Society Insider: Tenby Powell’s cancer bucket list; property mogul Nigel McKenna’s big year

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Former Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell reflects on life since his cancer diagnosis; Property developer Nigel McKenna and partner Sarisa Nasinprom are celebrating award wins for their new luxury spa and wellness centre. Photo / Herald composite
Man about town Ricardo Simich brings you Society Insider. The exclusive parties, the exotic holidays, the hook-ups, the break-ups, and the high stakes business deals – this new Thursday column pulls back the curtain to reveal how New Zealand’s other half lives.
He’s the founder of a multibillion-dollar property development company that has been at the helm of some of New Zealand’s biggest and fanciest hotels.
She’s the young entrepreneur and sometime model who this year realised her dream and opened her own luxury spa and wellness centre at his new $100 million boutique hotel.
UK-born Nigel McKenna, 62, and partner, Thai expat Sarisa Nasinprom, 39, are having a highly successful 2024.
The son of an Irish builder, McKenna was born in London and grew up in the Irish countryside. He relocated to Wellington in the late 1980s where he began his successful property development career.
In the ‘90s, he moved to Auckland and was behind the master planning process to develop Viaduct Harbour. As founder and chairman of Templeton Group, he has also been at the helm of multimillion-dollar projects including The Metropolis, Lighter Quay, The Quadrant, The Sebel, and the Sofitel in Auckland; the Hilton in Queenstown; and InterContinental in Fiji.
Before 2010, McKenna’s wealth was estimated at $120 million. In 2011 he declared himself bankrupt, which was discharged in 2014.
Meanwhile, Nasinprom moved to New Zealand in 2016.
She told Society Insider she has a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hotel management from Mahasarakham University in Thailand’s Maha Sarakham province, and studied post-graduate papers in hotel and property investment.
She has worked and studied in numerous luxury hotels and spas throughout Asia, Europe and the US.
On moving to New Zealand, Nasinprom studied a diploma in Business Management at Economic Development NZ, a not-for-profit national membership organisation that offers online and in-person education and training programmes.
Her profile appears on the Unique Model Management site.
Nasinprom is understood to have met McKenna in early 2022 and now calls him “the love of my life”.
One of her long-held dreams was to open her own world-class luxury spa and wellness centre. She shared that vision with McKenna, and together they developed Sa-Ni, the spa at Templeton’s latest Auckland hotel, Abstract.
The $100 million New York-style trendy upper Queen St boutique hotel and residences opened at the beginning of this year.
The couple are now working on two health and wellness centres they plan to build in Warkworth, near Dome Valley, and in Central Otago, in the middle of McKenna’s pinot noir vineyard McArthur’s Ridge, which were acquired in 2021 and 2024 respectively.
Sa-Ni is on Abstract’s ground floor, and markets itself as having a focus on relaxation, meditation, mindfulness and healing.
While the hotel and spa were in the development stage, McKenna and Nasinprom travelled the world in the name of market research.
“I would like Sa-Ni to set a standard in luxury Thai massage,” Nasinprom tells Society Insider.
“To do that I want to learn from the best, so I’ve been researching luxury spas in Asia and Europe. I know that sounds like a fantasy job description but it means paying close attention to every detail and remembering it all while you’re supposed to be relaxing. It is harder than you may think. You can’t take notes.”
The research clearly paid off, she said. Recently Sa-Ni was recognised at the 14th Luxury World Spa Awards, winning the Luxury Traditional Thai and Best Interior Design categories for Australia and Oceania, and the Luxury Urban Escape category for Australasia.
Other winners at the awards include leading global spa brands such as Aman, Six Senses, Four Seasons, Excelsior Hotel Gallia, La Reserve in Geneve, The Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria spas.
After becoming a couple, McKenna and Nasinprom shared their love of travel by visiting each other’s favourite tourist spots, including Queenstown and Huka Lodge in Taupō. At the end of 2022, they attended a wedding together in Bangkok, Thailand.
Since the new hotel opened, the couple have continued travelling the world to help research and improve their businesses.
Top hotels and resorts they have visited for their research include the Waldorf Astoria Lusail in Doha, the Four Seasons and the Aman Luxury Resort in Kyoto.
