Newhub co-anchor Mike McRoberts ‘loved’ the job, grateful

Friday, 19 April 2024

'I'm going to try not to cry for this last bit,' says Sam Hayes, as she pays tribute to Mike McRoberts at the end of the Newshub bulletin.

Fighting to hold back the tears, Newshub 6pm bulletin co-anchor Samantha Hayes told the show’s audience on Friday that spending time with co-host Mike McRoberts was one of her life’s “great treasures”.

Earlier in the day McRoberts announced he will step aside from news presenting when Newshub shuts down, after a 40-year career in journalism, more than half of them at Three.

On the 6pm bulletin, he said: “It has been a pretty overwhelming day for me.

“I have loved telling the news each night for the last 20 years. Thank you to everybody for your love and support.'

Hayes then addressed him, telling him he was one of her life’s “great treasures”, then gave him a hug before they were joined by other members of the Newshub staff in the studio.

Mike McRoberts said Newshub’s last 6pm bulletin will be his last as a presenter.

In a statement earlier on Friday, McRoberts said: 'Ka mutu taku haerenga hei kaikawe kōrero, he haerenga i hīkoi tahi ai tatou - my journey as a news presenter is coming to an end, a journey we have walked together. Newshub's last 6 o'clock bulletin… will be my last presenting the news.“

His announcement came days after it was revealed Stuff has agreed a deal to produce a 6pm news bulletin for Three owners Warner Bros Discovery NZ (WBD) following WBD’s confirmation it would shutter the Newshub operation in its entirety as of July 5.

Read more: Mike McRoberts’ greatest moments

In his statement, McRoberts paid tribute to “the wonderfully talented people I have worked alongside, to the brave and vulnerable who have trusted me to tell their stories, and to our overwhelmingly loyal and supportive audience”.

He singled out Samantha Hayes, his co-anchor of eight years. “I couldn’t think of a better way to end my presenting career,” McRoberts said.

Sam Hayes and Mike McRoberts have hosted their nightly news show after learning TV3's news operation would be closing after 35 years.

'I will miss the whanaungatanga of our Newshub team terribly, but this is the right time for me to step away and pursue new opportunities, whatever they may be.

'E kore e mutu taku mihi nui ki te aroha me te tautoko a te katoa i whai wāhi. I am forever grateful for the love and support of everyone involved.'

McRoberts took his first presenting job when he moved to Three, then TV3, in 2001 as a host of 60 Minutes. He had previously been a correspondent for the Holmes show at TVNZ.

He started presenting the flagship bulletin in March 2005 alongside Hilary Barry. Barry left in 2016 and was replaced by Hayes.

McRoberts hasn’t just sat behind the anchor desk, however. In the last 19 years he has reported from the field covering war zones, natural disasters, and other major events.

He was also a contestant on Three’s Dancing With the Stars in 2019, making headlines with his impressively toned abs.

A special segment shown in March 2021 marking McRobert’s 20th anniversary at Three included footage of him running in marathons and strutting down a catwalk.