Former TV3 host, Celebrity Treasure Island contestant Duncan Garner pleads not guilty to Auckland driving charge

Duncan Garner did not request name suppression for the driving charge. Photo / Discovery

Prominent New Zealand broadcaster Duncan Garner has pleaded not guilty to driving without a licence.

The former AM Show host, 52, could face up to three months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $4500 if convicted.

He entered the plea this morning before a registrar in Auckland District Court.

He stood in the gallery, wearing jeans and a blazer used in promotional photos for his podcast, as defence lawyer Melanie Coxon spoke on his behalf.

Garner was remanded on bail until his next appearance, now set for June.

The Mangawhai, Northland resident was allegedly caught behind the wheel near Rutland and Lorne streets in central Auckland on March 10.

Garner spent two decades climbing the ranks at TV3, including a stint as the station’s political editor in Wellington. He served as host of The AM Show, his highest-profile job, from 2017 to 2021.

He then spent a year headlining a show for FM Today before the radio station was shuttered in 2023. Garner currently operates the Editor in Chief podcast.

Broadcaster Duncan Garner was a contestant on Celebrity Treasure Island. Photo / TVNZ

He was deemed journalist of the year in 2007 at the Qantas Television Awards, but his celebrity status has sometimes expanded beyond journalism. He placed sixth on reality TV show Celebrity Treasure Island in 2024.

Garner did not request name suppression for the driving charge.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.

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