“I can’t live without good friends, contact with family, amazing travel experiences and great food always”.

Instagrammer, blogger and PA to the stars, Annmaree Bancroft has a CV that many of us would envy.  Combining her passion and love of photography, food and travel she boasts a staggering number of followers on Instagram and is the guru behind the NZBWN social media team but where did this all start?

Annmaree grew up in Auckland in the Eastern suburbs, and first travelled at the age of 12 to a wedding in Texas, via LA.  She describes being “mesmerised” by the USA and a subsequent trip to Japan further cemented her love of travel.

Whilst completing a Hotel industry certification at Manukau Institute of Technology her curiosity regarding travel and different cultures grew.  Her first ever job as a secretary at an English language school fed this fascination, where she was responsible for organising a variety of afternoon activities for foreign students.

Being a homebody at heart, Annmaree had always been reluctant to relocate, but when her boyfriend announced he wanted to move to London she was given the push she needed.  Unfortunately, the relationship broke up after a year and a half and she admits that she felt very “lonely” but didn’t want to come home whilst she “hated” London.  Sleeping on friends’ floors and sofas, Annmaree was determined to make memories before she considered returning to NZ.

Miss Bridget Walsh – as she is known professionally – has an impressive tour history. She has performed with bands in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, Mexico and the Czech Republic to name but a few. Bridget got the touring bug early - she travelled with her school choir from Westlake Girls in Takapuna to both Hawaii and Vancouver.

But, of course, the music began before that. On her mum’s side, Bridget is the oldest grandchild in a large family of Irish heritage, and says her grandmother played the piano and her mum has a beautiful singing voice. “And I was bossy and a bit of a show-off, clearly destined to be on stage.”

A degree in Music at Auckland university seemed appealing, but at age 16 Bridget found she just didn’t have a passion for classical music. A paper in pop music led to an invitation to audition for the university’s pop programme, and after a quick six-month trip to the UK (where a job at Clare’s Accessories nearly derailed her into retail management) Bridget took up her place on the programme and completed a Bachelor of Performing Arts in 2005, majoring in voice and piano.

“I used to believe I could do everything, what a silly idea. I’d never think that again.”

Linda McDougall describes that she ‘leaps out of bed at 5am’ not only to tend to her latest manuscript, but also her house renovations and her voluntary work with the Barbara Pym Society, an organisation that celebrates the work of one of her favourite novelists. At 77, she doesn’t appear to be showing any signs of retiring from her work yet.

“Sometimes I lie on my back and tell myself that I don’t have to do anything, but I still don’t believe it.”

Linda first arrived in the UK in 1961 as a 19-year-old aspiring actress on a NZ Government bursary to attend the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. It was upon her arrival in the UK that she watched television for the very first time, unaware that she would go on to spend her entire career behind the cameras as well as in front of them.