There is nothing inherently wrong with the giving of gifts as part of celebrating the Christmas season. For some it’s tradition, for others it’s...
I don’t know how I missed the publication of Paula Green’s book Wild Honey . Particularly given that the magnificent cover of this charming and...
In Ben Lerner’s coming-of-age novel The Topeka School, alternating narrators weave a complex tapestry of teenager Adam Gordan’s journey as he...
For some, it may be a little too early for talk of Kirihemete. But every year, there is a book that I love so much that I want to buy a hundred...
This year, for the first time in history, a science Nobel Prize was won by two women. Scientists Emmanuelle Marie Charpentier and Jennifer A....
Following the news about President Trump contracting CoVID-19, an outbreak of a different kind took hold of our digital sphere. Schadenfreude -...
As a rule, all coming-of-age stories include the protagonist’s realisation that the world of adults is founded on lies of many shapes and sizes....
In the days since her passing, long serving liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been described as a: champion; defender; feminist icon;...
This month, a patient sincerely asked me if I thought it was bad to catch coronavirus. With the world so many months into a global pandemic, that...
“I know that unless you are spirited and beautiful heiress, life is essentially a to-do list. Which begins with ‘escape this vagina’ and ends with...
In chapter 11 of Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s extraordinary book ‘Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons’ , the authors share...
As the CoVID-19 unfolded across the world, media headlines featured some pretty bleak verbs with regards to world economies ( plunge , free-fall...
I’m finally on annual leave after a rather intense six weeks of my first general surgical rotation as a junior doctor. “How are you going to spend...
My knowledge about history in general is problematically limited. But whatever small and simplistically explained fragments of history were...
When it comes to climate change, I’ve been feeling a bit deflated about my efforts to make a difference for a while. Every thing that I could buy...
These last few months, we have seen nations enact a collective response in the face of a global threat, showing us similar action is possible in...
In 2012, I was accepted for admission to Seoul National University’s College of Humanities. I never ended up going that spring, choosing instead...
Though posting on social media and showing up for protests are important ways to show solidarity, it’s important we’re mindful to not engage in...
Undergarments have always been about more than just fabric for your private parts. Reflecting the spirit of the times, lingerie has evolved over...
As Aotearoa went into alert level three, and then four, a lot of medical professionals considered buying our own scrubs to wear at work. I was...
It was a moment almost sacriligious – when many booklovers quietly and guiltily mused that perhaps Margaret Atwood didn’t deserve to win the...
Supporting small businesses and our local economy has never been more important. If you’re looking to buy something new (for yourself or as a gift...
Whether you’re looking for ways to fill your time while social distancing, having an acute case of wanderlust within the confines of your bubble,...
As indisputably reckless and inexcusably selfish as it is for people to travel to their holiday homes during lockdown (#stayhomeNZ), on some level...
We’re all being inundated with information about the novel coronavirus right now. It’s been happening for weeks, and it seems that every Tom, Dick...
Trigger warning: this review includes mention of violence, sexual assault, and homicide.
When I’d previously imagined what the...
It’s difficult for people to fathom the idea that a first world country like Aotearoa is affected by an issue like period poverty. The co-founder...
Janet Frame was a “rebel, a seeker of freedom and a passionate champion of the imagination”, according to the theatremakers who adapted her...
One of my favourite brick-and-mortar stores in Auckland can be found on Karangahape Road. Crushes has been my default go-to for picking up gifts...
I’ve been on Instagram for over three years now. In that time, there have been multiple digital decluttering outbursts involving mass unfollowing...
Disclaimer: I am not a personal financial or investment advisor. The advice in this article does not constitute financial, accounting, or legal...
First published on Friday the 12 th of April, 2019, this piece comes in at number 23 in the top 30 most read Villainesse stories of 2019....
First published on Wednesday the 24th of April, 2019, this piece comes in at number 27 in the top 30 most read Villainesse stories of 2019....
Nikki Kennedy (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Te Whakatōhea) needed to do something to ensure the survival of Te Reo. This, combined with...
Trigger warning: this piece features discussion of violence and rape.
Have you ever thought about who cleans up the aftermath of...
Feeling like you’ve had a productive day can be pretty great. However, I’ve noticed over the last few years is that getting that same sense of...
November has been a pretty amazing month for New Zealand’s literary scene. With two launches of highly anticipated books and the announcement of...
Earlier this year, The New Yorker published a piece that heralded luxury paint company Farrow & Ball as the arbiters of modern taste in...
This year, more than ever before, it’s crucial that we make Kirihimete one that is better for our people and our planet. Because the holiday...
A comprehensive guide to those responsible decisions that we know deep down we should be making already. How many of these planet-friendly habits...
Wouldn’t it be great if we lived in a world where conversations about women’s bodies didn’t revolve around: making unsolicited comments about our...
If you’ve ever done a trash audit, you’ll know that the bathroom is an area of the home that can regularly generate a lot of waste. But that needn...
I have always liked shoes. Shoes help you do things and go places. Though my zest for shoes will never rival that of Carrie Bradshaw’s (and I have...
When I was younger, I wanted to be a cyclist. Specifically, I wanted to be like those sunkissed, helmetless Europeans that you see in the movies...
The recent surge in media coverage of the burning of the Amazon aggravated many people’s eco-anxiety. You don’t need to be a climate scientist or...
One of the Great Disappointments of my 2019 will be having missed Alexander Chee at this year’s Auckland Writers Festival. Sadly, it was only...
Haven’t heard of Frances Hodgkins? You have just over two weeks left to make your way to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki before the Frances...
Last year, I was asked to speak about medicine alongside two doctors at my old high school’s careers evening. Collectively, we touched on the...
Changing any aspect of your lifestyle can be difficult. For those transitioning to a more planet-conscious mode of living, there will be many...
Audre Lorde (1934 - 1992) was many things - feminist, activist, lesbian, icon. She was also an immensely talented and prolific writer who penned a...
It’s coming up - that time of year when our evening hours have the potential to be a little bit sparklier (and full of screen-friendly snack...
What do you do when your friend’s substance use (of alcohol or other drugs) starts affecting their relationships, work, finances, or ability to...
Recently, I had the privilege of hearing Dame Margaret Sparrow, pioneer in sexual health services, speak at the New Zealand Medical Student’s...
Trigger warning: rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, violence
Whenever I feel overwhelmed – by a feeling, a situation, an issue...
I’m going to start with the obvious: the best approach to drug law reform will be one that most effectively minimises harm.
The approach...
This year’s Auckland Writer’s Festival brought some of the brightest and best creatives of both local and international literary scenes to our...
Our planet is in trouble. We’ve known about the climate crisis for some time, and now more than ever is the time for collective action. But there’...
Growing up, the people in my communities never talked about motherhood as though it were a choice. It was always a matter of figuring out the when...
It’s bizarre that until recently skincare was an area of my life in which I’ve never taken an evidence-based approach. Over the years, I’ve bought...
Let me just start off by saying that I have a lot of admiration for people who choose to maintain a vegan or vegetarian diet. Depending on where...
