Who is Paul Henry? A look at the veteran broadcaster and ACT’s new candidate

Veteran broadcaster Paul Henry, one of New Zealand’s best-known and controversial personalities, is standing for the ACT Party in this year's election.

Henry is well-known in this country for his long television and radio career as well as his provocative, often polarising, interviewing style.

His broadcasting career has been marked by a number of controversies including mocking the name of an Indian politician on-air and questioning whether the Governor-General was a “real New Zealander”.

Here’s a look at some of the key Paul Henry moments (so far).

First foray into politics

Henry ran as a National Party candidate for the Wairarapa electorate in the 1999 election.

In one disastrous TV interview, Henry attempted to use Beyer’s past against her and gender identity meant she wasn’t a “serious person”.

Speaking on Tuesday, Henry said things had changed a lot in New Zealand between 1999 and 2026.

“In many ways when I stood last time there was more opportunity, why is it that people’s expectations in this country are so low? When I was growing up in this country we had ludicrous aspirations.”

Henry said now he was “enormously disappointed in National.

“The nature of a centrist party is you have to be a little bit populist, the danger with being a little bit populist is even if you’re doing the right things you’re doing them really carefully because you don’t want to alienate too many people because you’ve got this crazy idea that you could maybe one day get everyone to vote for you.”

Henry said often this led to parties doing nothing while trying to please everyone.

In 2024, he addressed an ACT Party rally in Auckland, saying the country was "broken" and blaming the previous Labour government of leaving it in debt.

Paul Henry speaks to Guyon Espiner following ACT announcement

Midday Report

Facial hair comments

In 2009, while presenting TVNZ’s Breakfast, Henry came under fire for on-air remarks about a female guest’s facial hair.

Multiple complaints were made after Henry said “how hard can it be to wax?” following an interview with then-Greenpeace spokeswoman Stephanie Mills.

He told viewers the presence of “the moustache” was “like the elephant in the room”.

A diplomatic incident

Remarks Henry made while presenting again on Breakfast in 2010 sparked an international incident.

At the time India said Henry deliberately mispronounced and ridiculed the surname of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Live on-air Henry repeatedly erupted into fits of laughter every time he made remarks about her name.

Is the Governor-General a New Zealander?

In 2010, during an interview with then-prime minister John Key, Henry questioned whether the Governor General Anand Satyanand was a New Zealander.

Referring to the Auckland-born and raised Satyanand, Henry asked "Are you gonna choose a New Zealander who looks and sounds like a New Zealander this time?"

As a result of these comments, TVNZ suspended Henry without pay, a decision that TVNZ at the time described as unprecedented in recent broadcasting history.

Post-Breakfast work

In 2014, The Paul Henry Show premiered with Henry as the host, it ended in December that same year, so Henry could host a new show called Paul Henry.

Henry went on to host season one and two of The Traitors NZ and a four episode, one-off series of the The Chase New Zealand.

In 2025, he was appointed to TVNZ’s Board but told reporters on Tuesday he had resigned as it was now “untenable” for him to stay on.