Philip Sherry remembered by broadcasting peers as 'true gentleman'

Veteran TV presenter and former regional councillor Philip Sherry. Photo / File

New Zealand broadcasting legend Philip Sherry has been remembered as a "true gentleman" whose private good deeds far outshone his public profile.

The former television presenter, former regional councillor, and justice of the peace died on Sunday surrounded by family. Sherry was 87.

His broadcasting and civic peers have paid tribute to the man nicknamed "Mr Credibility".

Former television presenter Tom Bradley, who lives in Pāpāmoa, said Sherry was a "true gentleman, an absolute professional as a broadcaster' and someone with a "very strong" community focus.

"Even during Philip's newsreading years, he was always doing his bit to help others."

Bradley said that off-camera Sherry was a humanitarian whose good deeds included him driving retirement home residents around.

Gold AM breakfast host Brian Kelly. Photo / File

"But Philip wasn't the sort of person who readily sought the limelight ... when the lights and cameras went off, the other side of Philip Sherry shone," he said.

"Philip was a very decent man with lots of attributes we need more of in this world."

Sherry's broadcasting career began in 1960 when he joined the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (NZBC) as a continuity announcer, and two years later was a radio newsreader.

When television began in 1963, he was one of the nation's first news frontmen.

Sherry went on to reading the news for Radio New Zealand bulletins, Morning Report, TV One, TV2, and TV3 news, and current affairs broadcasting spanning more than three decades.

Sherry became a household name in the 1970s, reading the South Pacific Television news in tandem with Bradley and earning the "Mr Credibility" nickname.

Gold AM breakfast host Brian Kelly said he was saddened to learn of Sherry's death.

Former Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman John Cronin. Photo / File

"In 1970, when I first started as a young programme trainee for NZBC in Wellington I got the great chance to watch Philip working live in the studio.

"I was a young broadcaster and Philip was a senior broadcaster and it was just so nice to be able to work alongside one of my heroes growing up.

"Philip was such a nice guy, warm, generous - and the consummate professional. He was also very charming, a true gentleman with a dry sense of humour, and cheeky with it."

Kelly said he worked in the same studio with Sherry, who set "very high standards" for two years.

"It was great to be able to soak up all his knowledge. He taught me everything I know."

In 1992, Sherry moved seamlessly from broadcasting to local politics when he was elected a North Shore City councillor and a Takapuna Community Board member.

He represented the North Shore on the Auckland Regional Council from 1995 to 2004.

Former Bay of Plenty Regional Council deputy chairman Philip Sherry (left) and past chairman John Cronin (right) team up as experienced pair. Photo / NZME

In 2004, shortly after he and his wife, Margaret, moved to Pāpāmoa, Sherry was elected a regional councillor at Environment Bay of Plenty, now known as Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He served four terms until 2016.

Sherry supported a range of philanthropic causes. This included him fronting New Zealand's inaugural Macular Denegerative Awareness Week in 2012 and becoming the ambassador for Macular Degenerative New Zealand.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council former chairman John Cronin said he knew Sherry for about 17 years and they first worked together during the Auckland Regional Council days.

"Philip and I were very close friends. He was one of the finest gentlemen you would ever meet. He was a very caring man and treated everyone with the utmost respect.

Sherry was "very particular" about his language, diction, appearance, and he was also a "stickler for good manners".

Cronin said when he heard Sherry and Margaret were relocating to Tauranga, he immediately suggested he stand for council.

During Cronin's three terms, Sherry was deputy chairman and they had lots of fun, he said.

Despite Sherry's high profile, he was a "very private man and never sought the limelight for his many good deeds."

Former veteran broadcaster Richard Long, who lives in Ōtūmoetai, also worked with Sherry, including while Long was writing, producing and reading the sports news.

Long said he was saddened to learn of Sherry's passing.

"Philip was a great guy and famous for his wicked sense of humour. He was a very cool man," he said.

Sherry is survived by Margaret, their seven children, many grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.