Pictures: Babiche Martens.
Broadcaster Anna Burns-Francis has always been someone who’s up for an adventure, but moving to the Middle East with a baby wasn’t exactly a twist she saw coming when she headed off on maternity leave last year.
The former Breakfast host, who welcomed little Sophie in May 2024, had hoped to return to TVNZ, but after her role was caught up in a widespread restructure, Anna and her husband Simon Gordon came up with plan B – a move to Dubai for Simon’s job, with baby Sophie and Anna’s mum Robyn going along for the ride too.
“It’s really exciting!” says the former US correspondent for 1News, 39, catching up with Woman’s Day just days before she left New Zealand for her new life. She might be drowning in a sea of packing boxes when we chat, but Anna is feeling good.
Anna loved her job at TVNZ, but motherhood has given her a wonderful new sense of perspective and being able to focus on the most important little person in her life has been the best silver lining.
She confesses, “I wouldn’t have chosen to be put in the position that I was, but I’ve never regretted for a moment the decision that I made. I got to have more time with Sophie, which has been wonderful, and now we’re off on a big adventure. It’ll be fun.”
And as she approaches her daughter’s first birthday, Anna says it’s lovely to reflect on their year of being a family of three. Motherhood, she shares, is both the hardest job in the world and the best.
“You know the saying that the days are long but the years are short? Well, that already feels very true. Those first few weeks were the most challenging, with the sleep deprivation and learning how to feed. Once we got into the swing of things though, it’s just been brilliant. She’s so much fun.”
Anna describes Sophie as a smiley baby who is full of energy. She learned to crawl at seven months and has barely stopped moving since.
“She’s one of those babies who wakes up happy,” tells Anna. “She’s learning to pull herself up at the moment and it’s so fun watching her discover all the things on top of the table or on top of the couch… She goes on these amazing races around the house. It’s such fun watching her grow and develop.”
One of the most beautiful things about motherhood has been the friendships she’s made in her antenatal group. Her bunch of mums and bubs met at least twice a week, with Anna sometimes hosting playgroup sessions at her house.
“Being a mum is so hard, right?” muses Anna. “People say you just need one friend who’s going through the same things, but I’ve got easily half a dozen that I can message at any hour and just be like, ‘Oh, my God, you won’t believe the day I’ve had!’”
Anna admits to mixed feelings about her role on Breakfast ending. When she left on maternity leave last May, she fully intended on returning after the summer break. She’d even hired an au pair in preparation.
Yet just before Christmas, she and her co-hosts, Chris Chang and Jenny-May Clarkson, were told TVNZ was proposing a restructure of the show and they’d need to reapply for their jobs.
It was a confronting moment for the dedicated journalist, but becoming a mum had given her a sense of clarity and Anna walked out of that meeting knowing what she needed to do.
“I just decided the timing was right for me to do something different,” says Anna. She admits it might have been a different story if it weren’t for baby Sophie.
“I have such a new perspective on life,” she tells. “Being on maternity leave has been the longest break I’ve had from my career since university. It actually helped give me some perspective as to what the best decision was going to be for me. If I’d still been in there every day, I would’ve thought, ‘Oh, I can’t leave this place and these people!’
“Being a journalist, you work ridiculous hours, you do these off-the-wall stories and the only people who really understand your job are your colleagues. So, you become really good friends with the people you work with.
“But being able to be away from the office definitely gave me some perspective. I realised that it was going to be OK and I would still have a life outside of that job. I would have another job one day and these big things happen. It was time to go with the flow.”
While Anna received job offers in New Zealand, she and tech entrepreneur Simon began thinking seriously about a move overseas. Simon’s company has bases in both Singapore and Dubai, so it made sense for him to be there. And Anna, who moved back to Aotearoa in 2022 after several years in New York, was ready for something new.
Her biggest hesitation was leaving friends and family behind, including Simon’s Kāpiti-based parents Jenny and Jim, and her own mum Robyn, who have all played a huge part in little Sophie’s life.
“Mum and Sophie are best friends – they have such a beautiful bond,” says Anna. She is delighted that Robyn, now known as Nonna, has decided to join them in the United Arab Emirates for at least the first few months. “I wasn’t sure if she’d want to come along, but she said yes straightaway. I think she just couldn’t bear being away from Sophie for too long.”
Anna will look for work in Dubai, but for the moment, she’s focusing on her little girl and settling into a country she has spent barely any time in.
“I do want to have a job and get back to work, but I’m not in a rush,” she shares. “I want to make sure it’s a job that works for us because Si’s going to be working really hard.
“This is an amazing opportunity and I want to make sure we enjoy the experience as well. I’m looking forward to new experiences and seeing new places. I love learning about other cultures.
“It’s a small but central part of the world. We’ll be closer to other places that we want to explore in Europe, Asia and Africa. I’m just excited to have Sophie along for the ride too. She makes everything more fun.”
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