When it came to life, nobody did it quite like Sir Michael Hill. The iconic Kiwi – who shot to fame 40 years ago with his “Hello, Michael Hill, Jeweller” TV ads – lost his battle with cancer on July 29, aged 86.
A rocky start to life
Life didn’t start easily for him – he was bullied at school and after his teenage dreams of becoming a concert violinist came to nothing. His family demanded he change course “and get a real job”.
He went to work for his uncle’s Whanga¯rei jewellery store, firmly believing he had no potential to succeed at anything.
It was while working there that Michael met his future wife, Lady Christine, who was in New Zealand “on an adventure” after packing up her life in England. Shortly afterwards, they were engaged and
a month later married in a Paihia church.
After a quick honeymoon, Michael went back to the jewellery shop and Christine taught art at a local high school.
The first Michael Hill store opened in 1979. The year their home, where they lived with their two young children, Mark and Emma, burned to the ground. The experience made the couple determined to succeed, and now there are Michael Hill Jeweller stores across New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
Knighted in 2011, Michael lived by three golden rules: Be yourself, trust your natural instincts and don’t copy others.
Love, laughter and family
Christine, who was an integral part of the business’ success, told the Weekly in 2015, “How come we’re fortunate to have all the things we have? I think it’s to do with the fact we’ve done it all together.”
They shared a love of the outdoors, art and doting on their children and grandchildren. It also helped that Christine balanced out Michael.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons why I love him,” she said.
“His wild enthusiasm is fantastic. And he makes me laugh so much.”
As they reflected on their 50th wedding anniversary a decade ago, Michael said, “Do you know what the most satisfying thing is? Living here, in paradise on Earth, with the kids and grandchildren all around. How lucky can you get?”
