Aug 1, 2022 City Life
Read on for Metro’s most useful people or jump across to:
Retail
Food and Drink
Culture
Places
TRADESPERSON
With a category so incredibly broad (should we go best plumber, best carpenter, best tiler, we thought?), we engaged the expertise of Emma Kaniuk, the founder of Tradespeople, a directory of women and gender-diverse tradespeople working in Aotearoa. tradespeople.co
KELLIE HINTON (ADVANCED PLUMBING)
“The best tradespeople are the ones who keep it simple: return your calls, turn up on time, treat you and your home with thoughtful respect and are a joy to have around. The ones you almost want to keep all for yourself … like Kellie Hinton, co-owner of Advanced Plumbing, who expertly fixes drainage and plumbing issues all over town. She was there for me during lockdown last year when my kitchen drain inexplicably blocked up — there within half an hour, despite also dealing with post-rain flooding at her own home on the day.”
AND ALSO
GENEVIEVE BLACK (BUILD & CRAFT)
“And Genevieve Black — your go-to handy person — who works during the week with residential building company Build & Craft, but on weekends (with her adorable lab Nutmeg) is always happy to jump in on smaller building odd-jobs around your home with an exacting attention to detail”
NAILS
It’s Tanya Barlow’s 10th anniversary of being a nail artist, and her attention to details is impeccable, though what really sets her nails apart is the sense of whimsy and fun. Good luck getting an appointment, though. Your best bet would be to turn your Instagram notifications on for last-minute cancellations.
EYEBROWS
We asked Tanya Barlow, Auckland’s best nail artist, who she thinks the Best Eyebrow Studio is
UP LASHES AND BROWS
28 College Hill, Freemans Bay
“I’ve been going here for the last 8 years and highly recommend their 3D brow lamination service. Obsessed!”
HAIRDRESSER
COMMUNE
4/18 Westmoreland St West, Grey Lynn
If you really want to treat yourself, book an appointment with director Leigh Keepa.
BARBER
BESPOKE BARBERS
203 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead
Great cuts, tunes and whiskey.
STYLIST
SAMMY SALSA
@sammysalsastyle
Sammy styles for editorial, for television (particularly notable was the costume design on TVNZ show The Panthers), for runway. He’s a New Zealand Fashion Week Ambassador, has an amazing ’gram game, and is most likely the first person you think of when you hear “fashion stylist”.
GYM
LES MILLS AUCKLAND CITY
186 Victoria St West, Central city
We know none of us want to admit it (see: those ‘Warrant of Fitness’ stickers) but Les Mills does have a very good selection of gym classes, including that cycle one, The Trip, that everyone’s obsessed with. This branch is the OG and the largest one in New Zealand.
FITNESS SPACE
SALA
Level 1/56 Brown St, Ponsonby
Located in a refurbished factory, Sala offers a wide range of classes, particularly in the yoga genre. You can opt for dynamic yoga, yogasana, flow yoga, or yin yoga depending on your preferred style or what you’re trying to target that day. Classes are contract-free and drop-in.
MASSAGE
EAST DAY SPA
SkyCity Grand Hotel, 123 Albert St, Central city
Luxury.
TATTOOIST
Arts editor Lana Lopesi weighs in
TYLA VAEAU
@vaeaufamilystudio
Tattoo, thought to be a loan word from the Samoan tatau, “to strike”, made its way into the English language in the 18th century. In 1769 it was recorded in notes from Captain Cook’s Pacific voyages as “pigment design on skin”. So, it seems only fitting then for best tattooist we acknowledge the phenomenal work of tatau practitioner Tyla Vaeau.
In a lemon-yellow stucco house on a main road in Grey Lynn sits the Vaeau Family Studio, home to Vaeau and fellow tattooist (not to mention brother) Hiram Fa’alia Vaeau. Vaeau started tat- tooing in 2009 while completing a Master of Art History which also focused on Samoan tatau. Initially under the guidance of tattooist Roger Ingerton, Vaeau has since apprenticed under the Sa Su’a Sulu’ape family, making her one of the only women who have picked up the tools of customary tatau — a domain which to date has been dominated by men.
Vaeau has become well known for the recognisable tatau down the spine and tualima over the hands. While iconic in style, each piece is drawn freehand tailored to the wearer, with no two pieces the same. Vaeau’s practice is driven by her desire to give back to her community by supporting the revival of female tatau traditions, something lost through colonial practices. Rather than a practice led by ego, Vaeau’s space is welcoming, unintimidating and full of laughs.
CLOTHES REPAIR
GLOMAX SUPER TAILORS
108 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden
This recommendation came to us, as all the best things do, via word-of-mouth. We’re convinced this low-key tailor on Dominion Rd can fix anything.
MECHANIC
CRAIG AT GREEN BAY AUTO SERVICES
80 Godley Rd, Green Bay
Look, we don’t know what we’re talking about here, but then again, no one does. Mechanics (like computer repairers) can tell you anything and then charge you for it. So when someone we trust told us this guy is someone they trust, we took their word.
POLITICIAN
We asked Sir Bob Harvey, raconteur, former mayor of Waitākere, and Metro soothsayer
CHLÖE SWARBRICK
@chloe.swarbrick
“She seems young and ancient, wise and just. A true woman warrior for good and just causes. She has the power to lead. I hope in time this country sees that our woman are world leaders. She has that future.”
COUNCILLOR
We asked Hayden Donnell, Metro writer, Mediawatch contributor and local government enthusiast
JOSEPHINE BARTLEY
@g.i_jo
“When she wasn’t working tirelessly to vaccinate South Aucklanders, Josephine Bartley was pushing her fellow councillors to be more progressive on housing. That all-round effort could win her re-election and perhaps even the deputy mayoralty, but most importantly it makes her worthy of the most coveted prize of all, a paragraph of praise in Metro.”
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