1979: Michael Hill Jeweller

July 29, 2025

By AHNZ

Michael Hill (1938-2025) was a Silent Generation New Zealander famous for his chain of about 300 jewelry shops around New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

The first outlet was in Hill’s home town of Whangarei in 1979. Auckland, Hastings, Palmerston North, Hamilton and Lower Hutt followed. The South Island kicked off in 1987 at Christchurch. Ref. Press (1987,) Papers Past

Hill worked his way up in the family jewelry business to the very top thanks to his marketing ability. Unlike other New Zealand outlets this one had its own manufacturing arm which must have provided some independence that competitors did not enjoy. Hill has been a famous face for generations thanks to his TV adverts. Lately the New Zealand side of the business has suffered due to theft including Ram Raid style smash-and-grabs.

I once hitched a ride with a lady in Brisbane who had worked in the jewelry industry and convinced me it was a heavily protected market. So, Hill wasn’t just an entrepreneur but apparently someone who managed to win at that game here. At least, until these last few years. Having The State to outsource security to part of what allowed the franchise to succeed; Having to meet those capital expenses themselves has been killing the business and probably contributed to Hill’s stress and demise.

It would be very interesting to know the true history of this industry. Who ran the show before Hill? How did he take it and keep it? Was it a clean fight? Was Hill a little bit “mad” like Peter Leitch who did the same thing (for less time) in the butchery industry? When and why did The State stop protecting Hill’s New Zealand jewellery shops? This is not a history the mainstream is going to tell or even questions that will be asked.

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Image ref. VHS capture c.1997, AHNZ Archives

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