which he says is a highlight for any hotelier in the South Pacific.
Green went on to start his own hotels in Las Vegas, and diversified outside of hospitality and hotels, working with brands including the NBA, United Airlines, MSC Cruises, and BMW.
He tells Society Insider the secret to his success has been developing a deep expertise in hospitality and company culture that allows him “to execute strategies confidently and quickly”.
“Where I am not an expert, I look for someone who is,” he says.
Green has two teenage children, son Jagar and daughter Cass, and lives in the Vegas suburb of Summerlin, an area famous for its street nicknamed “Billionaire’s Row”.
The Covid pandemic saw Green move his family home to New Zealand for 2.5 years, which he says was important to him, to give his US-born children a connection to New Zealand.
“Jag, 16, and Cass, 13, have dual citizenship for NZ and US. They have lived in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the US – such is the life of a hotelier’s kids.”
While in NZ, he worked with Robertson Lodges, the owners of luxury lodges Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs and Matakauri (now managed by Rosewood Hotels), as well as working with Hospitality NZ. He says he provided them with some emerging leadership training and supported their work to improve NZ’s hospitality industry.
“New Zealand’s style of service is authentic and warm, however, there is a lack of attention to detail when it comes to service and comfort in dealing with difficult guests and situations,” Green says.
“I also think that NZ does not have a strong understanding of guest experience. And there is a lack of hospitality leadership development in New Zealand.”
His new role will see him oversee FEG’s global portfolio of sports and luxury hospitality and winery entities, primarily in the United States, the UK and New Zealand.
Green tells Society Insider that he and Foley came into each other’s orbit last November in Las Vegas.
“A mutual friend introduced Bill and me, and we had a series of conversations,” Green tells Society Insider.
“Bill believes in hiring the best people and felt I would be the right person to bring all of his assets and brands together.”
Green says Foley had been looking for a new CEO for a while.
“Our interactions were effortless... and our timing and philosophies aligned.”
Foley says acquiring Green is massive for his organisation, and his energy and passion will help elevate FEG.
One of Green’s passions is inspiring others in their hospitality careers and he is excited to create opportunities for young New Zealanders in the US and NZ, under FEG’s guidance and mentoring.
Green is an avid sports fan and although rugby is his favourite, he’s passionate about Auckland FC and what it has already achieved.
“In a rugby-dominated country and city, the way this team has been supported and celebrated by its fans is incredible.
“Our No 1 priority is to win championships, but the serving of the communities and cities is right behind that”.
New Zealand rich list heiress Ali Andrews and her billionaire heir partner, Raphael Wertheimer, are believed to have married at Christmas in New York.
Andrews’ mother and stepfather are Anya and Peter Hutson, who have a reported wealth of more than half a billion dollars, after selling their share of their Australian Bay Audio Business.
Wertheimer is the son of New York-based multi-billionaire, Alain Wertheimer, chairman of Chanel.
It is understood the couple’s nuptials were a family-only affair, which would explain why Andrews’ close friends, fellow rich list daughters Cameo Turner and Libby Owen, were spotted in New Zealand over the Christmas break, not in New York.
Both Andrews’ and Wertheimer’s families prefer to stay out of the spotlight and keep their lives private, and Andrews did not respond to Society Insider’s request for comment when asked about her wedding. However, sources have confirmed the private, family-only wedding did take place, rumoured to have been at one of the beautiful homes of the New York-based Wertheimer family.
Alain Wertheimer co-owns Chanel with his younger brother Gerard. The family is reportedly the third wealthiest in France and the 40th richest family in the world, according to Forbes magazine, which estimated Alain’s net worth at US$36.8 billion ($65.1b).
Society Insider has heard that last summer Andrews’ stepfather Peter Hutson played a few rounds of golf in New Zealand at Tara Iti with Wertheimer. Wertheimer is also said to have visited New Zealand last summer and enjoyed time at the glamorous Coromandel vacation spot, Matarangi.
When Society Insider revealed Andrews’ and Wertheimer’s relationship in December, there was talk about a huge engagement ring on her finger, with speculation he had proposed when they were in Greece last October. The couple stayed at a place that has become known as the perfect location for marriage proposals, Amanzoe, a luxury resort and hotel in Greece’s Peloponnese region.
The couple spent New Year at the luxury ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps – which is believed to have been their honeymoon.
Last week, the couple was in Paris, where Chanel held their Spring-Summer Couture collections at the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées.
While Chanel has the media powerbrokers and celebrities of the day in the front row, the Wertheimer family are known to prefer to fade into the background.
On Tuesday evening, Bravo held an intimate exclusive evening for VIP guests at Auckland Italian restaurant, Bossi on Commerce St.
Guests enjoyed expertly curated wines and a menu crafted by executive chef Shaun Dowling, while celebrating a big year ahead on Bravo.
The event was hosted by Chris Taylor, executive chairman of Bravo New Zealand and MD, NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer and Distribution, Australia & New Zealand.
Taylor flew into Auckland from Australia for the dinner with some of New Zealand’s most respected advertising executives.
The evening was also a chance to introduce the channel’s newest on-air talent, Bella Varelis.
Having just been announced as the new face of iconic Live From E! red carpets on Bravo New Zealand and 7Bravo, the free-to-air channel in Australia, Varelis was thrilled to be in Auckland.
She said joining the channel was a dream come true and allowed her to combine her love of fashion, beauty and entertainment for Kiwi audiences.
Varelis, who appeared on a series of The Bachelor Australia, will be front and centre at the biggest awards shows and fashion events and will also bring audiences trusted beauty tips and tricks with her digital mini-series, Bella Beauty.
This was Varelis’ first trip to New Zealand, and she has already fallen in love with Auckland. She joins New Zealand’s celebrated television personality Dominic Bowden, who is already an established face on Bravo.
Taylor, who lived in Auckland when he ran Prime TV, spoke throughout the evening about the success Bravo had last year, as the No 1 challenger network in 2024, and highlighted the continued momentum for the channel with their upcoming content slate – including Paris & Nicole: The Encore, Denise Richards & The Wild Things – and fresh seasons of their staple franchises Below Deck and The Real Housewives.
Advertising guests included PHD’s CEO, Nikki Grafton, group investment & media director, Helen Brown, and managing director, Abby Parkin, GroupM CEO, John Halpin, MBM head of investment, Catherine Hamilton, Publicis Groupe head of investment, Vicki Anderson, EssenceMediacom managing director, Megan Smith, general manager of OMG Connect NZ, AnneMarie Leitch.
Other guests included Warner Bros Discovery’s head of networks, Juliet Peterson, as well as senior partnership lead, Paula Adams and senior director of revenue, James Hole.
Taylor’s NBCUniversal team flew in from Sydney for the dinner and included senior director of commercial sales and marketing, Peta Crum; senior director of programming, Caroline Cleland and head of communications and PR, Jane McLaren.
Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 when he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy, which evolved into Society Insider, at the Herald on Sunday. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.