Mike McRoberts
 |
Mike McRoberts | |
|---|---|
 Mike McRoberts broadcasting from the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake | |
| Born | 1966 (age 57–58) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Citizenship | New Zealand |
| Employer | Television Three |
Mike McRoberts (born 1966) is a New Zealand television journalist and news anchor.
Early life
McRoberts was born in 1966 to a Ngāti Kahungunu father and pākehā mother. He attended Manning Intermediate[1] and Hillmorton High School in Christchurch. He completed a journalism diploma from the New Zealand Broadcasting School at CPIT (now Ara Institute of Canterbury) in 1986. As his father was discouraged to speak Maori, Mike and his older brother also never learnt to speak the language. As such, he was criticized for his lack of fluency.
Career
McRoberts began his career in 1984 as a cadet at Radio New Zealand.[2]
In 1995, McRoberts accepted an offer as a sports reporter for TVNZ. In 1998 he moved to current affairs joining the Holmes programme, and after a successful stint on that show, he left TVNZ to join rival TV3 as a reporter in 2001.[2]
In 2002 he took a presenting position with current affairs show 60 Minutes. He also reported for the show, covering stories such as gangs' drug use, body dysmorphia, and addiction to internet pornography.
In March 2005 McRoberts and journalist Hilary Barry were appointed as 6pm newsreaders.[3]
McRoberts is best known for his work in some of the world's most dangerous places, covering conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, East Timor and Solomon Islands. He has covered some of the world's worst natural disasters from tsunamis, to wildfires and earthquakes, including the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the Japan earthquake and tsunami and his coverage of the Christchurch earthquake in 2010 and 2011.
In May 2012, McRoberts became the anchor of TV3's new current affairs show Three 60 focusing on international news, politics, and business.[4]
In 2019 McRoberts was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.[5]
On May 3, 2021, McRoberts was honoured for his 20 years of service for TV3/Newshub.[6]
Mike appeared on The Masked Singer NZ as "Orange Roughy", he was eliminated in his third appearance.
Personal life
McRoberts married journalist Paula Penfold and the couple have two children, Ben and Maia.[7] They separated in 2017.[8]
McRoberts has won numerous journalism awards, including Qantas Television Award for TV Journalist of the Year in 2006. McRoberts published his first book Beyond the Front Line in October 2011.[9]
McRoberts is also a UNICEF ambassador.[10]
In 2022's factual and autobiographical documentary Kia Ora, Good Evening: He revealed that he and his family, including his older brother, John had been learning Maori, because despite his Maori heritage, neither he nor his brother learnt to speak the language even at a basic level until John reached adulthood because their father was discouraged to speak Maori in schools. This also caused backlash over the years that he has never been able to speak the ethnicity's mother tongue, which contrasts Oriini Kaipara and Mihingarangi Forbes, who used to work for TV3 until 2012.
See also
References
- ^ McRoberts, Mike (14 September 2020). "Mike McRoberts: My journey as a Māori journalist".
- ^ a b "Mike McRoberts | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "TV3 Announces 7PM Current Affairs Show". Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ "New current affairs show 'Three60′ premieres Sunday".
- ^ Black, Eleanor (5 May 2019). "How Mike McRoberts became a sex symbol".
- ^ "Mike McRoberts wells up as he thanks viewers for the 'privilege' of 20 years at Three". Stuff. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "Profile: Mike McRoberts On Conflict Here and Abroad | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ Simich, Ricardo (4 November 2017). "Mike McRoberts and Paula Penfold split". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Mike McRobert's 60 Minutes bio". Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ "UNICEF auctions off dinner with Mike McRoberts". 3 News. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
External links
- Profile on NZ on Screen
- Mike McRoberts at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
