Webstar Magazine Media Awards Winners 2022

WEBSTAR SUPREME MAGAZINE

New Zealand Geographic

Judges words

This is what a modern magazine brand looks like. 
NZ Geographic continues to break new ground in multi-channel audience reach and inventive new commercial projects. Bridging the divide between curiosity and hard news, the judges particularly love the fact the title over-indexes with hard-to-reach young readers, which really emphasises the brand’s impact throughout Aotearoa.
With subscription numbers higher than a decade ago, revenue growth year-on-year, and new content collaborations forming every year, it was clear to the judges that NZ Geographic was the stand out amongst the 2022 awards entrants.

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BEST COVER CONSUMER SPECIAL INTEREST, CURRENT AFFAIRS, BUSINESS AND TRADE

Winner

Viva Magazine

Judges’ comments

The judges were impressed with the diverse range of entries.  The winning entry had so many layers to it and was incredibly considered. The Typography is beautifully handled with the red coat really popping. Overall, an impressive result!

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BEST JOURNALIST- CONSUMER SPECIAL INTEREST, CURRENT AFFAIRS, BUSINESS AND TRADE

Winner

Kate Evans

Judges’ comments

Kate Evans brings both craft and science to her work. Judges were impressed by her focused pursuit of specific topics, such as oceans, and the way she linked each story to a wider ecological narrative

NZ POST BEST EDITOR CONSUMER SPECIAL INTEREST, CURRENT AFFAIRS, BUSINESS AND TRADE

Winner

Alistair Hall

Judges’ comments

Alistair Hall is clearly an editor in tune with his target audience. He has consistently demonstrated an ability to anticipate the content that will engage passionate lovers of the outdoors, as well as a flair for innovative real-world activations. He's able to balance his editorial and commercial responsibilities successfully too, achieving growth in both subscriptions and revenue over the entry period as well as delivering new revenue streams for the Wilderness brand. The judges felt his voice, vision and genuine passion for the outdoor life shone through on every page of this title, and are a key factor that help this potentially specialist magazine punch so far above its weight. 

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BEST COLUMNIST/BLOGGER

Winner:

Sam Tyson, NZ Plumber

 Judges’ comment:

Sam has a robust style. She hits the ground running and proves that when you have confidence, expertise and something to say, any subject can be made engaging. Honest, compelling and useful; very few specialist business columns offer this sort of practical no-nonsense advice. They're refreshingly concrete and positive in a world of vague, well-meaning wittering.

BEST DESIGNER/DESIGN TEAM

Winner

Sacha Wackrow – NZ House & Garden

Judges’ comments

NZ House & Garden is a beautiful and thoughtfully designed monthly magazine, redesigned this year with a contemporary, light and sophisticated look. Sacha's elegant typography and presentation of photography surprise and excite the eye, drawing interest to every page. Her focus is on readability with personality, and the choice of headline font, used playfully throughout, is a standout design element. The chic restrained use of black-on-white type with pops of bright colour also allows the carefully curated photography to shine. Sacha creates mood boards and colour palettes for each issue that give direction and inspiration to contributing photographers and stylists, guaranteeing a consistent, premium-quality feel. Each home feature is presented in a unique way, with spacious layouts centred on the imagery – the pages sing, making the magazine a joy to sit down with and read. The judges loved the use of spot fluoro – a sudden injection of crisp energy, to the sophistication of the October 21 cover.

BEST BRAND EVENT

Winner

The Ensemble Edit

Judges’ comments

This entry was a stand out in the category for a number of reasons, but particularly as an innovative concept that embraced the new normal we all find ourselves in as publishers. 

 The Ensemble team demonstrated impressive agility to pivot when an external event was unexpectedly cancelled, using that opportunity to step up and create an event of their own.  In doing so they reinforced the brand attributes across the Stuff portfolio, engaged audiences across multiple platforms with an impressive depth and breadth of content, and secured sponsor partners to boot!  This entry delivered on robust results and the wow factor that made it a winning entry.

