Lily Montana, Caitlin Crisp and Adrian Hoffman - just a few of the young businesspeople making their mark on Ponsonby's social and hospitality scene.
Known for its art galleries, designer fashion and long lunches, the Ponsonby strip remains the place to be seen among the “it” kids and well-heeled elite.
And a new wave of successful entrepreneurs have set up shop in the central Auckland postcode.
Following on from the success of shows like Made in Chelsea and Australia’s new Made in Bondi, Spy imagines a Made in Ponsonby version.
Our picks for the suburb’s most influential young faces feature a group of successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople taking over the suburb and its surroundings with hard work and play.
She followed her famous mother Bridgette Berger’s footsteps as a top model and has since spent more than a decade in marketing and public relations, as well as raising her 8-year-old son Teddy.
Montana is the marketing manager for Willis Lane and Commercial Bay at Precinct Properties. She injects her born and bred Ponsonby vibe into successful events, most recently Commercial Bay’s spring Solstice fashion show.
Montana’s family home was on St Mary’s Rd. She was part of the student group at Ponsonby Primary that planted many of the trees that line Curran St, her mother was a regular in the Hero Parade dancing for World, and her father owned several properties along the Ponsonby Road strip. Montana is indeed well and truly “Made in Ponsonby”.
Designer labels from Scotties are still staples in her wardrobe. On a Thursday or Friday, her regular is Hotel Ponsonby, or “the Zoo”, as she and her friends like to call it. They go early, perch up in a corner and watch the room evolve or devolve.
Dizengoff’s avocado salad is the perfect way for Montana to start the day after too many martinis, and Montana’s trainer at Mode Studio, Samantha Bluemel, keeps her in tip-top condition for work and play.
Growing up in West Auckland, the Dedwood Deli owner thought of Ponsonby as a snobby, uptight neighbourhood with little to offer someone like him.
Life has a funny way of changing perspectives. Hoffman ended up opening a sandwich and gelato shop in Ponsonby, and now he lives, breathes and absolutely loves the neighbourhood.
Trips to Italy as a child inspired Hoffman’s passion for food and coffee, which he now shares with Ponsonby locals through his famous deli at 106 Ponsonby Rd.
There was a time when Hoffman was worried for Ponsonby, seeing a new store closure every other day.
Now he is hopeful, witnessing a new chapter unfolding with a great mix of crowds, both old and new, along with their respective new retail and hospitality hotspots.
Ponsonby culture and working in the hood means Hoffman has got to know his fellow locals, whether it’s a casual nod to someone he passes daily or acknowledging the local character who always makes their presence known.
Dedwood Deli’s coffee and mouth-watering sandwiches are now a fixture within the suburb and beyond. Hoffman sees the suburb as a one-stop shop – a perfect mix of brunch spots, fine dining, deli eateries, high-end shopping, thrift stores and a vibrant nightlife scene all along one strip.
Hoffman thinks visitors to Ponsonby taking a stroll down the road will have a lovely, far more friendly experience than they might expect.
The modelling power brokers and agents live within walking distance of their agency 62 Management. Situated off Beresford Square, it’s a stone’s throw from Ponsonby Rd and they love utilising the local area.
Owned by Andrea Plowright, 62 Management is the agency famous for managing the careers of some of our biggest modelling exports including New York-based Maia Cotton and Jordan Daniels. Nestled in a former fire station, 62 is surrounded by cool spots like the tattoo studio Bruce, No. 7 Café – often the venue for fashion events, and the art gallery Grace.
Ponsonby Rd is one of the hotspots Harris and Hutton visit to scout new models, and they often conduct model test shoots at Hopetoun Alpha, next door to 62.
When work is done for the day and they want to let off some steam, they often take the short walk down to Ponsonby Rd to the new record bar, Nami.
The St Mary’s Bay born and bred twins are part of the hospitality dynasty behind Sails, the Westhaven favourite restaurant for generations of Auckland’s well-heeled.
Their grandparents, Valerie and Phillip Littlejohn, opened Wellington’s Orsini’s Restaurant in 1958, one of the country’s first fine dining restaurants.
The twin’s beloved father, the late Bart Littlejohn, was virtually born in the restaurant.
The family moved to Auckland and opened the second Orsini’s in 1980 in Ponsonby. In 1991, they bought Sails Restaurant. Bart was the face, heart and soul of the venue for the next 30 years.