Most recently they have visited properties in France, Switzerland and Ireland. In Switzerland, they stayed at Grace La Margna in St Moritz and Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, Interlaken. In France, the wellness spas of Bordeaux beckoned; in Ireland, historic castles.
In Paris, they celebrated McKenna’s birthday with visits to The Ritz and the city’s famous burlesque cabaret club The Crazy Horse.
Their hope is that the new offerings in Warkworth and Central Otago will continue the success of Sa-Ni and offer guests a world-class experience here in New Zealand.
Nasinprom has been influenced by mindfulness meditation and wellbeing from an early age. As a secondary school student she said she volunteered with charities supporting children in need, receiving a national award from the Prime Minister of Thailand in recognition of her work and leadership.
She believes she has found in New Zealand a synchronicity in the “philosophical attitude of Māori”, who, like Thai people “believe in the sacredness of the natural world and the importance of family and connection in maintaining wellbeing”.
Former Tauranga mayor and rich lister Tenby Powell has just returned to New Zealand from his third trip to war-torn Ukraine.
The former Army colonel has spent more than a year on and off co-ordinating humanitarian aid in Ukraine through the charitable organisation he founded, Kiwi K.A.R.E (Kiwi Aid & Refugee Evacuation). His stints have ranged from two to seven months at a time.
This year he was there for only two months, his shortest trip yet, but for good reason – he wanted to be home for his daughter Charlotte’s birthday.
Family has been his most important priority since he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2020.
“Cancer changed everything for me, and our family – as it does for most people,” Powell tells Society Insider. “It brought me to a sharp, hard stop; a reality check, that provided perfect clarity.”
He underwent surgery in 2020 and for now he says his prognosis is “a work in progress”.
“Like many, I get blood tests every six months and at some stage that will lead to another phase of treatment – or not,” Powell says. “I’m fatalistic about it hence throwing myself into life in a very considered way.”
He says his diagnosis was a big reason he resigned as mayor, and it inspired him to “tick off some key bucket-list items”.
That included qualifying as a Master Scuba Diver and getting his pilot’s licence. He now flies a Cessna 172 and 152.
“The bucket list is all about family, travel, fun and continued service,” he says. “I’ve always lived life true to myself, not the life others expected of me, so my bucket list isn’t a long thread of unfulfilled adventures.
“I’ve been blessed to have had many wonderful adventures with my family and friends, in the military, in business, serving the NZ Government and the private sector on boards, and now with Kiwi K.A.R.E.”
Powell started Kiwi K.A.R.E just months into the Russian invasion after he visited Ukraine and saw the immediate need for a humanitarian and medical aid organisation that could operate in the Red Zones and close to the Zero (front) Line.
Powell and wife Sharon Hunter run Hunter Powell Investments, one of New Zealand’s most successful investment capital firms for small and medium enterprises, as well as not-for-profit organisations seeking to grow.
Hunter, who is deputy chair of the Starship Foundation, has been Powell’s “person on the ground” in New Zealand for Kiwi K.A.R.E. They are both involved in numerous directorships.
“Our son, George, and daughter, Charlotte, are also supportive – within boundaries,” says Powell.
“The key boundary was Mum does not go to Ukraine while the war is raging.
“One parent was more than enough and I’m the disposable one.”
Kiwi K.A.R.E is governed by some high-profile New Zealanders including former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry, and Brent Impey, who is the former chair of New Zealand Rugby and current chair of Fijian Drua, Fiji’s super rugby team.
In September, Impey – who was also diagnosed with cancer in 2020 – travelled to Ukraine to join Powell, who has developed a close relationship with the board of Ukraine Rugby. There they discussed how they can assist with the development of the sport now to ensure they are positioned internationally when the war ends.
Impey’s cancer was non-Hodgkin lymphoma – a curable cancer of the blood.
“These are big ambitions,” says Powell, “and it’s great to be future-focused on something positive to enhance Ukrainian sport once the war ends”.
Kiwi K.A.R.E has delivered 25 ambulances to date. Twenty-one have been donated to medical units and four operate across Western Ukraine to assist Internally Displaced Persons who need to get to a hospital.
“We have 10 more ambulances ready to go and are awaiting shipping confirmation to transport them from Auckland to Port Bremerhaven in Germany,” says Powell.
