Photos: Emily Chalk
When the Weekly caught up with former Good Morning host Sarah Bradley on her lifestyle block on the outskirts of Auckland, the talented broadcaster was brimming with good news.
Not only had Sarah, 58, just completed her PhD in international relations, but her daughter Melinda, 20, was home from holidaying in the US.
She explains, “Melinda was hanging out with my sister, who lives in New York, and partying in the Hamptons with friends she’d made when I worked at the United Nations.”
Sarah is also basking in the glow of her new-ish relationship with Kevin Woollett, 64, a former firefighter turned entrepreneur.
“We met on Tinder about two years ago and we travel really well together,” says Sarah. “We’re both super-organised, so before we go anywhere, we create spreadsheets. Everything is planned to the nth degree, which means we’re never late for anything.”
To document their adventures, the pair post travel videos on YouTube. Calling themselves Over The Influencers, their first set of stories is from Bali. They’re full of tips and tricks for the mature traveller.
Raised in Auckland and the UK, Sarah says she has always had big dreams.
“As a child, I wanted to be on stage or be famous. I was no slouch when it came to education either.”
Which is why Sarah studied finance and international marketing at the University of Waikato. After graduating in 1988, Sarah spent five years with tech giant IBM.
“In my spare time, I did singing telegrams and entered singing competitions. Or if IBM had an event, I’d put a cancan review together. So while I was incredibly ambitious, I still found ways to perform.”
Then in 1991, Sarah was offered voluntary redundancy.
“They paid me handsomely to leave, so I moved to New York, where I studied musical theatre. I also fell into journalism and in 1995, I brazenly pitched an idea to TV3 about covering the American premiere of Once Were Warriors. From there, I became a roving reporter for TV3, ABC and CNN.”
After 10 years in America, TV3 snapped Sarah up. She also met financial advisor Peter Stokes and in 2004 the couple welcomed baby Melinda. While their relationship didn’t last, they are amicable co-parents.
“Melinda wasn’t quite two when I was asked to host Good Morning in Wellington. It was certainly challenging at times, but I loved that job so much.”
When Good Morning moved to Auckland, Sarah was bereft to be let go.
“That was a horrible time,” she admits. “I was 45, I’d been on Good Morning for six years and I had no idea what I’d do next.”
So Sarah enrolled at Victoria University to study for a Masters in international relations and new doors opened. Sarah did stints at the Swiss Embassy, working in PR during their celebration of 50 years of Swiss New Zealand diplomatic relations, and for TVNZ as a reporter, before landing her dream job as a diplomat at the United Nations.
“It was 2014 when I started with the New Zealand Mission in New York,” she recalls. “Melinda was 10. She’d go to school on the Upper West Side, while I’d do things like coordinate visits by John Key, who was prime minister at the time, or organise press conferences with Murray McCully and Boris Johnson. It was very exciting.”
Having seen the UN’s General Assembly in action, Sarah returned to New Zealand and set her sights on a PhD, her thesis centred around negotiation and decolonisation in New Caledonia.
But after six years of academic slog, Sarah is currently enjoying being a casual newsreader at RNZ while supporting Melinda through her studies.
“Melinda changes what she wants to do every day,” laughs Sarah. “Right now, she’s studying psychology, English and music. She’s incredibly talented in so many areas.”
One thing is certain, whatever path Melinda chooses, her mum is an excellent role model.
“I’ve been very lucky in my life,” Sarah enthuses. “I’ve also worked hard and pursued my dreams, and now I want to see my daughter finish her degree and be a constructive member of society.”
Beyond that, Sarah still has big dreams of her own.
“I want to travel more with Kevin. I also want to stay fit and grow vegetables, or perhaps be the next New Zealand ambassador to France,” Sarah adds with a twinkle.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