Valerie was the recipient of The Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Lewisham Awards, which honour and celebrate the outstanding people behind Auckland’s hospitality industry.
After the loss of their father in 2021, the twins have more than stepped up to the plate. Zachary has taken on Bart’s mantle, running things day to day, while Thomas is the whiz behind the famed establishment’s marketing.
In addition to being familiar faces to the Sails regulars from the last three decades, the duo - whose social group is very well connected around town - are welcoming a whole new generation of movers and shakers to enjoy their hospitality by the harbour.
The Special advertising officers sit at the centre of Ponsonby Rd, looking out over Franklin Rd. Wood, client service director for Special PR, lives on Richmond Rd with his husband, Danny Pato, a few blocks back from Ponsonby Central. It is fair to say the couple live and breathe the suburb.
Wood is part of the team that creates head-turning PR campaigns, including KFC Fine Dining with Hercules Noble and bringing back the all-you-can-eat buffet for Pizza Hut’s 50th birthday.
Pato, a finalist in Viva’s inaugural Beauty Awards, works out of his Three Lamps salon, D&M Hair Design.
Wood has spent half of his career in ad land working for the likes of FCB, Dentsu and Acumen, and others in the hair and beauty industry. He co-founded and ran the NZ distribution for Davines hair products for seven years. He still co-owns it along with Paul and Christina Serville and sits on the board.
Wood and Pato’s closest friends are New Zealand shoe designer Kathryn Wilson and her husband Liam Taylor, a co-director of PR company Darkhorse, who live in Herne Bay. Wood is the godfather of their daughter Stella.
Sammie’s deli and diner in Ponsonby Central is a regular for Wood, as is Ponsonby Road Bistro across the road from the office. When it comes to fashion, you’ll find him shopping at The Shelter and for fitness, he turns to wellness studio Sala on Brown St.
Six years after he launched his Instagram account @eatlitfood critiquing hospitality establishments in colourful and often jaw-dropping ways, Cho now heads one of the most popular restaurants in Auckland, Tobi at 110 Ponsonby Rd.
In between, the North Shore native has modelled, written a book, I Love My Stupid Life, and appeared on a reality show, The Hustle. He co-judged Viva’s top 50 restaurants in 2021 and 2022, alongside dining-out editor Jesse Mulligan.
It’s been almost a year since Cho and David Lee opened Tobi – Cho is also the operations manager for Lee’s successful hospitality business Namu Group.
In July, Cho took centre stage amongst hospitality’s best in a glossy photo shoot called The Banquet celebrating the hospo heroes and culinary champions of Commercial Bay on behalf of Namu Group.
“As someone new to the hospitality industry, I have a lot to learn from everyone in this photo and feel honoured to be included. Thank you, @thereal_davidlee, for putting me forward for this one,” Cho wrote on Instagram.
With Tobi, Cho has shown his mettle in all aspects of the business and he now enjoys being on the other end of the review.
The former The Apprentice NZ star is famous for having his entrepreneurial fingers in multiple pies.
The Whitening Co. is one of them – a teeth whitening studio at 4 Ponsonby Rd. Upstairs he has studios for his other business, production company Kontent & Co.
One of the city’s leading content creators and marketers, Anderson loves having his work base in Ponsonby where he can lunch with the amazing young go-getters up and down the strip.
You will see him with the likes of The Diamond Shop owner Sera Cruickshank and fashion designer Caitlin Crisp at his regular haunts of Farina, Elmos and Dedwood Deli.
Look out for Anderson’s lens on the strip. The avid photographer, who has travelled extensively, loves capturing the Ponsonby Rd action for his wall art business, Kollection.
The jewellery designer recently launched her brand Niicolé, where her Renaissance jewel configurations and extravagant costume jewellery already adorn some of the chic denizens of Ponsonby.
Four days a week, you will find Pollard working at Gloria in the massive maroon heritage building at 8 Ponsonby Rd.
Gloria is fashion designer Kristine Crabb’s cross-disciplinary and multi-sensory studio, mixing up ready-to-wear clothing with custom projects, Gloria Parfum, photography, video and more. Crabb is Pollard’s inspiration, and she says she finds her incredible to work with.
Pollard’s favourite spot on Ponsonby Rd is the vintage store Search and Destroy, which is also a favourite of Hollywood star Jason Momoa. She says she loves the non-pretentious vibe, the sweet people and the killer leather.
