Maggie Wicks is a Food Editor and Writer for New Zealand's Herald.
My first role in media was as the editorial assistant to the New Zealand Herald in 2001, while I was still studying towards becoming a journalist. I answered phones, ran errands, and trawled online forums for stories, but my favourite part of the role was being sent down to the central library to look up old stories on microfiche (how can I get that job back?). After graduating I came up through community newspapers, and then magazines with roles at Metro, North & South, before moving to the UK in 2006. I’ve always gravitated towards lifestyle content – over 12 years in London I held senior roles at ASOS, Net-a-Porter and British Elle magazine, as well as property and lifestyle titles such as IKEA’s in-house magazine, and as a hotel reviewer for The Telegraph - an absolute dream job. Food and travel (particularly when combined) are my true passions, so it’s been a pleasure to explore these topics further since returning to New Zealand and the Herald in 2020. I love meeting people, getting to know them and being able to tell their stories, and shouting about the awesome work they are doing. In the past few years, with travel and hospitality so hard hit by the pandemic, this has been particularly important to me, and it’s been very satisfying to play a part in helping NZ industries back on their feet.