Sunday star Mava 'I'M DOING THIS FOR MY BOY'

The journalist reveals her refugees roots and why it’s important for her son to understand his heritage

- Florence Hartigan

After four years working behind the scenes on the current affairs series Sunday, journalist Mava Moayyed has stepped in front of the camera to join the TVNZ 1 show’s reporting team – just in time for its 20th anniversary.

“When my boss called me and said, ‘We have a spot open – would you consider applying?’ I was so flattered and shocked that I started sweating profusely,” laughs the bubbly Aucklander, 31. “I didn’t make any sense on the phone. I had to call her back!”

Though becoming a TV star was unexpected, Mava is grateful for the opportunity. “It’s the cherry on top of being a journalist to front your own stories,” she tells Woman’s Day. “But it doesn’t feel much different. The biggest pro has been that I sometimes get my hair and makeup done now. I’m always overdressed, so at least now it’s a little bit more justifiable! But what I’m really looking forward to is the stories I’m working on.”

Mava’s passion for journalism was inspired in part by her parents, who were forced to leave their native Iran, where members of the Bahá’í Faith, like Mava and her family, are targeted because of their religion.

“The risk of my parents being in Iran was possible imprisonment and death, so they became refugees, which is not an easy decision to make,” shares Mava, whose folks eventually settled in Nelson, where she was born.

“Their story has given me a really strong sense of social justice, and a passion for highlighting the plight of people who are vulnerable and being persecuted.”