Society Insider: Sir John Kirwan’s Italian family wedding and the European summer of Kiwi millionaires

Niko Kirwan’s mother, Lady Fiorella Kirwan, was born in the medieval city of Treviso and the family’s wine and food business, JK14, imports and exports throughout the Veneto region of northern Italy.

Carraro is also from Treviso and grew up a few blocks away from the Kirwan family.

Niko Kirwan and Claudia Carraro at their wedding in the village of Limena. Photo / @brooke_kilmister

Niko Kirwan’s older sister, Auckland-based Francesca Kirwan, also married her Italian husband, medical devices engineer Luca Ortali, in Treviso two years ago.

She tells Society Insider that the couple had their civil wedding last week at Treviso’s municipal council buildings, Palazzo dei Trecento.

Luca Kirwan (from left), Claudia Carraro and her husband Niko Kirwan, his sister Francesca, and Brooke Kilmister at the wedding in the village of Limena on Sunday. Photo / @brooke_kilmister

Family and friends from New Zealand and Italy were in attendance, including Sir John Kirwan’s youngest son, former Luna Rossa cyclor Luca Kirwan, his girlfriend, co-founder of Whole Nutrition NZ, Brooke Kilmister, and Francesca Kirwan and Luca Ortali’s son Carlo Ortali, 2.

The couple’s picturesque celebrations were held in Limena at the 17th-century Villa Pacchierotti De Benedetti, where the reception was al fresco with a long table for more than 100 guests.

Claudia Carraro (from left), Niko, Luca, Carlo and Lady Francesca Kirwan at the civil ceremony last week in Treviso. Photo / @Francescakirwan

“The reason they married in Limena is that they lived there together for five years while Niko played for Padova FC,” Francesca Kirwan says.

The venue for Luka Kirwan’s wedding. Photo / @Luka_Kirwan

Meanwhile, a raft of uber-wealthy and high-profile Kiwis have also been flocking to Europe to enjoy the Northern Hemisphere summer.

Auckland real estate king Graham Wall tells Society Insider that he’s spending July in Greece.

Graham Wall (left), pictured earlier this year at the opening of Cracker Bay. Photo / Simon Devitt

Wall is bound to be catching up with his good friend, the magnate Gary Lane, who is worth more than $500 million and whose luxurious tri-deck 40m motor yacht Ad Lib has been cruising the Greek Islands.

Among the uber-wealthy Kiwis said to be joining the Ad Lib during the season are fellow multi-millionaires Maxine and John Bayley of Bayleys Real Estate.

My Luxury Channel’s Cecila Lambie has been dancing up a storm in Paros, and celebrity foodie Polly Markus is just back from visiting the island with London-based Kiwi, Victoria Harris, co-founder of The Curve.

Polly Markus and Victoria Harris loved the seafood pasta in Paros. Photo / Instagram @miss_pollys_kitchen

Markus says she hadn’t been to Greece before, and Paros was the Greek island she had dreamed of visiting.

“People say Paros is what Mykonos used to be like, before it was made into a tourist haven,” Markus tells Society Insider. “The food scene was incredible, especially the seafood pasta, and I got lots of inspiration for my new cookbook.”

Along for the girls’ trip was Markus’ 10-month-old daughter Dali Gordon.

Polly Markus and her daughter Dalí Gordon enjoy Paros. Photo / @miss_pollys_kitchen

Markus says they stayed in a fabulous villa in Aliki and enjoyed a mix of the local tavernas, boutique hotels, beach clubs, and upmarket restaurants. She says the best food she tried was at Siparos Seaside Restaurant.

“My favourite place was the island of Antiparos, which is a seven-minute ferry ride from Paros. The boutique Rooster Hotel is very special and Cookoovaya restaurant, with its beautiful sunsets, is a must to book.”

Model Maya Silwood and her boyfriend Dan Hall, now a former Auckland FC player, have also just been to Paros, and have spent time in Sicily.

Maya Silwood and Dan Hall have been enjoying travelling the Mediterranean. Photo / @Mayasilwood

Auckland FC star Lachlan Bayliss has also been in Sicily before catching up with his teammate, All White Callan Elliot and his Scottish girlfriend Keany Morey, in Mallorca, Spain.

