When powerhouse journalists Tova O’Brien and Jack Tame lean in for a quiet exchange during their Woman’s Weekly photo shoot, you might imagine they’re swapping political predictions. In reality, they’re discussing foam play tiles.
“We were supposed to be smiling for the camera,” laughs Jack. “But I’ve got Tova whispering in my ear, like, ‘Oh, by the way, I’ve cleaned up those tiles. I’ll drop them around next week.’”
Their busy family lives
Outside work, the pair is navigating much of the same territory. Both are part of busy blended families, each with an older child and a toddler, so there is always a story to share or something to joke about.
That easy rapport carries over into their working relationship as they prepare to share TVNZ’s election-night desk, an assignment they’re excited about.
“The jeopardy this year is immense,” says Tova, 44. “The polls are so tight, the variables are so nuanced, and that will have enormous ripple effects.”
Adds Jack, “It’s going to be thrilling to see everything unfold across election night and the weeks that follow.”
The perfect warm-up to the election
Their podcast Tame and Tova has been the perfect warm-up, helping them get to know each other’s working styles better.
“It’s been so much fun for us,” says Tova. “I’ve learned so much from Jack. He’s a brilliant communicator and so knowledgeable. Doing it on a much larger scale with other amazing guests on the night is going to be a blast.”
The admiration is mutual, even though they’ve spent much of their careers in different fields. While Tova was breaking stories as a political editor in Wellington’s parliamentary press gallery, Jack, 39, was in Auckland, putting politicians through their paces on Q+A.
“I’ve never been in the gallery,” he says. “Tova was based in Wellington, reporting every day. She’s such a bona fide legend in New Zealand political journalism. It’s just a real dream come true, honestly, to be in a place where we can do that together.”
Work-life balance
Away from the microphones, another subject is equally absorbing. Their youngest children are almost the same age – Tova’s daughter has just turned two, and
Jack’s son is 20 months old.
For Tova, whose career has taken her from the press gallery and breakfast radio to Stuff and now to TVNZ, coming home to her little girl offers a welcome change of pace. Her partner, camera operator Cam Williams, helps make that juggling act possible.
“Like Jack, I have a very supportive partner,” she shares. “I host Breakfast, so I’m out the door at 4am.”
Cam handles the morning drop-offs, while Tova’s hours allow her to be there for afternoon pick-ups, dinner and bedtime stories. It’s a team effort that gives Tova precious time with the little girl she misses whenever they’re apart.
“It’s the best antidote,” she says of coming home. “Not that I ever needed an antidote for campaigns; I love them. But it is the nicest, most grounding thing to be with your kid and just read a story and play blocks.”
Jack also knows how thoroughly a toddler can change your priorities.
“Kids keep you humble,” he says. “Your toddler doesn’t want to hear about the polls. All they want to do is read The Little Yellow Digger for the 50,000th time and that’s so good.”
A shared connection
Their connection as parents to young children began before they became colleagues. Jack remembers bumping into Tova while she was pregnant, shortly after he and his wife, journalist Mava Moayyed, 36, had discovered they were expecting too.
Tova says he encouraged her to take a year of maternity leave, rather than the six months she’d planned. She extended her leave in stages and remains grateful she could. “I know not every parent can do that, but, man, I’m glad I did.”
Later, as Tova prepared to join TVNZ, they met in the park between their homes so Jack could give her the inside word on her new workplace. “Not espionage, but surreptitious walks in the park to fill me in on the goings-on,” she smiles.
Grateful for support
With family life and election commitments keeping him busy, Jack is grateful for Mava’s support.
“Having someone who understands both the pressure that you face in live broadcasts and the extent to which you have to do your research to prepare, but also understands that it’s not forever, is really, really valuable,” he says.
He’s candid about the demands. “I’m the first to admit I don’t have a great work-life balance right now,” adds Jack, who is averaging about one day
off every fortnight. “If we were always in election campaigns, I think I would fall over.”
With his toddler still learning to sleep through the night, a recent trip to Queenstown to host a debate seemed like a chance for an uninterrupted night’s rest. Instead, he missed his family and woke at 4am.
“I checked with my wife the next day and she was like, ‘It was amazing. He slept through the night!’”
At Tova’s place, meanwhile, the big event has been her daughter’s second birthday.
“We did a nice little family thing, just the immediate family on the day,” she tells. “And then last weekend, we did a slightly bigger thing. So she now understands the concept of presents and asks for them every morning!”
They also had a homemade birthday cake, an ambitious undertaking for someone who hates baking. Her Breakfast co-host Chris Chang produces impressive cakes and Tova was determined to try. The owl decoration was an overwhelming success. Her verdict on the taste? “The cake was disgusting.”
“I’ve got a fail-safe Chelsea Winter chocolate cake recipe I can give you,” Jack offers. “It’s a game-changer.”
Tova and Jack’s friendship hasn’t totally extinguished their competitive instincts, though. Jack, who spent five years as TVNZ’s US correspondent, remembers opening Instagram to discover that Tova had travelled to Ukraine and interviewed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I was thinking, that is such a good get!” he says. “I was just so admiring of the fact that she’d gone to Ukraine, pulled off an incredible scoop and had been the only person in New Zealand to do so!”
Competitive streaks
Tova admits she has watched many of Jack’s interviews thinking, “I wish I’d thought of that question” or “I wish I’d done that.”
She says, “Within political journalism, there is the desperate need to be competitive and to win, but then there’s also the celebration of colleagues when you do a good job.”
Now they’re sharing one of broadcasting’s biggest nights, with little chance to pause afterwards. Jack will be back hosting Q+A the next morning, after just a few hours off air.
Tova knows that particular challenge well. Her headline-making interview with Jami-Lee Ross happened the morning after the 2020 election, following a broadcast that had kept her working until the early hours. She recalls going straight into it “a bit sleep deprived” and jokingly tells Jack to “be nice”.
Eventually, though, there will be summer, family time and a chance to put down their phones. Jack is looking forward to a chair, a cold drink and a book in December. Tova has an equally appealing picture in mind.
“I just want to exist in a body of water,” she says. “With my family and with my friends, and just swim and be hot.”
1News: Your Vote 2026 Election Night Special will air at 7pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+, with live results also available on 1News.co.nz.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
