Niva Retimanu has spent thirty years in the radio industry. The Samoan journalist and newsreader hails from the deep south in Invercargill and has worked in radio stations in Samoa and right around New Zealand.
The 48-year-old is currently employed as the afternoon newsreader on Newstalk ZB based in Auckland. Her distinctive voice is also heard on other NZME stations including Radio Sport, Coast and Mix 98.2.
Niva admits she loves to talk...and talk. According to her family, friends and colleagues, she never shuts up. They're not surprised she chose a career "talking for a living".
Apart from chatting non-stop, Niva's other hobby is running marathons. To date, she has run six marathons including in New York, Queenstown, Paris and Beirut.
Known for her 'lack of athleticism' , Niva takes she takes all day to run a marathon, finishing in seven or eight hours.
There's always an adventure with Niva - getting lost on the course in Beirut and running an extra 2 kilometres, running in a heat sheet during a storm in Queenstown and losing the disabled athlete she was suppose to be guiding in New York.
And all the while, guess what? Niva still has time to talk..and talk during a marathon.