{"id":155005,"date":"2025-11-26T17:47:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T17:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/155005\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T17:47:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T17:47:08","slug":"society-insider-dominic-bowdens-permanent-move-to-queenstown-luke-kilworth-the-21-year-old-lodg-ceo-choosing-between-tech-millions-and-pro-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/155005\/","title":{"rendered":"Society Insider: Dominic Bowden\u2019s permanent move to Queenstown; Luke Kilworth, the 21-year-old Lodg CEO, choosing between tech millions and pro rugby"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DominicDominic Bowden and Esther Cronin are enjoying their new life in Queenstown.<\/p>\n

The couple have travelled the world over in the past several years, learning from and meeting wellness gurus and visiting iconic wellness and nature spaces, including breathwork practitioner Robbie Bent in New York and Jonathan Leary, the founder of Hollywood wellness club Remedy Place.<\/p>\n

Cronin launched her wellness platform Ready&Reset last year, offering 10- and 12-week membership programmes and in-person retreats. Bowden launched his Wellbeings podcast and platform in 2021, in which he talks to scientists, writers and celebrities to find out new ways to improve his health and mindset.<\/p>\n

\"EstherEsther Cronin launched her wellness platform Ready&Reset last year.<\/p>\n

Queenstown is the perfect location for the couple to continue growing their brands, with its well-being attractions including world-class spas and retreats like Aro Ha and nature-focused adventure experiences like the Routeburn and Milford Tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are renting a great place just outside of town and have just bought a classic Queenstown three-bedroom home, closer into Queenstown, which we will move into next year,\u201d says Bowden.<\/p>\n

He says they\u2019ve had a warm welcome from Queenstown\u2019s leading figures and the wider community, many of whom share their passion for wellness.<\/p>\n

\"DominicDominic Bowden and Esther Cronin are enjoying the best of the South Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the first people to ask us out to dinner was Nadia Lim,\u201d says Bowden.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both really appreciated that, moving to a new place can be tough. She\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowden and Cronin joined Lim and her husband, Carlos Bagrie, and several of their friends at Arrowtown\u2019s Swiftsure by Man O\u2019 War, where Bowden says all the guests kindly gave him and Cronin the lie of the land.<\/p>\n

The couple have been engaged for more than three years, and when asked when and where the wedding will be, Bowden says, \u201cSouthern Otago is definitely the place … but Esther and I have a lot on our plate, before any planning gets under way.<\/p>\n

\u201cQueenstown feels like a great place to bring up a family and start a new chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

They have a busy summer ahead of them, with Watershed planning to launch in mid-December.<\/p>\n

Bowden says Queenstown already attracts travellers who want to experience the best nature in the world. Watershed offers something new for those looking to slow down and have a reset as well.<\/p>\n

\"DominicDominic Bowden and Esther Cronin enjoy hiking in Queenstown\u2019s surroundings.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternational travellers plan their trips now around experiences, not attractions, and we think a floating sauna session on a lake surrounded by mountains will hopefully become one of the Queenstown signatures,\u201d says Bowden.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll be on site over the summer, welcoming guests, and says he\u2019s excited to put his hosting skills, learned over decades of TV presenting and broadcasting, \u201cto use in a very different way\u201d.<\/p>\n

Cronin, who is in demand for hosting her Ready&Reset in-person classes throughout New Zealand, will base all her classes in Queenstown this summer.<\/p>\n

Bowden\u2019s Watershed business partner, Andrew Glenn, will also spend the summer in Queenstown for the launch and while the business finds its feet. Glenn and his partner, Jonathan Rutherford Best, have years of experience in high-end tourism and hospitality \u2013 they developed Waiheke Island\u2019s The Oyster Inn and the award-winning Lantern House.<\/p>\n

\"AndrewAndrew Glenn is Dominic Bowden\u2019s partner in Watershed.<\/p>\n

The floating sauna combines a large communal sauna and a smaller, private one, with access to private cold plunge pools and dips in Lake Wakatipu.<\/p>\n

Located at St Omer wharf in the heart of Queenstown, it looks out at the newly opened, Virginia Fisher-designed luxury lodge, Roki Collection Queenstown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have used only the best, the saunas are the Rolls-Royce in their field, the reception area is luxe, as are the changing rooms and our little retail kiosk,\u201d says Glenn.<\/p>\n

