Fairly conservative, nothing too attention-seeking (I hope). [She says while wearing bright pink glasses from Zenni Optical with matching lipstick and a denim
BCBGMaxazria jacket from Second to None.]
Who are your favourite designers and shops for work attire?
Pretty much anything from Smith & Caughey's for quality; Shoshamma of Chancery because Sue Howard always gets it right and we're lucky to have such a talented New Zealand designer living here; the clever Caroline Sills of Devonport, particularly her Calliope and the wee factory shop tucked around the corner in Clarence St; Jane Daniels of Parnell for contemporary style with a twist and a knockout annual sale;
Trelise Cooper's outlet store in Ponsonby and her utterly scrum-like head office sale; Max, Marcs, David Lawrence, Country Road and Just Jeans for good prices and quality styles, often with good fabrics; Ziera, then Ponsonby's Step Inn Shoes; many second-handers like Tatty's of High St, Sweetie in Remuera, Ute Bohnert's Emporio U in High St, Ponsonby's Encore and Second to None in Newmarket.
What does your job as property editor entail?
I cover NZX listed property trusts and companies, Fletcher Building, commercial, retail and industrial property deals and new developments, real estate statistics like those issued by QV, REINZ and Barfoot & Thompson, iwi accounts, planning and insurance. I write mainly for the Business Herald and have a page every Tuesday, Property Matters, but I've also been working on a series of videos lately, "Meet the CEO".
Is it hard to dress creatively in a business-oriented, male-dominated department?
Poor blokes, eh? Wearing pretty much the same thing day after day, although a former male colleague once wore outlandishly stylish things for a feature. That was exciting, for the short duration of the experiment. As for being creative, I'm not; it's the designers. Maybe some labels should be on the outside? I did sew some of my own linen things last summer but then in February, I recycled most of my wardrobe (eliminated black) then a few months later regretted it bitterly and shamefacedly hunted through SaveMart at Northcote and New Lynn. I didn't find a single thing.
How long have you been property editor and where were you before this?
I've been at the Herald since 2000. Before that I was raising our sons Campbell and Oliver, making regular use of the beach at one end of our street and thinking about joining the Waitemata Golf Club at the other end. The golfing thing didn't quite work out because Rod Oram invited me to apply for this job. I said I'd stay for a year. It's been a long year. Before this, I established the National Business Review's property section in the mid-80s and was at home for eight years, helping out at Narrow Neck Playcentre.
The best and worst aspects of your job?
The excitement and rush of news remains with me, after starting in newspapers in the late 70s. The idea of getting a story then seeing it published is energising and satisfying. Online is a more condensed, immediate rush. The male-dominated nature of property investment and development is changing only very slowly, although some of the top RMA lawyers are women. Angela Bull of Foodstuffs (North Island) and Fiona Shilton of The Warehouse run property development for those businesses.
Do you dress differently outside work?
Favourites now are Just Jeans' super skinny Riders, Dick Frizzell's black Tiki to Mickey Tu Meke T-shirt from Te Papa (or Trelise Cooper's unisex poppy T-shirt from the Christchurch RSA - order one, $39.95, funds go to the RSA), muddy navy Converse All Star sneakers and a second-hand BCBGMaxazria jacket from Second to None, Kingdon St in Newmarket.
What would you wear to work if money was no object?
Same. Buy New Zealand!
- VIVA
