Press Room
We love sharing our stories. We are real people, with real places and we love looking after you.
Here are some of the Media outlets who have shared our stories.
Story details
18 October 2021: Writer's hone skills at two day festival
The heritage building was the venue for the first Great Write Inn writers festival, a two-day event designed to help aspiring writers on their journey into print.
14 October 2021: Treasured objects bring life to writing
From white cats to antique furniture or evening bags, Catherine Chidgey cannot resist collecting them.
6 September 2021:First Great Write Inn Writers' Event to be at Olveston
The Great Write Inn, to be held on October 16 and 17, is a story-telling showcase to help writers and readers connect.
12 March 2021: International Women's Day - Rotorua honours local women
The Zonta Club of Rotorua has honoured six local women, to celebrate International Women's Day.
On March 8 every year outstanding women are carefully selected and presented with a single yellow rose.
21 January 2021: Slow is the New Go for Holiday Package Winners
Jemma and Philip McDonald welcomed the Holiday Season with an extra special gift under the Christmas Tree this year.
They were winners of the Major Raffle Prize for The Festival in the Gardens fundraising event presented by the Zonta Club of Rotorua, held at Palmers in late 2020.
28 August 2020: Frock IT! Wins Whip Around Challenge on The Project, TV3
Roving reporters in Christchurch, Wellington and Christchurch declared Frock It! Rhythm and Rhymes the winner of The Whip Around Challenge.
7 June 2020: Tourism stats show promise for Rotorua bed and breakfast owners
Accommodation around New Zealand has taken a major hit in the wake of Covid-19. But revealing new statistics suggest that bed and breakfast providers may stand to benefit from the drop in the market.
2 June 2020: Carrying on Calmly
The Keep Calm and Carry On event was one of many held around the country yesterday, aimed at bringing support to local tourism operators and cafe owners following the lockdown.
29 May 2020: Rotorua Queen's Birthday high tea parties to be held, with a twist
A Rotorua event manager is using the power of technology to host a Queen's Birthday high tea party nationwide.
The initiative called Keep Calm and Carry On aims to hold virtual and real tea party events in Dunedin and Rotorua.
10 October 2019: Debate to Seek Bed Tax Views
Dunedin businesswoman and tourism entrepreneur Julia Anne believes Otago could lead the way in the bed tax debate.
5 September 2019: Startup Dunedin Podcast - Creating New Zealand's Premium Homestay Network
Julia Anne was interviewed by Startup Dunedin to chat about how she created New Zealand's Premium Homestay Network, Look After Me. Julia shared her story so far including: Achieving a world record with over 20 billion social media mentions, The Rugby World Cup, how a PR stunt in pyjamas won Look After Me their first customers. She discussed the importance of the shared access economy in New Zealand and raising capital in New Zealand.
29 August 2019: Accommodation Network Gets Set to Introduce Creative Journeys and Educational Festivals
Tourism Ticker talked to Look After Me’s founder and tech entrepreneur, Julia Anne (formerly Charity), on establishing New Zealand’s largest homestay network, expanding the business offering to include Creative Events and Educational Festivals and navigating some of the difficulties involved with pioneering the shared access economy in New Zealand
12 April 2018: Not A Real Job Podcast
Dr Julia Charity was interviewed on the Podcast series, Not A Real Job, and explained how her Digital Hotel Business has become a full time job for her.
"Not a Real Job is a podcast about digital marketing, social media, website design, growth hacking, and more. It's hosted by Joel Kelly and Chris Van Patten, long-time friends and (self-proclaimed) digital pros.
15 March 2018: Accommodation still available
Despite an estimated 60,000 people expected to visit Dunedin during Easter, plenty of accommodation is still available in the city, providers say.
8 February 2018: World's First Digital Hotel Officially Open
Dunedin Entrepreneur Dr Julia Charity was interviewed by Jeff Harford on the Oarsome Morning Show about her Digital Hotel business.
Julia tells us about the story behind Look After Me and her latest intitiative in Dunedin.
