Jim Hickey (born 1 August 1949) is a former weather presenter for

TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He was the senior weathercaster for TVNZ for 22 years.

Biography

Hickey grew up on a farm in

Ōpunake Ōpunake () is a small urban area in the North Island of New Zealand, located within the Taranaki region and governed by the South Taranaki District Council. Positioned along State Highway 45, it lies between Hāwera to the south and New Plymo ...

, and initially trained as a secondary school teacher before going on to study a Bachelor of Arts in geography with specialisation in

climatology Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "slope"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. Climate concerns the atmospher ...

. Hickey later completed a Diploma of Meteorology. In 2006, Hickey was announced as a board member of

Family First New Zealand Family First New Zealand is a conservative Christian lobby group in New Zealand. It was founded in March 2006 by former Radio Rhema talkback radio host and South Auckland social-worker Bob McCoskrie, who continues to be its National Director. ...

, a conservative Christian lobby group, a position he still holds. Hickey has an affinity for aviation; during his time as a weatherman, Hickey would pilot himself from his home in New Plymouth to his work in Auckland in a Cessna. In 2019 ''

Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional c ...

'' published that Hickey was living in an unused airport hangar at the

New Plymouth airport New Plymouth Airport serves the city of New Plymouth, and the surrounding region of Taranaki Region, Taranaki. It is located on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island and is 11 km from the city centre, on State Highway 3 north to A ...

that he had remodelled. James Brian Hickey, his father, was a

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

pilot in Burma during World War Two. Hickey has four children, including Sally Jo Hickey, a former

influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

Career

Hickey's career in the arts began in the early 1980s with minor theatre and television roles, including roles on Mortimer's Patch and Children of the Dog Star. In 1988 Hickey began presenting the weather for TVNZ as the senior weathercaster, a position he held until 2003. In 2007 he resumed his role as senior weathercaster, following Brendan Horan's retirement. One notable cross occurred following a

snow dump Snow removal or snow clearing is the job of removing snow after a snowfall to make travel easier and safer. This is done both by individual households and by governments institutions, and commercial businesses. De-icing and anti-icing De-icin ...

which blocked the

Homer Tunnel The Homer Tunnel is a 1.2 km (0.75 miles) long road tunnel in the Fiordland region of the South Island of New Zealand, opened in 1953. New Zealand State Highway 94 passes through the tunnel, linking Milford Sound to Te Anau and Queenstown ...

, and following the cancellation of flights, flew himself and

Tāmati Coffey Tāmati Gerald Coffey (born 19 September 1979) is a New Zealand broadcaster, politician, and former Member of Parliament. As a broadcaster, Coffey presented television programmes such as ''What Now'', ''Breakfast'', and ''New Zealand's Got Tal ...

(who was a reporter for ''

Breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. Various "typical" or "traditional" breakfast menus exist, with food choices varying by regi ...

'' at the time) from Milford Sound to Queenstown. He retired for the second and final time in late 2014. Following his time as the senior weathercaster, Hickey has gained somewhat of a celebrity status in New Zealand. Hickey was also known for his on-air persona and gaffes, including one incident where Hickey said "comeburgers," which was then featured on '' Eating Media Lunch''. In addition to his role as weathercaster, Hickey presented other TVNZ programmes such as '' Country Calendar'', ''Jim's Car Show'', ''A Flying Visit'', ''How's the Weather Jim?,'' ''The Real Middle Earth'' and the 1999 documentary, ''Shaky Beginnings'' by

Bryan Bruce Bryan Bruce (born 1948) is a New Zealand documentary maker and author. Early life Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bryan Bruce emigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1956. He grew up in Christchurch and attended the University of Canterbu ...

. Alongside his television career, Hickey co-owns a series of cafes and restaurants and has worked in the antique furniture business.

References

External links

* * * 1949 births Living people New Zealand television weather presenters People from New Plymouth New Zealand meteorologists New Zealand Christians People educated at Francis Douglas Memorial College {{NewZealand-tv-bio-stub

Biography

Career

See also

References

External links