MP’s ‘safe harbour’ a peaceful haven
Maggie Barry’s home is an eclectic retreat, finds Caroline Botting.
Former garden show host turned National MP Maggie Barry lives in a colourful, eclectic home on Auckland’s North Shore with husband Grant Kerr and son Joe, 21. She answered our questions about how and where she lives.
Describe your house in two sentences:
It’s our ‘safe harbour and haven’ and I’m not just saying that because the navy base is close by in Devonport. Our peaceful home and garden is a far cry from my bolthole flat in downtown Wellington, where I stay three nights a week when Parliament is sitting.
Your favourite area in the house and why?
Relaxing and reading on the couch in a cosy corner of the living room. It’s good to take a break from the usual political briefing papers and catch up with the large stack of novels and biographies sitting waiting to be read.
Finish this sentence with an anecdote – once someone came to my door and . . .
. . . was campaigning for the Green Party and hadn’t realised he was door-knocking the sitting North Shore MP and then Minister of Conservation. We had an amicable discussion about the need to all join forces to achieve the Predator Free 2050 goal and the ‘War on weeds’. He probably didn’t change his vote but it was good to have a lively conversation.
Your proudest DIY moment?
We had our honeymoon in Morocco last January and I took Grant to a garden in Marrakesh I had visited years ago. I knew I’d married the right guy when he loved the Majorelle garden owned by Yves St Laurent as much as I do. Over the winter at home he’s ‘pimped the pots’, painting our old terracotta pots that particular shade of cobalt blue, carefully matching the colours to our Marrakesh photographs.
If my partner would let me, I would get rid of . . .
The open fire because we just don’t need it in the warm climate of Auckland. I’d quite like to replace it with one of those fine looking fake gas fires but my Dunedin-born husband likes the idea of a roaring fire so it’s an ongoing discussion.
Which decor trend would you like to see return?
I’d like to see the return of the house plant instead of fake plastic greenery. Our artist friend Peter Peryer loved nature and we’ve had fun growing lookalike plants alongside his images. It may be heresy for the daughter of a florist to say this, but I’m a big fan of orchids and ferns in pots these days rather than a vase of flowers, although of course I’d never discourage Grant from giving me a big bunch of flowers on Valentine’s Day or on special occasions. My mother had a florist shop in Wellington and I grew up surrounded by flowers and plants. She grew orchids in competition with her sister in Auckland and they compared who had the most flower spikes. They guarded their secret fertiliser recipes, which I still use to this day.
What’s the worst home decor decision you’ve ever made?
Grant has one of the largest private collections of New Zealand photography in the country and in particular the works of the late Peter Peryer. I made the mistake of hanging the rose image which we’d featured at our wedding in pride of place, but in full sunlight where it started to fade, much to Grant’s horror. It was quickly moved.
What’s the worst thing that’s ever gone wrong while entertaining?
There was a power outage the very night we had 20 people coming around for dinner. We had to change the menu and improvise, ending up cooking on the barbecue and using every candle in the house to light up the dining table. Unfortunately a little tea candle burned down faster than expected and set fire to the tablecloth, which rapidly spread across the spilled wax. Fast action was needed and guests had to grab their plates and glasses while we whisked off the flaming tablecloth, threw it on the lawn and hosed it down. Note to self: buy a fire extinguisher.
If I had $50k, what I would change about my house is . . .
I’d happily invest it in a decent-sized conservatory glass house so I could grow all my cuttings in one place. I’ve been getting complaints from the guys
that my jars are cluttering up the living area so I’ve marshalled most of them onto an old bookcase in a sunny spot in the dining room. I’d love to have all my orchid varieties, ferns and tropical plants in one space where they could easily be looked after and where we could enjoy sitting among them.
What’s one domestic house work or gardening trick you’ve learnt over the years?
Too many New Zealanders die every year from Legionnaires’ disease. It’s preventable if you take some basic precautions when handling high-risk compost and potting mix.
To avoid inhaling the bacterial spores, always wear a mask when digging over a compost heap and only ever open bags of soil outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Although the flowers of lilies are beautiful and often perfumed, they can be fatal to cats. When I was visiting my friend Nikki Kaye’s home one day, I was surprised to see a gorgeous bunch of asiatic lily flowers on her table with her beloved cat Lily curled up nearby.
When I asked Nikki if she knew about the potential organ failure and fatal consequences from a feline nibbling on lily flowers or leaves, she moved fast.
Before I could say ‘‘I’ll have them thanks’’, she’d binned the whole lovely bunch in a rubbish bag and tied the knot.
Our peaceful home and garden is a far cry from my bolthole flat in downtown Wellington.