27 January 2018: Scientist finds her calling in homestay businesses
Dunedin entrepreneur Julia Charity has come up with the novel concept of a "pop-up" digital 1000-bed hotel in the city to cope with the influx of visitors during major events.
Dr Charity is now looking for at least 400 homeowners willing to host guests for summer events, such as the Ed Sheeran concerts, and beyond.
25 January 2018: Digital hotel site seeks rooms in Dunedin houses
A Dunedin entrepreneur is launching a campaign to increase the city’s accommodation capacity for major concerts and sporting events by giving homeowners a slice of the action.
Dr Julia Charity, a scientist, entrepreneur and recent arrival in the city, is launching a “Sharin’ for Sheeran” campaign, creating a digital hotel under the umbrella of her nationwide Look After Me accommodation network.
8 November 2017: The People Profiting from the Sharing Economy
It's also misleading because very few people in the sharing economy are actually sharing. The term usually covers commercial arrangements in which ordinary people earn an income from hiring out assets like spare rooms, baches, cars, camper vans, and bikes to other ordinary people with the deals arranged though online marketplaces.
August 2017: NZ Business Magazine: Yours to Share
22 January 2017: National Radio New Zealand - Older Entrepreneurs
9 October 2015: Rotorua Daily Post - Impressive pitch wins award
24 August 2015: Rotorua City News - 'Look After Me or AirBnB in New Zealand?
Rotorua City News spoke recently to Julia Charity, Founder of Look After Me, New Zealand's accommodation network.
NZ Business Reporter Caitlin Sykes interviews scientist-turned Entrepreneur Dr Julia Charity, who founded an on-line market place where guests can book homely accommodation all over New Zealand.
9 June 2015:Car sharing business 'part of transport solution'As a student of transport engineering Oscar Ellison was aware there were lots of cars sitting idle in driveways, but the point was further hit home when he bought his own first car.
4 June 2015: Few spaces remain as Fieldays nearAccommodation is filling up as farmers and football fans prepare to pour into Hamilton next week.An overlap of Fieldays and the Fifa U-20s World Cup has seen much of the accommodation snapped up, but there are still some rooms remaining in the city's motel sector.
3 June 2015: Waikato Homeowners opening up hearts and home for fieldays Waikato homeowners are being urged to embrace NZ’s farming community as they pour into the city and help bridge the shortfall in beds needed for Fieldays, the Southern hemisphere's largest agricultural showpiece festival coming to Mystery Creek and FIFA U20 World cup this month.
30 May 2015: 10 questions with Tourism entrepreneur This month, NZ Entrepreneur Magazine talks to Dr Julia Charity – Founder of a Peer-to-Peer accommodation platform where guests can book accommodation with like minded hosts. Now the largest and fastest growing Homestay Network in New Zealand, we ask Julia how she got started, what it’s really like to be an Entrepreneur in New Zealand and her hopes and dreams for the future.
10 April 2015: Peer-to-Peer - Sharing Economy in New ZealandCoined as the 21st Century’s ‘Collaboration Revolution’, global indicators point towards the rapid rise of the Sharing Economy. This translates to both opportunities and warnings for New Zealand. Julia Charity investigates. Just as peer-to-peer businesses like TradeMe have allowed anyone to become a retailer, a new wave of sharing sites lets consumers take their under-utilised resources and recycle them back into the economy, for a profit. Obvious examples are houses, spare rooms and cars.
Scientist-turned-businesswoman says you have to know how long your runway is.
Rotorua scientist-turned-entrepreneur Julia Charity was involved in a panel discussion of seven prominent Kiwi businesswomen to launch a female entrepreneur week. The week, which began on Monday, has been developed by Co. of Women, a membership-based learning and support organisation for female entrepreneurs.
12 March 2015: TV Rotorua City News showcases Rotorua Homestays
TV Rotorua City News talks to Dr Julia Charity, about NZ's fastest growing Homestay network. 'Staying with kiwi hosts has gained global exposure via reality television programmes that were aired in China and Korea.
