As a journalist, Jenny Suo is used to finding herself out of her comfort zone. The 1 News Tonight presenter – whose career highlights include reporting on dramatic international stories like the trial of terrorist Abu Hamza in New York – says she learned all the courage and confidence she needs for her demanding job from an important role model, her mum.
“When I was a teenager and in my early twenties, I was quite anxious,” recalls Jenny. “I had a lot of doubt and self-esteem issues, but my mum would always say, ‘Just chill out. Stop being so paranoid!’ I learned some huge lessons by throwing myself into things I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with because that was my experience watching her.”
Some of Jenny’s earliest memories are of seeing her mother, May Wang, navigate the daunting task of immigrating to Aotearoa.
“When we came to New Zealand, China was still quite closed, so when we had this opportunity to see the outside world, we took it,” shares May, 58, who came to Auckland in 1994 with Jenny’s dad Sam Suo when Jenny was four years old. “I didn’t think I would stay in New Zealand for this long. I didn’t have plans.”
Jenny marvels, “It was such a brave thing to do. She was 29 and had no concept of the Western world. She didn’t even speak English. The idea of doing that blows my mind – I’m 33 and still think of myself as a kid!”
Visiting Beijing’s Forbidden City with her mum in 2004.
May, who had worked in the wool industry in Tianjin, wasn’t able to apply her degree or experience to a job in New Zealand, so she went back to school, studying accountancy at AUT. For the first little while, Jenny’s dad stayed working in China to support them, so May had to juggle her studies with caring for Jenny, plus a part-time job at a supermarket, while still learning English.
“Looking back on it now, it’s phenomenal,” says Jenny. “But when I was little, I had no concept of how difficult it must have been. She started her whole life over from scratch.”
This gave May a unique perspective to offer her daughter when Jenny was undecided about pursuing a career in journalism. It was a passion ignited when Jenny and her best friend gained international media attention for their school science project, which exposed the fact Ribena contained a lower vitamin C level than advertised.
“Both of my parents were really great – they just let me do what I wanted to do,” recalls Jenny. “I liked the idea of journalism, but it seemed like a very unsafe option. Mum said, ‘Look, broadcasting school is two and a half years of your life. If you come out of that and decide you don’t want to do it any more, then you’re still only 20. You can just start over and do something else!'”
Concerned about the small number of Asian faces on Kiwi TV screens and the fact their family lacked any connections in the highly competitive industry, May admits, “To be honest, initially, I didn’t know
if Jenny could be a journalist. But I thought that if she learns something she’s interested in, she’ll find a way to use it.”
Fortunately, straight out of Christchurch’s New Zealand Broadcasting School, Jenny was employed by TV3, which eventually led to her taking up a job at TVNZ. She’s been a regular face on Breakfast but is now permanently headlining 1 News Tonight.
“I’m very proud of her,” smiles May. “Jenny says I never compliment her achievements, but I think it’s just that I’m not surprised – I’ve seen her work really hard.”
They’re a handful! With her TVNZ colleagues Daniel Faitaua and Erin Conroy.
Laughing, Jenny says, “We never have this kind of conversation! Mum never tells me she’s proud of me, but then I guess I never tell her that she’s one of the strongest, most stoic people I know… There are so many times I’ve watched her go into what could be a really frightening, foreign situation with so much confidence and positivity. That’s the trait I hope I’ve picked up from her.”
Her eyes welling with tears, Jenny adds, “Mum gets a lot of her stoicism from Grandma, who was the matriarch of our family. She was so strong to the very, very end.”
Her late grandmother Xiaoli Yan moved to New Zealand only a few years after Jenny and her family did, and was one of her main caregivers because her father was away on business for much of her primary school years, so the pair had a very close bond.
Aged seven at a playground with her beloved gran.
As her mother goes off to find a pack of tissues, Jenny says, “Grandma passed away almost exactly a year ago, on Anzac Day in 2022. We had Mother’s Day straight after she passed and that was really hard, so we’re not sure if we’re going to do something together as a family this year. But Mum and I are going to Sydney in a few weeks as a sort of girls’ trip.
“Our family is very female-heavy and it’s held together by incredible mothers. We’re very close. Mum has a sister and she has a daughter too, so the five of us would always hang out – just the girls. It’s a big hole when one of them isn’t there.”
Good times with her grandparents and cousin.
Because family is at the centre of Jenny’s life, a partner who fits with the clan is a must. Luckily, Jenny’s boyfriend of four years, Michael, made a great first impression.
“Michael’s fantastic – he’s been trying to learn Mandarin, originally because he thought it was really important that he could converse with my grandparents,” gushes Jenny, who would love her kids to speak the language when she’s ready for a family of her own.
“He’s still trying to learn, even though, as a doctor, he’s constantly studying and in exams, so to find the time to do some Duolingo, I respect that.”
Michael has May’s seal of approval too. She laughs, “When I first met him, I thought, ‘He’s so skinny and so tall!’ But he’s such a nice boy. I think he puts up with a lot!”
Having a tall guy around her girl also does a little something for May’s peace of mind when her only child is out indulging in her favourite pastime of tramping, a passion Jenny inherited from her parents. She grins, “Mum feels safer knowing Michael comes with me – so I don’t do anything silly!”
May explains, “As a mother, of course I worry, especially sometimes when she does some quite dangerous hikes. But I trust Jenny to be very responsible. I’ve always tried to think of Jenny not as my child, but as an individual. She’s always just been Jenny to me.”
These days, Jenny and May live just 15 minutes apart in East Auckland, and regularly meet up for a walk or a chat.
“I genuinely feel like she’s one of my friends,” tells Jenny. “I go to her for a lot of advice.
“When I was young, I was way more of a daddy’s girl. Mum had very little patience putting up with me! But as I got older, I realised Mum only spoke the truth. She was so smart and really wise.
“My friends’ mums are more maternal – they’re people who, if I came out in a hideous dress, would say, ‘Oh, lovely, dear!’ But my mum would say, ‘That dress is horrible. Go put something else on!’
“When I was younger, I thought that was Mum being mean, but now I’m older, I know I can trust her. It’s so much more special to me than a mum who would sugar-coat things to make me feel better. If Mum says everything’s gonna be OK, I know she’s right.”
