Sir Michael Hill … jeweller, jokester, visionary, violinist

Saturday, 2 August 2025

Born December 23, 1938; died July 29, 2025

OBITUARY: It’s a household name … Michael Hill, jeweller.

But wait, there’s more. Michael Hill, fun-seeker. Michael Hill, prankster. Michael Hill, golfer, businessman, philanthropist and violinist.

Sir Michael Hill died this week of cancer aged 86, leaving a legacy that spanned business, sport, culture and charity — along with one of New Zealand’s most recognisable (and most divisive) television ads.

“Michael Hill … jeweller”, which featured the bespectacled entrepreneur, was widely disliked but it was a winner, with a remarkable 92% of those who saw it recalling the brand.

His ads were a brave and astute move typical of the man, Michael Hill Jeweller chairperson Rob Fyfe says.

He speaks of “the courage that it took to do something so quirky and so far out of the norm and so far from what anyone else was doing”.

At school in Whangārei, Hill was passionate about the violin, and bullied.

“That's not what the cool kids at school are doing, he never was afraid to chart his own course in life,” Fyfe says.

“He had this deep sense of purpose and this deep sense of belief and his vision and his ideas but at the same time was constantly looking to learn from everyone around him.

“He's a unique human. He's a fabulous combination of creativity, sense of design, sense of purpose … he never stopped setting goals

“He never stopped trying to learn new ideas and new tricks.”

Hill used his TV presence to go from opening his first store in Whangārei in 1979 at 40 to 287 stores across New Zealand, Australia and Canada, with the headquarters in Brisbane.

In 1964, while working in the store, Hill met Christine Roe, an Englishwoman who taught art at a local high school. They married in 1965 and had Mark (born 1969) and Emma (born 1971). In 2015, Emma succeeded him as chair.

He was a master of visual merchandising, winning international awards for his window displays, with that flare translating to his personal life.

Even his choices of house colour made ripples. Pink?

In 1995, Queenstown Lakes District Council tried to force Hill to repaint his home overlooking Lake Hayes, saying the colour contravened its building consent. He was told to pick grey, green or brown.

After months of negotiation, part of the house facing Lake Hayes was painted grey and landscaping was designed to largely block out neighbours' views, the French Pink covering the remainder.

Two years later, the house won a colour award in an architecture competition. In 2005, the pink was painted over - in a colour he described as 'greeny khaki'.

There was no pressure to change the colour 'Things just change. Life moves on.'

Even as he rocketed from modest Whangārei jeweller to the rich list, “having fun” remained a core value, says Queenstown golf professional and long-time friend Allan McKay.

Hill created the internationally regarded “The Hills” golf course near Arrowtown. He and his wife Christine fell in love with the Arrowtown area during a holiday in the 80s, purchased a few acres of farmland.

Over the next three decades, they gradually acquired surrounding farmland. Hill was drawn to the perpetual challenge of golf, so he built a putting green in his front garden, then expanded it with tees and bunkers to form several par three holes.

Out of that The Hills grew. In January, he had his first hole-in-one.To highlight his other passion, he founded the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.

McKay met Hill when he joined The Hills for golfing solace, a break from work at Millbrook, where he was the pro. They hit it off, with enthusiastic tours of the jeweller’s course, home and future plans.

“He came across as quirky, but he had to have massive fun in what he did,” McKay says.

“Everyone was called my boy … `oh, that's a good idea, my boy’. He had to see the funny side, or try to see the funny side of most things.“

He was also a prolific cartoonist, putting out a book of cartoons in 2019, and doing weekly cartoons for Queenstown’s Mountain Scene newspaper.

McKay says The Hills clubhouse (which is partially underground, and has a grass roof) was full of photographs and cartoons that “take a little bit of mickey” such as resource consent for divots - when a golf club makes a hole in the ground.

“He is a massive loss to New Zealand, not just the golfing community, but to the inspiration to do things differently,” McKay says.

While Hill was a businessman, for him there had to be more. Like fun. The Hills is dotted with sculptures, with bunker houses being built into its grassy folds.

And as The Hills hosted the New Zealand Open with its international professionals and prestigious guests, Hill would be there wildly dressed, or clad in greenkeeper’s working clothes. You never knew, McKay says.

“He could take it and give it out. He was a phenomenally successful human being. Everybody says, Oh, he was good at this, he was good at all that’.

“He was just such a neat guy. A guy who would join in. He took advice readily and gave it out readily, and just always there to help.”

