“[2025] was a year where a lot of hard work paid off,” Libby tells Society Insider.
Michael Boxall is looking forward to competing with the All Whites in the Fifa World Cup in June. Photo / Getty Images
Michael has played for the All Whites for 14 years, and this June will represent New Zealand in the Fifa World Cup. He was instrumental in getting the team to qualify after scoring his maiden international goal at the OFC Qualifiers Final against New Caledonia at Eden Park in March. The match ended in a convincing 3-0 win for the All Whites, placing them in the starting line-up for the World Cup in June.
“NZ has a lot of young, talented players, so we’re excited about pushing ourselves and competing on the world stage in 2026,” Michael says.
He’s also looking forward to continuing his career with Minnesota United, who he has played with since 2017.
Meanwhile, Libby, a qualified nutritionist and naturopath, will be expanding her Milou Beauty range this year, after its 2025 launch in both New Zealand and the US.
The new brand follows on from her successful supplement range Dose & Co, which launched in 2019 and, after teaming up with Zuru Edge and Nick Mowbray in 2020, enlisted Khloe Kardashian as global spokesperson.
Libby Boxall sold her Dose & Co collagen brand and has now launched Milou Beauty.
Dose & Co was available in seven countries with more than 5000 distribution points. It was sold last year to the UK’s Vector Consumer Ltd for an undisclosed amount.
“I started Milou after years of working in beauty and helping women with skin health,” Libby says.
“I wanted to create skincare that actually transforms skin but comes at an accessible price point.”
Libby will look to expand the brand this year, with a beauty supplement range alongside new skincare innovations.
Michael and Libby Boxall with their children, Maxwell and Beau.
The couple has escaped the freezing Minnesota winter for a family holiday in Mexico with their two children, 9-year-old daughter Maxwell Milou and 5-year-old son Beau Beckham, before Michael starts pre-season training this month.
“With Michael travelling so much last year, it’s been a real reminder to slow down and make time for each other as a family,” Libby says. “Our kids have thrived at school and sport, which has been a real joy to watch.
“This year, we’re focused on being present, enjoying the everyday moments and spending more quality time together.”
Edna Swart: A year of expansion
Edna Swart is taking her beauty brand to the US. Photo / Michael Craig
Former Shortland Street, Celebrity Treasure Island and Boss Babes TV star, entrepreneur Edna Swart, is another beauty business founder expanding her reach this year, with the help of one of New Zealand’s most-connected consultants.
The 35-year-old plans to launch her beauty and skin care range Ed&i into the US with the help of expat creative director Steven Fernandez.
“The US market is a huge focus for us as we look at more international growth this year,” Swart tells Society Insider.
New York-based Fernandez, who will be working with Swart on brand advice and exposure, has developed a vast celebrity network, including the likes of the Kardashians, Jennifer Lopez, Miranda Kerr and Hailey Bieber. He has worked with brands including Olaplex, Amazon and Virgin Voyages, and helped AF Drinks founder Lisa King with her US expansion. He previously worked for Zuru out of Los Angeles as global content director.
“We are working closely with Steven to land the right retail partner alongside the presence we already have on Amazon,” says Swart.
Reid Stephen and Edna Swart.
Swart expanded the Ed&i range in 2025, introducing additional beauty products to complement the existing skincare range.
She plans to develop more innovative products and create more beauty and community events around New Zealand.
Outside of work, Swart and her husband of three years, Hirepool hub manager Reid Stephen, are planning to add to their family and give their 1-year-old son Astyn a sibling.
“I always said one and done, but after having Astyn, having a second won’t be just for us; it will be for him,” says Swart.
Leo Takahashi and Alexandra Corry: Helping Sail GP take flight in Auckland
Leo Takahashi, flight controller of Black Foils SailGP Team.
Sail GP sailor Leo Takahashi tells Society Insider he has loved his first season as flight controller for the Black Foils competing around the globe for New Zealand.
Next month, he’ll be competing in his home city as the Sail GP returns to Auckland after its successful debut in 2025.
The 26-year-old Aucklander was the youngest flight controller through the 12 grand prix last year and was named in the SailGP dream team as the flight controller of the 2025 season.
“We made some great progress at the end of the 2025 season as a team with some solid results,” says Takahashi.
“I am looking forward to a number of the returning stops on the schedule this year, including heading back to Bermuda before New York and Halifax on the North America leg of the season.”
Leo Takahashi. Photo / Tania Whyte
After holidaying in the Coromandel, Takahashi will be back with the Black Foils to compete in the Perth Grand Prix this month. He can’t wait to compete at home in Auckland in February.
“I might be accused of some bias here, but I genuinely think Auckland offers one of the best experiences you can have at a SailGP event,” he says.
He says Auckland has the biggest public grandstand of the Sail GP circuit, and with the teams racing directly in front, the spectators get an amazing perspective on the racing and just how fast an F50 can move.
“Growing up sailing in Auckland, I never imagined that one day I’d be racing in front of a stand filled with 10,000 people,” he says.
