Robyn Martin
Robyn Martin is a New Zealand food writer and cookbook author, best known for her contributions to New Zealand home cooking over more than four decades. She has authored over 50 cookbooks, many of which focus on practical, affordable, and time-saving recipes for everyday family meals.
Martin was the Food Editor for the Auckland Star from 1984 until it ceased publication in 1991, and for The New Zealand Woman’s Weekly from 1984 until 2006. In these roles, she was responsible for the development and testing of recipes and for food photography in the Test Kitchen pages of both publications. Her work across print, television, and radio has influenced domestic cooking habits throughout New Zealand. Several of her cookbooks, particularly her Quick ’n’ Easy series, have become enduring household staples.[1][2][3][4]
Career
Martin began her career in food writing in the 1970s, working in the Test Kitchen of the Auckland Star, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, and New Zealand Home Journal as a junior assistant. She later left to study Home Science at the University of Otago before returning to the Test Kitchen to work as a home economist.
Awarded a New Zealand Home Science Alumnae Scholarship, Martin completed a Master of Science degree at Kansas State University in 1976. On her return to New Zealand, she established a weekly Consumer Affairs page for the Auckland Star.
After a period working in food marketing, she became Food Editor of the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, succeeding her mentor Tui Flower. Alongside her editorial work, Martin authored more than 50 cookbooks, focusing on quick, affordable, and practical meals for home cooks. Her books cover topics from baking and slow cookers to seasonal and preserving recipes.
Martin has appeared on television and radio, sharing recipes and cooking advice with a national audience. She had a weekly cooking segment on 5.30 with Jude and was a guest on TVNZ’s Breakfast programme, where she offered guidance on home cooking and meal planning.[4]
Martin has also contributed her time and cooking expertise to community fundraising efforts, supporting local charities, schools, and health organisations, including Hospice and the Life Education Trust.
Legacy
Martin’s cookbooks remain widely held in New Zealand libraries and homes and continue to influence home cooks.[3] Her work is considered part of a generation of food writers who helped modernise domestic cooking in New Zealand during a period when many women were returning to the workforce while maintaining traditional family cooking roles.
Her recipes emphasise affordable ingredients and time-efficient preparation methods that have shaped everyday cooking habits in New Zealand households for decades. Titles such as Quick ’n’ Easy Baking—which broke local sales records on release—and Robyn Martin Bakes are regarded as enduring classics.[5]
Martin’s editorial, media, and community contributions have inspired new generations of food writers, and her influence on The New Zealand Woman’s Weekly food pages is recognised as a key part of the magazine’s culinary legacy.[2]
Selected works
Hodder Moa Beckett and Concept Publishing
- (1993) 37 Quick ’n’ Easy titles – record-breaking sales with multiple reprints
- Quick ’n’ Easy Muffins, Cakes, Biscuits, Slices, Loaves, Scones
- (1995) Mini Series – 39 spinoff titles
- (1997) Taste of New Zealand Winter; Taste of New Zealand Summer
- (1998) Quick ’n’ Easy titles published in Portugal
- (1999) Quick ’n’ Easy Kitchen Companion
- (2000) Pasta and Italian
- (2003) Rights sold to R & R Publishing (Australia) for 30 Quick ’n’ Easy titles, 28 Mini titles, and six additional books
Chanel & Stylus
- (2007) Best Recipes for Crockpots and Slow Cookers (reprinted four times)
- (2008) Relish
- (2009) Robyn Martin Bakes (reprinted 2010)
- (2009) Favourite Bakes (mini edition)
- (2010) Simply Delicious Recipes for Crockpots & Slow Cookers
- (2010) Easy Budget Recipes for Crockpots & Slow Cookers
- (2011) Best of the Best Recipes for Crockpots & Slow Cookers
- (2011) Quick & Easy Cupcakes, Slices, Macaroons, Biscuits, Cakes and More
- (2012) Preserves: Jams, Pickles, Chutneys, Sauces & More
Other publications
- (1992) Edmonds Cookbook, 32nd Edition
- (1997/98) Edmonds Illustrated Cookbook
- (1999) Jude Dobson’s Baby Toddler Meal Planner – recipe contributor
- (2003) New Zealand Woman’s Weekly: Best of the Test Kitchen, Random House
- (2004) New Zealand Woman’s Weekly: Easy as 123, Random House
- (2004) Stop the Clock (reissued as The Anti-Ageing Cookbook, Ebury Press, 2006; serialised in the Daily Mail)
References
- ↑ "New food editor for New Zealand Woman's Weekly". Scoop. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "50 Years of the Weekly Test Kitchen". Now to Love. Bauer Media. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Robyn Martin publications". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "For Breakfast notes". TVNZ. 9 December 2008.
- ↑ "Celebrity chef leads the march". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
External links
- Works by Robyn Martin at the National Library of New Zealand
- 50 Years of the Weekly Test Kitchen – Now to Love
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