Society Insider: Rich Lister Chris Meehan hoping to replicate Ayrburn’s success in Auckland; meet cricket star Rachin Ravindra’s new girlfriend

Bravo at Cracker Bay, the new restaurant opening at Westhaven Marina.

Ayrburn’s hospitality precinct has become a favourite of Auckland’s uber-wealthy, many of whom will attend the opening.

Meehan’s good friend, real estate king Graham Wall, will be there with his sons, Ollie and Andrew. Among the swathe of Rich Listers expected are billionaire property mogul Steve Owen and his family, Richard and Angela Seton, and Australian heiress Cartier Lee. Also expected are former America’s Cup sailor Brad Butterworth, former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett, interior designer Virginia Fisher, Fearon Hay architect Jeff Fearon and fashion designer Caitlin Crisp.

Kimberly and Steve Owen at Ayrburn.Richard Seton, Michaela Meehan and Angela Seton at Ayrburn. Photo / Vaughan Brookfield

From the food world, restaurateurs Josh and Helen Emett are expected to attend, as is Soul Bar & Bistro departing general manager Olivia Carter and food influencer Hercules Noble.

As his new Auckland precinct begins to take shape, Meehan tells Society Insider that Bravo is just the beginning of what he sees as a transformative development.

“We will be adding more restaurants over the coming year or two, a bit like Ayrburn, it will be an entire precinct of seven different venues and will be a destination for anyone wanting to enjoy the best that Auckland has to offer,” says Meehan.

Chris Meehan has plans to add a number of venues to Auckland’s hospitality scene.

He says Bravo builds on the hospitality expertise of the team behind Ayrburn, translated into an urban waterfront context.

“While distinct in setting, it carries the same commitment to quality, detail and long-term thinking,” he says.

Bravo at Cracker Bay is set to build on the hospitality expertise of the team behind Ayrburn.

Bravo’s location at Westhaven has a storied past, which dates to the late 1980s and 1990s when Pier 21 was the go-to place for Auckland yuppies. Since then, it has been a trendy eatery, Pontoon, and then Mantell’s used it as an event space.

Star chef Peter Gordon and partner Alastair Carruthers then put the space back on the hospitality map when they opened Homeland, a restaurant and cooking school in 2020.

Two years ago, Homeland closed its doors after its lease was not renewed to make way for a major new development.

That development is Winton’s Cracker Bay, an enriched 1.7ha precinct of upmarket office space, drystack vessel storage, with the hospitality offerings winding their way along the promenade.

Chris and Michaela Meehan at Cracker Bay.

Much of the site is still under construction, but Meehan claims the building works won’t lessen hospitality guests’ enjoyment, with restaurants facing out to the promenade and construction happening to the left of the precinct.

“There is no better place to sit in the sun than the Cracker Bay promenade, have a drink and look at the fabulous harbour view and the bridge.”

Chris Meehan hopes to replicate the success he has had at Ayrburn with his new development in Cracker Bay.

For Meehan and his wife Michaela, that view encapsulates the best of Auckland.

The couple mainly live in the City of Sails and have a fabulous home in Herne Bay and love anything to do with the water.

Michaela, Percy and Chris Meehan at The Gala at Ayrburn. Photo / Sadhbh Ní Chathasaigh

“We were both professional sailors back in the day, Michaela did three Olympic Games, so being on a boat or at a marina is second nature to us,” says Meehan.

“We hope with Bravo being literally right on the water, that more people will get to enjoy Auckland the way we do.”

Meehan hopes to replicate the huge success he has had at Ayrburn with his new development in Cracker Bay. He says the secret is creating a fun place with the whole family in mind.

Bravo at Cracker Bay will open to the public on Friday.

Of all Ayrburn’s hospitality offerings, Meehan says Bravo is most similar to the precinct’s The Bakehouse – and executive chef Richard Highnam is now also Bravo’s.

On the menu is the Bravo Seafood Tower, a platter for two to four guests. At $180, it includes market oysters, sashimi, chilled prawns, tuna tacos, prawn toast and calamari layered high, with the option to add half a grilled crayfish for an extra $65.

The Seafood Tower at Bravo at Cracker Bay.

“The goal was to create a menu that feels natural on the waterfront, that is generous, well-executed and built for people to enjoy together,” Highnam tells Society Insider.