Takahashi says he intends to keep learning and challenging himself this year to become the best sailor he can be, and he looks forward to pushing for podiums and event wins as a team.
Outside of SailGP, Takahashi will push himself with a couple of side quests this year, running in competitive trail events and continuing to work towards his pilot’s licence.
SailGP New Zealand’s Alexandra Corry.
Meanwhile, Alexandra Corry has been head of event for SailGP New Zealand for more than two years, overseeing the event in both Christchurch in 2024 and Auckland last year.
“I’ve always worked in the events industry, driven by a love of live sport, large-scale delivery and creating unforgettable experiences,” Corry tells Society Insider.
“With a brother who was a professional sailor and having been to other sailing events around the world, stepping into SailGP felt like a natural next chapter when the opportunity came up.”
Corry says next month is all about scaling up this year’s ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix by adding 30% more capacity to the grandstand.
“That extra capacity doesn’t just mean more people – it means an even bigger atmosphere, with a wall of noise coming from the shoreline and amplifying the drama out on the water.”
Before the sailing action kicks off, Corry will be in the Marlborough Sounds getting her own children out on the water, water skiing, sailing and making the most of some proper family time together.
Lisa King: Taking sobriety to the world
Drinks AF founder Lisa King. Photo / Jed Bradley
Lisa King, the founder of AF Drinks, is the third female business entrepreneur we’re expecting big things from this year.
King, who last month secured a deal to launch AF’s premium range of alcohol-free cocktails in the UK, says she’ll be exploring more opportunities in global markets from her adopted home base of Miami.
“Making the UK a success is key this year, as it will set up a great foundation for that part of the world,” she tells Society Insider.
The drinks will be sold in the UK through supermarket giant Morrisons.
King says she sees a gap in the UK’s rapidly growing alcohol-free RTD market, which already offers non-alcoholic beers, wines and spirits. The UK’s low/non-alcohol category is worth £413 million ($951.5m) according to research firm Mintel.
Lisa King and Matt Johns.
King, 48, launched AF in 2020 and expanded into the US in 2023. Not long after, she and her husband of two years and partner in AF, Matt Johns, relocated to Miami.
In early 2024, AF struck huge nationwide deals with Target and Walmart.
AF sold 3.5 million cans of sober-friendly beverages in 2025.
“This year, we will be exploring more opportunities in the US with two new big retailers to be announced, and we will also be making an inroad into bars and restaurants,” says King.
When the couple moved to the US, they wanted to live on the East Coast.
“We chose Miami as Matt also doesn’t like the cold,” says King.
The couple, who enjoyed the festive winter wonderland in New York last month, say living in Miami has been an enjoyable culture shock.
“Seventy per cent of the people here are Hispanic, so you hear Spanish being spoken all the time, and there is a very fun, energetic vibe,” says King.
She says entrepreneurs looking to export should never underestimate how expensive it is to expand overseas. But the most important thing is to “get going”, she says.
“You won’t know what you don’t know until you get in there and start.”
Annabelle Burke: The woman behind NZ’s biggest festivals and events
Annabelle Burke has worked on various New Zealand festivals, including Rhythm and Vines.
Annabelle Burke, the general manager of festivals at Live Nation, will no doubt be recovering today after the wrap-up of two of her biggest events of the year, Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne and the Lakes Festival in Christchurch.
But she won’t be resting for long, as she says this year is about “scaling, refining and being bold with what comes next”.
She tells Society Insider the year ahead is about “pushing boundaries while staying grounded”.
Burke has worked in live events for more than a decade and has been the general manager of festivals at Live Nation for two and a half years, working on Our: House Events and Synthony. During that time, she’s also been a Live Nation touring and festival manager.
On an international level, she says Ireland’s arts and music festival Electric Picnic was a standout for her last year.
“The Irish truly know how to put on a party,” she says. “What really resonated was how deeply they support their own artists.
“The crowds show up in force for local acts, and that’s something I’ll always admire.”
The most fun Burke has had with international acts, she says, is a toss-up between Becky Hill and Skrillex.
“They are both incredible humans who genuinely wrap their teams around them and create a family environment, which matters so much when you’re on the road for months.”
Burke says the last year was about building momentum at Live Nation.
“I’ve had the opportunity to put my stamp on a few things, to lead with confidence, and to see ideas turn into action,” she says.
She is proud of how New Zealand festivals punch above their weight on a global scale.
“Rhythm and Vines is the most iconic Kiwi youth experience, and I’m really proud of how it’s grown this year,” she says. “Electric Avenue is genuinely anyone-and-everyone’s best weekend out, and I would pitch either of these against some of the big global festivals.”
Live Nation has big names coming this year, playing Auckland’s Spark Arena – US rock band Linkin Park in March and English folk-rock stars Mumford & Sons and Californian alternative metal band Deftones in May.
Two Dudes’ Michael McRae and Tomas Tappin: Eyeing Australian domination
Two Dudes skin care owners Michael McRae and Tomas Tappin.