“This will equate to 40 vehicles Kiwi K.A.R.E has delivered into Ukraine: 35 ambulances, 1 truck, 3 vans and a 4×4 car.”
Kiwi donations have also helped fabricate and distribute more than 3000 stoves and water boilers, all recycled from old electrical water cylinders.
“The combination of the ambulances named in te reo, and the ‘With Love from New Zealand’ plaques we put on each stove and water boiler, has created quite the NZ Inc brand in Ukraine,” he says.
Powell says the war has changed his family’s priorities in many ways and has brought them closer together.
Sharon and Charlotte have helped with ambulance logistics, delivering the vehicles to various ports in New Zealand and Australia.
George, 26, now based in London, recently joined his father to convoy two ex-Finnish ambulances from Estonia, driving them back to Warsaw via Latvia and Lithuania to Poland.
“He was really pleased to be able to make a contribution. He has seen Sharon and Charlotte supporting Kiwi K.A.R.E from afar and I know he was thrilled to be able to support the team.
Powell is home until the New Year, when he will head back to Europe to oversee the latest shipment of ambulances from New Zealand.
In their downtime this summer, Tauranga-based Powell and Hunter will scuba dive and mountain bike in the Bay of Plenty.
He says his wife now even goes flying with him occasionally.
“We are truly blessed to be able to live in such peaceful splendour and, in many respects, this is why the work Kiwi K.A.R.E does, in support of Ukrainians in dire need, having had their lives ripped apart by an illegal war, is so important.”
He has hinted at a new business project but is keeping details under wraps for now. “Growing Kiwi K.A.R.E from a start-up into a registered and highly respected charity has been very fulfilling, particularly given the positive impact we have had in Ukraine. But I do feel a need to grow another successful commercial enterprise too.”
To help Kiwi K.A.R.E go to the Givealittle page.
She trains celebrities including pop superstar Charli XCX, model Kaia Gerber and singer Olivia Rodrigo.
Now Kiwi-born fitness star Kirsty Godso is expanding her growing global empire with the launch of her own fitness platform, Pyro.
Born and raised in Parnell, Godso, 36, is a global fitness force with enviable collaborations with A-listers and brands.
She credits her education at Auckland private school, Diocesan School for Girls in Epsom, as giving her the foundations for her success.
“I am thankful for the great sports programming while I was at Dio,” Godso tells Society Insider. “I got into training during my last few years of school after a big knee surgery at 15.
“Much to my dad’s disappointment at the time, I can now say that taking drama and physical education as main subjects has become a big part of my job, the dramatic presentation of fitness.”
Dio is also where she first met model Georgia Fowler, whom she also trains.
“Georgia’s sister, Kate, is one of my best friends and Georgia was very much our sidekick growing up,” Godso tells Society Insider.
“We are so close, she is like my sister and is such a special person to me.”
Godso famously got shoulder-tapped to work for Nike while she was teaching classes at Les Mills Victoria St, 13 years ago.
She started out as a Nike Master Trainer for the Pacific region – a role that is highly sought after and difficult to get. Master Trainers “represent the pinnacle of every training discipline,” Nike’s website says. “We sought them out in cities around the world … their advice and guidance helps athletes hone their routine and reach their goals.”
Godso then moved into the North America team before relocating to New York eight years ago. She is now based in West Hollywood and visits New York four times a year for work and to see friends.
“What’s great about working in both cities is being able to lean into what they each offer,” Godso says.
“The energy of New York is much better for group classes and events, and LA is incredible for private training.
“It’s definitely nice having the duality of both.”
In July she caught up with another fellow Kiwi and Nike family member, superstar choreographer Parris Goebel. The pair were together at Vogue World in Paris, where Goebel was the artistic director.
“It was so incredible to go to Vogue World,” Godso says.
“Parris did such a great job and we love it when we get together – it’s funny, two girls from little New Zealand doing big things with Nike.”
As well as France, over the past few years Godso’s work has taken her to London, Italy, Greece, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, the Cayman Islands and, most important to her, New Zealand and Australia.
“I love getting to meet new people and learn about them and their culture, backgrounds and interests through this universal language that is fitness,” says Godso.