TV Rotorua's report Kiri Danielle visited Althea (a Look After Me Host in Rotorua) at her beautiful B&B 'Pohutu Vista'. Althea explains why she joined the Homestay Network and what she enjoys about hosting guests.
8 March 2015: Potential Economic impact of Free Trade Agreement between NZ and ChinaPublished in NZBusiness Magazine: With strengthening relations between China and New Zealand and evidence for strong economic benefit – we take a closer look at the NZ-China Free-Trade Agreement, the rise of service industries and their possible economic impact. Julia Charity investigates.
1 March 2015: NZ Homestay makes its mark
From humble beginnings, Rotorua business ‘Look After Me’, has grown to become New Zealand’s largest, fastest growing Homestay Network.
It’s an on-line market place where homeowners offer short-term accommodation for paying guests in guest wings, self-contained units and spare rooms. ‘Look After Me’ provides accommodation on 18 of New Zealand’s 23 Cycle Trails and supports major events like Art Deco in Napier and Womad in New Plymouth.
18 February 2015: Homestay Network supports Cricket World Cup
With the Cricket World Cup underway, the seven host cities are expected to reach full capacity. Backpackers, hotels and motels are being snapped up as thousands of supporters from around the world support one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
7 September 2014: New Zealand to feature in Top Chinese Reality Show
New Zealand will feature strongly in China's most popular reality series, after the show
spent the past week filming in the central North Island.
Two hundred minutes of New Zealand's landscapes, people and activities is likely to reach millions of Chinese viewers after New Zealand played host to China's most popular reality TV show, Dad, Where Are We Going?
New Zealand kiwi families hosted the Chinese families and will play a starring role in the last two episodes of season two, including the season finale.
18 August 2014: New Zealand's Homestay Network takes People's Choice and Runner Up at Rotorua's Entrepreneurial Event
Story: Rachael McGarvie, Rotorua Daily Post.
Tarawera Ultramarathon’s Paul Charteris won Rotorua X’s inaugural start-up pitch night on Friday night. In front of an audience of around 100, NZ Trail Run’s business pitch took out scary aliens, arm wrestlers and mag cleaners to win over $2,500 of business prizes....
...Second place and the People’s Choice award for the inaugural Rotorua Start-Up Pitch Night event went to Dr. Julia Charity, who founded 'Look After Me - New Zealand's Homestay Network. Accepting her award, Charity said she had worked tirelessly for three years to bring an idea from absolutely nothing into something.
Read more here or Watch the Video here
28 June 2014: Evolving B&B use still hard to measure
Story: Katie Holland, Rotorua Daily Post
One of the below-the-radar categories for tourism across the country is the bed and breakfast and home stay market, which tourism experts suggest could account for significantly more than the officially monitored visitor bed nights. And new online apps and sites are allowing increasing numbers to access private household accommodation.
18 June 2014: Scheme for farmers needing a break
Recorded:Radio New Zealand Rural News
A group of homestay venues is putting up prizes of accommodation for farmers in need of a break away.
June 2014: Holiday Contest for stressed farmers
Rachel Thomas, Waikato Times
"We want people who might be isolated to know that they're not alone". Jo Goodhew, Associate Health Minister.
May 2014: Homestay Network Editor's Pick
Story: Sarah Henry, Editor, Next Magazine.
April 2014: Change of Direction Driven by Passion
Story: Caitlyn Sykes, NZ Herald, Business Section.
Starting new way of life and business doesn't mean checking all the skills you've learned before at the door.
This weeks Q & A - Julia Charity was a scientist with Scion before launching her own business, New Zealand's Homestay Network - Look After Me Ltd, in 2011.
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March 2014: Homestay Business Takes PM's Advise. Story: Maria Slade, Unlimited.
Julia Charity says she's had a ''pretty typical entrepreneurial journey'. 'I've been burnt out, ripped off and broke. You just learn to never let anything compromise the dream.''
The Rotorua molecular biologist's goal of creating New Zealand's largest homestay network very nearly came to naught when the website design company she had hired turned out to be not all it claimed.
