When he was six years old, Timoti Te Moke (Ngāti Rangitihi, Tapuika and Ngāti Kurī) was removed from the loving care of his grandparents into the legal custody of his birth mother and stepfather. From a culturally rich, nurturing environment to unfathomable abuse. The young bright boy who had shown such promise at school was now isolated, alone and fighting to survive. What followed was prison, boot camp, gangs and drug addiction. Those charged with his care – including police and government agencies, ignored the signs and wrote him off. His book, The Unlikely Doctor, is an extraordinary chronicle of resilience and hope in the face of adversity and injustice. At 56, Te Moke – after training and working as a paramedic in a racist and toxic environment – would graduate as a doctor from the University of Otago Medical School. What happens next? He talks with Sarah Daniell about why being the Number One bestseller in Aotearoa is not the end-game – he’s on a mission for the greater good.
Tom Walters outside the green shed at Matakana Oysters Oysters for the People, Shit in the River 4th August, 2025 The awa is poisoned, the oysters can’t be harvested, and the system meant to protect both has failed. In Mahurangi, one farmer stands between survival and collapse. North & South’s…
Liam Lawson in Budapest. Credit: Instagram THE SPORT COLUMN Formula 1 - life in the fast lane Hastings-born, Pukekoehe-raised Liam Lawson, the 23-year-old who crossed the finish line eighth at Formula One’s Hungarian Grand Prix this week, has had successive top-10 finishes for the first time in his career. His…
The Fantasy World of Winston Peters The Fantasy World Of Winston Peters 7th August, 2025 In August 1994, North&South magazine featured a prescient profile on the man who would one day be called “kingmaker”. As the man himself has said, this would not be his first rodeo. Back then, NZ…
Murdoch Harris, when he was arrested and charged with 37 burglaries - all of which were later thrown out. ‘Who would believe a Māori boy?’ 7th August, 2025 A dodgy cop, a Brethren Police Minister, forced confessions and police brutality. A 1950s case revisited reveals the dark layers of racism…
Lynnette Hudson, Tongue in Groove Wines Exclusive offer for wine lovers with North & South 31st July 2025 North & South's new column, By the Bottle, with wine writer Timothy Giles, is an edgy, funny and insightful glimpse examining wine labels (Why do they look like that? Why do they…
Mau, No Words for This. In Conversation with Ali Mau 31st July 2025 Ali Mau has never been one to stay silent. In her searing new memoir No Words For This, the award-winning journalist, broadcaster and advocate lays bare a childhood marked by trauma — and the strength that emerged…
The Whistleblowers
The Whistleblowers 24th July 2025 In North & South last month doctors and other health professionals said they were being gagged which was, in turn, threatening patient safety. Three case studies are significant precedents of medical whistleblowing and are also reminders of the power of speaking out. Medical whistleblowing is…
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Culture Compass
MARY/ The Birth of Frankenstein Culture Compass 7th August, 2025Consuming culture is as much about seeing and connecting with others and their experiences as it is about feeding our insatiable appetite for stimulation. It’s an intimate act that allows us to see inside the hearts and minds of artists. Doing…
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The Culture Compass 24th July 2025If 2025 is teaching us anything, it’s that while chaos and turmoil run rampant, art in all its forms will remain. But still, like air, I’ll rise. Over the coming weeks, there are some spectacular examples of art and culture rising, including three unique festivals…
The Culture Compass 10th July 2025While film fanatics patiently bide our time waiting for the New Zealand International Film Festival to roll around (tickets are on sale now), we must find other ways to keep dark existential musings at bay and the creative synapses firing. Here is our selection of…
Culture Compass 12th June 2025The culture compass in Aotearoa is firmly pointed towards the North East right now as the nation awaits the grand arrival of the Matariki cluster. Throughout the motu there are events and celebrations to honour the Māori New Year, some of which were highlighted in our…
Growing up in the eighties, “a little girl with buck teeth and red pigtails”, Megan Dunn didn’t dream of becoming a Project Manager. She wanted to be Madison, the mermaid played by Daryl Hannah in Splash. By Theo Macdonald.
Growing up in the eighties, “a little girl with buck teeth and red pigtails”, Megan Dunn didn’t dream of becoming a Project Manager. She wanted to be Madison, the mermaid played by Daryl Hannah in Splash. By Theo Macdonald.
Growing up in the eighties, “a little girl with buck teeth and red pigtails”, Megan Dunn didn’t dream of becoming a Project Manager. She wanted to be Madison, the mermaid played by Daryl Hannah in Splash. By Theo Macdonald.
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