Catherine Saunders
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Catherine Rosaleen Saunders (nee Dowling, born 1942) is a New Zealand broadcasting personality, public relations executive and radio producer. In 2001 Saunders was appointed an Officer of the
New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...
for services to broadcasting and the community.


Early life and education

Saunders was born in
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
in 1942 to Anthony John Dowling and Kathleen Mary Dowling (née Whelan), and had two older brothers. Her father was a Catholic lawyer, and her mother a pianist. Saunders attended St Philomena's School (now Trinity Catholic College). Saunders spent two years training as a teacher before deciding not to continue.


Career

Saunders auditioned as a radio announcer in 1961. She started at Dunedin TV in 1962, and worked as a journalist throughout the 1960s. She appeared on the 1960s magazine show ''Town and Around'', and was a long-standing panelist on Selwyn Toogood’s panel advice show ''
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
'', where they discussed controversial subjects such as open adoption,
contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
and
sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...
. Saunders was the commentator for the Mobil Song Quest in 1965, when it was won by
Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...
. She recalled later "I was only allowed to talk about the women's hair, their clothing, and the floral decorations in the hall". Saunders campaigned alongside
Silvia Cartwright Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright (née Poulter; born 7 November 1943) is a New Zealand jurist who served as the 18th governor-general of New Zealand, from 2001 to 2006. She was the second woman to hold the office, after Dame Catherine Tizard. Earl ...
,
Donna Awatere Huata Donna Lynn Awatere Huata (sometimes written Awatere-Huata, previously known as Donna Awatere; born 1949) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the ACT New Zealand Party, activist for Māori people, Māori causes, and convicted fra ...
and
Margaret Wilson Margaret Anne Wilson (born 20 May 1947) is a New Zealand lawyer, academic and former Labour Party politician. She served as Attorney-General from 1999 to 2005 and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2008, during the Fifth ...
for equal pay and opportunities for women. Saunders moved into public relations and marketing in 1969. She worked for the
New Zealand Dairy Board The New Zealand Dairy Board (NZDB) was a statutory board in control of the export of all New Zealand dairy products from its formation in 1923 until 2001. It operated through a global network of marketing subsidiaries. In 2001, the Dairy Board wa ...
until 1983, followed by the Auckland Visitors Bureau and Griffon & Saunders Public Relations, after which she ran her own public relations company. Saunders marketed butter, Daffodil Day and led the Dairy Board’s highly successful 'Bigger Block of Cheese' campaign. In the 1980s, Saunders hosted the television show ''Tonight With Cathy Saunders'', co-hosted the chat show ''Saunders and Sinclair'' with Geoff Sinclair. She had her own slot on
Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...
, and for five years produced ''Top Of the Morning''.


Awards and honours

In the
2001 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2001 was announced on 16 June 2001 for the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), New Zealand (4 June), Australia (11 June), Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sa ...
Saunders was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting and the community.


References


External links


ScreenTalk Interview with Catherine Saunders
19 December 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Catherine New Zealand broadcasters People from Dunedin 1942 births New Zealand radio presenters People educated at Trinity Catholic College, Dunedin Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit