Paul Holmes

Sir Paul Scott Holmes (29 April 1950 – 1 February 2013) was a New Zealand broadcaster who gained national recognition through his high-profile radio and television journalism. Holmes fronted one of first major prime time current affairs shows of the 1980s, Holmes, which ran on TV One from 1989 to 2004. Holmes hosted the Newstalk ZB breakfast show from 1985 to 2008, and the Saturday morning show from 2009 to 2012. Holmes' other ventures included several notable hosting slots, including a short-lived weekly show on Prime Television in 2005, two stints as the anchor of This Is Your Life and from 2009 until his retirement in 2012 the Sunday morning political talk show Q+A. Due to his high-profile appearances and controversial manner, Holmes' personal life was often documented alongside his charitable efforts. He spent much of his career in the spotlight, including his campaigning of the Paralympics, the birth of his son, the collapse of his marriage, his daughter's drug problems and his death. Holmes was also credited with bringing AIDS awareness to New Zealand, after featuring a story on a young girl with the disease, Eve van Grafhorst, on Holmes. However, he was criticised for his offensive views on people of colour, specifically of Māori and Black people. Owing to his success, Holmes picked up a celebrity-like status and often made appearances in other media such as long running soap opera Shortland Street. Holmes underwent treatment for cancer in 1999 and heart surgery in 2012. He retired shortly after the latter treatment and in 2013 was knighted by the Governor-General of New Zealand. Just two weeks later, Holmes died at his Hawkes Bay home.