As the great Coco Chanel once said “fashion changes, style endures”, and it is this sense of presence which Caroline Williams seeks to develop in others through her styling business, De Vallenger Design.

Growing up in Orakei in Auckland, Caroline spent her days at Snell’s Beach at her family’s bach. Drawn to the ocean she enjoyed boating, water skiing and windsurfing, as well as being a bit of a “sun worshipper”. However, she always knew she wanted to work in fashion, and recalls her parent’s recollections of her at a young age making button necklaces as well as complementing her outfits with the perfect handbag or accessory.

Given her early forays into fashion, Caroline then went on to study Fashion Design at AUT, whilst simultaneously obtaining her Interior Design qualification at night school from Nanette Cameron School of Interior Design.

Just one of the many impressive feats that us Kiwis can be proud of is the exceptional quality and range of our wines, so we were thrilled when The New Zealand Cellar launched in 2014 and opened up the New Zealand wine market to the UK.

The driving force behind The New Zealand Cellar is Melanie Brown. Starting out as a chef at Peter Gordon’s restaurant The Providores, Melanie’s focus swiftly moved from food to wine after she took note of the diverse range of wine on offer at the restaurant. With her passion taking over, Melanie eventually moved into a front of house role that allowed her to manage and coordinate all wine-related activities.

On Monday 28 November, around 40 volunteers from various teams within the network gathered at The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell for dinner and some festive fun.

The evening was a celebration of what had been another successful year for the network and was a chance to thank all the invaluable volunteers who dedicate their time, expertise and energy to improving and expanding the NZBWN.