Meet Our Team

Publisher
ROB LAHOOD
(Auckland)
Rob has spent his working life in newspapers and magazines, including The Harrow Observer and The Times of London. At 23, he was editor of Auckland biggest suburban newspaper then a senior reporter for Sunday News before launching his first magazine. He owned and operated a variety of magazines before acquiring Weekend Gardener which won the MPA ‘Relaunch of the Year’ award in 2001. Interests are scuba diving, boating, squash, tennis and the outdoors.

EDITOR
Susie Longdell
Susie worked as a journalist on daily and weekly newspapers before taking time out to train and practice as a landscape designer. She went on to run her own Hamilton garden centre and then co-manage a garden tourism business before returning to full-time journalism. Her interests besides gardening are interior design, sheep breeding, photography, tennis and Tai chi.

Office manager
BARBARA SMITH
(Auckland)
Barbara has a science degree and has worked in teaching and university administration. After raising a family she started work at Weekend Gardener where she manages the office, manages the classified advertising and attends gardening shows around the country. Her interests are gardening, reading, photography, crosswords, mosaics and craft projects.

Sub-editor
MIKE GOWING
(Auckland)
Mike has been with the magazine since 2001, bringing with him 30 years’ experience in journalism and a keen interest in horticulture and agriculture. As well as working for radio and newspapers, including the Auckland Star, Mike had a 10-year editorial association with New Zealand Sport Monthly. As a freelance editor he has worked on various books and publications. Interests include print design and photography.

Advertising manager
CHRIS DANZEY
(Auckland)
After a career as a schoolteacher, Chris worked for a wide range of trade publications as well as consumer titles. He joined Weekend Gardener shortly after its relaunch in 2001. Chris loves reading and is an avid armchair sports fan.

Designer
GEOFF FITZPATRICK
(Auckland)
Geoff is another who joined Weekend Gardener in 2001 under the present publisher. Geoff started his his association with publishing working as a platemaker before moving to graphic design. As a contractor he now runs his own design company, Fitzigraffix, and is senior designer for the iconic music magazine, Musician.

Assistant designer
CHRIS LAHOOD
(Auckland)
After studying at Victoria University and UNITEC, Chris graduated Bachelor of Visual Arts. He worked for Blue Skies Advertising and now assists in the make up of ads and promotions. Chris has a special interest in logo and company collateral design. He is a keen skier and enjoys running to keep fit

Webmaster
JO COUCHMAN
(Auckland)
Jo designed the first Weekend Gardener website in 2001 and has been developing and maintaining the website ever since. She runs her own website design and marketing business, Creative Ideas (www.creativeideas.co.nz), while raising her two young sons. Interests include keeping fit and making jewellery.

Plant Doctor
ANDREW MALOY
(Auckland)
Andrew trained in horticulture in the UK before migrating to NZ. He has spent more than 30 years working in nurseries, teaching and writing about horticulture and gardening. A past chairman of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture he helped to set up the New Zealand Gardens Trust. Andrew has recently been involved in the RNZIH Education Trust which, among other things, organises the Young Horticulturist of The Year Competition. When he’s not helping readers with their plant problems Andrew dabbles in hybridising and propagating new varieties of bromeliads.

Writer and photographer
PAMELA & RUSSELL McGEORGE
(Wanaka)
Pamela’s love affair with flowers and plants started when she was at primary school. Initially a secondary school teacher, she switched to journalism in the early 1990s. Formerly editor of New Zealand Gardener, she writes for magazines and newspapers, including Weekend Gardener. After raising four children and pursuing careers in the US, France and in New Zealand, she and her husband Russell work as a free-lance writing/photography. They have produced four books on plants – the latest, Peonies, was released last year. A fifth book, New Zealand’s Islands, was published in 2004 and New Zealand’s Lakes and Rivers is due out in 2007.

Writer
DENISE CLEVERLEY
(Auckland)
Denise has a Diploma in Amenity Horticulture a National Certificate in Horticulture. She worked for garden centres, (branch manager for Palmers Garden World), and operated a landscape design and garden maintenance business. A mother of three, Denise has been a researcher for Maggie Barry and columnist for NZ Woman’s Weekly and co-edits Let’s Go Gardening.

Writer
JANE BELLERBY
(Motueka)
Jane is a countrywoman and freelancer with eclectic interests and passions: horses, people, gardening, food, photography, arts, crafts, books and rural based activities. Jane lives in Golden Bay with partner, Brett Hutchinson, a trug maker (baskets), and their almost grown children, Ana and Pat. Their land includes 40ha of native bush backing on Kahurangi National Park, pasture for beef cattle and an orchard with 27 varieties of fruit and avocados. And, yes, there are lots of veggies and eggs from the chooks.

Crossword
PAM HUTTON
(Auckland)
Pam has been creating crosswords and word puzzles for a wide variety of New Zealand publications for the past 14 years, including the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, TV Guide, Sunday Star-Times and Boating New Zealand. Pam’s interest in word play goes back to childhood. She’s a firm believer in the benefits of playing language games – not only to increase vocabulary and improve general knowledge but also to maintain mental health and agility.

DIY expert, designer and writer
MARK RAYNER
(Wanganui)
Mark has been a regular contributor on garden design and craft since 2003. He trained in garden design at Capel Manor Horticultural College in North London, before working on projects ranging from inner-city courtyards and roof gardens to a public park. Since returning to NZ in 2002, he has had his own landscape design business. He hosts workshops on outdoor art and has a weekly newspaper gardening column. A keen ceramicist he has exhibited in numerous shows. Mark’s first book, Garden Art Projects in a Weekend, has just been published.

Plant gallery
MARTIN BOETTEL
(New Plymouth)
Martin’s photography is widely acclaimed and has earned him many awards. Martin’s company, Linea Verde Photography, operates a small editorial stock library, specialising in gardens, plants, natural history, landscapes and the outdoors and supplying high-quality images to advertising, graphic design, marketing and publishing industries worldwide. Martin has university degrees in botany and horticulture and is a professional garden designer, but also enjoys sharing his knowledge with tour guiding in New Zealand and overseas. German-born, he has immigrated to New Zealand .