Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59614
Michal McKay About How Michal McKay Two years ago Michal McKay finally gave up her corporate life after some 30 years to start her own business in creative communications. It was in a bid to slow down a little after living overseas for decades, and as it has turned out also a bit of a food thought. But even though the pace didn't abate, she has managed to uncover a latent desire to have a little more time to help others, as well as rediscovering a joy in her initial loves of reading, writing, and going to the movies. photo by Jane Ussher Readers and the Arts Festivals; the fabulous museums in Auckland and Wellington; and the plethora of art galleries. We are indeed rich! www.creativenz.govt.nz, www.atc.co.nz, www.apo.co.nz, www.nzopera.com, www. writersfestival.co.nz, www.tepapa.govt.nz, www.aucklandmuseum.com ON NEW ZEALAND AND NEW ZEALANDERS...... After having worked overseas in places as far afield as London, New York, Istanbul, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne working with international companies like VOGUE, Estee Lauder and Beymen (the leading retailer in Turkey), I had always nurtured a longing to be 'back home'. So when Fairfax Magazines came knocking while I was living in Sydney working with Federal Publishing I leapt at the chance. It was wonderful to discover through the 'eyes' of the magazines I edited - NZ House & Garden and Cuisine – just how amazing Kiwis are. www.nzhouseandgarden.co.nz, cuisine.co.nz ON FRIENDS...... Living in other countries and establishing a new lifestyle also means making new friends. Many of my closest now live hundreds of miles away and I miss them. But thank heavens for the internet – because we are in touch all the time and that closeness, although not physical, is as warm and intimate as it ever was. www.facebook.com ON NEW ZEALAND CULTURE....... New Zealanders are enormously creative and have huge talent in so many of the arts fields. My own special passion is dance and I am fortunate enough to work with the Royal NZ Ballet. Being involved with the nurturing of this company and watching the incredible dedication and devotion from dancers as they hone their craft to higher and higher standards is nothing short of amazing – and very humbling. Each season reveals the unexpected, the surprising, the beautiful and the best – for a small company it is up there on the global stage. But you see this everywhere in the arts arena – the actors with the Auckland Theatre Company; musicians with the Auckland Philharmonia; the artists with the NBR Opera; Writers and 144 | www.hermagazine.co.nz ON CHARITY........ The incredible kindness of New Zealanders comes to the fore when looking at the charities that are supported in this country. Once I started my own business it was my top priority to be able to give more time to helping those who needed it. I am on the Board of Look Good Feel Better (after initiating the NZ House & Garden Tours in my last year at Fairfax, in aid of the Cancer Society – I was hooked) and on the Pacific Islands committee for World Child Cancer, which is involved with raising funds to provide further resources for the medical fraternity in this area. Daily I am reminded of just how fortunate I am to be whole. www.lgfb.co.nz, www.worldchildcancer.org ON THE COOK ISLANDS........ My escape, and home away from home. My mother has lived in Rarotonga for 20 years. And for 20 years every holiday has seen me catching a plane to see her irrespective of where I may have been domiciled. I love it – the history and the culture, the sheer beauty of the islands and its warm people – true Polynesians. As I am part Samoan the connection isn't hard, but each visit brings home the uniqueness of the place and its spirit. It has nourished my mother who has had an incredibly rich (and long) life – and it nourishes me whenever I am with her. www.cookislands.travel ON BOOKS.......... Reading is my creative outlet. Hundreds of books line my shelves – carted from one country to another because I cannot bear to give them away – 40 boxes in the last move. My local library is a gold mine. Writing is an intrinsic part of all that and I am currently working on a book that is, I believe, going to be a beauty – thanks to a brilliant photographer and content that is built on the bones of the New Zealand countryside plus its cuisine, and with an award winning publisher it's got all the right ingredients. Personally it has provided a heavenly chance to really unearth the heart of our country and its people. www.aucklandcitylibraries.com, www.randomhouse.co.nz, ON FURNITURE...... The next time I come into this world I am going to be a snail, with my home on my back. I have bought and sold in many places and each time acquired yet more goods and chattels. Like my books I cannot bear to do away with a single piece because they are my life. I can remember the souks, the bazaars, the antique shops and the junk stalls where I acquired them and who was with me. Every item creates a whole memory that takes me back to the place, the people, the life I lived in that particular part of the world. My personal history surrounds me. As a result moving house is something I abhor, hence the snail philosophy. www.trademe.co.nz ON MOVIES........ Well I am a big screen person. I'm also pretty good at escapism. So at any given chance I can be found scuttling off to the nearest cinema to see the latest from the studios of Harvey Weinstein, Spielberg or a multiplicity of others. I have a mind full of useless information related to film – actors, actresses, designers, producers, screen writers, music scores, you name it – but I never cease to marvel at their brilliance and ability to transport me to another planet. And when you are pressed for time it's a great alternative to actually catching a plane. Not necessarily better – just another faster, much less expensive, option. www.mgm.com, www.imdb.com, www.flicks.co.nz ON SWIMMING...... My brother and I both swam competitively at school. Then, with moving countries such a lot, I found the routine of going to the pool and doing my laps, a real panacea in the hubbub of the speedy city life. I could write a book about pools I have swum in and harbour a lingering nostalgia for them. Every one brings a memory of the cities in which I have lived and how I created my own world within them by establishing such a basic routine to set me up for the day. I still swim. www.bodytech.co.nz