When I sent the email asking to be a fly on the wall during the filming of Seven Sharp, I was expecting a hard no. What I got was an open invitation to spend an entire afternoon there.
Upon arrival, I'm greeted like an old friend, welcomed into the fold and even given cake - a complete stranger's birthday cake, hand delivered by Hilary herself because "If you're going to be one of us, you have to eat cake".
I follow the pair to hair and makeup where Hilary dons some giant, gold statement earrings. She's not sure about them, they feel a bit weird, but she wears them anyway. This will later lead to a minor wardrobe malfunction on air, but no one knows that yet.
It's at this point Anika realises she's forgotten her earrings and Hilary immediately offers to lend her some before turning to me and noting: "See, you can't do that with Jeremy Wells".
It's not a jab at her regular co-host, whose praises she sings loudly and often. It's just different - as Hilary says, "There's something kind of lovely about just working with your girlfriend".
The pair very clearly have a different dynamic than a male/female duo could achieve, from sharing earrings to Hilary shoving her hands down Anika's dress to help clip her mic pack to her bra strap - which happens more than once during the evening.
They take selfies together and at one point I'm enlisted to play photographer while they pose back to back before the show.
Apparently, they've stripped down to their underwear in the changing room together too. And that - unexpectedly - is the key to why this pairing works: It's comfortable and easy.
If social media is anything to go by, viewers certainly love these two together and so does the network, because it's not just about having a great on-screen duo, it's about taking a much-needed and long overdue step toward representation and inclusion.
Executive producer Alistair Wilkinson says that if there's one thing he's learned in all his time in the business, it's that "the people who are successful, are the people who are the same off air as they are on".
This is why it's so important that Anika Moa is involved - someone who is not just a woman, but one who is MΔori, openly gay, visibly tattooed and unapologetically herself.
I've said many times that New Zealand needs more Anika on its screens, and while a permanent Seven Sharp gig might be a ways off - Jeremy Wells returns to his post next week and will surely continue doing a stand-up job - it could well mean more Anika, and more people like Anika, on primetime TV.
It could also very well change the male/female news and current affairs dynamics for good. Like Hilary says, the vibe with two women is obviously, palpably different.
She and Anika are open about their insecurities and quick to build each other up to get past them. When we're half an hour from show time and Anika's nerves get the best of her, Hilary notices her deep breathing, pats her on the shoulder and reassures her: "It'll be okay".
When Hilary's earring falls out while they're shooting a promo, the pair collapse into fits of giggles. But somehow when it falls out again not even 30 seconds into the live show, they quickly move past it and let the laughter commence the second we cut to an ad break.
And this is the thing: People have said for years that women can't work together because we're either too bitchy or too easily distracted. These two have proved that not only is that absolute rubbish but, actually, it's the opposite.
By simply having fun and being themselves, they've created a fresh and exciting environment which impacts an entire production - and audience.
