By SCOTT MacLEOD
Finlay Macdonald has resigned as editor of the New Zealand Listener after five years in the role.
Macdonald told the magazine's staff early yesterday that he would leave on January 30.
A few hours later he boarded a "purely coincidental" flight to Fiji, where he will relax until Tuesday.
Macdonald said there was a "burnout factor" with being an editor of a weekly publication because of relentless pressures, and he had "come to the end of my run".
He was keen to earn some money, and was considering options about what to do next. He expected people both inside and outside the magazine to apply for his job.
Macdonald said he was proud of the talented people he worked with, and felt like an orchestra conductor whose role it was to bring out the best in others.
British-born Macdonald has worked for Metro magazine, freelanced, and written for television, including documentaries, serial drama and comedy.
He has two children and is married to TV3 presenter Carol Hirschfeld.
The Listener's circulation has dropped during Macdonald's tenure from 90,018 in February 1999 to its current Audit Bureau of Circulation figure of 76,171 in an increasingly tough magazine market.
Macdonald said the circulation drop had stabilised and subscription numbers were growing.
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