Gisborne's Sam Gibson leads new doco on NZ forest restoration efforts
Gisborne bushman and conservationist Sam 'The Trap Man' Gibson is the host of a TVNZ documentary that sheds light on the restoration of native forests in New Zealand.
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Gisborne's Sam Gibson leads new doco on NZ forest restoration efforts
Sam Gibson is looking forward to the premiere of the documentary Think Like A Forest, which focuses on the native forest restoration work being done through the initiative Recloaking Papatūānuku. Gisborne bushman and conservationist Sam 'The Trap Man' Gibson is the host of a TVNZ documentary that sheds light on the restoration of native forests in New Zealand.
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
‘Beaming proud': Dancer defies limits of living with severe disability
Thirty-year-old Latin dancer Shenaragh Nemani can't walk or talk but she has an undeniable energy that has seen her charm audiences and perform in dance competitions around the world. Marae's Leigh-Marama McLachlan caught up with her as they prepared for her next performance in Puerto Rico. Watch the full story on TVNZ+. Shenaragh lives with a list of limitations. The wheelchair-bound woman suffers from cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, scoliosis, and relies on a computer to communicate. But none of it stops her from dancing. 'What do I love about dancing? Feeling, moving, being included, the friends I make, the hot guys I get to dance with.' She's quite famous overseas in the Latin dance community, she said, cheekily offering her autograph if only she could write. ADVERTISEMENT So how did it all start? Her mum Cheryl said Shenaragh would have been around seven years old when she first danced. 'One day her uncle decided to just, like, grab her wheelchair and just push her around the room and let her be a part of the group. So she was doing that, but she had no movement. She was just watching, and then a really good song came on and she just started moving her hands, and it just sort of grew from that.' She was seen dancing by the late legendary salsa dancer and promoter Albert Torres who invited her to perform in Miami at the World Latin Dance Cup in 2016, creating a new division for her called Limitless. The whānau managed to raise enough funds to go where Shenaragh won over the audience and judges, taking home first place. 'I just started crying because I was like, 'oh my god, they love her!'' Cheryl said. Shenaragh, now 30, has also performed in Los Angeles and New York and was preparing to head over to Puerto Rico earlier this month. 'I'm always excited when I get the chance to perform, wherever it may be,' Shenaragh said. 'But going overseas is a plus – the guys are so hot and they always come up to me.' ADVERTISEMENT Mum Cheryl with one of Shenaragh's dance costumes (Source: Marae) It's an expensive passion for the whānau who rely on fundraising, but for Cheryl, it's worth it. 'She dances on stage in the same space as world champions. So I love to see everyone's faces when they see her go on cause she's in this wheelchair and, you know, you want to see her, honestly, her hands are gone, her legs are gone and she's loving it. 'She just feeds off it, and I'm so proud of her, like any parent that would be proud, I'm like, beaming proud. I just love seeing her in that element.' Overcoming challenges Shenaragh, a wahine who loves watching TV, listening to music and using Facebook, has had to overcome huge challenges to get here. Her mum said she's been in and out of hospital all her life and has had 'multitudes' of operations, followed by being on 'multitudes' of medications and opioids. ADVERTISEMENT She said it was hard to get help at times. Cheryl and Shenaragh's dad, Sam, both work and due to the level of care Shenaragh needs, Cheryl has no choice but to take her along with her. Shenaragh with dad Sam (Source: Marae) Shenaragh is on a special disability benefit and is often required to prove her disability. 'I literally walk her in the office and go, 'Yep, she still can't walk, she still can't do anything for herself'. I literally have to do that,' said Cheryl. 'The doctors and the specialists and the nurses write letters and say 'she will never be able to do this' and it doesn't matter.' It remains a huge source of frustration for the whānau. Living with disability 'a pain in the a***' ADVERTISEMENT When asked to describe growing up with a disability, Shenaragh is blunt. 'Growing up with cerebral palsy is a pain the a***. It's frustrating. I'm limited to so many physical things and having to watch others it makes me sad. 'But the good side to it is me being able to educate others just by being me.' Shenaragh is studying business at polytech, creating the wheel accessories on her chair featuring the Tino Rangatiratanga flag (Source: Marae) She's actively engaging in education herself and is studying business at the local polytech, as well as learning about rongoā Māori alongside her mum. Cheryl said their goal is to make her life as 'normal' as they can. 'If that means that we have to pull finger to fundraise to get her to do something she loves, then that's what we'll do, because physically she can't do anything really and no one wants to give her a chance. ADVERTISEMENT The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including poll numbers paint grim picture for leaders, Trump sending the National Guard into Washington, and where have all the coaches gone? (Source: 1News) 'She's wanted jobs, and I've tried to take her to job interviews, but people don't want to hire her, and I get it. I get it. But she doesn't get it.' She said Shenaragh is like anyone else in that she experiences bouts of depression, and she and Sam support her through it. In the meantime, they are determined to help her achieve in life. As for Shenaragh, she wants people to understand that she's more than her limitations. 'I may be in a chair but please don't judge me… I understand most things you say, and I can respond but you just need to have a little patience [as] I put my sentence together. I'm happy-go-lucky but also sensitive. Say hi, don't be shy.' Watch Shenaragh's full story on Marae on TVNZ+.
