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It's been four years since Alison Mau sat on TV One's Breakfast couch, but now the bubbly blonde is set for a return.
The experienced broadcaster is likely to stand in for Pippa Wetzell while she goes on maternity leave next month, making her the eighth person to co-host the popular morning show.
The others include Mike Hosking and Susan Wood, Kate Hawkesby, Liz Gunn, Kay Gregory, and now Paul Henry and Wetzell.
Television New Zealand is yet to confirm the replacement, but host Paul Henry said Mau was his "absolute first choice" to take over from Wetzell.
He said Mau would bring a different vibe to the popular morning show, but agreed the early morning starts are a trial.
"It's going to be just like the old days," he said. "I'm going to miss Pippa terribly while she's gone but Ali would certainly be my absolute first choice.
"The hours are exhausting - they're hideous - and I'm sure it will be a trial for Ali like it was the first time around."
Mau left TVNZ and Breakfast in 2005 to work on the short-lived Holmes current affairs show on Prime, after claiming the early hours "just kill you".
After Holmes' cancellation, she was tipped to become the network's nightly news anchor but was overlooked in favour of Eric Young. At the time Mau said that she was on the receiving end of some "inexplicably callous treatment" from Prime's owners, Sky Television.
She returned to Breakfast last year as the official back-up host.
Henry was unwilling to say whether he thinks Mau will do a better job than Wetzell, but is looking forward to the change.
"It's not about doing as good a job as it is about bringing a different personality to the show.
"It will be slightly different than with Pippa but Ali is a real talent."
