The New Zealand Kayak Magazine began in the mid-nineties while we were rushing around arranging the monthly newsletter for the Yakity Yak Kayak Club members and Canoe & Kayak customers. That's over twenty years!
The newsletter kept people involved in the sport, up-to-date with what had happened and what was planned. We only had the written word, as it was a bit technical for us keen paddlers to get a photo onto the page and then photocopy it. We spent a lot of time, running to the photocopy shop, folding, stuffing envelopes, licking stamps and going to the Post Shop. It was a big job every month.
It occurred to us that we could do better. So we went to a design studio and started the New Zealand Kayak Magazine. We filled it with stories and photos, supplied by keen kayakers, of amazing adventures and local trips. Now the reader could get a double load of motivation, as not only were there inspirational stories of adventure, but also loads of great photos. These early magazines of about 20 pages were in black and white with a yellow spot colour, but they caused many people to give paddling a try and supported everyone with current information.
A few years later full colour and fifty plus pages became the norm. The magazines commercial image continued to improve and we got requests from book stores to sell copies and from members of the wider paddling community for subscriptions. Suppliers came on board to promote their brands and products and the New Zealand Kayak Magazine as we know it today became a reality. We always stayed true to the idea that the Magazine should represent what the grass roots of kayaking are doing, with a bit of extreme adventure, and not the other way around. This is always a challenge as death defying photos and stories sell copy. But in our eyes they do not build participation in kayaking.
The reliance on electronic media by the vast majority of our readers has brought about the next stage of development.
www.nzkayak.co.nz solely focuses on the New Zealand Kayak Magazine and the kayaking community. It allows many more people easy access to the information which supports a strong kayaking community in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Kayak Magazine, with its contributors will continue to spread the word of new developments in technique, knowledge and places to explore and help to make kayaking safer and as much fun as possible.
You are encouraged to submit articles to get published. It is not just the extreme paddle adventures we look for. We want the adventures a new paddler loves to read about.
Please continue to enjoy the New Zealand Kayak Magazine with its website and encourage others to ‘Discover another world’ right on their doorstep.
Cheers
Peter Townend
Editor New Zealand Kayak Magazine
Meet the Production Team
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Peter Townend - Editor
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James Fitness - Subeditor
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Peter enjoys spreading the word of how much fun kayaking can be and how rewarding it is working with others, passing on skills and knowledge so others can enjoy the sport too.
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James handed the Manukau Centre over to Canoe & Kayak to escape daily travel across Auckland and work for the company and Kayak Magazine from home.
>>View His Profile |