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- NZ Herald
MasterChef Australia: NZ contestant Ben MacDonald talks about life after elimination
'I went there to win, there's no doubt about that. Certainly got pretty close, disappointed that I didn't make it all the way – but also [I'm] really proud of how far I went and happy to be home,' he says with a laugh. 'It was a very long season.' In his bid to join Depinder Chhibber in the final four, along with contestants Laura Cassai, Jamie Fleming and Callum Hann, McDonald had to create what the judges called a 'spectacular one-bite wonder'. Setting the scene, guest judge and top Kiwi chef Vaughan Mabee of the globally acclaimed Amisfield restaurant in Queenstown showed off his fantastical selection of one-mouthful winners that looked like they came straight from the world of Harry Potter. The Whangārei-raised Aucklander is a father of two. Photo / TVNZ MacDonald then created his own magic: chicken wings stuffed with whitebait mousse. The wings sat on top of a seaweed and parmesan tuille, with chicken liver parfait underneath. Topping it off was a drizzle of chive oil emulsion and some caviar. As a bonus, the whitebait was local; Mabee brought it with him from New Zealand. But, compared to the other creations, it failed to charm and was criticised as having 'too many things going on'. The Whangārei-raised Aucklander was sent packing. On the show, MacDonald admitted small bites weren't his style. 'You can only squeeze so much flavour into one mouthful ... whilst the whitebait was in there, it was never meant to be a whitebait dish. It was just supposed to add sweetness and a bit of a change of a layer of texture as well. I think the other dishes on the day were just more concise and better.' Mabee says he was gutted about it, too. 'Ben had a huge amount of talent and his dish was great – it just had too many elements and the focus went away from being a great dish,' he tells the Herald. Ben with judges Jean-Christophe and Andy. Photo / TVNZ '[It was] tasty, yes, but it just wasn't the best dish that day. I was sad to see the Kiwi leave. What an amazing guy.' But MacDonald isn't fazed by the defeat, perhaps because he doesn't view it as such. 'At the end of the day, my life's not going to be measurably worse if I don't win MasterChef. 'I was trying not to put too much pressure on myself right from the start. I was there for the experience. I was there to learn. And I just knew that if I went in and did my best every day, I would never be disappointed.' The highlight of the experience was winning the immunity pin and cooking along with Gordon Ramsay in the second episode. 'It was just a crazy challenge because you had no idea what you're making, you're just following along with Gordon Ramsey as best as you can. 'So stressful, so busy, and just doing it all and mine ended up coming up the best.' The 47-year-old chef previously competed on season six of MasterChef Australia, where he finished sixth. Photo / TVNZ He says the biggest thing he learned from the experience was 'how much you can learn from other people'. 'It was such a collaborative kind of supportive environment, and it was just really surprising where you could pick things up from,' he says, adding how at one stage Chhibber taught him how to make paratha 'properly'. 'If you're open to listening and sharing, I think it's just quite amazing what you can take on.' MacDonald has no hesitation when asked who he wants to win. . 'I think Jamie would do the most with it, and I think it would really change his life,' he says. As for what's next, MacDonald says there are a few things in the works. As well as preparing for and competing in his first marathon in Queenstown in November, he's focused on sharing with foodies 'delicious dishes people can cook themselves' on his social media. 'I'm going to try to put some personality into it and make it relatable and most of all achievable,' he says. MasterChef Australia: Back to Win airs on TVNZ and TVNZ+. Varsha Anjali is a journalist in the lifestyle team at the Herald. Based in Auckland, she covers culture, travel and more.