New Zealand men’s grooming range Two Dudes is slowly breaking into the Australian market and its founders say they’re “learning fast” and ready to make a “real and lasting” impact this year.
Michael McRae and Tomas Tappin founded Two Dudes from their small Auckland flat in 2020, selling their products on social media.
The boys were last month in big but confidential negotiations to repeat in Australia the success they have had in New Zealand.
“We’re already seeing really encouraging traction in Australia, which has given us the confidence to lean in,” Macrae tells Society Insider.
“It’s a market that makes sense for Two Dudes, and we’re being deliberate about how we grow there, focusing on the right partners and the right pace.”
Sydney-based Tappin explains that Australia has been on their radar from early on.
“We’re already in the market … We’re having some very promising conversations and for us, expansion is about setting things up properly,” he says.
Two Dudes – naturally formulated, NZ-made products, including face wash, moisturiser, beard care and body essentials – has sold more than 200,000 units since its launch. It’s stocked nationwide in Woolworths, New World, PAK’n SAVE, Fresh Choice and Chemist Warehouse.
The company already gives 10% of its profits to men’s health charities and in November, raised more than $145,000 for Movember’s fundraising campaign, the biggest donation the charity has received.
Michael McRae and Tomas Tappin at their Mochella party at Kenko Studios. Photo / Trent Hall
Tappin and McRae met more than a decade ago while they were completing their law degrees at the University of Canterbury. They first had the idea for their business in 2018 while working together for Heineken in Singapore, after noticing how well Asian men groom themselves.
Roxi Bull: NZ’s next big movie producer
God Bless You, Mr Kopu lead producer Roxi Bull.
Dark comedy thriller God Bless You, Mr Kopu is expected to be NZ’s next big movie hit when it premieres this year.
Its lead producer, Roxi Bull, came to the project fresh from maternity leave, after her mentor, Emma Slade from Velvet Moss Productions, challenged her with the opportunity.
“Emma has well and truly pushed me forward and given me a huge opportunity,” Bull tells Society Insider.
Bull was working nights right up to Christmas, filming in Auckland on the debut feature of the film’s writer-director Alex Liu.
The movie stars Kiwi actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who has had massive media attention on the Predator: Badlands international press tour with his co-star Elle Fanning.
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning during the press tour for Predator: Badlands.
Schuster-Koloamatangi plays Mafu, a meek and desperate Tongan man, who is drawn into a high-risk partnership with a charismatic, yet nefarious salesman played by Hollywood veteran, Simon Rex (Scary Movie franchise, Red Rocket).
Also in the cast is Kiwi acting star Grace Palmer, who has found fame Stateside on the sitcom Animal Control, with its fourth season debuting this month.
God Bless You, Mr Kopu stars Simon Rex, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Grace Palmer with writer-director Alex Liu, right.
As lead producer, Bull says she feels privileged and lucky to be working with the cast, Liu and executive producers Rex, Slade and Ant Timpson.
“A huge thing producing has taught me is that you are constantly facing the unknown and are out of your comfort zone,” she says.
“This is where the magic happens, and it’s incredible to dig deep and see what you’re capable of, which is so much more than you might think.”
Weddings and new arrivals to watch
Toby Baker and Mikayla Haycock are due to marry this month.
Society Insider will also be watching for some of the year’s biggest weddings and new arrivals in the coming months.
First up this month, Mikayala Haycock, the talent manager of motor racing superstar Liam Lawson, will marry robotics engineer and rich list son, Toby Baker. The wedding will be at Toby’s parents’ motoring rich-listers Grant and Donna Baker’s magnificent St Heliers home, with Lawson said to be attending.
Also marrying in January are Pals co-founder Mat Croad and his fiancée, creative director Rachel Needham. Among their A-list guests, former Victoria’s Secret model, London-based Kiwi Jessica Clarke and her fiancé, star sports agent David Gardner, the best friend of Sir David Beckham, are expected to attend.
Libby Price and Adam Parore will have their wedding at the end of January.
At the end of this month, former Black Cap Adam Parore and property manager Libby Price will have a three-day wedding celebration at their compound in Koutu in the Hokianga.
We will also be watching to see if the third All Black wedding of the season happens. After his All Blacks teammates David Havili and Tamaiti Williams had their weddings last month, there is speculation that All Black Jordie Barrett may marry his fiancée Alice Marshall this year.
Jordie Barrett and Alice Marshall.
There will be a raft of celebrity babies arriving soon too.
Expected to welcome their new arrival soon are rugby league great Shaun Johnson and his wife, former Silver Fern Kayla, who are adding another daughter to their family of two girls.
Kayla and Shaun Johnson.
In February, All Black Damian McKenzie and his partner, marketer Georgia O’Sullivan, are expecting their first child.
McKenzie’s teammate Beauden Barrett and his wife Hannah are expecting their third child this summer, as is Shortland Street star Rebekah Randell and her husband, Bevan, a builder, who are expecting their second child.
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.