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BEST DIGITAL BRAND

Winner

Ensemble

Judges’ comments

Ensemble have gone from small beginnings to being heard on a global stage. Their strong brand identity allows them to address even the most polarising topics – while their digital-first mindset has delivered engaging online experiences, with stats that speak for themselves. Nice work.

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER

Winner

Richard Robinson

Judges’ comments

The judges were impressed by his innovative approach to problem solving including building his own equipment with a set up that allowed him to replicate a birds’ vision. He showed an excellent range of ability, showcasing marine, macro and birdlife in his entry. A very well-deserved win.

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BEST REGIONAL MAGAZINE

Winner

Capital Magazine

Judges’ comments

The judges felt that Capital Magazine represents the kind of city Wellington wants to be: Curated and well designed.  Eclectic but inclusive.

Capital handles the challenge of small space advertising sensitively, and brand extensions and collaborations are relevant and innovative. We encourage other magazines to consider Capital’s aesthetic approach.

The judges commend the Capital team and congratulate them on creating a lean back read that will leave readers satisfied and inspired.

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BEST CUSTOM MAGAZINE

Winner

Bunnings New Zealand

Judges’ comments

Successful custom magazines need to both engage their audience and deliver on marketing objectives for their clients. Bunnings New Zealand does both exceptionally well with content that is always useful and inspiring while delivering an impressive return to Bunnings and its partners. A worthy winner in a hotly-contested category.

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WEBSTAR BEST MAGAZINE HOME, FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND MASS MARKET

Winner

Dish

Judges’ comments

Dish has maintained its strong performance of the last few years, achieving outstanding commercial results which suggest this title is delivering exactly what its audience is looking for. Clever brand extensions, a cross platform approach and strong retail, subscription and advertising growth all contributed to make this a standout entry in what was an incredibly competitive field.

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BEST COVER HOME, FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND MASS MARKET

Winner

New Zealand Gardener

Judges’ comments

“This cover zinged. It’s high-energy, simply and powerfully executed, and spot-on for a period where Covid-trapped Kiwis were tuning into their vege gardens. Strong sales reflect the fact it was a stand-out at newsstand.”

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BEST JOURNALIST - HOME, FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND MASS MARKET

Winner

Claire Finlayson

Judges’ comments

Claire excels at engaging and entertaining her readers.  She tells anecdotes well, is alert to the details about people and places that make them come alive and has a real mastery of language.  She is a writer at the top of her game.

BEST COVER NON NEWSSTAND

Winner

Country Wide Beef

Judges’ comments

“the judges were pleased to see a diverse range of entrants. The winning cover was intriguing, graphically striking and underpinned by a strong idea”

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BEST ADVERTISING SOLUTION

Winner

Viva – Drives

Judges comments

“Despite a disappointing number of entries, Viva is a deserved winner for a creatively strong print execution”

AND 

“We know there is much more outstanding commercial work being undertaken by publishers on behalf of agencies and clients. We encourage publishers to better reflect the strength of the magazine category by investing in entries in 2023”   

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WEBSTAR BEST TRADE MAGAZINE

Winner

New Zealand Marketing Magazine

Judges’ comments

The entrants of 2022 Trade Magazine of the Year demonstrated how engaging an industry-focused magazine can be. While all of them connected well with their sector, New Zealand  Marketing did so with particular flair. The print product elegantly combines compelling editorial with integrated content and is the cornerstone of a brand with a strong portfolio across web, social and events. It’s everything a trade magazine should be.

A special mention also for EG magazine—a classy title that frames the biggest issues of our time as engineering problems to solve, it’s accessible and smart.

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Winner

David Hall

Judges’ comments

 David enjoyed a long and successful publishing career in New Zealand. He was instrumental in forming the Magazine Publishers Association and has been a serial entrepreneur, launching new titles and finding ways to reach new audiences for the entirety of his 50+ year career in the industry.

