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School Road Publishing was established in New Zealand in August 2020 and just a few months later, the group has launched four brand new magazines into the market: WOMAN, Haven, Thrive and Scout.
Back in April, New Zealand’s magazine industry was devastated when the country went into stage 4 lockdown and Bauer decided to close all of its 17 titles as it finalised its Trans-Tasman merger. Titles closed included many of the biggest brands in the country such as New Zealand Women’s Weekly, Your Home and Garden, NZ Listener, North & South, Woman’s Day NZ and more.
Award winning editor and new Group Publisher of School Road Publishing, Sido Kitchin sensed an opportunity,
“New Zealand women have always loved their magazines and with the closure of so many titles this year, I could see there was a gap in the market for local magazines that resonate with women today. “
The School Road Publishing endeavor shows great faith in the demand for magazines and may show why being free of traditional, big media businesses, and their cultures, is important for reinvigorating the medium, including launching titles with a more contemporary editorial mix that connect with today’s readers.
The concepts behind the four new titles are distinctly refreshing and locally focused.
Kitchin describes WOMAN as, “Where real Kiwi women can connect through the power of shared stories and experiences. It’s a place where all Kiwi women will see themselves reflected and know they belong.”
Kitchin says the feedback they’ve received for WOMAN has been positive, “They (also) like that we've talked to everyday Kiwis, like nurses and mental health workers, alongside well-known women. But the thing I've had the most response to is the diversity in the pages and the te reo column and words throughout the magazine.”
Key content areas in the magazine include NZ women’s stories, Culture, Food, Health & Wellbeing, Parenting, Home & Garden, Fashion & Beauty, Te Reo, Books, Entertainment, Puzzles, Columnists and more.
When asked about how Haven magazine Editor Vanessa Marshall said,
“We want to champion everything that makes a house a home — inviting spaces, colourful people, delicious food, lush gardens and homes with heart.
“My aim is that what you will find once you look inside the pages of Haven is a reflection of the diversity we have in this beautiful country of ours.”
Apart from a broad-range of local homes, Haven will provide practical design advice, DIY tricks, decoration inspiration, expert gardening tips and feature talented makers, food ideas, floral tutorials and the latest homewares.
Thrive magazine, launched 9 November 2020, is about wellness, nurturing yourself and others, living sustainably and getting back to basics. It’s a reflection of the growing interest in the environment and sustainability and personal development and wellbeing.
And the last newcomer, Scout magazine, launched 23 November 2020, is set to become the go-to domestic travel magazine for New Zealanders with a fresh approach to exploring your own backyard from nooks and crannies to some of the world’s most breathtaking vistas and destinations.
Early signs are the new titles are striking the right chord in the community.
WOMAN needed a second print run after its launch and the title is already in the top 5 biggest selling titles overall on isubscribe.co.nz, overtaking stalwart titles such as Kiwi Gardener, NZ Listener, NZ Geographic and Reader’s Digest.
Haven was launched 26 October 2020 and has already secured over 5.5% of all home and garden subscriptions to date. Asked whether the new magazine brands were responding to new attitudes and mindsets in the community instigated by COVID-19 or the pandemic just accelerated an already emerging trend, Kitchin responded,
“I felt that New Zealand women had definitely re-evaluated their priorities this year after Covid-19 hit and the lockdowns, and I didn't think we shouldn't be talking to readers in the same way we did a year ago, as though their world hadn't changed. That was a gut feeling, but prior to launch we surveyed 750 Kiwi women who validated that, with 9/10 saying their priorities had definitely shifted in terms of their homes, family, careers, finances and wellbeing.”
If School Road Publishing’s early signs of success continue to build in the forthcoming years, it should be a great source of inspiration and celebration for the industry more broadly, particularly after such a tumultuous period in 2020.