TV guru won't let disability stop him

Graeme Sinclair, MNZM, puts attitude at the top of the list of things needed for success. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Fishing guru Graeme Sinclair says attitude saved him from abandoning his action television career 12 years ago because of a crippling disease.

While filming series five and six of his long-running Gone Fishin' show, the former underwater cameraman was battling a dramatic loss of mobility through multiple sclerosis.

"I came to a fork in the road and had a choice which way to go. But the thing that dictates your course is attitude. My attitude was: I can't do as many things as I used to, but new challenges will surface and it's how I embrace them that dictates what happens in the future.

"And to be honest, my future since I was diagnosed has been incredibly positive."

The cheerful presenter of outdoor life, often sitting in a wheelchair or astride a quad bike, has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to television.

Series 17 of Gone Fishin' goes to air in this country on July 4 and will be seen on networks in America, Britain, Europe and Australia.

The August 8 episode will show Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key having a day off fishing with Sinclair.

Mr Key was invited back after showing his skill in catching and cooking fish in the last series screened before the election.

Sinclair said he admired the Prime Minister's "great passion for all things New Zealand".

"The secret to Gone Fishin' is that it is not just about fishing. It's about the places you go to and the people."

Sinclair has also produced four documentaries, including one about his adventures in Antarctica on a fishing boat, filming the capture of toothfish and a giant squid, which is now displayed at Te Papa.

He was awarded the Old Man and the Sea Award by the Big Game Fishing Council for most meritorious catch of the season.

"It was for a swordfish I caught and it was just when my legs were collapsing, so it was a bit of an effort."