Pollard’s number one food spot on Ponsonby Rd is at Paul and Lisa Lee’s Korean restaurant Ockhee, where she says the tofu mountain is “too yummy for this world”.
Bronwyn and Jess Payne live in Herne Bay and have a triangle of hospitality emerging on Ponsonby Rd.
The duo picked up the keys to SPQR last month after the Ponsonby stalwart restaurant went into liquidation. They have promised to open something new, playful and spectacular before Christmas.
As reported by Spy, they have said, “SPQR regulars can rest assured that the renowned copper bar danced upon by so many over the years will remain in place.”
The sisters also own Hoppers Garden Bar at 134b Ponsonby Rd, and Elmo’s at 151 Ponsonby Rd; adding SPQR at 150 Ponsonby Rd will be a trifecta that makes sense.
At Elmo’s, they have shown they have the knack to take their spin on SPQR’s famous pizzas, and the crowds at Hopper’s bode well for the social magic expected at 150.
The Payne sisters also have an online fashion business called Kynn, a new generation of shapewear celebrating women, self-love and self-acceptance.
Expect to read more about the duo in Spy in the coming weeks.
The Payne sisters aren’t the only hospitality proprietors with a trifecta of hospitality.
This trio have two establishments in Ponsonby and one in Mt Eden.
Anderson, Fury and Bone most recently opened Bodega – a New York-inspired deli at 86 Ponsonby Rd.
The three entrepreneurs have years of hospitality between them; they also own the hugely popular burger joint Parade at 252 Ponsonby Rd, and over the Newton Gully, they have pizza drop-in Rosalita on Mt Eden Rd.
Inspired by their travels to Europe and the US, Bodega, which opened in July, has proved as spectacularly popular as the trio’s first two easy-style eateries.
One of the local fashion industry’s brightest stars, Crisp, made her arrival three months ago at 79 Ponsonby Rd with her first flagship store.
The former Project Runway NZ star has been so busy getting the store up and running she has hardly had the chance to pop out and enjoy all the goodies that Ponsonby has to offer.
Like many, Crisp can’t wait to see what the Payne sisters do with SPQR.
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With her new store positioned across the road from fellow fashion designer Tanya Carlson’s store, Crisp feels safe with Carlson as a mentor.
Copain Boulangerie Patisserie on Mackelvie St is a place where Crisp takes meetings and on the same street, she enjoys the Vietnamese food at Eat Mi. As for socialising, she loves going to Tobi for wine and catching up with the crew from Remix magazine.
The fashion and media entrepreneurs are familiar faces around Ponsonby’s haunts. The pair are directors for Youknow Clothing and Youknow Media.
Webb and Amoozegar-Montero run the successful streetwear clothing label Youknow, which has several sub-brands. Kiwi singing superstar Stan Walker is a shareholder in the company, which has its headquarters just over the rise from Ponsonby in Eden Terrace.
Founded in 2017, Youknow Clothing has been built with the help of friends, whānau, and the pair’s wider community since 2017.
The company motto is confident, comfortable and community-driven, with messages of empowerment emblazoned on their cotton streetwear.
With more than 100k Instagram followers, the brand has found a niche with online buyers and has had local and international pop-up stores. It will soon open its first bricks-and-mortar store in Sylvia Park.
Webb and Amoozegar-Montero are also directors of Youknow Media, whose offerings include podcasts The Morning Shift Show and Play on Sports Show, of which former Warriors star Shaun Johnson is a co-host.
The son of former Blackcap Adam and interior designer/TV personality Sally Ridge, has grown up in many houses in and around Ponsonby.
Parore embraced his mother’s love of art and turned it into a business, making the traditional art gallery an online experience.
He founded essentialsnz.com four years ago while at Saint Kentigern private school, and had a pop-up store at Ponsonby Central in 2021.
Now in his third year of studies at Auckland University for his Bachelor of Commerce and Property, Parore has no plans for a permanent bricks-and-mortar Ponsonby Rd gallery. Instead, the young entrepreneur intends to grow his business interests after his studies. Parore is interested in developing a business focused on scale and supply chain while retaining a social conscience.
Man about town Ricardo Simich is the editor of Spy, the Herald brand famous for celebrating society, entertainment and pop culture. He delves into the world’s of the rich and famous and the A-listers of the moment.
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