MarkSainsbury
- Broadcaster
As longtime host of primetime current affairs show Close Up, Mark Sainsbury became a household name; in 2007 the Sunday Star Times described his moustache as “the most famous in the country.” But the ginger duster doesn’t overshadow the experience and talent he’s brought to many roles over a long broadcasting career: from reporting for One News and Holmes, to officiating at Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral.
Screenography
Biography
Born and raised in the Hutt Valley, Mark Sainsbury originally saw the law as his career path. “I was going to do law,” he says, “save the world. All that sort of bullshit.” But the world had to be seen first. After dropping out, Sainsbury first drove buses (he still has his license) then worked as a bar manager before heading overseas.
Awards
2007 Qantas Television Awards
Best News or Current Affairs Presenter: for Close Up
“His great quality is that New Zealanders related to him. Mark was never the star of his own stories. He wanted to inform people and get people relaxed enough to reveal things. ”