Gregory Mark Sainsbury (born 1956) is a New Zealand journalist and broadcaster. He was the political editor for ''
ONE News'' from 2000 to 2005 and presented TVNZ's daily current affairs programme ''
Close Up
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long ...
'' from 2007 to 2012. Sainsbury was also a presenter with Radio Live from 2016 to 2019.
Early life and family
Sainsbury grew up in
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area.
History
Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...
, one of six sons. He began studying towards a law degree but did not finish it.
After travelling overseas and working as a bus driver, he began a journalism course and before completion was hired by
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 ...
as a researcher.
Career
Sainsbury began a 30-year association with
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 ...
in 1981 when he was hired as a researcher for the then-weekly current affairs programme, ''Close Up''. He was posted to Dunedin in 1983 and returned to Wellington in 1984. In 1987 he spent a year working with
Barry Soper at Independent Radio News, based in the Parliamentary press gallery. He returned to TVNZ in 1988 and joined the ''
Holmes
Holmes may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Holmes (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
** Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective
* Holmes (given name), a list of people
* Gordon Holmes, a penname used by Louis Trac ...
'' show (New Zealand's first daily current affairs programme) in 1989. A feature report Sainsbury fronted for ''Holmes'' about Sir
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the Timeline of M ...
, which was filmed in
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, was the basis of a long-standing friendship between the two men and Sainsbury was a family spokesperson when Hillary died in 2008.
Sainsbury worked in London as TVNZ's Europe correspondent from 1993 to 1997. He returned to work on the ''Holmes'' programme as a Wellington-based reporter until 2000, when he was appointed political editor. He held that post until January 2006, when he left to present ''About Now'', a late-night chat show that was canceled after one year.
In 2007, he succeeded
Susan Wood as host of ''
Close Up
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long ...
'', which was at that point a daily current affairs programme and the successor to the ''Holmes'' show.
Sainsbury won the 2007 Best Presenter
Qantas Media Award
The New Zealand Newspaper Publishers’ Association awards are annual New Zealand media awards recognising excellence in the news print media. The first awards were held in 1974 giving out awards for news photography and have expanded to include ...
for fronting ''Close Up''. He left TVNZ at the end of 2012 when ''Close Up'' was cancelled; the final episode aired on 30 November.
In February 2016, Sainsbury returned to daily broadcasting as the weekday morning host on
Radio Live
Radio Live (stylised as Radio LIVE) was a nationwide Auckland-based New Zealand talkback, news and sport radio network owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand.
It was formed by the 2005 split of talk and racing network Radio Pacific into ...
, replacing
Sean Plunket
Oliver Sean Plunket (known professionally as Sean Plunket) is a New Zealand broadcast journalist. Plunket has worked for several New Zealand broadcast media companies and stations including Radio Windy, Independent Radio News (New Zealand), Ind ...
. He continued at the station until January 2019, when it ceased operating.
Personal life
Sainsbury is married to Ramona Rasch, a lawyer.
They have twin adult children.
''
The Sunday Star-Times
The ''Sunday Star-Times'' is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend in Auckland. It covers both national and international news, and is a member of the New Zealand Press Association and Newspaper Publishers Association of New Zealand ...
'' has described his moustache as "arguably the most famous in the country".
In 2024, Sainsbury courted speculation he might contest the Wellington mayoralty in the 2025 local elections.
See also
*
List of New Zealand television personalities
This is a list of New Zealand television personalities, including presenters and journalists. It includes those who left the profession, retired, or died.
A
* Suzy Aiken – television personality and Prime News presenter
* Peter Arnett – t ...
References
External links
Mark Sainsburyat TVNZ
1956 births
Living people
New Zealand television presenters
People from Upper Hutt
Radio Live
{{Authority control