Birthday Bonanza for Stuff Heritage Magazines

The accolades keep coming for two of New Zealand’s most-loved magazines - NZ Gardener and NZ House & Garden.

Both titles mark significant birthdays this year, their longevity an acknowledgement in itself to how integral the magazines are in Kiwis’ lives.

Now industry experts have also paid homage to their quality offering - each won the Best Magazine accolade in their categories at this month’s MPA Magazine Awards. NZ Gardener, which celebrates 75 years in print this month, also won Best Cover and the Ovato Newsstand Magazine Excellence Award.

“Our win at the MPAs reflects NZ House & Garden’s leading role in this competitive category and the fact that we have managed to continue to hold this top spot, despite the competition,” NZ House & Garden editor, Naomi Larkin, says.

However it is not just industry peers that are singing the praises of the monthly magazines. The readers are too.

The birthday issue of NZ House & Garden enjoyed an unprecedented 40 percent lift in supermarket sales in its first week. And the latest Nielsen readership figures show NZ House & Garden marked its 25th birthday by becoming the highest-read monthly newsstand magazine in New Zealand (484,000 readers, up 10,000 YOY).

NZ Gardener also grew its audience by 10,000 to take it to a readership of 280,000.

These magazines are explored, savoured and treasured. Readers see them as integral to their lifestyle, and they value being able to absorb themselves in the pages.

Jo McCarroll, NZ Gardener editor, says gardeners have turned to the magazine for inspiration and advice for three-quarters of a century, and the magazine’s now inextricably woven into the story of gardening in New Zealand.

“We are a nation of plant lovers and gardeners and NZ Gardener’s 75 years in print puts us in an incredible position of authority and trust with the nation’s gardeners,” McCarroll says.

“What sets us apart - and increasingly so in this distracted and disrupted landscape - is the connection readers have with NZ Gardener. I meet readers all the time and often rather than call themselves a ‘subscriber’ they call themselves a ‘member’ of NZ Gardener. Because this is not media they consume passively on their phone while waiting for the bus, this is more like a club they feel they belong to.”

Larkin says the sales of the July 25th birthday issue demonstrate “how eager our loyal audience is to share in celebrating this significant milestone”.

“NZ House & Garden has always produced a special magazine that tells rich and compelling stories about how Kiwis live,” she says. “We’re a nation obsessed with home ownership, and the team works hard to dig out and showcase the very best of them every month.”

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