Latest news with #WhangāreiBoys'HighSchool
1News
2 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Sir Michael Hill dies aged 86
Entrepreneur Sir Michael Hill, founder of Michael Hill Jeweller and a New Zealand retail legend, has died aged 86. In an NZX update today, Michael Hill International Limited announced the death of its founder. Michael Hill International Limited chairperson Rob Fyfe said the board, executive and the team expressed their deepest and sincerest condolences to Hill's family and friends. "He's been a student his whole life. Eighty-six, sitting around the board table six months ago, he was still the most curious, most open-minded, the one who was always looking for new ideas. He never had that air of 'I know it all, I'm always right'," Fyfe told 1News today. "[He was] an inspiration to me, but it's not my story - he was an inspiration to so many people." ADVERTISEMENT Fyfe said Sir Michael always had the "courage" to follow his dreams and passions, saying that was how he found success. Sir Michael Hill. (Source: Supplied) "So driven, yet so creative, whether he turned his mind to creating the best golf course or the jewellery business, or it was the violin competition. "I've never met a person like him." Sir Michael had stepped back from his business in April so he could undergo cancer treatment. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Sir Michael's aspiration, grit, and determination not only built a globally recognised brand inspired generations of Kiwi entrepreneurs to dream big. "He built a brand from scratch and gave back to the country that he loved. May he rest in peace." ADVERTISEMENT Whangārei Boys' High School, where Sir Michael attended, said it was "deeply saddened" to learn of his death. "We are proud to count Sir Michael Hill among our most distinguished alumni. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of young men at Whangārei Boys' High School to pursue excellence and make a meaningful impact." See more on Sir Michael Hill on TVNZ+ As a young man, he worked the shop floor at his uncle's jewellers in Whangārei after he tried to pursue a career as a concert violinist. According to his memoir, Sir Michael worked as a salesperson and window dresser, winning multiple awards. He later took over advertising and was promoted to store manager. In 1965, he married art teacher Christine Roe. The two met while Sir Michael was working at the store. They had two children together. After over a decade at his uncle's shop, Sir Michael attempted to buy it. ADVERTISEMENT "He wouldn't sell to me, and he didn't. So, it left me with two options. Either stay for the rest of my life or move out. And it was an easy decision," Sir Michael told 1News in 2019. In 1979, Sir Michael opened his first eponymous store just a few metres up the road from his old workplace. Sir Michael Hill and his family in front of one of one of the early stores. (Source: 1News) Over the next half a century, the business would rapidly expand, eventually growing to more than 300 stores across New Zealand, Canada and Australia, turning Sir Michael's business into a jewellery empire. 'Thrill of the chase' 'You can always find something to spend the money on. The money becomes very secondary. In fact, it has nothing to do with it. It's the thrill of the chase,' Hill said about his career. The words 'Hello, Michael Hill, jeweller' would become familiar to many Kiwis. ADVERTISEMENT Street view of the Michael Hill jewelry store at Bowman Building, Napier. (Source: Getty) He would also branch out of the jewellery business, venturing into ladies' footwear for a time. Sir Michael also wrote three books. Outside the business, Sir Michael was a lifelong runner and an enthusiastic golfer. He put a green in the front garden of his Arrowtown home, eventually expanding it with trees and bunkers, becoming several par-three holes. Over the years, it grew into an 18-hole course and golf club called The Hills. Sir Michael Hill arrives for the trophy presentation during the 2016 New Zealand Open at The Hills on March 13, 2016 in Queenstown, New Zealand. (Source: Getty) It evolved into a renowned championship course hosting the New Zealand Open several times in the late 2000s. ADVERTISEMENT While unsuccessful as a concert violinist, Sir Michael maintained a strong love for the instrument, founding the biennial Michael Hill International Violin Competition. The contest was for emerging young violinists, and the winner was awarded a large cash prize, a recording deal for international distribution, and a 'winners tour' of performances across New Zealand and Australia. In 2011, he was knighted for services to business and the arts. A few years later, he handed the reins of chairperson of the business to his daughter Emma. Sir Michael is survived by his wife, children Mark and Emma and a business that will keep his name alive. A private memorial would be held for Sir Michael in Arrowtown.
