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The Spinoff
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘Fluffed my way through': Mike Puru's worst weather faux pas
The broadcasting legend takes us through his life in television. Mike Puru has loved television ever since he was a little kid growing up in Gore. 'I lived in a very isolated part of the country, and back in the day we just had two channels,' he tells The Spinoff. 'Apart from doing some farm work, television was your window to the rest of the world.' He couldn't have imagined back then that he had a decades-long broadcasting career ahead of him, starting with Flipside and spanning everything from hosting The Bachelor NZ, to hawking wares on the Shopping Channel, to hosting the weather for Newshub. 'When I first started on Flipside, I can remember driving from Christchurch to Gore, and seeing that every single house that I saw had a bloody TV aerial or a satellite on it,' he recalls. 'That's when I realised what a powerful medium it was – it didn't matter what sort of house you had, whether it was big or small, whether it was fancy or falling to bits, every single common denominator was a television.' Puru was part of the Newshub closure last year – 'a complete shock' – and has since returned to radio, his other beloved medium. He currently hosts the breakfast show for Southern Cross Country Radio, and the afternoon drive show for The Breeze. 'I love the immediacy of radio and being there in the moment,' he says. 'But I still miss the lights, the camera, the action, and the way my heart would always beat so fast when I was ready to go live with the weather.' Although he may not be on television (for now – here's looking at you, Celebrity Treasure Island 2026), Puru still watches a tonne of local programming every week. 'I love New Zealand television – I watch Rural Delivery, Country Calendar, Moving Houses, Grand Designs, The Brokenwood Mysteries, Tangata Pasifika, Q & A… anything that's New Zealand made that involves real life,' he says. 'It all helps me understand a bit more about New Zealand, and I like that sense of connection that it gives me.' Positively fizzing about all things TV, Puru happily took us through his own life in television, from his fortuitous first big break, to a Flipside faux pas, to his gripe with Seven Sharp. My earliest television memory is… I remember watching that show Prisoner with my mum, it was an Australian drama set in a women's jail. Mum loved it, so I used to watch that. Dad always watched MASH, which I never really got into. The Flying Doctors, I think, was one where I fell in love with Rebecca Gibney and wanted her to be my mother. The show I would rush home from school to watch was… I was besotted by the Mickey Mouse Club back in the early days, there was just something about it that I loved. Of course, Olly Ohlson was always on, and there was the Under the Mountain series which was just so exciting. I remember watching it and wishing that I had the lives of those two kids. My earliest TV crush was.. Probably Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains. He was the all-American pretty boy who lived in a dysfunctional family, but was trying really hard to do the best that he could. He had lovely, curly hair. My first time on TV was… I went to Hamilton as part of The Edge to MC this event called X Air, which eventually turned into Jim Beam Homegrown. There was this guy there who was making this late night skating show called XS TV, and he got me to test his cameras by standing on a spot and doing an intro to the show. He filmed it, just to see how his shots worked, but after a couple of takes, he came up to me and went 'shit, mate, you are really good – do you mind if you do a bit more of this during the weekend?' They ended up using me to basically host that show from Hamilton on the telly. I think it was five minutes in total, but I used that five minutes of tape that I had from XS TV as part of my audition for Flipside. A TV moment that haunts me is… The first time I was on Flipside, I wore this really stylish patterned jersey from a local designer that I loved, and everybody gave me a really hard time about it. I think people likened it to a David Bain jersey. It was the very first episode and people could text in, but most of the comments we got were about the David Bain jumper. There was also the time I forgot to upload the new weather graphics and so I was standing there, live on TV3, realising that I was playing yesterday's weather. I had written the scripts for the day's actual weather, it's just that the graphics that appeared were all from the day before. I quickly just changed a lot of what I was saying, fluffed my way through, and hoped that nobody noticed. And luckily, only one person did. My favourite NZ TV ad is… I really loved back when TV1 would start for the day – I used to get up early, if I wasn't at school, to try and capture it. Back in the day, the TV wasn't going 24 hours a day. So when TV1 would start for the day it had this beautiful opening track that was the national anthem of New Zealand. It had people skiing, people in small town New Zealand, farmers waving on tractors to the camera, just people living life. I was besotted by that. My TV guilty pleasure is… I think Britain's Got Talent is probably a guilty pleasure. I just like watching people's dreams come true, you know? No matter what sort of act they are, they just love it so much and they'll put their heart and soul into it, and they put it all to the test on that big stage. When it all works, and they have their moment, it's just amazing. My favourite TV project I've ever been involved in is… Probably the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King documentary that Evie Ashton and I made for Flipside. We were given media access to go to the Return of the King world premiere in Wellington, and we went really hard to try and get as much footage as we could. By the time we'd finished filming everything and doing all the interviews with all the big stars, we had so much that TVNZ turned it into a two part documentary, because we had so much good footage. It's just so good to have it as that little snapshot of both Flipside, and this really big moment in New Zealand. My most controversial TV opinion is… I hate the way Seven Sharp goes: 'we'll be back in a moment with the place to be', then they play five minutes of ads, then they come back and they go, 'well, the place to be tomorrow is Timaru. That's us for the day. Have a good one.' You're wasting my time – just say goodbye and move on. The last thing I watched on TV was… Clarkson's Farm, season four. I love it. I never really cared about Jeremy Clarkson before, but I like the way he speaks for farmers, and I like seeing the hard graft. It's a bit of a Country Calendar vibe.
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Serious, serial and everyone in between: Who's running for mayor in Christchurch?
Current mayor Phil Mauger's biggest threat is city councillor Sara Templeton, but there are six others vying for the chains in Ōtautahi – including several serial candidates and a notorious white supremacist. Serious candidates Phil Mauger Phil Mauger is Christchurch's current mayor, running on a platform of 'let's get more stuff done'. He told The Spinoff in 2022 that he was concerned about housing intensification in Christchurch's suburbs. As mayor, he has repeatedly suggested that Christchurch should make a bid to host the Commonwealth Games, until a feasibility study in September 2024 said no more money should be spent pursuing the idea. Mauger was also a major supporter of Christchurch's Te Kaha stadium, which is on track to be completed next year, and has been known to make Spinoff senior writer Alex Casey's heart swell with pride. He's promising to 'keep rates affordable', complete infrastructure on time and invest in Christchurch's water systems. Before becoming mayor, Mauger ran a construction company. His son Jordan was on the second season of The Bachelor NZ, when he exclusively revealed to The Spinoff that he had flipped a coin to decide who should win. Hopefully this isn't an election strategy that the people of Christchurch will copy. Sara Templeton Templeton is a city councillor – she's been representing the Heathcote ward since 2016, so has almost a decade of experience at council. She's been particularly supportive of alternative transport modes, like cycling, buses and public transport, and one of her campaign promises is to make progress on light rail. Templeton is also promising to improve Christchurch's water network, including stormwater, retain council-owned assets and – minor but noticeable – look into the problem with right-turn arrows in Christchurch. Templeton is a former teacher who was involved in post-earthquake community recovery in Ōtautahi. This term, she held the council climate change portfolio. She is not seeking re-election as a councillor, signalling that she is very focused on her mayoralty bid. Serial candidates Tubby Hansen Hansen has run in every single election (general and local) since 1969, so his name will not be unfamiliar to voters. In an interview with Stuff he blamed an injury on an electro-magnetic laser from the government. Hansen uses the candidate booklet and ads in local newspaper The Press as free-association writing exercises to convey his ideas about the world. Seats in bus shelters, uneven footpaths and 'tingle rays' have been mentioned in his candidate blurbs. He used to work at the freezing works and a nail factory, but is now retired. Blair Anderson Anderson has stood for council five times before, the last time in 2019. He is a campaigner for drug law reform, and has a cannabis conviction. He has worked as a dog trainer, and continued living in the Christchurch red zone after the area had been decommissioned for residential housing. 