After leaving school in England David attended Harper Adams Agricultural College where he studied Animal Husbandry with a view to one day perhaps becoming a farmer. After leaving college he worked for several years as a farming reporter on the local Worcestershire newspaper where he worked until 1966. To fulfil his ambition to travel he applied for jobs in New Zealand and Australia and was offered a position as staff writer for the NZ Farmer magazine – then a publication of the Auckland Star family.

In 1970, he moved to Wellington to take up a position with Mobil Oil to edit their “in-house” magazine. It was not long after that he had a desire to publish his own magazines and so began his publishing adventure.

He started David Hall Publishing in Wellington around 1977 and called it that because he was quite well known then.

First came NZ Motoring then NZ Caravan & Camping and NZ Motorcycle News – followed by “Alive”, his first venture into outdoor activities, and NZ Holiday.

After returning to Auckland to live around 1985, David changed the company name to Lifestyle Publishing because he thought that name better suited what he was doing and he added two more titles to his belt: Trade News (Building Industry) and Radiator (Motor Trades Association). He then started NZ Windsurfer and NZ Surfing magazines which he published for many years.

As staff members came and went over the years, some of these titles were sold or closed down. In 1991 David was looking for a new venture, identified a gap in the market and Wilderness magazine was born. While other small titles have come and gone, Wilderness has gone from strength to strength, growing steadily ever since.

David, and his wife Adele, were instrumental in setting up the MPA, along with several other small publishers – John Minto was one, Robin Beckett (we think) was another – the people who published Metro and More magazine were there. Only about 12 or 14 altogether, we think and that included the wives so not many publishers. The whole idea of the MPA then was to give some clout to small publishers as the big mags – Woman’s Weekly etc had more power when it came to dealing with Gordon&Gotch and NZ Post because they had the majority of the market sales-wise. The association was initially only for small publishers and was intended to form a stronger negotiating position to get better postage rates for subscriber mailings from New Zealand Post. Only much later did the big publishers get involved.

David never stopped looking for new titles to get involved with. He picked up NZ Outside in the early 2000s and then Alfresco magazine, a garden design publication. In late 2009, he launched a dog title, fetch!. All through his career he has been a strong advocate for publishers in New Zealand. He has worked tirelessly to produce countless issues and titles He may no longer be running the show, but as Wilderness magazine’s copy editor he’s found a way to still be involved, even in retirement.

See the video here David Hall Lifetime achievement

WEBSTAR BEST MAGAZINE CONSUMER SPECIAL INTEREST, CURRENT AFFAIRS, BUSINESS

Winner

New Zealand Geographic

Judges’ comments

The New Zealand Geographic magazine, brand and business continues to evolve and adapt to the modern magazine and media environment. Huge audience reach, cut-through with hard-to-reach young readers, and multiple new projects in production, ensure New Zealand Geographic is an ongoing inspiration to readers and our industry alike. The judges urge publishers to take note of New Zealand Geographic’s adaptive and innovative approach to media.

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NZ POST - BEST EDITOR, HOME, FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND MASS MARKET

Winner

 Simon Farrell Green

Judges’ comments

Out of a dark period for New Zealand magazines, Simon has created from scratch something that is not only commercially successful and true to an innovative vision, but also a very fine thing to hold in your hands and spend time with. Fourteen issues on and going strong, it's clear that he remains at the heart of everything Here does.

NZ POST - SUPREME EDITOR

Winner

Alistair Hall

Judges’ comments

Alistair Hall is clearly an editor in tune with his target audience. He has consistently demonstrated an ability to anticipate the content that will engage passionate lovers of the outdoors, as well as a flair for innovative real-world activations. He's able to balance his editorial and commercial responsibilities successfully too, achieving growth in both subscriptions and revenue over the entry period as well as delivering new revenue streams for the Wilderness brand. The judges felt his voice, vision and genuine passion for the outdoor life shone through on every page of this title, and are a key factor that help this potentially specialist magazine punch so far above its weight.