New Zealand Woman’s Weekly Issue 48, 2022

From its first issue in 1932, the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly committed to helping and entertaining Kiwi women. And how extraordinary it is that for 90 years, this magazine has not only done just that, but has formed a community and become a friend to so many. In this special booklet, we look back on the changes we’ve seen both within the pages of the Weekly and also in Aotearoa over this time. Thank you for your continued support because it is you, our readers, who make the Weekly so exceptional.…

On the advent of the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, I have much pleasure in wishing the journal every success. There is no doubt that a large share of the troubles arising out of the strenuous and anxious times through which the world is at present passing falls on the shoulders of our women. The wife and mother are today called upon to exercise that thrift and economy in the management of the household expenditure, which is so essential if the domestic budget is to be balanced. With her reduced weekly income, she is compelled to spend her funds to the best possible advantage. To the women of New Zealand, our thanks are whole-heartedly due for the courageous manner in which the community is bearing up under the heavy burdens of the day. They…

First edition The New Zealand Woman’s Weekly was printed for the first time on December 8, 1932. Founded by Otto Williams and edited by Audrey Argall, it aimed to “preach the gospel of usefulness, cheerfulness and happiness”, while also “entertaining, assisting and amusing”. Just three months later, the publishers ran out of money and after passing through the hands of a couple more short-lived proprietors, it was bought by the same company that produced the Auckland Star newspaper. In 1933, Dutch immigrant Hedda Dyson became the second editor – or Editress, as she called herself – and was vocal about encouraging women to step out of their traditional roles. Like the rest of the country, the magazine was affected by war and for a while it was published fortnightly rather than weekly.…

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa ‘Nothing is impossible’ She’s one of the most recognisable names in New Zealand’s gallery of greats. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has shone brightly on the world stage since the 1960s with a celebrated opera career that included singing at the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer – a performance watched by an estimated 600 million people around the world. She created an unforgettable international sensation when she debuted as the Countess in Covent Garden’s production of The Marriage of Figaro in 1971. Dame Kiri continued to sing at Covent Garden for many years, as well as performing in most of the world’s great opera houses, in particular the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Paris Opera, where she also appeared in a number of…

The Weekly went through some big changes in the first two decades of the 21st century. Seven editors have seen the magazine through the last 20 years – Nicky Pellegrino (2003-2006), Sido Kitchin (2006-2010), Sarah Stuart (2011-2013), Louise Wright (2013-2014), Fiona Fraser (2014-2016), Alice O’Connell (2016-2020) and Marilynn McLachlan (2020-present). Over the years, the Weekly team has pulled together and put in extra hours (often toiling through the night) to work on many special issues, including the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. In April 2020, the Weekly met a sudden demise when overseas owner Bauer pulled the plug on all of its New Zealand magazines due to the Covid lockdown. It was a sad and brutal end to an icon. Just months later, new owners Are Media stepped…

The first issue of the Weekly, with just 64 pages, went on sale on December 8, 1932 and introduced itself like this: “The New Zealand Woman’s Weekly is born with a definite mission and a definite objective. It is to go forth among New Zealand women – rich and poor, young and old – and preach the gospel of usefulness, cheerfulness and happiness. Its mission is to teach, to entertain, to assist and to amuse; its objective to become a national family journal in the truest and fullest sense of the word.” As the Weekly celebrates nine decades of publication, we like to think we’ve accomplished everything on that checklist and more. In its 90 years of life, we hope it’s been a valuable source of information, a relaxing diversion from…