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Tama Jarman stars in Red Leap Theatre's crime thriller ‘Wrest' in Whangārei
The murder at the bus stop relates to the 'death' of the person she was before becoming a parent. The cast includes Tama Jarman, 38, who lived in Whangārei from the age of 5 until 20. After attending Whangārei Boys' High School, where he took drama, he wound up at South Seas Film and Television School in Auckland, from where his career flourished. 'I was working at Killer Prawn for a while after I left school and, after work, we'd head across the road to Bacio, which was owned by Des Wallace who'd done a bit of acting. 'I used to be a bit of a break dancer and I'd show my moves off and one day he said, 'What are you going to do Tama?' He'd gone to South Seas and had success as an actor from it and then bought the bar so I decided to give it a go – Des started it all!' Jarman has been working as a freelance actor since, with TV stints including Shortland Street and Westside, multiple ads and loads of theatre. He has been involved with Red Theatre since its inception in 2008 and undertaken many roles. In Wrest his main role is as a detective. Wrest came about when acclaimed performing artists and Kiwi mums Ella Becroft and Tor Colombus decided to combine their two worlds to create a new theatre show which explores motherhood's hidden darker side. The crime thriller is centred on a missing woman and a doppelganger with the unfolding mystery laying bare the mundane and sometimes monstrous reality of early motherhood. When the original woman mysteriously disappears, an uncanny doppelganger emerges. Stalked by detectives seeking answers, the doppelganger hunts visions of her original self, determined to rebuild. Becroft, who also directs the show, explains: 'When having a baby, women are expected to transition with ease – to transform into a completely new self that can seem at odds with who they know themselves to be. I felt like I became a stranger, a doppelganger of my child-free self. 'What we have come to accept as 'normal' birth can be deeply disturbing for many women. The transformative experience of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood doesn't match pervasive cultural narratives.' The project combines the cast and creative teams' personal experiences of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood with scientific, medical, and psychological insights to illuminate this often hidden experience. The main piece of text used as inspiration for the show was the book Matrescence by Lucy Jones. Jones, a scientific writer, has pieced together science, medicine and psychology in her book to explain what a woman experiences. From there, the team further researched processes and changes. Colombus, who is also the choreographer, says: 'In the rehearsal room for Wrest, there were moments where a parent would tell a story about the unexpected struggle of motherhood, the moments of rage, and the physical pain of it, that they had never spoken out loud before". 'There is a power to a woman sharing her authentic experience, and we hope this show will empower others to do the same.' The show encourages audiences to re-evaluate their perceptions of motherhood and to support women in their journeys. Jarman describes it as a dark and moody surreal crime thriller using devised physical theatre. 'We're given a rough story outline so we had a thread to follow. We've got a setting, now we've just got to build the story and physicalise what happens,' he explains. 'There's bones and we create the body and the flesh. For example, we might be asked to show five ways you could disappear into a portal. Then we all piece together the moments of gold amongst the many, many bad moments.' Although he returns to Whangārei often to visit family and has brought shows there in the past, he's looking forward to performing there next week. 'I'm just stoked to be doing what I do in my hometown. I'm excited to bring it up there and get some of my mates that are still there along and hopefully parents have a moment where they feel heard.' He equates Wrest with a David Lynch film and says audiences can expect excitement, tension, along with some dark moments among a well-constructed story. 'It's quite mysterious but when you do work it out, it's very satisfying so hopefully the audience has a satisfying experience.' Wrest runs from May 29-31 at 7.30pm-8.30pm in OneOneSix Bank St, followed by shows in Auckland in June. Tickets from Eventfinda.
