Former TV3 “weather girl” Toni Marsh, 55, claims a news boss once said: “You’re that little bit of fluff on Max TV”.
“In the past, people were more honest and said what they thought. I am not politically correct – I knew I was hired to be a piece of fluff,” Marsh said.
Former TV3 weather presenter Toni Marsh says she was happy to be the "piece of fluff" weather girl.
“I loved being the weather girl and thought ‘wow this is a wicked job’ – not well-paid... hell no... but I worked with great people, John Campbell, Carol Hirschfeld, Hamish McKay and Mike McRoberts – they were my family. People still ask me, ‘Are you the weather girl?’“
At TV3, Marsh initially presented news headlines on Newsbreak before becoming the weather presenter – a job she enjoyed for many years, before leaving when she became pregnant with her daughter, Coby.
Toni Marsh says it was inevitable that TV3 news would close. Photo / Adrian Malloch
“It was inevitable that TV3 [news] would close. Things change, the news is no longer destination TV for me to be honest – there are many platforms to get your news. I don’t miss broadcasting; I love my life and family – we’d all like Kurt Cobain to be resurrected but he can’t be.”
Marsh began her broadcasting career as a presenter on Max TV, had an acting role as a child-kidnapper in Shortland Street, then trained as a news writer.
She says she bought a suit, volunteered at TV3 and suggested what the lead story should be in Newsbreak – a programme she wanted to work on.
Marsh says she was asked to fill in on Newsbreak when Wendy Petrie went home sick. She loved it, got hooked and stayed on when she was offered a fulltime job by Melanie Reid.
In 2002, Marsh says she landed her dream job as the weather girl.
Former TV3 weather presenter Toni Marsh.
She took her job seriously and on several occasions went to MetService to learn about the weather from the meteorologists.
“I said, ‘you may see me as a piece of fluff, but I want to know what I am talking about’. I learned a lot from the forecasters and felt empowered by that. We didn’t have Google back then and I didn’t want to present information I had no idea about and didn’t understand.”
Over time, Marsh developed a huge following for her cheek and charm. As her confidence grew, she improvised more on air, injecting her irreverent sense of humour. She says she wasn’t fazed by daily complaints from viewers about the shade of lipstick she was wearing, whether her skirt was too short, her top too low or she talked too fast.
“I was always professional and never swore on air, but I did a lot of ad-libbing and got myself into trouble.
“At the end of the news bulletin, I had four minutes to fill – that was my baby and I said what I wanted. There was a big high coming across the country and I remember saying, ‘With a dominatrix like that straddling the country, who are we to complain?’
“The entire news and control room would piss themselves laughing. I had no qualms saying, ‘Don’t get your hair done ladies, it’s going to be blown to bits by the wind’... that was honesty and not talking about isobars.”
Age-gate: The battle with women’s magazines and gossip columnist
Marsh made national headlines in 2007 when her age was revealed by former Herald on Sunday Spy editor and gossip columnist, Rachel Glucina.
It started when the Woman’s Weekly ran a story about 40-year-old celebrities: Nicole Kidman, Ali Mau – and incorrectly included Marsh.
TV3 said at the time that Marsh wasn’t happy about her age being disclosed, because she was only 36.
Glucina then obtained a copy of Marsh’s birth certificate – which confirmed she was actually 38.
Former TV3 weather presenter Toni Marsh's age was revealed by Rachel Glucina, Spy Editor and gossip columnist.
Looking back, Marsh finds the whole thing hilarious, declaring Glucina was always “cruel” and not someone she would have chosen to have a cup of tea with. She is bemused her age made the front page, alongside an All Blacks win.
“We all learn lessons in life and mine is to keep my mouth shut when things are written about me. It wasn’t hurtful, it was humorous given the importance of where it was placed in the paper.
“I was like, ’Oh my God, are you serious?’ Why is disclosing someone’s age as newsworthy as the All Blacks winning?’ I don’t sit at home ruminating about what was said or done. I had a job to do and so did she. I had a great job that made me happy – can she say the same?”
Best weather presenter and sexiest woman
Genetically blessed with a husky voice, Marsh was voted third-sexiest woman in the TV Guide Best of the Box awards in 2003. She was beaten by Petra Bagust and Ali Mau came second. She says she never felt objectified and enjoyed the flattery.
Three years later, she was voted both Best Weather Presenter and Sexiest Woman in the same awards.
“Hell, at least I was bumped up a few years later, I was the babe-in-waiting! I don’t look back and think this was sexist, it’s hilarious, it’s great. It was like ‘yay for me’ – the world changes and you can’t keep judging the past. If bosses wanted sexy presenters, they got sexy presenters. I mean we are not going to watch potatoes presenting, are we?”
TV3 weather presenter Toni Marsh married Paul Gunn in 2010. They have two children, Coby, 13, and Max, 10. Photo / Herald on Sunday
When Marsh left TV3 in 2010, her boss Mark Jennings said she was a hugely popular presenter. “I often have members of the public asking me about her. I have to be honest and say the majority are probably men, but she is universally popular,” Jennings said. “If the news is a bit depressing, Toni somehow always manages to bring a smile back to your face at the end of the programme. We will miss her and I am sure viewers will too.”
Marsh has been happily married to Paul Gunn, a property developer, for 14 years. They are parents to Coby, 13, and Max, 10. She loves her part-time job teaching art at an Auckland primary school. Marsh is frantically busy preparing her husband’s 50th birthday celebrations in Fiji.
Her message to Newshub staff is: “When one door closes, another door will open for all of you”.
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist. She worked for the Herald on Sunday in 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016. She was previously a commissioner at TVNZ and an award-winning current affairs producer for 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.
