9. Sam Wallace - the entertainer
TVNZ face Sam Wallace, 30, is the latest star at the network. Originally hailing from Sticky TV, Sam now presents the weather on Saturday Breakfast and sports stories for One News. His main love is sports. He played in the National Basketball League team North Harbour Kings and coached Westlake Girls' basketball team in 2003, which featured Lisa Wallbutton who now plays for the Tall Ferns.
8. Tim Lambourne - the hipster
The 22-year-old host of TVNZ's U Live got into television when he heard about the salaries. "I heard Judy Bailey pocketed $800K to read the news, so I thought a career in TV journalism would be a nice cushy lifestyle." But the Tuakau-raised heartthrob started at the competition - TV3. "I used to sit in the studio during the news and turn a knob which controls how fast Mike and Hilary's autocue script scrolls in front of them. It was the sweetest job." Now he's the cool kid at TVNZ. You can also find him at George FM hosting a weekly show on Saturday and occasionally reading the station's brekkie news too. He's one to watch.
7. Gretchen Hawkesby - the giver
The 30-something mother-of-four is the chair of the Friends of Starship, a volunteer group that runs events and fundraises for the children's hospital. She's also on the board of trustees for the Starship Foundation. Some may know her as the billionaire daughter of New Zealand's richest man, Graeme Hart, or the wife of the quietest Hawkesby, Duncan, but this girl is no heir-head. Gretchen is the director of Fliway, a transport and logistics company she owns with her hubby. She's down-to-earth and gracious.
6. Joanna Hunkin - the bubbly blonde
TVNZ's entertainment editor may be a youthful 27, but she's quietly being tipped to follow in the stilettos of Petra Bagust and Toni Street as possibly the next Breakfast host. She's bright, beautiful, vivacious and opinionated and exactly what we need on our telly every morning. Joanna Hunkin, who married TVNZ producer Konrad Kasiske two weeks ago in an intimate ceremony at a private club officiated by former Breakfast host Kay Gregory, is one to watch. Yes, she knows all things entertainment (thanks to an established career in print journalism and now telly), but this girl is more than that. She is unequivocal pure star material.
5. Charlie McDermott - the producer
The 28-year-old actor helped to establish, and now runs, The Basement Theatre in central Auckland. Through his company, Royal Production, which he shares with his wife, Shortland St actress Beth Allen, Charlie McDermott also runs the boutique Basement Fest which features dance, music, theatre and comedy and runs until October 22. Beth and Charlie are fast becoming the powerhouse couple of the theatre world.