Interiors were led by the woman behind Ayrburn’s interiors, designer Alex Watts, who teamed up with Auckland studio CTRL Space. Past CTRL interiors include the Ponsonby Hotel, Metita on Federal St and the recently opened Waterboy in St Heliers.

Meehan says he and his team wanted something a bit different.

The view from Bravo at Cracker Bay, a new bar and restaurant from Ayrburn’s developer Chris Meehan.

“The brief to our team was to make a garden setting and interiors that Auckland has never seen.

“I described it to someone the other day that going to Bravo is like arriving in the British High Commissioner’s house on an island in Fiji, and he’s a really fun guy who wants to eat well, drink well and have a party.”

The Meehans will be running the opening night at Bravo straight off the back of hosting the Ayrburn Classic last weekend, including the inaugural Summer Ball at Billy’s on Saturday night. Michaela was also hosting and judging the inaugural Fashion in the Field.

Motoring influencer Taylor Serage and Michaela Meehan judging the Fashion in the Field last Sunday at the Ayrburn Classic.

Now in its second year, the event at Arrowtown has cemented its place on the global motoring calendar.

Meehan still has his sights set on being the Pebble Beach and Goodwood equivalent of the Southern Hemisphere. Year two arrived at well over four times the scale of the first event, transforming Ayrburn into a celebration of automotive excellence, elegance and philanthropy.

More than 500 cars, including some of the rarest and most coveted machines in the world, descended upon the grounds.

A highlight of the weekend was Friday’s Tour D’Elegance, which wound through local streets. Racing legend Greg Murphy took the wheel, joined by motoring influencer Taylor Serage, with billionaire entrepreneur Sir Rod Drury also entering cars in the tour.

On Saturday evening, Ferraris lined the lawn of Billy’s as Meehan and Michaela hosted the Summer Gala, which involved 150 guests shimmering with Riviera-inspired black tie glamour. Dom Perignon Champagne and Ayrburn wines were served with the best modern Chinese dishes by Highnam and his team, as well as two trolleys of caviar circling through the restaurant in constant rotation.

Two trolleys of caviar were served at the Summer Ball at the Ayrburn Classic on Saturday evening.

Harriet & The Radiophonics had guests dancing until late.

Also spotted enjoying the weekend at The Classic were Rich Listers Richard and Angela Seton, Jodie Dick with her son and partner in Hartfield’s Jewellers, Luke, Zuro co-founder Nick Mowbray and his fiancee, Monday haircare founder, Jaimee Lupton, Wall Real Estate’s Graham Wall, Waiheke Stonyridge owner Steve White and former Miss New Zealand Georgia Waddington.

Meet cricket superstar Rachin Ravindra’s girlfriend

Rachin Ravindra playing for the Black Caps last year.

Black Cap and international superstar Rachin Ravindra’s girlfriend has moved to the cricket allrounder’s hometown of Wellington.

Society Insider is told the Black Cap, with more than one million Instagram followers, has been dating Southland-raised Sarah Hughes since 2024.

Ravindra, 26, was extremely proud of Hughes when she graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Nursing in December. Since then, Hughes has moved to Wellington for what is understood to be her dream placement for nursing.

Sarah Hughes graduated as a nurse last year.

Hughes has already been over to Ravindra’s parents’, Ravi and Deepa’s home, and enjoyed Deepa’s authentic Indian cooking.

With his lucrative international contracts, in 2022, Ravindra bought a four-bedroom, stylish single-level home in trendy Miramar.

Throughout Hughes’ studies, she made sure she showed her support at her boyfriend’s games, whether it be for the Wellington Firebirds, internationals with the Black Caps, Indian Premier League (IPL) matches with the Chennai Super Kings in India, or Major League Cricket (MLC) action for the Washington Freedom in the US.

Sarah Hughes has landed a nursing placement in the capital.

Hughes is said to have become friends with Wellington Firebirds teammate Jesse Tashkoff’s girlfriend, heiress Jemima Hawkesby, the granddaughter of billionaire Graeme Hart.

Like Hughes, Hawkesby has also made Wellington her base, where she has worked at New Zealand skincare brand Antipodes for more than a year.

Ravindra’s international cricketing career takes him around the world, but he is known to send Hughes flowers to bridge the distance.

Last March, Hughes travelled to see Ravindra make his ICC Champions Trophy debut for the Black Caps in the United Arab Emirates, where he was named player of the tournament.

Rachin Ravindra at the Champions Trophy in the United Arab Emirates last year.

