The Regions

Invercargill locals tell us what’s hot (and what’s not so hot) in their region.

18-year-old Tyler Dawson is the seventh generation of his family to live and fish on the island. He guides us through the oddities and opportunities of life at the bottom of Aotearoa.

Angel Pilgrim was 13 years old when she left Gloriavale with her 12 siblings and parents. Now she's 17, living in Timaru and about to sit her restricted licence test.

From Maccas to women's rugby clubs, Ashburton locals tell us what's hot (and what’s not so hot) in Ashburton, a small town an hour south from Christchurch.

Greymouth locals tell us what's hot (and what's not so hot) in their small town.

Te Tauraka Waka a Māui, located at the bottom of the South Island's West Coast, is likely New Zealand's most isolated marae. Maya Mahuika shares what it was like growing up in this beautiful, but isolated, landscape.

Whakatāne locals tell us what's hot (and what's not so hot) in their small town.

Taiwhakaea Osborne (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Materoa) is 18 and loves Waimana, a small town in the Bay of Plenty. But his desire to be a farmer means he'll have to move away from home - and his whānau.

We wanted to ask rangatahi what they think is hot or not in their region. So we headed to the community gym, the Locker Room, which is based at the local school. From the lookout to the takeaways to the lack of jobs, there were lots of "hots" and a couple "nots".

19-year-old Awatea is a dedicated kapa haka performer from the close-knit Waimā community, in the Hokianga area of Northland. After leaving school at 16, she applied for a job to perform at Waitangi. She’s been there ever since and is known for her amazing ability at poi. When she's not on stage, she finds joy in the simple pleasures of her rural lifestyle—feeding her animals, fishing off the rocks, and sharing moments with her boyfriend Sonny.