She says her favourite place to unwind is at luxury hotel Palm Heights on the famous Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.
“It’s not only the most beautifully curated hotel, but the energy, entertainment, gym and spa are unmatched.
“I also recently went to Hawaii with friends and was obsessed with how peaceful it is.”
Godso met Kaia Gerber, the daughter of former supermodel Cindy Crawford, at a Pilates class. When the pair began to work out together, Godso says it was “game over”.
“Kaia is one of my closest friends, best supporters and she is truly just such a light.
“She is intelligent beyond her years, so hardworking and one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met.”
Godso has worked with Olivia Rodrigo and actor and dancer Maddie Ziegler for years and says it’s fun getting them ready for world tours, movies, performances and shoots.
“They’re such amazing role models and I love and respect them very much.”
As her own profile has grown, Godso has been chosen as ambassador for a number of successful brands, including Beats by Dre, Levi’s, Armani Beauty, SmartWater and Dior Beauty. But she says she is very discerning about who she chooses to partner.
“A perfect fit for my brand must be something I use and believe in, so the relationship is authentic.
“I’m asking people to trust me with their bodies so I’m very particular about who I will partner with because I greatly value that people trust my recommendations.
“Quick cash goes against my core values.
Godso has just launched her own fitness platform, Pyro. A membership-based website, with an app set to launch soon, Pyro includes both gym programming and follow-along-at-home workouts, offering strength training, cardio and mat pilates. As well as weekly schedules, Pyro has programmes and monthly live workouts.
The savvy businesswoman also has her own protein powder company called Made Of, so named because Godso wants to teach people about what ingredients are in their food and get them to read ingredient lists rather than just calories.
Before Godso embarked on a career in fitness, she was working in marketing and media, which put her in good stead for what was to come with Nike.
“It was so nice, because when I did finally move to the US it was like I already had a great crew there because of all my friends through Nike,” she says.
That crew includes big names in fitness such as fellow Kiwi Lydia O’Donnell, Joe Holder, Krissy Jones, Betina Gozo and Roy Chan.
“I am very lucky in that many of the fitness contemporaries I admire are some of my best friends.
“We have all worked together for years, yet all in our niche lanes, which is amazing because you can collaborate well and you’re always learning from each other.”
Before his Mt Smart gigs over the weekend, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder popped into Leo Molloy’s Headquarters to see Kiwi supergroup, The Treblemakers.
The band includes members of iconic New Zealand groups, including Jason Kerrison of Opshop fame, drummer Hamish Gee of The Feelers, Sola Rosa bassist Matt Short, Zed guitarist Andy Lynch, and pianist and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Cochrane.
Vedder watched the group’s soundcheck before heading back hours later to watch their set at a Melbourne Cup after-party and chew the fat with them.
Cochrane told his followers Vedder had played a huge role in his musical education and that he’d received the ultimate praise from the 59-year-old crooner.
“He told me that he enjoyed my keyboard playing and vocals, which blew my mind coming from such a musical icon.
“What an amazing, generous and kind-spirited man. Eddie, I can’t wait to see you and the band play this weekend. Go and get yourself a ticket while you still can, it’s going to be amazing!!!”
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and wife Amanda attended the 25th EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards at Auckland’s Shed 10 last Thursday night. The top prize was won by Shuttlerock founder Jonny Hendriksen. Chair of judges Cecilia Robinson, co-founder of My Food Bag and Tend Health, said, “Jonny stood out in a high-calibre field for his perseverance and resilience, and for how he has paved his own path to success.”
The Champagne Lady Ball
Former Real Housewife Anne Batley Burton hosted her annual Champagne Lady Ball last Friday at the prestigious Northern Club to raise funds for The NZ Cat Foundation.
Amongst the wealthy folk helping Batley Burton raise money, were husband Richard Burton and Hartfield jeweller owner Jodie Dick and husband, Malcolm Dick.
The auction raised money to equip the foundation’s in-house vet clinic and raised $38,000. The NZ Cat Foundation de-sexes, vaccinates and microchips stray and abandoned cats, helping to reduce the population and caring for all manner of cats who have lost their homes for various reasons in their indoor-outdoor predator-proof sanctuary.

Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
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