NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Heather du Plessis-Allan told to leave after newspaper interview

NZ Herald
28 Nov, 2016 06:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

TV host Heather du Plessis-Allan didn't front Story last night after being ordered off air by TV3. Photo/Hagen Hopkins

TV host Heather du Plessis-Allan didn't front Story last night after being ordered off air by TV3. Photo/Hagen Hopkins

TV host Heather du Plessis-Allan has been ordered off air by MediaWorks after an interview in the Herald on Sunday.

In the interview du Plessis-Allan revealed her plans to leave the company.

She said she was exhausted juggling her job as host of the nightly Story programme with her role as Radio Live Sunday host.

The interview:
• Story host Heather Du Plessis-Allan quits Mediaworks and TV

"I was working six days a week, which is really seven. If a radio interview fell over on Saturday you'd have to find something else, so your brain just doesn't turn itself off."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It is understood du Plessis-Allan was told to leave on Monday.

Monday's episode was hosted by Duncan Garner and reporter Amanda Gillies.

No mention was made of du Plessis-Allan's absence as the pair introduced themselves.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Du Plessis-Allan told the Herald she did not want to comment on Monday night.

Heather du Plessis-Allan. Photo / Supplied
Heather du Plessis-Allan. Photo / Supplied

Fairfax reported Mediaworks news chief Hal Crawford said in an email to staff that there were "inaccuracies" in the interview.

Herald on Sunday editor Miriyana Alexander stood by the story, and rejected suggestions it contained inaccuracies.

In the interview, the 32-year-old presenter said she hadn't yet broken the news to her co-host Garner.

Discover more

Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: We have to learn from Japan

26 Nov 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Why Heather Du Plessis-Allan is quitting

26 Nov 05:54 PM
Entertainment

Departing TV3 presenter's bucket list

28 Nov 06:00 AM
Entertainment

TV3 exodus: The five biggest losses

28 Nov 05:00 AM

"I'd better give him a call," she said, laughing.

Du Plessis-Allan said the pair knew in July their show was being axed.

"I didn't know it would last more than six months to be honest," she said from her Ponsonby home.

She said Barry Soper, her husband of seven years, backed her decision.

Heather du Plessis-Allan with husband Barry Soper at Parliament. Photo / Hagen Hopkins
Heather du Plessis-Allan with husband Barry Soper at Parliament. Photo / Hagen Hopkins

"When Barry said, 'It will be really nice to have you back', that stuck with me."

Du Plessis-Allan has been a broadcast journalist for 10 years, mostly with TVNZ. She began as a newsroom reporter, spent two years on Seven Sharp, then did a stint as a political reporter before she was headhunted to present Story at 7pm, competing head-to-head with Seven Sharp, last August.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Read more: From John Campbell to Paul Henry: TV3's five biggest losses

She never regretted leaving TVNZ but missed her time as a political journalist in the gallery. "It was a wrench and really hard to walk away from that and I still miss it."

She talked about her time on Story with fondness.

"I gave it a go and had a fantastic time. It's one of those things you can look back when you are an old lady and say: 'I did that'."

Du Plessis-Allan said she was looking forward to watching Garner on his new The AM Show, due to go to air on TV3 early next year.

"He has high energy, if anyone can pull it off it's him."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She was sorry breakfast host Paul Henry was leaving the MediaWorks stable at the end of the year.

"Paul Henry is the best, without a doubt. He is so smart. He's not perfect, but gosh, he gets pretty close when he is broadcasting.

"He just nails it."

When the show ends in three weeks, du Plessis-Allan says she plans to do nothing.

The contract she had negotiated means she can afford to do just that.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Opinion

F1 movie review: Can Brad Pitt save his own film from plot holes?

24 Jun 04:00 AM
Entertainment

Bruce Willis' family shares touching moments amid health battle

24 Jun 01:44 AM
Entertainment

'28 Years Later': Ralph Fiennes stars in new Danny Boyle horror film

23 Jun 08:25 AM

Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

F1 movie review: Can Brad Pitt save his own film from plot holes?

F1 movie review: Can Brad Pitt save his own film from plot holes?

24 Jun 04:00 AM

OPINION: There's enough for old-school and new-school fans alike.

Bruce Willis' family shares touching moments amid health battle

Bruce Willis' family shares touching moments amid health battle

24 Jun 01:44 AM
'28 Years Later': Ralph Fiennes stars in new Danny Boyle horror film

'28 Years Later': Ralph Fiennes stars in new Danny Boyle horror film

23 Jun 08:25 AM
Johnny Depp has ‘empty-nest syndrome’

Johnny Depp has ‘empty-nest syndrome’

23 Jun 08:24 AM
Why wallpaper works wonders
sponsored

Why wallpaper works wonders

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP