Left to right: Mandy Lusk, Eugene Gibson, Simon Henry, Liam Lawson. Photos / Supplied, Herald composite.
Man about town Ricardo Simich brings you Society Insider. This week, go behind the scenes at the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix with Liam Lawson’s Kiwi support crew; rich lister Simon Henry is making moves in real estate; and one of Auckland’s most beloved couples in hospitality is back after Christmas Eve liquidation.
Rich lister Simon Henry is looking for the perfect penthouse apartment.
Last Friday Henry confirmed to Society Insider that he recently sold his luxury Parnell home for $12.5 million and has listed his Closeburn Station home in Queenstown, which he says is worth over $20m.
Henry, 59, is the founder, CEO and majority shareholder of ASX-listed chemical management firm DGL, which he says has a revenue of $450m a year and employs 900 staff.
Henry says his latest move to downsize is to better suit his business lifestyle. “I am island jumping a lot with work and DGL’s expansion into Asia, Auckland, Sydney, Perth, Thailand, Japan and back.”
From Australia on Friday, Christchurch-raised Henry rubbished rumours he was eyeing up a relocation to Sydney or Melbourne, where DSGL has offices.
When Society Insider spoke to him, he said he is now looking for a lock up and leave apartment or townhouse in Auckland.
This year, his son started a five-year stretch at top Auckland private school King’s College and Henry is looking for an apartment or townhouse for a base to spend time with his son when not travelling.
“If they finished those Seascape apartments in the city, I’d buy the top one of those, so I could look down on everything,” says Henry.
In May 2022, Henry faced a storm of controversy over derogatory comments he made about My Food Bag co-founder Nadia Lim in a media interview with NBR. Henry also compared the public float of his chemicals company with that of Lim’s meal kit company.
“When you’ve got Nadia Lim, when you’ve got a little bit of Eurasian fluff in the middle of your prospectus with a blouse unbuttoned showing some cleavage, and that’s what it takes to sell your scrip, then you know you’re in trouble,” he told NBR at the time.
Prior to the comments, Henry’s personal shares of DGL were worth $700m on the NZX. After the public backlash, more than $140m had been wiped off Henry’s personal share value as DGL’s share price plummeted.
A month later DGL was delisted from the NZX with the company saying the New Zealand-based trading platform was of “little or no value” to DGL or its shareholders.
Six months later, Henry told the Herald he did not feel like a victim of the furore.
“I found it completely fascinating that a country could stop and have a hissy fit. I got significant correspondence saying ‘thanks for calling it out,” he explained.
Henry was also called out for being slow to apologise and explained to the Herald that he only eventually did so because he wished he had chosen different words.
“I wish I had drawn attention to the matter without mentioning race or gender,” he said.
Henry has largely kept a low profile since, but earlier this month appeared on the Value Hunt podcast.
When asked if he had any regrets in life, Henry said he had one, telling the podcast host David Barbato he worked too hard and didn’t put enough time into his marriage with his former wife, an accomplished barrister and solicitor and mother of his teenage son.
Henry’s previous home, an impressive modernist 600 sq m five-bedroom on Glanville Terrace in the ritzy suburb of Parnell, was completed in 2021 and went on the market last June. The home sold to an expat for $12.5m and featured a lift, media room and wine cellar and was designed by leading Newmarket-based architects Sumich Chaplin.
Henry says he has been looking for another prime slice of land in Parnell for several years and would love to work with Sumich Chaplin again on a development, describing their work as “stunning”.
And after several years, Henry is nearly finished building another house, a 858 sq m, three-level lodge-style home in Queenstown, on an elevated front row site at the exclusive Closeburn Station. With stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountain ranges, the home has multiple living areas, a lift, and four impressive bedroom suites with marble bathrooms and a sauna.
Henry tells Society Insider that while he built the home with the intention of using it for a holiday home, his business commitments and constant travel mean it’s going on the market too.
“It is a beautiful home and I expect well over the $20m asking price,” he says.
Sotheby’s agent Gerard Bligh couldn’t comment on what Henry’s home might sell for, but says Closeburn Station is Queenstown’s most elite address.
The property comes with a share in the ownership of the 1,002-hectare working high country sheep and cattle station, which includes private horse trails, an equestrian centre, stables, a tennis court and a barn set up for entertaining.
Long-term Kiwi supporters of Liam Lawson, including a few high rollers, were in Melbourne ahead of his debut weekend with Red Bull at the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix.
Los Angeles-based Kiwi Mikayla Haycock, the CEO of The Talent Bakery, was among the New Zealanders cheering on Lawson.
Haycock tells Society Insider she has worked with Lawson within the management team for two years.
“I manage Liam’s social media, his branding and overall, some day-to-day pieces that people don’t often see — I love my job and Liam is just the greatest,” she says.
The Talent Bakery represents Lawson and his US partner Hannah St John and Haycock tells Society Insider the Australian Grand Prix was already big for Kiwis, but having Lawson debut for Red Bull took things to a whole new level.
Haycock’s fiance, robotics engineer Toby Baker, was also there, as were his parents, motoring rich listers Grant and Donna Baker.
Grant Baker is the executive chairman of Turners Automotive Group and has a reported wealth of over $125m.
He was Lawson’s first private sponsor and Turners was Lawson’s first commercial sponsor.
Other corporate sponsors of Lawson in Melbourne were motoring philanthropist David Dicker, Highlands Park and Hampton Downs owner Tony Quinn, and his wife Kate Elaria and supporters from The Giltrap Group.
Along with Lawson’s biggest supporters, his parents Jared and Kristy, were two of Lawson’s other private backers, Christchurch technology and electronics entrepreneur Dennis Chapman and his wife and fellow racing enthusiast Debbie.
Lawson’s Canterbury-based motor racing mentor Grant McDonald also went over, organising his son and 40 or so Lawson fans to take in the Melbourne action.
Grant Baker has a huge fan base among Kiwi supercar enthusiasts for his motoring style and impressive vehicle collection.
Days before the build-up in Melbourne for the F1, Baker went on a roadie to Taupō with Lawson in two of his supercars, both Porsches 911 GT3 RS.
Lawson’s newest corporate backer, Zuru’s multi-billionaire Nick Mowbray, was also there. The pair met last November at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and became friends.
Last Wednesday night, Mowbray and Zuru Edge’s Matthew Banfield, property developer Tim McGoldrick, broadcaster Dominic Bowden and Kiwi motorsport driver Daniel Gaunt, dined with Lawson, Quinn and Elaria at the private dining room at Rockpool Bar and Grill at Crown Hotel Melbourne.
That same night, St John and Haycock attended the Glamour on the Grid party at Albert Park, mixing it up with the International F1 partners and a who’s who of the Australian celebrity scene.
On Thursday evening, Grant and Donna Baker, along with their good friends and fellow rich listers, Winger Motors owner Wayne Leach and his wife Amanda, attended the CASA Ferrari party amongst all the F1 action at Albert Park in Melbourne.
Last European summer, the foursome were guests at the exclusive Ferrari Cavalcade Venice, a glittering four-day event of driving and black-tie functions.
In an interview with Newsdesk, Grant said he owned nine Ferraris and over the years he has had 35 in his collections, while Leach famously purchased a building in Auckland to house his Ferrari collection.
Leach’s limited-production hypercar LaFerrari, with an estimated value of over $8m is one of the stars of this weekend’s inaugural Ayrburn Classic in Queenstown.
Haycock tells Society Insider that all of the events ahead of the big race on Sunday were fantastic. The whole of Melbourne turned it on with themed parties at some of the city’s top clubs and numerous glamourous events held at Albert Park.
Former All Black Dan Carter - who days earlier played golf with Lawson at Tara Iti at the Kiwi Invitational - was also in Melbourne for the weekend as a star guest of Moet & Chandon and F1 and had a post-practice session catch-up with Lawson on Saturday.
St John, Haycock, the Bakers and Leaches also took in all the trackside on Sunday, and Haycock was shoulder to shoulder with Hollywood star Channing Tatum.
“Seeing Liam’s helmet on the screen during his first few laps around Albert Park - with his number 30, new logo, and the silver fern all in one frame was such a powerful moment,” says Haycock.
“We all know how hard he’s worked to get here, and those symbols capture who he is.”
Lawson survived a hard day on a wet track at Albert Park, placing 15th, while his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen placed second and McLaren driver Lando Norris first.
Afterwards, Lawson and St John joined Mowbray and co for dinner at Nobu at Crown in Melbourne.
Earlier this month, Zuru Toys and Lawson announced a new partnership that will see the the brand appearing on Lawson’s race helmet for the coming season.
Mowbray told Toy World Magazine that Lawson is driving for a team that embodies innovation and relentless pursuit of excellence, values that align perfectly with their mission.
One of Auckland hospitality’s most respected couples, Mandy Lusk and Eugene Gibson, are back working in the industry they love, months after Lusk’s Vivace restaurant was put into liquidation by the IRD on Christmas Eve.
Lusk and Gibson have taken over the management of chic Parnell hideaway Crown Range Lounge, which is down one of the iconic cobbled alcoves off Parnell Rise.
“It has been a difficult few months, as we work through the process of losing a business, so having new jobs now allows us to reconnect with some of the people we served for years in the CBD,” Lusk tells Society Insider.
Vivace was a CBD Mediterranean dining institution for 33 years, during that time the couple also bought the CBD favourite haunts La Zeppa and Ragu.
After Covid-19 lockdowns, floods, local staff working from home and the recession, Lusk had fought liquidation by IRD for 18 months, borrowing a huge amount of money. At the end of last year with trading still lurched, she fell behind again.
Lusk managed to pay her staff all their holiday and stats backpay and is thrilled that under their new management contract with Crown Range owner Jing Song of artisan wine group Crown Range Cellar Wines, they can offer Vivace staff new roles in Parnell.
Song created the establishment to showcase her wines and Lusk and Gibson say they are honoured to be entrusted with the management.
“We are treating Crown Range like it’s our own baby,” says Lusk.
The couple say they are thrilled to return to Parnell, where they worked and flatted in the 1980s and 90s.
“I worked at Rick’s Blue Falcon and the Exchange, while Gene worked at the Oak and Whale, so we know the area well,” says Lusk.
“The last few years were pretty difficult in the city. It is lovely to have a feeling and a sense of being safe, in a vibrant, local community,” she says.
Crown Range regular, former Real Housewife and Champagne Lady, Anne Batley Burton, has been the first to roll out the welcome mat.
“Anne has been introducing us to so many local people who champion all the small Parnell businesses and it has been great to reconnect with some of them, who over the years, supported us at our CBD venues, but had left the CBD because of disruptions,” says Lusk.
Batley Burton tells Society Insider she is excited to see what the two hospitality veterans will bring to her local, and she says it’s not just their experience she is impressed with, “they are such nice people,” she says.
“At Crown Range, my husband Richard and I just love mixing it up in the courtyard, there’s a real sense of community between those who are regulars,” says Batley Burton.
Under the terms of its current lease, Crown Range is only allowed to serve small plates and may not operate as a restaurant.
Lusk explains she and Gibson are embracing that and focusing on serving small plates from around the world.
“Every culture has their own version - be it antipasti, mezze, yum cha, [or] tapas,” says Lusk.
“After many years of working solely with Mediterranean cuisines, it is exciting to be able to look at some of the recipes we had when we first opened La Zeppa back in 2005,” she says.
Lusk says, along with Song’s wines and Batley Burton’s Champagne Jacquart, she and Gibson will also be championing New Zealand’s smaller wineries, breweries and small distilleries to give people intriguing choices to explore through tasting experiences.
“Crown Range Cellar is lucky enough to hold an off-licence, so people will have the chance to order interesting products for home that they may be reluctant to buy off the shelf normally without having the option to try first,” says Lusk.
Previous manager Sam Heaps had focused on running it as a live music venue, with such acts as crooning legend Peter Urlich and jazz band Nairobi Trio.
“Going forward we see it as a little more of a mix of tastings, live music, DJs, and on some nights just a good old-fashioned lounge bar for friends to catch up in a ‘grown-up environment’.
Open from Wednesday evening through to Saturday. Lusk and Gibson are also going to open during the day from midday on Thursday and Fridays.
And it appears to be a good time to re-enter Parnell after years of patchy hospitality offerings, with new establishments popping up and in the last six months, such as Kevin Harvey’s vibrant new food and beverage destination 269 finally coming to life. Non Solo Pizza has also refurbished next door.
Symphony in the sky
Last Wednesday, around 100 key movers and shakers in the Auckland real estate industry rubbed shoulders with a selection of property and art leaders at an exclusive event to launch the soon-to-be-developed $600m Symphony Centre in the heart of Aotea Arts Quarter.
The launch took place in the Symphony Residences’ luxurious Immersion Gallery show suite on the ground floor of Bledisloe House, where attendees could feel the textures and experience the fit-out and appliances within a staged apartment.
Designed by renowned architects Woods Bagot and due for completion in the first half of 2029, the apartments will be part of the country’s first true transit-oriented development above Te Waihorotiu Station within the City Rail Link.
Guests enjoyed a curated wine list, canapes by Cote New Zealand and stunning opera performances by internationally acclaimed NZ Soprano Dr Morag Atchison and Tenor Jack Bourke, who also MC’d the event as an employee of the project’s local development and project management firm RCP.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown delivered a lively speech in front of the crowd, as did representatives from RCP and Malaysian property and infrastructure developers MRCB, including its group managing director Datuk Imran Salim.
Other guests included former Auckland Mayor John Banks, Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges, Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck, and Ray White’s Ross Hawkins, who is the lead agent on the project.
A mixtape for maladies opens to a full house and standing ovation
The world premiere of a mixtape for maladies launched Auckland Theatre Company’s 2025 season in spectacular fashion, playing to a full house at ASB Waterfront Theatre earlier this month.
The cast - Ambika G.K.R, Ravikanth Gurunathan, Shaan Kesha, Gemma-Jayde Naidoo, Tiahli Martyn, and Bala Murali Shingade - delivered powerhouse performances, earning a standing ovation at curtain call.
Among the cultural, artistic, and business leaders gathered to mark the production were award-winning playwright Nathan Joe, actress Dawn Cheong, writer-director Chye-Ling Huang, producer-director Ankita Singh, and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith.
Writer Ahilan Karunaharan and director Jane Yonge soaked in the audience’s enthusiastic response alongside peers, friends, and family. The celebrations continued well into the night, a memorable opening night party.
A mixtape for maladies - a deeply moving journey of love, loss, and resilience set to 17 nostalgic music tracks - runs until March 23. Book at atc.co.nz.
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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