\"AA render of the soon-to-open Watershed in Queenstown.<\/p>\n

Bowden raised the idea with Glenn two years ago, and the pair quickly decided Queenstown, which Bowden thinks will become the wellness capital of the world, was the perfect place for a floating sauna.<\/p>\n

Bowden had already seen some amazing floating saunas around the world. Glenn travelled to Tasmania last year to research some similar business models there, followed by a trip to Oslo, where floating saunas are hugely popular.<\/p>\n

Rich-lister Mark Francis, CEO of property investment and fund manager Centuria NZ, is the equal third shareholder.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark joined so organically, he\u2019s a great mate,\u201d Bowden says. \u201cI was at his house and told him what we were planning and asked him if he\u2019d be open to being involved. He said yes on the spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndrew and Mark have just been the perfect people to have in the boat and build a business that we all feel really proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another business titan supportive of the new venture is the founder of Xero, billionaire Rod Drury, who opened Queenstown\u2019s world-class gym space The Mill in June.<\/p>\n

Bowden and Cronin are making sure they embed themselves into the local community. They supported behind the scenes at Kathryn Wilson\u2019s charity show for Breast Cancer Cure at Ayrburn on Saturday and caught up with Lake Hawea Station\u2019s Geoff and Justine Ross on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"EshterEshter Cronin and Dominic Bowden at Ayrburn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been hard at times, but moving and settling south and starting Watershed has been the best thing we\u2019ve ever done for us both,\u201d Bowden says.<\/p>\n

Meet the 21-year-old multimillionaire chasing business and professional rugby dreams <\/p>\n

\"LukeLuke Kilworth is the CEO of Lodg.<\/p>\n

Luke Kilworth is only 21 but he\u2019s already got six years of hard-earned business acumen behind him. The chief executive of multimillion-dollar tax app company Lodg, Kilworth has worked with and been mentored by some of New Zealand\u2019s wealthiest business leaders since he was 15.<\/p>\n

In his downtime, he\u2019s chasing his dreams of playing rugby professionally.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople always ask me what one I will choose, rugby or business,\u201d Kilworth tells Society Insider. \u201cI turn around and ask, \u2018Why not both?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Kilworth had made the 1st XV footy and 1st XI cricket at Nelson College when Alistair King, a college old boy and co-founder of Rhodes Pet Science alongside billionaire Nick Mowbray, presented at a prize-giving.<\/p>\n

\"NickNick Mowbray and Luke Kilworth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI messaged Alistair afterwards and asked if I could work remotely for Zuru for free, while at school,\u201d Kilworth says. <\/p>\n

King accepted, and Kilworth impressed him so much that Mowbray then asked him to come to Auckland and work with him during the school holidays. Kilworth instead asked to work at Zuru full-time.<\/p>\n

The move to Auckland, the choppers, private golf courses, and the Mowbrays\u2019 Coatesville mansion were \u201ccool and eye-opening\u201d for the then 16-year-old Kilworth, who dropped out of high school for the Zuru job.<\/p>\n

He believes Nick Mowbray will become known \u201cas the greatest entrepreneur to come out of NZ\u201d and he is immensely grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the older man. Kilworth says he learned 10 years\u2019 worth of business experience in a condensed period.<\/p>\n

\"ZaneZane Beaty, head of Lodg sales, with Lodg CEO Luke Kilworth and Crusaders player Cooper Grant at the Riccarton races this month.<\/p>\n

Kilworth moved back to Nelson two years later, with Mowbray\u2019s blessing, to start his own marketing business. He rode the boom of short-form content creation and had clients with millions of followers, including Mike Thurston, one of the world\u2019s biggest fitness influencers, and Rick Shiels, who has the largest golf YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

During that time, Kilworth had a chance meeting in Christchurch with one of the city\u2019s most influential property developers, rich-lister Philip Carter, at his gym IHF Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea who Phillip was at the time,\u201d says Kilworth. \u201cAfter my workout, we got chatting about rugby and the work I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter, who has gone on to become a good friend and mentor to Kilworth, helped facilitate a meeting with multimillionaire Brooksfield developers Oliver Hickman and Vincent Holloway. Kilworth says the pair have changed his life forever. <\/p>\n

\"OliverOliver Hickman, Vincent Holloway and Luke Kilworth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked to work for Oliver and Vincent for free, and did this for about 12 months, flying down from Nelson as often as I could afford to, using up the last of my savings from the marketing agency,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

