Ingrid's new start at 50 'I'M A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON!'

After losing a dear friend, the TV star decided it was time to chase her dreams

- Sophie Neville

If anyone had asked Kiwi broadcaster Ingrid Hipkiss if she thought she’d ever leave her beloved television job, the answer would have always been a firm “no”. She spent her entire 20-year career at Three and loved her colleagues like family.

But after landing one of New Zealand’s most coveted journalism roles hosting Morning Report on RNZ National, Ingrid, 50, has bid an emotional farewell to her Newshub colleagues to take up the challenge. At this stage of her life, she didn’t expect a momentous career change such as this, but she’s welcoming the opportunity with open arms – and a smattering of nerves.

“Life is funny, isn’t it?” she says, catching up with the Weekly over coffee at a café near her Auckland home. “I really would not have believed you if you’d told me I’d leave Three – it was like a second home to me. I felt bereft when I walked out the doors for the last time. There were a lot of tears.”

But Ingrid describes her new job as a pinch-yourself role. Having started her career as a political reporter, she’s relishing the chance to join the long-running radio programme, considered by many as a mainstay of Kiwi journalism.

“When I started out as a reporter, I would tune into Morning Report every day because it set the news agenda for the day. It is the Holy Grail of journalism and there’s real mana to it. So to get an opportunity like this feels unreal. I couldn’t be happier.”