Nyree Dawn Porter
From humble beginnings as a stage actor in New Zealand in the 1950s, Nyree Dawn Porter achieved international success via British television. As one of the stars of 1967's The Forsyte Saga, she was seen by over 100 million people worldwide. Following the show’s mammoth success, she was awarded an OBE in 1970 for services to television.
George Port
The founding member of Oscar-winning special effects house Weta Digital, George Port laboured for seven months solo on the digital effects for Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures. He went on to found Auckland effects company PRPVFX, which has supplied special effects for Xena: Warrior Princess, Rain of the Children and Green Lantern.
Kevin Milne
Former Fair Go presenter Kevin Milne ranks as one of New Zealand television's longest-serving reporters. After joining the Fair Go team in 1984, he presented or co-presented the show from 1993 until 2010. Milne has also appeared on TVNZ lifestyle shows Production Line, Then Again, Holiday and Kev Can Do.
Ian Sinclair
Ian Sinclair has reported from every corner of the globe. After experiencing dictatorship while studying flamenco guitar in Spain, Sinclair returned home to New Zealand, and eventually began working for TVNZ in 1986. Since then he has covered four major wars and been a mainstay as an investigative journalist, winning New Zealand’s Qantas Media Award for Best Investigation in 2009.
Tony Ciprian
Tony Ciprian, who passed away on 13 January 2015, spent at least 25 years shepherding sport onto local TV screens. The onetime policeman began as a reporter at Gisborne's Radio 2ZG, then moved to television fulltime; by the 80s he was producing and presenting sports for TVNZ's primetime news. In at the launch of TV3 in 1989, Ciprian mentored many young journalists, before making the first of many attempts to retire.
Mihingarangi Forbes
Award-winning journalist Mihingarangi Forbes has spent 20+ years working in television, reporting in both te reo and English. Feilding-raised Forbes began her career as an intern on Te Karere, before moving to One News, Campbell Live, 20/20 and Native Affairs. She resigned from Māori Television in 2015, claiming she'd lost control over her stories, and began presenting Three's new current affairs show The Hui in 2016.
Janet McIntyre
Brisbane-raised Janet McIntyre moved to New Zealand in 1989, and filed reports for 3 News before moving on to 60 Minutes and 20/20. Since switching to TVNZ she has been a long-time mainstay of current affairs show Sunday. She has filed stories from Kandahar to Gloriavale, and tackled interviewees ranging from Fijian dictators to Madonna. She was named TV Journalist of the Year at the 2005 Qantas TV Awards.
Peter Arnett
The long journalism career of Pulitzer-Prize winner Peter Arnett includes interviews with Fidel Castro, General Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. But he is probably best known for the two month period in 1991 when he reported on the Gulf War for CNN — the only Western journalist then left in Baghdad.
Phil Wallington
Veteran Australian-born producer Phil Wallington has 50 plus years of screen credits. A 1989 shift to New Zealand following 23 years at Australia’s ABC news saw him take on a run of executive producer roles on current affairs shows; he helped produce the controversial 1990 Frontline report on Labour Party campaign funding. The Top Shelf producer is also a regular media commentator.
John Shrapnell
John Shrapnell began working in New Zealand television in the 1960s. His career as a journalist, reporter, director, editor, producer and actor spans nearly half a century.