Paul Holmes

Who was Paul Holmes?

Sir Paul Scott Holmes, KNZM, was a New Zealand broadcaster, who gained national recognition through his high profile radio and television journalism. Holmes has been credited with revolutionizing New Zealand journalism, for fronting the first prime time current affairs show of the time, Holmes, a show that ran on TV One from 1989 to 2004. Holmes also hosted a Saturday morning radio show on Newstalk ZB from 1985 to 2008.

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, helping his daughter's drug problems and his ultimate 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.