Photography: Nicola Edmonds
Last time Woman’s Day caught up with Mei Heron, in August, she was just back from her three-year gig as TVNZ’s European correspondent and looking forward to settling back into a slower pace of life in Wellington.
Focusing on her husband Stephen and their kids, Malachi, seven, and Emiko, four, the journalist took note of the advice from her boss to take a breather after her big role in London and just relax for a bit.
However, hard-working Mei, 33, just can’t resist taking on new challenges! As we chat, those freshly unpacked boxes are about to be repacked, with the family heading north to Auckland for her new gig as the presenter of TVNZ’s flagship new morning show BNZ Business Breakfast.
“I know, I know – it was not the plan!” laughs Mei, 33.
“But to my credit, I did tell myself to wait six months before jumping into anything new and I managed to get to eight! Even my boss said to me, ‘Ignore what I said – this is too good to turn down!’
“However, infuriatingly, the week before this job came onto my radar, we’d just bought a whole lot of new furniture for our Wellington house. We unpacked it and put it in place, and now we’re packing it up again and moving out!”
Weekdays away from home
Mei is talking to us from her Auckland hotel room, where she’s been staying for the past few weeks as she commutes back and forth from Wellington. The couple decided hubby Stephen, 39, would remain in the capital with the kids, so Malachi can finish the term at his new school.
Mei’s finding it very difficult being away from the family from Monday to Friday.
Missing home more than ever
“I reckon I’m missing them even more than when I was in the UK,” she admits.
“In London, I’d be away for a story that kept me busy, but here I’m free from about 3pm and then it’s like, ‘What am I going to do now?’”
Still, their experience overseas helped prepare Mei for change.
Remembering her ‘why’
“It taught me that you need to come back to the reason why,” she says.
“I’m so proud for what I’m showing my family and children that they can do. “One day, I was Facetiming them when they were all in the car and they came across one of the billboards with my obnoxiously large face on it. They squealed and shouted, ‘Look, it’s Mummy!’ That was pretty cool.”
Explaining another big move
Mei and Stephen were unsure how the kids would take the news that they were moving again, just months after they’d unpacked their toys and belongings after their return to Aotearoa.
Mei chuckles, “When I told Malachi, he just looked at me and said, ‘Is this what we do now, Mum? Do we just move?’ At four, Emi is young enough to just take it in her stride. I was worried about Malachi, though, because it’s taken a while to settle back into Wellington, then just as he was making friends and finding his place, this change came up.”
However, the couple is firm believers that they can set the tone for their kids and Malachi has caught their excitement.
Mei tells, “We told him we can fly back to visit his friends in school holidays – he’s not leaving them forever, like he did with the London mates. And we started writing a list of things we’re looking forward to about Auckland – Malachi suggested we pin them to the fridge, the mirror and by his bed as reminders.”
Auckland adventures ahead
On that list are Auckland Zoo, the aquarium and “city adventures”.
Mei explains, “When we lived in London, we initially didn’t have any family or friends there, so we’d spend our weekends exploring the city, new cafés, new parks…. But in Wellington, we were homebodies. Malachi missed that, so we’ve promised to do adventure city days in Auckland.”
Mei and Stephen have friends and family in Auckland, and are excited for their kids to spend more time with their cousins.
A former parliamentary reporter for RNZ, Mei laughs, “We’re also looking forward to the beaches and nicer weather – although I feel disloyal to Wellington saying that!”
But most of all, she’s stoked her new hours at Business Breakfast mean she’ll see her kids more.
The best part of the job
“Being able to pick them up every day after school is such a highlight for us – and for Mali, it was the biggest selling point. When I was reporting, I’d start about 9am and be done about 6.30pm, giving me half an hour at the end of each day with them. “So even though the early starts are brutal, everyone has told me that’s been the best part of the job – being able to spend time with the kids. Chris Chang on Breakfast said the same thing, as did Tova O’Brien.”
Mei’s many years of live reporting on major international events – like the war in Ukraine, earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, Queen Elizabeth’s death, the King’s coronation, the Olympic Games and the Rugby World Cup – for TVNZ have been invaluable, while being a mum means she’s used to the juggle.
Both have also helped her get used to the early starts.
Up before dawn
Mei says, “My alarm goes off at 3am, although I’m pushing snooze a bit too often at the moment! If I’m disciplined, I’ll get to bed about 8pm, which gives me a good seven hours’ sleep. To be honest, I was working hours like that in London, but with even less sleep – there aren’t many jobs where you’re asked to perform at your best at 2am!”
Of diving head-first into the business world, Mei continues, “There’s so much to digest and that’s what I love. It’s like learning a different craft.”
She’s subscribed to all the world’s biggest business publications and says that people have been kind in sharing their insider knowledge.
Raised on money talk
Both of Mei’s parents have worked for banks for decades, so Mei grew up in a financially literate house, where mortgage rates, term deposits, KiwiSaver and investment ideas were regularly discussed.
“That kind of conversation has always been around me, so I’m probably more equipped for this role than I realised,” she says, although she adds she hopes she can use her “fresh eyes” to help create a show that all kinds of businesspeople will watch, from business-savvy individuals, investors and industry insiders.
Redefining what a business audience looks like
Mei says, “Our traditional understanding of a business-person is probably a bit warped – a person in a suit working in a corporate job in a boardroom. But New Zealand is filled with small businesses, like my husband and his physio practice.”
“Post-COVID, I feel like I’m seeing more and more people wanting to become schooled up on the economy, business and world events, and how they impact us. And that’s what I love about Business Breakfast – we cover global and domestic business news, trends, commodities and the economy, with expert market insights and analysis.”
“When TVNZ decided to capture a business show, I thought there was a demand for it, but perhaps in a different way than it used to be – business is about people and that’s what journalism is about. It’s not good enough to just report on what’s happened – we need to understand why it’s worth talking about it and why we should care.”
Telling the stories behind business
Mei says she’s enjoying interviewing the owners of both big and small business, and especially women in business, getting to the heart of why they do what they do and what drives them.
“For a long time, we’ve classified business stories as being about the big companies, but 97% of Kiwi businesses are SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises],” she explains.
“We’re trying to bring some of these storiesout of the shadows. She enthuses, “The show is half an hour. We’re pacey and you really do get bang for your buck – the news from overnight, the latest headlines and a business feature profile. There’s no formula, so it’s exciting to be creative. We can do regional specials and put the spotlight on small towns… There’s so much to do!”
A role she never expected
And, of course, there’s a new wardrobe compiled by a TVNZ stylist, with Mei’s look reflecting the vibe of the new programme.
“It’s serious but business with edge – a bit like the show, really!” she says, smiling at the situation she’s found herself in.
“Look, I couldn’t have predicted this role coming across my radar and never would have thought I’d end up here. But we just said yes and worked out how it fits later! I’m really excited for what’s to come.”
BNZ Business Breakfast screens 6am weekdays on TVNZ 1 and streams on TVNZ+.
