Michael Anthony Noonan (4 December 1940 – 11 June 2023) was a New Zealand writer, most often associated with his writing for television drama series. He is usually credited under either his full name or as ''Michael A. Noonan'', so as to be distinguished from New Zealand-born Australian writer Michael Noonan.

Biography

Born on 4 December 1940, Noonan grew up in the southern South Island, 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 ...

and

Oamaru Oamaru (; ) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast; State Highway 1 (New Zealand), Sta ...

. After leaving school he began writing, notably drama such as ''The Rattle'', whilst supplementing his income through work in radio and stage acting and as a regional television newsreader. He moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1965, where he began writing for television. In 1969, he became the first script editor for the newly created television drama department of the

NZBC The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a State-owned enterprise, publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BC ...

. In this capacity he worked alongside and helped mentor a group of new writing talent including the likes of Roger Hall and

Fiona Kidman Dame Fiona Judith Kidman ( Eakin; born 26 March 1940) is a New Zealand novelist, poet, scriptwriter and short story writer. She grew up in Northland, and worked as a librarian and a freelance journalist early in her career. She began writing ...

. He left his editing position in the early 1970s, and in the proceeding years scripted several series, notable among them early children's television series '' The Games Affair''. In the following years, Noonan formed a close working relationship with director Tony Isaac.Tony Isaac biography
, nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 14 March 2013. In 1975 their collaboration won a

Feltex Award New Zealand film and television awards have gone by many different names and have been organised by different industry groups. As of 2017, New Zealand has relaunched a standalone New Zealand Television Awards after a five-year hiatus. The film awa ...

for ''The Longest Winter'', a

docu-drama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typ ...

about the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. The same year saw the debut of '' Close to Home'', for which Noonan and Isaac became a principal writer and director. This was to prove to be New Zealand's most successful soap opera until the launch of ''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, be ...

'' 17 years later. In 1977, Noonan wrote the docu-drama '' The Governor'', based on the life of

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

. This series, also directed by Isaac, too was to become a New Zealand television landmark. In 1979, Noonan became the first scriptwriter to be awarded a

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

by the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

. During this time he wrote two series which were cancelled before going into production, notably one based on Bill Pearson's novel ''Coal Flat''. The cancellation was, in part, due to financial concerns, especially given that ''The Governor'' had proved controversial over its high production costs.

Television New Zealand 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, TVNZ+, streaming service, and 1N ...

was approached again over the ''Coal Flat'' project in 2002, but funding was declined. Noonan later successfully adapted Roger Hall's stage play '' Glide Time'' into a long-running television comedy series, ''

Gliding On ''Gliding On'' is a New Zealand sitcom that aired from 1981 to 1985. It was written by Roger Hall (playwright), Roger Hall and adapted from his play ''Glide Time'', and directed by Tony Holden (director), Tony Holden. The series depicts the work ...

''. Noonan died in Auckland on 11 June 2023, at the age of 82.

Filmography

Television

The numbers in writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noonan, Michael Anthony 1940s births Year of birth missing 2023 deaths New Zealand screenwriters New Zealand male screenwriters New Zealand television writers Writers from Dunedin Mass media people from Dunedin