'Look, there's people who would probably say a few ning nongs are running and they might well be right,' he told RNZ in 2019, explaining why he thought that minor candidates should still be included in mayoral debates. Peter Wakeman Wakeman has run in Wellington and Christchurch council elections and general elections. His candidate statement for the 2024 Lambton byelection in Wellington described him as 'Wakeman, vegan gf, former passenger jet pilot has a slogan wake up or pay up' [sic]. In an interview with Stuff in 2013, he didn't answer questions about why he's run for office so many times, repeatedly diverting the conversation to Reserve Bank policies. When running in 2022, he said he wants to see more food grown in the Ōtākaro-Avon River Corridor in the city's red zone. When running in Banks Peninsula in the 2023 national election, he said he wanted to become an MP to get faster answers to his questions than by using the OIA process. In 2024, he made a Media Council complaint about an article published on RNZ which he said did not make it clear enough that Israel was blocking aid from Gaza. Seriously into gardening Thomas Healey There isn't heaps of information available about Thomas Healey, but he describes himself as a gardener and forager. He's also an advocate of growing more food in the Ōtākaro-Avon Corridor, saying in a submission to council in 2024 that he didn't have much space to grow food in the community housing where he lives in Heathcote Valley. He has a campaign Facebook page but no clear policies. Seriously…? Philip Arps Philip Arps is a white supremacist who has a conviction for sharing footage of the March 15 attacks. His sentence was 21 months in prison and his release conditions included not being allowed to contact Muslims without prior approval from his probation officer. He has 30 other criminal convictions. He previously owned an insulation company with Nazi-themed branding. He has previously attempted to run for the Te Aratai College school board. His affiliation on the nominations form is 'Independant Nationalist New Zealand'. Notably, 'independent' is spelled incorrectly. Nikora Nitro Nitro, a former Mana Party member, is another mayoral candidate with a criminal conviction, for soliciting sex from a teenager in exchange for money, cigarettes and a cellphone top-up. He's known for a series of dubious failed businesses, including running a cafe without a licence or food safety protocols, setting up massage tables inside, advertising it as a 'male cruise club ' and failing to pay rent. A video on his Instagram page says he is running for 'low rates 3.5%, Adequate housing, City Aspirations, Nationwide Goals, Economic Prosperity, Environmental Gains.' He also stood for mayor in 2022 and for council in the 2021 Coastal Ward byelection.
NZ Herald
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
New Zealand's longest-serving councillor Trevor Maxwell seeks one more term in Rotorua
The subsequent three-year term put him level with Doug Truman, who served on Grey District Council from 1968 to 2016, for the national record. Asked about plans to take the record outright after the 2025 election, he had a simple statement: 'One more term.' Rotorua councillor Trevor Maxwell. Photo / Andrew Warner First elected as a councillor in 1977, Maxwell also served 11 years as Rotorua Deputy Mayor and fell just short of the mayoralty in 2004. Maxwell said he has 'thoroughly enjoyed' his time on Rotorua Lakes Council and would like one final term serving the Māori ward before stepping away. Rawiri Waru will also seek re-election to the Māori ward, while Maxwell's niece Lani Kereopa previously announced she would not. General ward councillors Conan O'Brien, Robert Lee, Don Paterson and Fisher Wang indicated they would seek to keep their seats, as would Karen Barker in the Rural ward. Lee would challenge Mayor Tania Tapsell for the top job. Councillor Robert Lee is running for Rotorua Mayor in October. Photo / Laura Smith Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell is standing again. Photo / Laura Smith Councillor Gregg Brown was not seeking re-election to the general ward. Deputy Mayor Sandra Kai Fong did not respond to requests to confirm her stance. Meanwhile, the first two community challengers have confirmed their candidacies for the general ward. Mariana Morrison is the granddaughter of late Rotorua great Sir Howard Morrison and was also a contestant on the 2017 edition of The Bachelor NZ. Reynold Macpherson, chairman of Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers, is a former councillor and mayoral contender. MacPherson was voted on to the council in 2019 and served one term, in which he locked horns with then Mayor Steve Chadwick. In 2022, he was removed from two council committees after failing to apologise for code-of-conduct breaches. He lost his seat after falling short in a 2022 bid for mayor, with Tapsell taking the top job. MacPherson also stood for the mayoralty unsuccessfully in 2013, 2016 and 2019, but said he was just seeking a councillor seat in 2025. Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers' Association chairman Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Andrew Warner Macpherson told Local Democracy Reporting he was largely supportive of the current mayor. He believed the current council had 'changed' compared with three years ago. 'Rotorua has great potential,' he said. 'Let's build a better council, one that listens respectfully, debates thoughtfully and acts decisively, with integrity, not political theatre.' Macpherson said his priorities would be focusing on the council's core responsibilities, capping rates and cutting waste. Morrison is standing for the council for the first time. She has a background in the military, corrections and health. Mariana Morrison. Photo / Andrew Warner In 2022, she spearheaded a first-of-its-kind kaupapa Māori strategy in aged care at Rotorua's Cantabria Lifecare and Village. 'I want to bring strategic leadership to the Rotorua community from a ground-up approach,' Morrison said. 'There are gaps in our socioeconomic system that are impacting the governance of our council. I think there's room for more leadership centred on a whānau-centric voice – more community leaders, as opposed to purely operational.' Candidate nominations close on August 1, with confirmed candidates to be announced by August 6. Voting runs from September 9 to October 11. Councillors running in 2025 Local Democracy Reporting asked the mayor and councillors who would seek re-election. Mayor Tania Tapsell – Yes Robert Lee – Yes (and for mayor) Karen Barker – Yes Don Paterson – Yes Fisher Wang – Yes Trevor Maxwell – Yes Conan O'Brien – Yes Rawiri Waru – Yes Lani Kereopa – No Gregg Brown – No Sandra Kai Fong – No response Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years. – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
The Hits Matilda Green's unique book-reading habit and why it takes so long to finish novels
Green told her husband she found it 'tricky' to execute a Scottish accent, but he reacted to her with even more confusion. The mother-of-three then shared that when she reads a book, she's 'doing the voices in my head and the accents - it's like a narration'. 'I didn't realise that that is perhaps an abnormal thing to do,' she added. Co-host McLean didn't try to hide his surprise at Green's unique reading style, telling Green: 'I'm not even hearing a male/female voice in my head, let alone doing accents'. McLean then asked why she bothers using her time to make accents in her head. 'It's the only way I know how to read ... the book's set in Scotland, I have to read it in a Scottish accent,' Green replied. The 34-year-old chose to give the Scottish accent a shot on-air, drawing laughter from McLean and their producer. 'It's a lot easier if I read a book that's set in America.' While Green asserted there's bound to be more like her out there, McLean told her: 'I think you're alone my love. I think you might be on an island all by yourself'. Green married the man she met on The Bachelor NZ in a ceremony on Waiheke Island in 2019, and they remain the only couple from the reality TV series that are still together. The pair welcomed their first child, Milo, in September that year. They went on to have their second child, Autumn, in June 2021, and their third, Penelope, in December 2023. Amid the couple's personal success, Green has also developed a successful media career, with brand deals, a podcast, and The Hits Drive show co-hosting gig keeping the young mum busy. Speaking on Paula Bennett's Ask Me Anything podcast last week, Green said many view their relationship as a perfect marriage due to the setting in which they met, but she noted theirs 'is just like anybody else's'. Advertise with NZME. 'You know, we have ups and downs and we have arguments and whatever, and sometimes we have to work at our marriage just like anyone else. 'And so that misconception I think is the main one, that people think we're in this fairytale.' Green said their disagreements often stemmed from not having enough time for each other and negotiating parenting together. 'Probably the main thing we've argued about over the last five years is when we have different approaches or different perceptions of a scenario, how we should deal with something that's been really tricky to navigate of, [and] when to let go and to think,' actually you are allowed to take this one', and when to push back and think, 'actually I feel strongly about this, I think we should do it this way'.'