During that time, many of the Brooksfield contractors were having issues with their taxes, and Kilworth was charged with finding a solution. Together, the trio created Lodg, a simplified tax app for sole traders, which is about to reach sales of $1 million just 18 months after launch. It has a shareholding valuation between $12m and $14m.<\/p>\n

Christchurch-based multimillionaire Max Ferguson, the founder and CEO of tech firm Lumin, recently took a shareholding in Lodg. Lumin has more than 100 million users worldwide and will be invaluable with the international expansion of Lodg.<\/p>\n

Kilworth is currently working with developers in Vietnam on the next two stages of two new soon-to-launch Lodg platforms for business and property investors.<\/p>\n

Kilworth says Lodg is disrupting the tax world, like Mowbray has disrupted toys and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to have a full circle moment in the future with Nick,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

With a shareholding in Lodg estimated at more than $3m, Kilworth tells Society Insider all his money is going back into the business.<\/p>\n

His parents, Amanda and Jason, are his biggest supporters, and Kilworth says he plans to build a huge Brooksfield home near them in Nelson, where all of his close friends and family can hang out.<\/p>\n

\"ProudProud parents Amanda and Jason Kilworth with their son Luke (centre).<\/p>\n

On top of running Lodg, Christchurch and Nelson-based Kilworth is in the Mako Academy, which prepares players for high-performance professional careers in rugby.<\/p>\n

\"LukeLuke Kilworth playing for Marist.<\/p>\n

He has come off a standout season as the MVP for Marist, who won this year\u2019s Tasman club competition.<\/p>\n

His next big goal is to try to crack pro-rugby next season, but he is well aware of the short window he has left.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to do it for the Tasman Mako; however, you never know what doors open. It would be a real privilege to play our national game at a pro level,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Party People of the Week <\/p>\n

Celebrating Aotearoa\u2019s Screen Excellence<\/p>\n

The stars hit the red carpet for the New Zealand Screen Awards last Friday evening at Auckland\u2019s Vodafone Events Centre.<\/p>\n

The late Lee Tamahori\u2019s The Convert stood as the evening\u2019s most celebrated film, sweeping five major honours.<\/p>\n

One of the night\u2019s most moving moments came when producers Robin Scholes and Te Kohe Tuhaka \u2013 who also starred in the film \u2013 took to the stage to accept the Best Director: Drama Feature award on behalf of Tamahori and his wh\u0101nau. They made a heartfelt tribute to his towering legacy, which has shaped the course of New Zealand filmmaking. <\/p>\n

Sir Sam Neill, who got a thunderous standing ovation when he took out the 2025 Screen Legend Award, happily posed for selfies before and after the awards ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"SirSir Sam Neill at the NZ Screen Awards at the Viaduct Events Centre. Photo \/ Robert Trathen <\/p>\n

Beloved screen icons in attendance included Rena Owen, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Julian Dennison, Sara Wiseman, Cliff Curtis, Jay Ryan, Taika Waititi, Danielle Cormack, Claire Chitham, Jo Holley, and Shavaughn Ruakere, who took her long-term partner, auto man about town Trevor Rooderkerk.<\/p>\n

\"RenaRena Owen. Photo \/ Robert Trathen\"KeishaKeisha Castle-Hughes. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"SaraSara Wiseman. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"TaikaTaika Waititi. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"JoJo Holley and Shavaughn Ruakere. Photo \/ Robert Trathen <\/p>\n

Other winners included Antonia Prebble and Kura Forrester for Double Parked, Anapela Polata\u2019ivao and Antonia Eaton for T\u012bna, Stephen Lovatt for Shortland Street, Peter Hambleton for Happiness, and US actor John Lithgow and George Henare for The Rule of Jenny Penn. Their co-star, Australian actor Geoffory Rush, was also at the event.<\/p>\n

With the ceremony finishing just after 11pm, guests mingled in the foyer before peeling off into a series of smaller private after-parties.<\/p>\n

\"AntoniaAntonia Eaton and Anapela Polata’ivao. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"GeoffreyGeoffrey Rush, George Henare and James Ashcroft. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"OscarOscar Kightley and Teuila Blakely. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"PeterPeter Salmon and Morgana O’Reilly. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"LauraLaura McGoldrick. Photo \/ Robert Trathen \"FernFern Sutherland and Neill Rea. Photo \/ Robert Trathen <\/p>\n

