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Maggie Barry
Maggie Barry is a freelance broadcaster with a career in the media spanning almost 30 years. She has extensive experience in television, radio and as a magazine columnist and feature writer. Maggie was awarded the ONZM (formerly OBE) for services to Broadcasting in 1997.
Maggie is a skilled and sought after MC and conference facilitator, celebrity debater and after dinner speaker. She currently writes the ‘Lunch with Maggie’ feature interviews for the NZ Listener and has weekly radio slots on Newstalk ZB and is also the new host of Radio Live Drive. She is also a regular fill-in presenter on all the morning shows on RNZ National where she presented the ‘Morning Report’ for 4 years and ‘9-noon with Maggie Barry’ for 2 years before joining TVNZ in 1992.
Maggie was the presenter and co-producer of ‘Maggie’s Garden Show’ for twelve years and presented the nightly news “Primetime” (1993) and was a news interviewer for “Counterpoint” (1992). Maggie has also presented and co-written several TV documentaries including ‘NZ goes to Chelsea’ (2005), ‘The Kiwi Bach’, ‘History of the Rose in NZ’, ten ‘Ellerslie Flower Show’ specials and three ‘Heartland’ documentaries (Grey Lynn, Tokoroa and Gore).
An avid reader, Maggie is also the Chair of the Board of the NZ Book Council and has written several gardening books including ‘Maggie’s Garden Diary 2008’ and ‘Shared Visions’ on gardening and food.
A member of the NZ Institute of Directors, Maggie has been a Director on the Board of Outward Bound since 2004 and completed an Outward Bound course in 2003.
Maggie has had a lifetime interest in gardening and has developed many gardens of her own, most recently in her hometown of Wellington and a coastal garden in Auckland. Her enthusiasm for gardening and love of travel has resulted in her leading some 15 tours to Europe, Africa and China over the past 20 years.
Maggie’s interests alongside gardening and reading, include travel, tramping, windsurfing, biking, walking and rollerblading.