
'In The Life and Times of a Brown Paper Bag, the 2010 book that presenter Kevin Milne wrote to mark the end of his long career on Fair Go, he remembers inquiring of then-TVNZ boss Rick Ellis how long he thought the soon-to-be-axed consumer show might last.
"For as long as it rates was his answer. Fair enough. In a perfect world, I suppose I'd love to have read: 'For as long as it proves a lifeline to Kiwis in need. It's inextricably part of TVNZ's brand now, like Country Calendar. We owe it so much."
" Fair Go began on April 7, 1977. Its present team were hoping they would celebrate a 50th birthday in a few years. But with TVNZ's proposed gutting of its current affairs offerings, including flagship show Sunday, come May, that's likely it for Fair Go, the second-longest running show (after Country Calendar) on NZ television.
The show has had 50 or more presenters and reporters in its time. Some, like Milne and his first-generation FG colleagues Brian Edwards, Philip Alpers and Kerre Woodham, became household names from their time on the show. For some, like Kim Hill, Sharon Crosbie, Carol Hirschfeld and Amanda Millar, it was a springboard.
Since the show's beginnings, many of its stars appeared in the pages of the Listener. Put all those features, profiles and reviews together and you would have a potted history of the show. Well, there's an idea...
APRIL 1977
Hardheaded interviewer Brian Edwards and producer Peter Morritt kick off a consumer show for Television One based on viewers' complaints. Reporters Spencer Jolly and Gillian McGregor make up the initial line-up and the show also features a sideline in buyer-beware comedy skits.
Morritt: We're interested in the little people either as citizens, employees, patients or consumers.
Denne historien er fra March 23-29, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra March 23-29, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på

A hint of mermaids
Erin Palmisano's latest novel once again has food and romance at the heart of its well-plotted story.

Execution over innovation
Big and bold ideas are fine, but being the best beats being first.

Something's wrong with all of them
Engaging dissection of the 20th-century novel likely to send the reader in search for the book under discussion.

Cell warfare
A NZ trial using immunotherapy to beat a form of blood cancer is expanding after promising results – and it's hoped the 'gold standard' treatment will soon be widely available.

The virus that stole all the smells
In this edited extract from The Forgotten Sense, Jonas Olofsson traces the rise in anosmia as a result of Covid-19 infections.

When caring is ‘woke'
Some years ago, I sat in a small plane circling over Punta del Este in Uruguay. There was a delay and we sat in tense silence until we began our descent. Outside the tiny airport, a taxi ferried us past private Lear jets; these had been the cause of the hold-up. The driver pointed to two planes side by side. \"This one is a Trump plane.\"

Getting along swimmingly
The presenters of Endangered Species Aotearoa spend a fair bit of time on and in the water in the second season.

That clingy feeling
Our pets display the same types of attachment behaviours as we do, or so it seems.

The famous furred
A peaceful little spot in LA is the final resting place for the pets of some of Hollywood's biggest names.

Gone girl
She wandered in on Thursday morning looking very wan, and climbed into her bed. I sat on the edge and stroked her back.