New Bauer Media owner Mercury Capital had been planning to sell some of its recently closed titles after the surprise shut-down earlier this year. It recently announced the sale of Metro and North & South. It is also resuming publishing of some of its key titles.
However former key Bauer New Zealand staff, including former CEO Paul Dykzeul, are behind the resurgence of magazines in the country with more detail being released about the launch of the magazine business School Road Publishing.
See also:
Ex-Bauer boss and award-winning magazine editor believe in print
• New media venture School Road Publishing launching four titles
New Zealand’s newest independent media company, has announced four new local magazine brands helmed by some of the country’s most-experienced magazine editors.
The new titles, launching from October, are:
• Haven, edited by Vanessa Marshall•
• Thrive, edited by Wendyl Nissen
• Scout, edited by Sarah-Kate Lynch
• Woman, edited by School Road Publishing group publisher Sido Kitchin
“I’m incredibly proud of this line-up of exceptional editors. These wonderful women bring remarkable talent, experience, confidence and creativity to this new publishing venture,” says Kitchin. “This great collective of editors all have distinct styles, but Sarah-Kate, Wendyl and Vanessa share an exceptional writing gift and an innate understanding and ability to connect with readers through the power of great storytelling.”
Photo L-R: School Road Publishing editorial team – Wendyl Nissen, Vanessa Marshall, Sido Kitchin and Sarah-Kate Lynch
The company has released details about its four new titles:
WOMAN
Kitchin will take the helm of Woman, a fortnightly print and digital magazine she describes as “about New Zealand women, for New Zealand women, by New Zealand women”.
“Wonderful everyday Kiwi women love their magazine fix, but the closure of so many titles this year has completely disrupted the magazine landscape. Our world has changed dramatically in 2020, and so has what’s most important to New Zealand women, so it’s my privilege to respond with a fresh magazine that speaks to them about what’s really driving them today. Woman will be inspirational but real, with a proudly Kiwi heart and soul.
“I am excited that as well as beautiful print editions, we will reach a whole new audience through our digital platforms from launch.”
HAVEN
Haven is a new monthly home and living magazine which will be edited by Vanessa Marshall, who joins School Road Publishing from Bauer Media’s Nadia magazine, where she was editor for three years. An established lifestyle journalist with a passion for interiors, food and lifestyle content, she brings close to 20 years’ experience across significant brands. For more than a decade she was lifestyle editor, then director of Woman’s Day and New Zealand Woman’s Weekly before becoming editor of premium food title, Dish.
“I am thrilled to launch Haven magazine, a brand-new home title for a brand-new world. With many of us spending more time at home than ever, our homes are our safe haven from the challenges we face beyond our front doors.”
Packed full of inspirational and achievable interiors advice, Haven is a home and decorating magazine that will help make your dream home a reality. With a focus on affordable products, DIY projects, relatable interiors, family entertaining and easy gardening ideas, Haven’s mission is to bring great design to the masses.
THRIVE
Wellness title Thrive will be edited by Wendyl Nissen, a journalist, broadcaster and acclaimed magazine editor who is the author of 10 books, mostly about living a chemical-free, wholesome and back-to-basics lifestyle. The former editor of Australian Woman’s Weekly, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and Woman’s Day gave up her corporate life 20 years ago and now happily lives in the Hokianga with her husband, 18 chickens, two dogs and two stray cats.
“A return to a simple life is something I have been passionate about for more than 20 years,” says Nissen. “Thrive is a nurturing and inspirational monthly wellness magazine for anyone who believes that caring for ourselves and others, living healthily and sustainably and getting back to basics is a way of life they want to embrace. In a world which can be full of stress and confusion, Thrive will be a guide to a much less complicated and more fulfilling life.”
SCOUT
Helming monthly domestic travel magazine Scout is Sarah-Kate Lynch, who has published 12 best-selling books, edited the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, won awards for her columns and TV shows and spent the last nine years as travel editor of Woman’s Day.
“I was born with itchy feet and have jumped at every chance my whole life to go here, there and anywhere – but right now there’s nowhere I’d rather be than in Aotearoa. To edit a travel magazine focusing on everything our own glorious backyard has to offer? What a gift. I can’t wait to get amongst it,” says Lynch. “What we have right on our doorstep in New Zealand is 268,021 square kilometres of beautiful beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, towns, cities, bush walks, bike tracks, train journeys, national parks and gorgeous islands. Whether you’re parked in your armchair or packing your bags, Scout will take you there.”