Callan Elliot (left) and Lachlan Bayliss at a water park in Mallorca. Photo / @Lachlanbrook18

Billionaire philanthropists, Samson Corporation CEO Daniel Friedlander and his wife Jillian Friedlander, have been on the French Riviera.

For Jillian Friedlander’s 55th birthday celebrations, the couple went to Saint-Tropez in France and spent time at Hotel Cap Estel, which sits on a 2ha private peninsula in Èze-Bord-de-Mer.

Jillian Friedlander spent time at Hotel Cap Estel for her 55th birthday. Photo / @JFriedlander_nz

Before that, the Friedlanders visited Rome, staying at the luxurious Portrait Roma, which features Salvatore Ferragamo-inspired suites that look out over the Spanish Steps. The couple then travelled to Sicily, where they stayed at San Domenico Palace, Taormina, where season two of The White Lotus was filmed.

Wyborn Capital CEO Justin Wyborn and his wife Kylie Wyborn have also been enjoying Saint-Tropez, while up the coast, Lighthouse Finance’s Matthew Harris and his fiancée, physiotherapist Emma- Louise Loftus, have been enjoying several five-star hotels along the Côte d’Azur, including the luxurious Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat.

Emma-Louise Loftus and Matthew Harris have been enjoying the Côte d’Azur. Photo / @EloiseloftyEmma-Louise Loftus in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Photo / @Eloiselofty

Multi-billionaire Graeme Hart and wife Robyn Hart have been in Cannes on their yacht, the 103m Feadship Ulysses, a floating glass palace with numerous entertaining areas and staterooms, a swimming pool, a glass elevator and a helicopter and landing pad.

The Ulysses. Photo / Feadship Facebook

It is understood the Ulysses has a new shadow yacht, the 80m U-81, which comes complete with a helicopter garage and has been moored up by the Feadship in Cannes.

The 80m U-81 shadows the Ulysses. Photo / @Theyachtwriter

Hart’s daughter Gretchen Hawkesby and her husband Duncan Hawkesby have been enjoying time on the boat with children Jemima Hawkesby (who is based in London) and their youngest son Dylan Hawkesby.

Graeme (from left) and Robyn Hart with Gretchen and Duncan Hawkesby, who were huge donors at the Star Gala in May. Photo / Alisha Lovrich

The Hawkesby children’s friends have been enjoying all the toys that the Feadship offers and the hot spots on shore too, including the cabaret club Medusa Cannes.

On Saturday evening, guests on board the Ulysses watched the prestigious fireworks competition, the Cannes International Pyrotechnic Art Festival, where six spectacular, music-synchronised displays were launched from barges in the Bay of Cannes.

Society Insider is told that there is no slowing Robyn Hart, 73, down. On Sunday night, the Hart and Hawkesby clan were at the exclusive beach club and restaurant La Guérite, on Île Sainte-Marguerite, a small island just off the coast of Cannes. She is said to have danced the night away in a white lace shirt dress over a white bathing suit, at one stage doing the splits on an empty table.

La Guérite has been popular with several uber-wealthy Kiwis, including expat property magnate Ben Cook, who has also been there recently with his Australian girlfriend Chloe Stewart.

Ben Cook and Chloe Stewart at La Guérite. Photo / @Bennie_cook

A good week For … Ruben Love, Damian McKenzie and Ethan de Groot

When All Blacks star Ruben Love made his debut in the No 10 jersey on Saturday at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch, his girlfriend, Bailey Chamberlain, was in the stands to support him.

Bailey Chamberlain and Ruben Love. Photo / @Rubenlove_

Society Insider is told that Chamberlain was also at the captain’s run at the stadium the day before the test, with Love’s family joining the other All Blacks’ wives and partners.

Love and Chamberlain, both 25, have kept their relationship low-profile and are said to have started dating earlier this year. They posed together on the field after the Hurricanes won the Super Rugby Pacific grand final at Hnry Stadium in Wellington last month.

Bailey Chamberlain (left) and All Black Ruben Love after the Super Rugby Pacific final in Wellington.

