David Farrier
Reporter
Known for his reliably offbeat sign-off, David Farrier joined at TV3 in 2006, direct from a Bachelor of Communication Studies at AUT in Auckland. As entertainment reporter for late night show Nightline, his interviews ranged from Hollywood stars to the sublimely ridiculous. In 2014 he joined Rhys Darby as the reporter on mockumentary show Short Poppies. Farrier left TV3 and concentrated on a documentary about the dark underside of competitive tickling, which he directed with Dylan Reeve. Tickled was invited to the Sundance Film Festival in early 2016; it proceeded to win sales, lawsuits and widespread acclaim.
That's why I love journalism, you never know what you'll be doing tomorrow. David Farrier in a 19 December 2013 NZ Woman's Weekly interview
Dark Tourist
Bloopers - News
These clips offer up a selection of Kiwi news bloopers. First, Sacha McNeil presents a retrospective of unscripted moments from TV3’s first 25 years of news: newsreaders sneeze and laugh, and reporters face rogue weather, animals, dance routines, and lashings of champagne from Olympic champions. Then presenter Hilary Barry laughs at inappropriate moments on The Paul Henry Show: she starts an extended battle with the giggles while mentioning All Black Waisake Naholo’s broken leg (2015). In 2016 she succumbs to laughter over an emergency defecation situation.
Tickled
Tickled sounds like a comedy, but the film traces a path from quirky to the stuff of fear, mystery and intimidation. The documentary began when then TV3 reporter David Farrier saw a cash offer for athletes to fly to Los Angeles for 'Competitive Endurance Tickling'. Farrier and co-director Dylan Reeve headed to the United States, and found ticklers scared to go on camera — and threats from those behind the scenes. At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Tickled quickly won rave reviews and sales; Vogue and The Hollywood Reporter named it one of 2016's ten best documentaries.
Newsworthy
Short Poppies
Tickle King
Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws
The Paul Henry Show
The Paul Henry Show debuted on 27 January 2014, taking over the time slot of Nightline, TV3's oft offbeat late night news show. The new programme marked the headline-grabbing presenter's return to Kiwi television, after time co-hosting Australian show Breakfast. On the first episode, Henry showed Prime Minister John Key photos of Winston Peters and Peter Dunne, then asked him "do you trust this man?" The Paul Henry Show went off air in December 2014, replaced by Newsworthy, with Henry moving to mornings for the high profile launch of cross-platform show Paul Henry.
God Defend New Zealand
This David Farrier-fronted documentary traces the history of New Zealand's national anthem. Farrier dives into the archives to tell the story of the Thomas Bracken poem set to music by John Joseph Woods; and a band of 2011 musos have a bash at updating it. The patriotic ditty was first played at an Olympic medal ceremony when our rowing eight won gold in 1972, displacing 'God Save the Queen'; and it was adapted into Māori as early as 1882 but a te reo version still caused controversy in 1999. The doco screened on TV3 the day before the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.
Nightline - 20th Anniversary Episode
A special tribute to 20 years of TV3's late night news show Nightline — including interviews with most of its regular newsreaders and major contributors of the previous two decades. Belinda Todd pops up in Los Angeles via satellite link and Darren McDonald is "door-stepped" at home while the others celebrate in a Ponsonby Road bar. There's a tribute to the late Dylan Taite; and other packages are devoted to Belinda Todd's more notorious antics, Bill Ralston's gonzo approach to politics, the show's arts coverage and its on-going love affair with nudity.
Campbell Live
Campbell Live launched on 21 March 2005, in a slot following TV3’s primetime news bulletin. Over the next decade it gathered acclaim, awards (including Best News Investigation in its first year) and the odd controversy. Strongly identified with host John Campbell, the show mixed softer stories with a number of pieces of advocacy journalism, including stories on child poverty in low decile schools, and homeowners affected by the Christchurch quakes. News of Campbell Live’s end in 2015 won extensive media coverage, and an unsuccessful petition to keep the show on air.
Nightline
TV3's late night news show was devised in 1990 to provide a mix of credible news and entertainment. Once the serious news of the day was dispensed with, the brief was that the show could be a bit "off" with few rules - and the freedom to push boundaries. That's exactly what presenters like Belinda Todd, Bill Ralston, Dylan Taite and David Farrier proceeded to do in the show's often infamous "third break". Meanwhile, newsreaders including Joanna Paul, Janet Wilson, Leanne Malcolm and Carolyn Robinson did their best to keep a straight face. "Yo Nightliners!"
3 News / Newshub
Independent channel TV3 launched its prime time bulletin on 27 November 1989. The flagship 6pm bulletin — originally called 3 National News — was anchored by ex state TV legend Philip Sherry, with Greg Clark handling sports. Sherry was replaced by Joanna Paul, then another ex TVNZ anchor, John Hawkesby. A 1998 revamp saw Carol Hirschfeld and John Campbell take on dual anchor roles. Their move to Campbell Live in 2005 opened the doors for a decade-long run by Hilary Barry and Mike McRoberts. In 2016 Mediaworks rebranded its news service — and the slot — as Newshub.