Paul Holmes (broadcaster)
A brash, opinionated broadcaster who dominated New Zealand's media landscape for decades, becoming the country's most recognizable and controversial television face.
1950–2013 (age 63)·New Zealand broadcaster·Birthday: April 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Paul Holmes didn't just host a television show; he held court. For fifteen years, 'Holmes' was a prime-time event, a current affairs program built around his singular, pugnacious personality. He interviewed prime ministers and celebrities with equal parts charm and confrontation, often making the news himself with his editorial asides. Simultaneously, his voice ruled morning radio on Newstalk ZB, where his opinions fueled the national conversation. Holmes was a polarizing figure—adored for his directness and criticized for his occasional missteps—but his influence was undeniable. He weathered professional storms, including a famous on-air apology to the then-UN Secretary-General, and later in his career showed a more reflective side. His death in 2013 felt like the end of an era in New Zealand broadcasting.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Paul was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Died at 63
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Hosted the prime-time current affairs show 'Holmes' on TVNZ from 1989 to 2004, making it a ratings powerhouse.
- Presented the top-rating breakfast show on Newstalk ZB for 23 years, from 1985 to 2008.
- Was knighted in 2003 for his services to broadcasting and the community.
- Won numerous New Zealand television and radio awards throughout his career, including Best Presenter.
Did You Know?
He began his career as a newspaper journalist before moving to radio and television.
He famously apologized on air after calling United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan a 'cheeky darkie' in 2003.
He owned and bred racehorses, with one of his horses, 'Sir Slick,' becoming a multiple Group One winner.
He published an autobiography titled 'Daughters of Erebus' after his involvement in covering the Air New Zealand Flight 901 disaster.
“Good morning, good morning, and welcome to the news, the way it is, on this day.”