Chamberlain grew up in Christchurch and, while in high school, played competitively for Canterbury in touch rugby and basketball. Chamberlain graduated from the University of Otago in 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Marketing Management.

Love, who spent his high school years in Palmerston North, has been based in Wellington for seven years, while Chamberlain lives in Auckland, where she works for a global drinks corporation.

All Black Damian McKenzie (from left) with his son Louie McKenzie and partner Georgia O’Sullivan at the captain’s run in Christchurch last Friday.

Damian McKenzie might have lost his no 10 test jersey to Love on the field on Saturday, but he played as an All Black for the first time in front of his 4-month-old son, Louie McKenzie, who was in the crowd with mum Georgia O’Sullivan. She and Louie’s grandmother, horse racing champion Bridgette O’Sullivan, flew down from Waikato to see McKenzie play.

All Blacks prop Ethan (from left), baby Nova and Claudia de Groot after the All Blacks test against France in Christchurch.

Ethan de Groot also played in front of his new arrival for the first time. His 3-month-old baby girl, Nova de Groot, travelled with her mother, Claudia de Groot, from Dunedin for the match.

Party People of the Week

The Halligan opening

Guests gathered above St Patrick’s Square on Thursday evening to celebrate the official opening of Auckland’s new cocktail and wine lounge, The Halligan at Hotel Indigo.

Occupying the second floor of the heritage-listed hotel, The Halligan is an intimate space framed by the building’s striking arched windows overlooking St Patrick’s Square.

Throughout the evening, guests sampled a menu by executive chef Yutak Son, whose neighbouring Bistro Saine was recently recognised with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, alongside a cocktail programme by bar manager Dylan Hawkins.

Food and beverage manager Joey Hickman welcomed guests alongside Hotel Indigo Auckland director of sales and marketing Alice Scott.

Guests included Stolen Girlfriends Club CEO Mike Bruce and the team from New Zealand Fashion Week, including owner Feroz Ali, designer Kathryn Wilson and stylists Dan Ahwa, Sarah Stuart and Lou Heller.

Rosalie Burns (from left), Mac Mylo and Beck Wadworth. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryLibby Owen and Anna Saveleva. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryTatum Savage and Rebecca Lawson. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryFeroz Ali (from left), Jess Tyson and Kathryn Wilson. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryJoey Hickman (left) and chef Yutak Son. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryLou Heller (from left), Wilhelmina O’Keeffe and Greta Kenyon. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryDan Ahwa and Zoe Walker Ahwa. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryJooles Clements and Hélène Ravlich. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryWilhelmina O’Keeffe and Stephanie Lai. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryGreta Kenyon and Sarah Stuart. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Isla-Maree celebrates 10 years

Isla-Maree celebrated 10 years of championing curve fashion last Thursday evening, with an intimate Auckland soirée at its flagship store at Westgate Shopping Centre.

Founder Stephanie Marsters, who was featured in Viva this week, joined stylist and content creator Emma John of The Sisterhood of Style, to host a Winter Layering Masterclass and preview the label’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection.

The milestone marked Isla-Maree’s growth from a $1000 market-stall start-up to a $3m-plus business.

Guests included Apparel Magazine editor Caitlan Mitchell, fashion stylists Lulu Wilcox and Michiko Hylands, curve models Ashley McInroe and Nina Moukharris and Pop Agency’s Tess Woolcock.

Stephanie Marsters and Emma John. Photo / Anupam SinghNaise Lolohea, Raewyn Wahanui, Nina Moukharris, Stephanie Marsters, Delphine Atkins, Tracey Whitby, and Daena Kirk. Photo / Anupam SinghAshley McInroe and Natalie Robinson. Photo / Anupam SinghMichiko Hylands, Stephanie Marsters and Tess Woolcock. Photo / Anupam SinghEvie Kemp, Emma John, Michelle Sokolich and Nicole Werder. Photo / Anupam SinghNina Moukharris, Ashley McInroe and Naise Lolohea. Photo / Anupam SinghTara Joyce and Lisa Potter. Photo / Anupam Singh Caitlan Mitchell. Photo / Anupam Singh Lulu Wilcox. Photo / Anupam Singh

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.