On 29 July 2025, New Zealand lost one of her favourite sons and the international violin community lost one of its greatest champions. Competition founder Sir Michael died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family including his wife of 60 years, Christine, Lady Hill.

Not only did Sir Michael lend his name to one of the world’s most respected major violin contests and an iconic event on the New Zealand landscape, he inspired generations of international violinists that all know they are a member of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition whānau (family). In doing this, Michael demonstrated the importance of fine music – he put New Zealand on the map and made sure it was known for its artistic abilities.

Michael dreamed of being a concert violinist in his youth, but his family steered him into the jewellery trade and he instead became a household name with Michael Hill stores across New Zealand, Australia and Canada. He was a true artist, with a keen eye for aesthetics and beauty, and an uncompromising standard of excellence. A committed amateur violinist, he practiced solo Bach every day his schedule allowed – constantly striving for improvement from which he derived enormous satisfaction.

Michael’s enthusiasm for music was infectious, yet his loss will be felt as much for the strong and practical advice he infused in hundreds of musicians by candidly sharing his own life lessons regarding the importance of goal setting, resilience, and the balance of being laser-focused yet not sweating the small stuff. He taught us to dream big, set a long-term goal, and work very hard with imagination and open heartedness towards that goal every day.

Throughout his long life, his passion for the violin smouldered and he often expressed that his, and his wife Lady Christine’s, greatest enjoyment in their fulfilling lives was their ability to be actively involved in the violin competition and the other activities of his family’s philanthropic work in the arts.

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