For many New Zealanders approaching retirement age, financial security is closely tied to years of hard work and careful planning. But for Taranaki chef Mikaere Hina, life changed dramatically after a series of heart attacks forced him to step away from a career that had defined him for four decades.
Now 60, Hina reflects on the pressures of work, the realities of retirement, and the different attitudes toward money he encountered through both his Māori and Pākehā heritage.
A Career Built in Kitchens Across New Zealand
Hina says his health crisis came suddenly while he was working for Fonterra. Over the course of a single year, he suffered three myocardial infarctions.
“My first one was when I was working for Fonterra and I was actually chatting with the health and safety officer at the time,” he recalled. “I collapsed in front of him, I just went whammo, like a falling Kauri tree.”
After briefly returning to work following the first incident, two more heart attacks followed. Doctors eventually warned him another could prove fatal.
“It was burnout, really. So I had a big lifestyle change,” he said.
Hina had spent more than 40 years working as a professional chef and baker after entering the hospitality industry at age 15. Like many chefs in New Zealand and overseas, he became accustomed to punishing hours and physically demanding work.
“As a chef, you can work 14 to16-hour days and when you’re younger, you can do that,” he said. “You get paid little and work a lot, but it’s rewarding.”
His career took him from cruise ships to high-end Auckland restaurants and smaller venues in Northland and Taranaki, including work at a local Chartered Club.
Discovering a Passion for Food
Hina’s interest in cooking began during childhood in Palmerston North, where his parents ran a large boarding house in the late 1970s.
With dozens of tenants and parents constantly working long hours, he found himself drawn to the kitchen and a Scottish chef who prepared traditional stews, pastries and baked goods.
“I just really loved the smell of his food,” Hina said. “So I basically stayed in the kitchen and was a bit nosy, and he got me into helping him with veggie prep after school. And I got hooked.”
Māori and Pākehā Perspectives on Money
Later in life, Hina reconnected with his biological father and began learning more about his Māori whakapapa after the death of his mother in 1990.
That experience, he says, reshaped how he viewed success and financial security.
“One thing I found out – and I was kind of shocked – is that Māori culture is not about the money,” he said. “It’s about family and keeping the whānau together.”
By contrast, he describes the Pākehā environment he grew up in as more individualistic and competitive.
“With the other side, it’s about your dog-eat-dog world. You’ve got to be better than everyone else and get up the ladder of success,” he said.
Hina believes both perspectives shaped his approach to life. His years in the New Zealand Army between 1983 and 1989 reinforced discipline and resilience, while later study at Massey University helped him develop business skills.
Financial Challenges Later in Life
Like many families facing rising living costs in New Zealand, Hina says raising children made home ownership difficult.
He and his former wife raised four daughters and also cared for a niece for a period. “Children will eat,” he said. “It can be a struggle and it can tear at relationships.”
Although he bought and sold property earlier in life, Hina only began investing seriously in his late 40s, eventually opening an account with Sharesies.
He says ethical investing appealed to him, particularly companies focused on environmental sustainability and clean water initiatives.
After suffering his heart attacks, he sold a property in Stratford on the advice of an investment adviser and shifted to renting while reinvesting the proceeds.
However, the transition into retirement proved financially difficult.
Hina’s weekly income dropped from around $1800 while working to approximately $600 through investments and support payments from Work and Income New Zealand.
“I had to cut out everything I didn’t need,” he said. “My mum always told me, create a budget. Know what’s coming in and what’s going out.”
Finding Purpose Beyond Work
Now in retirement, Hina says maintaining routine and purpose has become essential.
“A lot of people think they can’t wait until they retire. But you’ve got to have a plan,” he said. “I’ve seen guys in my industry retire and drop dead six months later, because they didn’t know what to do with themselves.”
With support from hospital staff, he created structured goals and daily routines to stay active and engaged.
Baking remains a major part of his life, though now it is done at home and shared within the community rather than in commercial kitchens.
“There’s a kohanga reo near me so sometimes if I bake something, I’ll take it round there,” he said. “Or I’ll bake scones or some takakau, which is unleavened bread, and take it to the te reo class that I’m doing at my local polytechnic.”
For Hina, retirement has become less about stepping away from work entirely and more about redefining purpose, health and connection to whānau after years spent pushing himself to the limit.
Alexander Donovan writes for News Collective, covering news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, reliable reporting and useful information, helping readers stay informed about current events, emerging trends, and stories that matter.