As unlikely as it may seem to find a glossy magazine produced out the back of beyond, that’s exactly what comes out of Ruapuke every second month as editor and owner Michael Andrew publishes the latest issue of his nationally circulating ‘On the Land’.
The typically 100-page publication is dedicated to celebrating people living off the land, from gardeners and farmers to artisans and lifestylers. They get to share their inspiring stories, know-how and wisdom on growing food, living resiliently and regenerating the land in Aotearoa.
They’re people stories not dissimilar to those often featured on TV’s ‘Country Calendar’, only in print.
For Michael, who bought the magazine a few years ago and his own lifestyle block in Ruapuke not long before that, it’s like having a running encyclopedia on hand as he “learns to tend my own land.“
He’d turned his back on journalism and city life in Auckland to live remotely in Ruapuke on two-and-a-half acres of rolling paddocks with 360-degree views, but then wondered what next.
As it happened ‘NZ Lifestyle Block’ magazine came up for grabs so Michael seized the opportunity to become its new owner and editor, changing its name to ‘On the Land’ to broaden readership.
At the same time he started “squirreling away” ideas from the very stories he was editing and publishing.
Two years on from turning townie to lifestyler he has a new solar, off-grid house for his young family, sustainable systems in place on the property and – with each new issue – a growing wealth of knowledge at his fingertips.
And he’s adamant he can never go back to urban living – that connection with the landscape having improved Michael’s quality of life ”dramatically”.
It’s peaceful, he can hear the ocean, is “enchanted” by the view whether it be mountain and ocean or simply horses grazing nearby, and the rustic Ruapuke vineyard next door.
“It’s a spectacle we wake up to every morning,” says Michael, gratefully.
But country living aside, this 37 year old now wants to take his bimonthly magazine to the next level and is currently running a PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign to secure its future with a $40,000 minimum target.
“I had very little working capital at the outset,” he admits, “and ‘On the Land’ has always been lean financially.”
Michael is set on growing ‘On the Land’ to have the resources to attract more subscribers and financial partners. He can then continue sharing inspirational stories produced by talented photographers and writers, he says.
“There are so many amazing stories here and in the Waikato,” he adds, pointing to his next issue featuring local wellness retreat Pumula, established recently on land “no-one really wanted”.
These are the kinds of stories that inspire him to keep the print publication alive – amid the growing onslaught of digital media – and take it forward, focusing on “slow reads and sage advice written on paper, by people, for people”.
by Edith Symes
https://pledgeme.co.nz/projects/8907-help-on-the-land-survive-and-thrive-into-the-future
