Hickey grew up on a farm in Ōpunake, and initially trained as a secondary school teacher before going on to study a Bachelor of Arts in geography with specialisation in climatology.
[1] In 2006, Hickey was announced as a board member of Family First New Zealand, a conservative Christian lobby group, a position he still holds.
[8][9] One notable cross occurred following a snow dump which blocked the Homer Tunnel, and following the cancellation of flights, flew himself and Tāmati Coffey (who was a reporter for Breakfast at the time) from Milford Sound to Queenstown.
[14] In addition to his role as weathercaster, Hickey presented other TVNZ programmes such as Country Calendar, Jim's Car Show, A Flying Visit, How's the Weather Jim?, The Real Middle Earth[15] and the 1999 documentary, Shaky Beginnings by Bryan Bruce.
[16] Alongside his television career, Hickey co-owns a series of cafes and restaurants and has worked in the antique furniture business.