After scoring 112 runs off 105 balls, Ravindra became the first player in history to score a debut century in the Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup.

In the 2023 World Cup, Ravindra became the first cricketer in the world to score three centuries and two 50s in his first bow at the tournament.

Hughes travelled to India in April to see Ravindra play in the IPL, and during his time playing in the MLC, the couple enjoyed spending time in the southern states, as well as travelling to San Francisco, Dallas and Miami.

Rachin Ravindra in San Francisco last year.

In San Francisco, they took in the tourist sites, including visiting the Japanese gardens. In Dallas, they checked out the behind-the-scenes action at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Sarah Hughes and Rachin Ravindra in Dallas last year.

While in Miami, they enjoyed the best of South Beach and had dinner at chic restaurant Sexy Fish, known for its opulent, ocean-themed, multimillion-dollar design – featuring Damien Hirst sculptures and Frank Gehry lamps.

Before her graduation in December, Hughes watched Ravindra score a brilliant 176 off 185 balls, his fourth test century, during the first test against the West Indies at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

On Valentine’s Day, the couple celebrated together with dinner and cocktails at Union Square at the Martinborough Hotel.

Sarah Hughes and Rachin Ravindra in Martinborough for Valentine’s Day.

Sources say the pair might make their red-carpet debut in late March at the NZ Cricket Awards in Auckland.

Party People of the Week

Chinese New Year at Cāntīng

The Chinese New Year was brought to life at Cāntīng Restaurant at Commercial Bay last Tuesday evening, where guests gathered for a four-course banquet hosted by chef Nic Watt. The elegant affair, held in partnership with Chinese Eye magazine and Shiny & Co Jewels, showcased the rich flavours of traditional Chinese cuisine.

Nic Watt and Jess Waddell at Cāntīng. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

The evening kicked off with a welcome cocktail, a delightful blend of lemongrass-infused gin, Sichuan peppercorn, lemon and soda. Guests then indulged in a menu featuring a variety of dishes, including house dumplings, crab xiao long bao and Cantonese-style barbecue duck.

Adding to the festive ambience, singer Serene Boulton captivated the audience with a performance of Wild Horses in honour of the year of the Fire Horse.

Serene Boulton and Colin Mathura-Jeffree. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Guests included Eye Magazine and Chinese Eye publisher Vanessa Bennett, Shiny Gao from Shiny & Co Jewels, Harbour Cancer & Wellness financial manager Paula Macks, event manager Susini Packer, designer Lyzadie Renault, project manager Yin Zhang, media director Jane Hitchfield and man about town Colin Mathura-Jeffree.

Vanessa Bennett and Paula Macks. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Shiny Gao and Lyzadie Renault. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Susini Packer and Cindy Peez. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryMegan Prime and Yin Zhang. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryJane Hitchfield and Tabitha Jessop. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryKham Phomsouvanh and Linda Smeele. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Belinda and Herman Heunis. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Forsyth Barr Polo Masters launch at Hololio Polo Club

The inaugural Forsyth Barr Polo Masters was launched last Thursday night under the stars at Nick Jones and Josephine Elworthy’s Hololio Polo Club, in Clevedon.

Josephine Elworthy with Hamish and Harriet Pilkington at Hololio Estate in Clevedon. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

The club roasted lambs on a spit under the stars, while guests, some dressed in the gold theme of the night, danced in a gold-decorated marquee to DJ Azzaman until late.

The bubbly of choice was Gardet Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru sponsored by the Fine Wine Delivery Company.

Liz Brown Douglas, Forsyth Barr investment adviser and Auckland East manager, welcomed her young friends, equestrians Edward and Pia Elworthy Jones, to the Forsyth Barr Polo Team. Guests spotted included Society Insider regular musician and polo player Greta van den Brink with Angus Taylor, Cathedral Cove Natural yoghurt’s Hamish Pilkington and his wife, Harriet, and Todd Foundation chair and trustee Charlotte Sellar dressed in vintage Versace.

Liz Brown Douglas and Pia Elworthy Jones. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryAngus Taylor and Greta van den Brink. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Charlie Sellar and Ronelle Sullivan. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryLiz Brown Douglas and Sheree Hundley. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryJo Marshall and Eeva Taipaleenmäki. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Acacia, James and Kelly Nightingale. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryLucy Blakeman and Anna Fernandezi. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

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.