Cityscape talks to its own publisher and editor-in-chief about championing Christchurch, and the changing of the era for magazines.
Is it strange being interviewed for your own magazine? It’s not my favourite thing, to be honest. I generally like to be behind the pages. But here we are, so let’s talk about some cool stuff.
Deal. What’s hot in Ōtautahi this year? The city just keeps coming along. I’ve always thought it was an amazing place to live, play and visit, but it keeps surprising me by getting even better. Think about the Strip. It was just such an iconic part of pre-quake Christchurch, but the Terrace has far surpassed it. That whole riverside area is one of the jewels of the city, and there’s something amazing and new happening there every few months. And then you look at places like High Street, Sydenham, and Merivale. The level of retail and dining available to us some of the best in New Zealand.
What about the rest of the city? We’ve actually been working for a couple of months on a huge suburb-by-suburb guide to Christchurch, which will be up on the Cityscape website this winter. It’s been eye-opening because you kind of know about all these little spots around the city, like taste @ twenty in Cashmere, Sumner Social, Arbour Bar over in Lyttelton, and the He Puna Taimoana Hot Pools in New Brighton, but it’s not until you pull them all together and look at them you realise just how much awesomeness there is all over the place here.
Have you always been a city-watcher like this? I’ve been publishing Cityscape for over a decade now, and obviously that makes me take an interest in what’s going on around town. But I’ve always loved Christchurch and getting under the skin and digging a little bit deeper about what’s happening. The magazine is just an excuse to do more of what I’ve always done.
How did you get into the magazine game? I first joined the company that would become SOMO Creative as a sales rep. We were a pretty tight team and everyone was expected to do a bit of everything, and I loved the production side of making magazines and guides. Back then we did Brown Bear and we did destination-nz.com which we still run. I found myself working more and more with the editorial team helping out with anything I could, and then I had an opportunity to buy the company and I jumped at the opportunity to make the magazine my own.
So what have you seen happening since then? Just the city changing and evolving. Obviously we’ve had the earthquakes and the rebuild which caused a pretty major physical change. There are a lot of pre-quake establishments we really miss, and I can’t wait to see the likes of the Dux de Lux back up and running, but you have to say that 2022 Christchurch is better than 2010 Christchurch in almost every way. And then there’s the cultural shift. We’re a totally different place now, and I think mostly for the better. The average Christchurchian is more sophisticated, and has come to expect more when it comes to hospitality and the city in general. We used to be a bit of a big-night Saturday-hangover-Sunday kind of city, and now you can go out any night of the week and find somewhere with a cool vibe, good drinks, great food, and probably some kind of live entertainment. And just in terms of what you can do here, the Adventure Park is just one example, and we’ve got the whole Ōtākaro-Avon precinct and walks, and more public art than you could shake a stick at. It’s a totally different place.
And are the times a-changing for magazines? Of course. It’s no secret that a lot of print publications have been struggling. For one thing, the printing press that we’ve been using for donkey’s years has closed and we’ve had to move to a new press. But people have been saying “print is dead” ever since blogs were invented back in the ‘90s, and they’ve always been wrong. I really believe in print, and we’re lucky we’ve got a format that really works with Cityscape. We’re a free magazine that fits in handbags and that people really enjoy reading. Our bills are paid by advertisers who believe in our message of championing the city. In saying that, we are always evolving, and I think you’ll see Cityscape change a bit in the months and years to come. The magazine is going to focus more on the premium Christchurch experience, the best the city has to offer. The features we write are more in-depth and focusing on the people doing really unique and amazing things. And we’re really expanding the website. It’s always been great, but we’re making it even better to stay ahead of the times. There’s going to be a lot more live content up on the Cityscape website that may never be released in the magazine. It’s the place you can go for what’s on and what’s new in the city, from a positive and pro-Christchurch perspective that’s a bit different from other news sites.
What’s the best part of publishing a magazine? Easy. Getting to know and share people’s stories.
Is it true you’re having a bit of a career shift? I’ve just finished studying to become a real estate agent. I’m lucky I’ve got a really good team at Cityscape and I can take a little bit of time away to do something new. You’ll see me out and about this winter with Harcourts gold. But no stress, I’m still going to be here looking after the Cityscape fam I’ve been working with for such a long time.
Why real estate? To be honest, it’s another way of getting involved with the city. Homes are such a big part of people’s lives and their stories. Every home sale and purchase has a story attached to it, and I like the idea of playing some small part in those stories.
Where’s your happy place? On a beach in Hawaii. Failing that, sipping an espresso martini, or on the golf course.