1981

Hard to believe, but after two years of dreaming and scheming, it’s HAPPENING! We’re actually under way. The first issue of Grapevine hits Auckland streets in June. It’s a big, floppy, large-format magazine (remember it?) featuring ‘WHEN I RELAX I FEEL GUILTY’ – and it goes free to 250,000 homes.

On page 5, we introduce ourselves as ‘The Keepers of the Vine’: “Well, hi there! Welcome to Grapevine magazine! We hope you’ll READ it, of course. And whether you’re a mum, dad, single, married, rhubarb-grower, meter-maid, cost-accountant, teenager, kid, unemployed, student, worker, you-name-it … we hope that you’ll LIKE what you read.

“You might be wondering who we are. We are very ordinary, quite safe, mostly respectable, not at all dangerous, sometimes funny, alike in many ways, unalike in many others, and more-than-a-little-bit scared about being responsible for a project as big as this …”

Scared? You bet we are! This step-into-the-unknown is HUGE …

Read more below

2005

2005

We revisit childhood with our 'SKOOL DAZE' edition, tackling 29 questions parents wish they could ask … then issue a warning in the next mag: 'LOOK OUT: THE MOTHER-IN-LAW’S COMING!' An out-of-the-blue letter arrives from Roel – a guy on death-row (no kidding) in a...

2004

2004

We’re too busy to enter them in any competition, but three award-winning COVERS roll off the press: 'CYBERSAFETY: ARE OUR KIDS AT RISK ONLINE' leads with a fearsome shark … 'KEEPING OUR KIDS OUT OF JAIL' puts our art-director’s young son behind bars… and 'SSHHH: ARE...

2003

2003

We create a LAUGH this year with 'WHY WOMEN ARE ALWAYS RIGHT & MEN ARE NEVER WRONG' … we create a STIR with 'PARANOID PARENTING: EASING THE PRESSURE ON WORRIED MUMS & DADS' … and we get some great FEEDBACK.A new friend in Ye Olde England writes: “I'm a fan! My...

2002

2002

In an early UPDATE, the Editor makes a CONFESSION about DEPRESSION:“I’ve recently been infected by a niggly, low-grade, won’t-go-away heaviness. Why? Well, did you know that this country has the developed world’s second-highest percentage of single parent families?...

2001

2001

'HOW TO HAVE YOUR WEDDING CAKE & EAT IT TOO' hits the streets … followed by 'STEP-MUMS, STEP-DADS & BLENDED FAMILIES' and a mag which proves to be one of our all-time winners with a double-feature: 'HOW TO ENJOY YOUR WILD CHILD' plus 'I WISH YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO...

2000

2000

A NEW-LOOK Grapevine emerges – smaller size/format, more compact (same as Readers Digest) … much thicker (twice-as-many-pages) … with a tougher, glossy cover. Why the change? So Grapevine can go into letterboxes without being folded (or mangled!) … won’t...

1999

1999

Grapevine goes on a diet, and SLIMS-DOWN like you wouldn’t believe – from being a BIG organisation with lots of staff, to being a SMALL team of skilled specialists. Many tasks that were once performed ‘in house’ at our Mt Roskill office (and in other key cities around...

1998

1998

Grapevine deliveries start in Dunedin and in Tauranga – and many thousands of homes get the magazine for the first time in history: 'MANHOOD: MORE THAN JUST A HAIRY CHEST' … 'DESPERATELY SEEKING GRANDMA' … 'CELEBRATION IN THE BEDROOM'. The Editor turns 50 (please...

1997

1997

January’s UPDATE asks, “Will you give families the thumbs-up? Your donation will be well-spent, we promise you. And struggling Kiwi families will truly get value-for-money …”June’s UPDATE shares an appalling statistic: “$1.2 million dollars an hour – that’s how much...

1996

1996

We keep talking to Kiwis 'YOU DON’T TALK TO ME ANYMORE (THE LOST ART OF CONVERSATION)' … 'DADS CAN DO ANYTHING!' … 'GRANDMA’S SECRETS' … 'DRUGS: THE CANNABIS CONNECTION'. And more good news: regular mag deliveries begin at last in Christchurch and Wellington – hooray!...