Black Grace celebrates 30 years <\/p>\n

Black Grace dance company presented its powerful new \u201cdouble bill\u201d at the majestic Civic Theatre in Auckland last Friday night.<\/p>\n

The evening was a celebration of Black Grace\u2019s 30th anniversary with the premiere of a powerful new work, If Ever There Was A Time, by Black Grace founding artistic director and chief executive Neil Ieremia, followed by a new production of US choreographer Paul Taylor\u2019s seminal work Esplanade \u2013 the first time the work has been licensed to a company in the South Pacific.<\/p>\n

Guests included arts philanthropists Kent Gardner, who is on the Black Grace Trust, and partner Ngaere Duff; former netball great Bernice Mene; performer Edward Cowley; fashion designer Karen Walker and husband Mikhail Gherman; and broadcaster Petra Bagust and her husband, producer Hamish Wilson.<\/p>\n

Emotions ran high after the show as Ieremia acknowledged family, the Black Grace board, creative partners, past and present dancers and members of the company, inviting many to join him on stage.<\/p>\n

\"NgaereNgaere Duff, Neil Ieremia and Kent Gardner at Black Grace\u2019s 30th anniversary celebration at Civic Theatre. Photo \/ Jinki Cambronero \"StaceyStacey Mowbray and Bernice Mene. Photo \/ Jinki Cambronero\"AniAni O’Neill, Edward Cowley and Sofia Tekela-Smith. Photo \/ Jinki Cambronero \"HamishHamish Wilson and Petra Bagust. Photo \/ Jinki Cambronero \"KionaKiona Ieremia, Aumua Rosetta and Dr Sam Fuimaono. Photo \/ Jinki Cambronero \"KuraKura Te Ua, Richard Chen See and Fuaao Tutulu Faith Schuster. Photo \/ Jinki Cambronero <\/p>\n

BioGaia launches at Redroom<\/p>\n

Swedish probiotics leader BioGaia made its official New Zealand debut last Tuesday, celebrating its arrival at Chemist Warehouse with an event at Auckland wellness studio Redroom at City Works Depot.<\/p>\n

The intimate launch gathered a curated crowd of influencers, wellness advocates and media, including naturopath Lauren Glucina, Diamond Shop owner Sera Cruickshank and Clique Fitness co-owner Bex West. Guests learned about the science of BioGaia Gastrus Pure Action and put their new knowledge into practice in a Pilates session designed to strengthen the core \u201cfrom the inside out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeraSera Cruickshank and Alicia Haszard at the BioGaia launch at Redroom. Photo \/ Anupam Singh \"ShannenShannen Frear and Georgia Bradley. Photo \/ Anupam Singh\"BexBex West and Louise Logan. Photo \/ Anupam Singh \"LaurenLauren Glucina and Sonia Gouveia. Photo \/ Anupam Singh \"PiyaraPiyara Perera, Jenna Marsh and Brooke Taylor. Photo \/ Anupam Singh \"AmandaAmanda and Robyn Page. Photo \/ Anupam Singh <\/p>\n

Ricardo Simich<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dominic Bowden and Esther Cronin are enjoying their new life in Queenstown. The couple have travelled the world…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155006,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[62507,1443,95,10779,5432,3246,102886,102882,1038,138,6928,3500,5162,83474,102889,102881,156,2036,102888,102887,2740,12022,26022,2936,102884,102885,102883,1362,9862,4380,2683,91,111,139,69,4481,51041,12886,20930,2952,6327,5419,2953,2935,3502,370,223,1961,61,2951,19054,686,5510,102,4741],"class_list":["post-155005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-21yearold","tag-about","tag-and","tag-awards","tag-between","tag-both","tag-bowden","tag-bowdens","tag-brings","tag-business","tag-celebrating","tag-ceo","tag-chasing","tag-choosing","tag-cronin","tag-dominic","tag-entertainment","tag-entrepreneur","tag-esther","tag-fiancee","tag-former","tag-host","tag-idol","tag-insider","tag-kilworth","tag-lodg","tag-luke","tag-made","tag-meet","tag-millions","tag-move","tag-nelson","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-permanent","tag-pro","tag-professional","tag-queenstown","tag-ricardo","tag-rugby","tag-screen","tag-simich","tag-society","tag-success","tag-tech","tag-the","tag-this","tag-to","tag-town","tag-turned","tag-week","tag-wellness","tag-with","tag-young"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}