1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,720 Speaker 1: Heather dud for see Ellen very sad news through out 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: of the passing of a huge New Zealand icon, Sir 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: Michael Hill now Sir Michael, opened his first jewelry store 4 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy nine. He set himself a goal of 5 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: opening seven stores and seven years and today there are 6 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: more than three hundred stores across Australia, New Zealand and Canada. 7 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Rob Fife is the chair of Michael Hill Hey Rob Hey, 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: Heather Rob very very sad Dave for you guys. Obviously 9 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: he was quite remarkable when you think about it, wasn't. 10 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: He He was incredibly sad. I feel it's left a 11 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: messive hole in my life. And I know, you know 12 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 2: there's many people. I mean, he's a dedicated family man, 13 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 2: and you know, the family of doing it really really 14 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 2: tough at the moment. But he was a truly unique human. 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 2: You know, he opened his first store, as you mentioned, 16 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: you know, when he was forty, so he reinvented himself 17 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 2: as an entrepreneur when many people are already kind of 18 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 2: at the peak of whatever career they're in, and he 19 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,639 Speaker 2: headed off in this direction that it's so driven yet's 20 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 2: so creative, and I think. You know, my wife Sarah 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 2: sunded it up. She's saying to me yesterday. You know, 22 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 2: he was always a student. He never never stopped learning. 23 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 2: And I look at him around the board table at 24 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 2: Michael Hill. He was always the most open minded, the 25 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 2: one that was the most curious around new ideas. He 26 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 2: never had that mindset of I've done it all, I've 27 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 2: kind of I know all the answers. He's always looking 28 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 2: for new ideas. Truly truly inspiring human. 29 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: Does his absence change the way that the company will run, 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: all the direction that the company will take? 31 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: No, No, not at all. In fact, kind of quite 32 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 2: the opposite. In many ways, he touched so many of 33 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 2: the three thousand odd people we have a Michael Hill 34 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 2: truly feel like that part of his extended family. And 35 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 2: I think the motivation to do justice to his legacy 36 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 2: and what he stood for in his vision for jewelry. 37 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 2: I mean when Michael started, I remember my parents. You know, 38 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 2: jewelry was something that mum had a pair of ear 39 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 2: rings and maybe a necklace and a wedding ring and 40 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,239 Speaker 2: an engagement ring, and you know that that was kind 41 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 2: of it. And he brought jewelry and made it accessible 42 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 2: to everyday people. And you know, he changed, he changed 43 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 2: what jewelry meant for so many people in New Zealand 44 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,239 Speaker 2: and then Australia and then Canada. And he had a 45 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 2: vision that no one had back in those days. It's 46 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: remarkable what he's achieved. And that's you know, what he's 47 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 2: achieved with the violin competition, what he achieved with his 48 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: golf course. I mean, whatever he turned his mind to, 49 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 2: he bought a vision, a creativity, a sense of aesthetic 50 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 2: and design. Well an he touched so many people's books. 51 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 2: You know, I'm getting messages from people I don't know 52 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 2: saying that you know, they read Michael's book and that 53 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 2: inspired their direction in life and so on. It's a phenomenal, 54 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:19,959 Speaker 2: phenomenal man. 55 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: Rob, thank you for having a chat to us. Go 56 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: while getting home for the funeral. That's Rob Fife, Michael 57 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: Hill's chair. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen 58 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,119 Speaker 1: live to news Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 59 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.