1995

1995

We ask our volunteers if they’d like to deliver Warehouse mailers (as a once-a-week fundraiser) – and most of ‘em say YES! So we show our appreciation by publishing more top-class mags: 'THE DREADED DRAGON-IN-LAW' … 'VOLCANO IN YOUR HOME: WHEN TEENAGERS ERUPT' …...

1994

1994

To mark the Year of the Family, we announce our ‘God’s Heart Breaks’ strategy – designed to put Grapevine into many more cities. For the third year in a row, Grapevine wins a small pile of Qantas Media Awards. And we do our bit to raise the quality of parenting in NZ...

1993

1993

We offer the first-of-several Grapevine seminars at the Aotea Centre: ‘How To Succeed In Business Without Failing At Home’ – and it’s a winner! More magazines (where do the ideas come from?) get delivered by our letterbox troops: 'WHEN LOVE NEEDS TO BE TOUGH...

1992

1992

We hold our first-ever garage sale (mags, books, posters, shirts) … and publish our first (and last!) Summer Shop catalogue. More great mags come off the drawing boards – 'A PICK-ME-UP FOR THE UTTERLY POOPED' … 'PRAYER & OTHER SPOOKY STUFF' … 'INTIMACY' … plus...

1991

1991

Our Directors send out a timely message: “The staff at Grapevine know how to fight for what they believe in – against all kinds of opposition. The fact that Grapevine is still here after 10 years is testimony to their courage, determination and faithfulness. It’s hard...

1990

1990

The search for more legs continues. (Long legs, short legs, fat legs, skinny legs, smooth legs, hairy legs – we honestly don’t care!) And the search for more great cover-stories – 'EMPTY ARMS: WHEN A WOMAN MISCARRIES' … 'WATCHA WATCHING? CENSORING YOUR BRAIN FOOD' …...

1989

1989

Crash or no crash, Grapevine’s battle for families goes on. And we’re given the opportunity to market a ‘Fetal Models Kit’ – fantastic visual aids, beautifully made, and a great way to win respect for the miracle of conception/birth. By some other miracle, the...

1988

1988

We get stuck into some more tough topics: 'THE STRESS FACTOR' … 'BLENDED FAMILIES' … 'DEPRESSION: BATTLING THE BLUES' … and 'AT-HOME VIOLENCE'. Plus … we find time for the world premier of Grapevine’s new high-school video series – ‘Alive & Well’. In July, we...

1987

1987

“It’s a bit like eating an elephant,” we announce, as our search for more legs gets serious: “You start with one bite – and you just keep nibbling!” (Which sounds wonderful, unless you’re an elephant …) Grapevine sponsors a series of marvellous two-day ‘wilderness...

1986

1986

In May we publish our 50th edition! (And cynics who’d laid bets that Grapevine wouldn’t survive lose a fortune!) In July we spend a day in jail, researching our cover-story 'DOING TIME!' And in August we pinpoint a NZ disease: 'THE VANISHING FATHER' (dads who...

1985

1985

Our July cover story 'WHEN MEN GET THE MIDLIFE CRAZIES' alerts men (and their wives) to the danger: “You kissed goodbye to acne and adolescence years ago. You made it into marriage and coped with dirty nappies, runny noses and toy cars on the front steps. You finally...

1984

1984

We launch 'PIPSQUEAKS' – a new section for kids. And pick a fight with our March edition on: 'HOMOSEXUALITY'. An angry reader spits tacks and paints graffiti all over our office wall. We get out of the office and meet hundreds of supporters in a series of ‘Great Apple...

1983

1983

We experiment with celebrities on our covers: Princess Diana … Mother Teresa … Return of the Jedi. And we brave some controversial topics: 'VIRGIN TERRITORY: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION?' and 'SUFFERING: WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?' 5000...

1982

1982

In March we profile Cliff Richard: 'WIRED FOR SOUND' … and in May we tackle affairs: 'THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER – OR IS IT?' Columns by Erma Bombeck and Merv Smith are proving popular … and Grapevine’s counselling service, Openline, opens for business. Readers (most...