New Zealand Open chairperson John Hart credited Hill with “crucial” help in growing the Queenstown tournament, using a ProAm formula.

He was both businessman and golf traditionalist, yet happy to innovate, Hart said calling him “a great visionary in business and sport”.

'He was someone who wanted to do things differently and that clicked with me because we were trying to create something different.'

Hill went into business on his own after the family home In Whangārei burned down in 1977. He wanted to buy his uncle’s store where he had worked, but struck out on his own when that was ruled out.

In 2002, Hill closed that store. It was a business decision, not a heart decision. He opened a new larger store just over the road in Cameron Street.

“It's exciting because it's progress ‒ and if you aren't progressing, you are going backward,” he said. As he got older, he realised more and more that “we must accept constant change, rather than being all nostalgic”.

He set out to make a jewellery shop that was accessible in every way.

“It was a radical concept, because in those days jewellery shops tended to be terribly daunting, with ladies with teased hair being very proper … we really broke the mould by getting rid of the formal approach, and designing the shop in a way that meant we were practically selling jewellery on the street,” he said.

Christine Hill recalled designing the company logo while out on a friend's yacht ‒ “and it became so recognisable that we have never been able to get rid of it”.

Chris Wilkinson, managing director of retail consultancy First Retail, during the week called the news “dreadfully sad”.

Hill’s store concept was a significant departure from common retail practices at the time the company was established, he said.

Traditional jewellery stores had a wide range of products, and were often simply functional.

“Michael Hill transformed it by refining the store formula and concentrating the product range, minimising the amount of merchandising area,” Wilkinson said.

“He also saw the importance of creating theatre in retail … Stores became places of beauty and attraction.”

Although he didn't fulfil his youthful dream of becoming a concert violinist, Hill held a strong love for the violin his whole life and continued to play, at times performing in public.

In 2001 he founded the biennial Michael Hill International Violin Competition 'for emerging young violinists.

Joseph Lin (Taiwan/USA), won the inaugural competition. He is now on the violin and chamber music faculty of the Juilliard School in New York City.

Upon the news of his death, all 11 winners of the competition paid tribute to their mentor with an online rendition of Bach's Chaconne in D minor, the final movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita No. 2 for solo violin.

The piece is often interpreted as a meditation on grief and loss, thought to reflect Bach's mourning after the death of his first wife, Maria Barbara.

“The winners created this video as a tribute to Sir Michael who played a significant role in their lives and careers … a remarkable coming-together of some of the now most respected violinists in the world,” a competition release says.

“He was a true artist, with a keen eye for aesthetics and beauty, and an uncompromising standard of excellence.”

A committed amateur violinist, Hill practised solo Bach when his schedule allowed. He also appeared in concerts.

“His loss will be felt as much for the strong and practical advice he infused in hundreds of musicians by candidly sharing his own life lessons regarding the importance of goal setting, resilience, and the balance of being laser-focused yet not sweating the small stuff,” the release says.

“He taught us to dream big, set a long-term goal, and work very hard with imagination and open heartedness towards that goal every day.”

Plans were well-advanced for the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, being held in Queenstown and Auckland in May and June.

In Arrowtown, there are plans also for a farewell tournament at The Hills. The club, which is managed by Rob Selley, messaged members to announce the death, calling Hill a visionary, entrepreneur, philanthropist and devoted father and husband.

“From the inception of The Hills, Michael dedicated himself to creating an experience that reflected his love for people, the game of golf, and the natural beauty of the Arrowtown surroundings,” the message says.

“His unwavering commitment to excellence shaped The Hills into a highly sought-after golfing destination and his appreciation for creativity and design, evident in the architecture and sculptures displayed around the course, made the Club truly unique.

“Michael was admired for many wonderful qualities, but in relation to The Hills Golf Club, it was his generosity, infectious enthusiasm, and spontaneity that earned him the love and admiration of those around him.

“His presence around the Club was always uplifting and provided a palpable sense of positivity. His vision and passion for The Hills will continue to be its ‘true north’, and his dedication to the protection and enhancement of this land, and the community spirit he fostered on it, will be his legacy.”

It ended with a quote attributed to Hill himself.

“Live every day as it was going to be your last, for one day you’re sure to be right.”

Sir Michael Hill, businessman and philanthropist was born in Whangārei on December 23, 1938. He died in Arrowtown on July 29, 2025, aged 86, after being diagnosed with cancer.