Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith was the multi-talented actor who appeared in a host of television shows, starting with eighties soap Gloss. He also starred in three tele-movies as maverick private investigator John Lawless. His feature films include period melodrama Desperate Remedies, and offbeat drama Channelling Baby.
Elizabeth McRae
Veteran actor Elizabeth McRae, NZOM, is probably best-known for her long-running role as Shortland Street receptionist Marjorie Brasch. Alongside her work as a theatre actor and voice coach, her screen work includes leading roles in the Return Journey episode of anthology series About Face, and Nancy Brunning short Journey to Ihipa.
David Beatson
David Beatson's 50 year career included high profile stints in TV current affairs: reporting, interviewing and producing for shows like Town and Around, Compass, Gallery, and Eyewitness, and chairing election debates. Beatson went on to edit The Listener, and was a press secretary to PM Jim Bolger and spokesperson for Air NZ. He served on the boards of various media organisations, and was chairman of NZ On Air.
Waihoroi Shortland
A veteran figure in Māori broadcasting, Waihoroi Shortland has also been an actor (Rain of the Children, Boy), scriptwriter (Crooked Earth) and Māori advisor (The Piano). In 2003 he won the NZ Film Award for Best Actor, after playing Shylock in movie The Māori Merchant of Venice. In 2015 he became the first chair of Te Mātāwai, the organisation charged with revitalising te reo on behalf of Māori.
Peter Williams
Veteran presenter Peter Williams has been working continuously in broadcasting ever since starting in radio as a teen. In 1979 he joined TV One as a sports show host and commentator, and went on to present from the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup. In the mid 90s the longtime cricket fan began a move into news; these days he reads the news on Breakfast and for primetime weekend bulletins on TV One.
Angela D'Audney
The career of iconic broadcaster Angela D'Audney spanned four decades. After a pioneering frontwoman role on 1974 regional show Look North, D’Audney went on to present news programmes, long-running arts slot Kaleidoscope, and act in teleplay The Venus Touch. In 2001 she was diagnosed with a brain tumour; D'Audney died the following year, after co-writing autobiography A Wonderful Life.
Stephen Lovatt
Stephen Lovatt's acting career has taken him from Arcadia to Takapuna Beach, with stops in Shortland Street, Ramsay Street and ancient Rome. Award-nominated for his starring role in 2002 feature This is Not a Love Story, Lovatt's screen CV includes roles in Spartacus, Being Eve and a five-year-run in Australian export Neighbours. The Toi Whakaari grad is also an acclaimed theatre actor.
Ian Fraser
Ian Fraser made his name in the late 70s as one of New Zealand’s most respected interviewers, facing off against everyone from Robert Muldoon to the Shah of Iran. In 2002, after time spent in public relations and as head of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, he returned to Television New Zealand — this time as its chief executive.
Tim Woodhouse
Tim Woodhouse has cut some of New Zealand’s most celebrated documentaries since crossing from Australia in 1989. Although he won a Best Editing award for drama Staunch, Woodhouse has largely specialised in documentary. En route he has worked with director Leanne Pooley on Haunting Douglas, Topp Twins hit Untouchable Girls, Beyond The Edge (about Hillary on Everest), and animated film 25 April.
Linda Clark
The screen career of award-winning broadcaster Linda Clark spans seven years as TVNZ’s political editor in the 90s, nine elections, and hosting several current affairs shows (Crossfire, Face the Nation, The Vote). She has also fronted RNZ’s Nine to Noon, and edited Grace magazine. In 2006 Clark retrained as a lawyer. Clark continues to be a political commentator, while working for law firm Kensington Swan.