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March 2014: Thriving Business Bold move for Rotorua Entrepreneur. Story Jill Nicholas, Daily Post
Our People: The Multi-faceted faces of a self-styled Rotorua Entrepreneur. If Julia Charity was a doll she'd be one of the double-faceted kind. On one side she'd appear as the consummate scientist, turn it around and she'd be seen as an entrepreneur.
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March 2014: New Plymouth opens hearts and homes for accommodation for Womad.
NZ's Homestay Network, Look After Me Ltd has recruited new hosts in New Plymouth to cope with accommodation demands for Womad.
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January 2014: New Rotorua's Cycle Trail Partnership celebrates cycling and hospitality. Story Destination Rotorua Marketing, 'In Essence', Summer 2014
'Look After Me - New Zealand's Homestay Network is proud to be an Official Accommodation Partner for Thermal By Bike, Te Ara Ahi
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December 2013: Rotorua's Essential 50 - Thermal by Bike, Te Ara Ahi, Rotorua's Cycle Trail. Story Alison King, Daily Post
'Look After Me - New Zealand's Homestay Network is proud to be an Official Accommodation Partner for Thermal By Bike, Te Ara Ahi
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November 2013: 20 million Korean's view Rotorua Homestays Story Katie Holland, Daily Post
October 2013: Julia launches first pitch to Angels. Story Katie Holland, Daily Post
October 2013: NZ Business Magazine - The Changing Face of Tourism. Story: Julia Charity
August 2013: Rotorua Business Excellence Awards - Look After Me Ltd - New Zealand's Homestay Network announced as finalist. Story: Katie Holland, Daily Post
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August 2013: Failure is not an option. NZ Business magazine. Story: Julia Charity
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July 2013: Look After Me Homestay Network celebrates second birthday in style. Photograph: Rona Lau
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March 2013: Warm Womad Welcome. Look After Me Homestay Network is seeking New Plymouth homeowners with guest rooms or sleepouts to billet paying guests for the weekend. Taranaki Daily News.
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January 2013: Rotorua filling up fast for Raggamuffin. Look After Me Homestay helps accommodation seekers. Story: Alison King
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November 2012: Feature Article - The Work Placement that changed my life. Nevaeh Magazine. Story: Dr Julia Charity
Read More (Article features on Page 37 - 40)
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October 2012: Feature Article - Women in Work. Meet Rotorua Scientist turned Entrepreneur Dr Julia Charity. Nevaeh Magazine. Story: Louise Parker
Read More (Article features on Page 16 - 19)
11 August 2012: Work Experience paying off for Rotorua Job Seekers. Daily Post, Rotorua. Story: Katie Holland.
4 July 2012: Look After Me Looks After Locals. Rotorua TV's Carlie Jackson interviews Dr Julia Charity
15 June 2012: Look After Me helps rebuild Christchurch. Breakfast TV's Holly Carran takes a look at homestays for the rebuild
14 June 2012: Employers asked to give trainees a helping hand. Daily Post, Rotorua. Story: Katie Holland.
18 May 2012: Middle-earth mania pure gold for NZ Tourism. Daily Post, Rotorua. Story: Julie Taylor
9 May 2012. A Virtual Hotel for Christchurch. Homestays and the rebuild. Canterbury TV News Bulletin. Story: Marcus Gibbs
2 April 2012: Search on for Short-term beds. The Christchurch Press, Story: Liz McDonald.
2 April 2012: Victorious Angler thanks ‘secret weapon’ for win. Daily Post, Rotorua. Story: Cherie Taylor
30 January 2012: Holidays for the Baby Boomers, Dominion Post. Story: Jenny Keown
14 October 2011: Charity Concept. Story: Rotorua Weekender, Story: Cherie Taylor
1 August 2011: Rent-a-room website hopes for kick-start from Cup. Story: Claire Rogers
9 July 2011: 'Travellers find private home away from home'. Rotorua Daily Post. Story: Julie Taylor
June 2011: WebFund advises Look After Me
Wellington seed investment company WebFund Ltd have come on board to offer Business advice to Rotorua-based Start Up - Look After Me Limited, a boutique hospitality online accommodation provider. Read more