‘He was never after the cheap shots and always well-reasoned’

Todd Niall has spent nearly half a century holding power to account. His own story includes resigning from one job in protest, while being fired from another. By

In most industries, being told “nobody misses you” after nearly half a century of service is a kick in the delicates. But for a journalist, it’s the ultimate accolade. That three-word text was sent by a politician to retiring journalist Todd Niall in his last week as Stuff’s senior Auckland affairs reporter. In a characteristically professional manner, Niall doesn’t want the politician identified.

It’s just another day at work, holding power to account.

Colleagues have described Niall as a journalist whose only agenda has been to provide the public with a contextualised understanding of how political decisions affect their lives. “He has a better understanding of what happens in Auckland than most local body politicians,” says former RNZ colleague Eileen Cameron.

Niall caught the bus to his final council meeting last week. He would have been embarrassed, as councillors showered him in accolades.

Councillor and former Auckland City mayor, Christine Fletcher, said Niall’s reporting played an “instrumental part” in the council pulling out of an early Britomart development plan that would have excluded trains.

Councillor Mike Lee had a similar story; about a proposed international cruise terminal at Auckland that would have seen the iconic Shed 10 bulldozed. Lee said it was only after being interviewed by Niall that he realised the plan was not right and the building which links Downtown Auckland to its cargo-shipping past was saved.

Deputy mayor Desley Simpson thanked Niall for his 46 years of service: “You care about our community and, because you care, you’ve done a fine job.”

When Niall started in journalism in 1977, Auckland was governed by various borough councils, each with their own staff and elected officials. In 1989, those boroughs morphed into city councils. Niall documented their eventual amalgamation into the Auckland “super city” in 2010.

After completing an 18-week journalism course at the predecessor of AUT, Niall’s first job was at the Auckland Star, in the days when Auckland boasted two daily newspapers. “I was told by the chief reporter, rather dryly, that I was hired because I was male and under 20, so could be paid cadet wages.”

Veteran Pat Booth was the editor. The international drug syndicate boss – known as Mr Asia – was in the headlines. Ngāti Whatua land at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point was being occupied in an effort to stop the Crown selling it to developers. Niall also recalls the death of Elvis. Radio was Niall’s first love.

News editor and future television journalist Bob McNeil provided voice training and Niall presented bulletins and chased local stories.

In 1981, Niall moved to Palmerston North and Radio 2XS – in time for the Springbok Tour. Niall and his colleagues diligently covered the protest movement. “We got called into the manager’s office… We were told we were potentially upsetting the advertisers and we needed to ‘tone down’ our coverage.”

Niall and his colleagues refused.

The union was called in and “this young guy” Bill Ralston from Wellington’s regional television station did a story.

The Manawatū game went ahead with razor wire surrounding the showgrounds, and Niall and his colleagues resigned in protest. He headed to the capital for a post

at Radio Windy, working alongside fellow veteran broadcaster Pam Corkery.

On a night shift, Niall wrote Corkery a note that included indiscretions about a senior staff member. Corkery “didn’t dispose of it properly” and Niall was sacked.

He headed south to join Radio Avon in Christchurch – another private station with a small newsroom that played pop music between ads.

On a weekend visit to Queenstown, Niall’s frugality saw him holed up in the hostel where he met a German backpacker.

Angelika was one of 247 passengers who survived a flight that suffered engine failure after flying through a volcanic ash cloud over Indonesia.

Niall’s eyes twinkle as he describes how that ash cloud caused flight delays and enabled him to meet the woman who he has been with ever since. This year the couple became first-time grandparents.

Niall’s professional life was also on the rise and he returned to Radio Windy.

At the end of 1983, Niall and Angelika moved to Germany where he stayed home with first-born Lukas; unusual in the 1980s.

Returning to NZ, Niall joined RNZ’s Tauranga

office as a senior reporter before moving to Auckland in 1989 as a night producer for Paul Holmes. “There was always something happening. Like all those roles, you do all the work the night before and then something happens in the morning.”

In 1991, with three children now, Niall and family moved back to Germany for two-years before again returning to RNZ as deputy chief reporter, where former colleagues remember him as a “calming” influence, “solid and reliable”.

In 1994, Niall moved to television as the news editor for TVNZ’s regional station ATV. He was made redundant two years later and RNZ happily took him back. He returned the favour by staying for the next 22 years as a business journalist, then covering Auckland issues and council.

Auckland councillor and ex mayor Christine Fletcher paid homage to Niall’s ability to take a complicated subject, break it down, and cover the angles and package a story so the real issues get an airing. She partially credits his reporting with achieving the Britomart train station and kerbside recycling. “The people of Auckland owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Former mayor John Banks says Niall visited his office “far too regularly” when he was in the job.

“Not withstanding his charisma bypass, he is a thoroughly decent, amazing and straight-down-the-middle journalist. He’s actually a credit to the profession. He doesn’t take sides or play favourites.”

Ex mayor Dick Hubbard speaks of a “highly professional” journalist, who “was never after the cheap shots and always well-reasoned”.

In 2010, Auckland’s regional councils amalgamated. It was “nirvana” for council reporters, says Niall, as councillors “suddenly had the ability and scale to do the big stuff”.

Niall acknowledges the argument that the “local voices” and the regional identities have been lost but, on balance, the gains from having one large entity dealing with transport, rubbish and everything else wins.

Auckland’s first super city mayor, Len Brown, says Niall could be trusted with an off-the-record chat. “But when Todd interviewed you, you needed to know a whole lot.”

His coverage was always fair, Brown said. “And in the journalistic realm, when you’re a representative, that’s the very best you could hope for.”

Fellow RNZer Rowan Quinn says Niall is tenacious. Even if a story took requests for documents under the Official Information Act and an Ombudsman investigation, Niall stayed lockjawed.

Another former colleague at RNZ, Katrina Batten, thinks of Niall as “the Yoda of all things Auckland”.

“I’m pleased for him, that he’s retiring. I’m just sad for the rest of us.”

During his time at RNZ, Niall had the freedom to pursue some of his interests. One of those being an obscure car, the Trekka. The body was designed and manufactured in Aotearoa between 1966 and 1972 and sported a Skoda engine. About 2500 rolled off the Otahuhu factory assembly line.

Niall produced a radio documentary talking to those involved. His project turned into a book, The Trekka Dynasty.

The America’s Cup has been another interest, covering six regattas.

Broadcaster and voice of the cup, Peter Montgomery, says Niall was filing stories alongside journalists from The Guardian, The Washington Post and the LA Times.

“It’s a roll call of top writers and Todd was among them and very much accepted as their equal.”

In 2018, aged 60, Niall left RNZ for Stuff. It was a surprise to many. “At that stage... I thought: ‘Well, how many opportunities am I going to get, to go into a new environment and do what I wanted to do?’”

In his last year Niall has had a few tangles with Auckland’s mayor, Wayne Brown.

Brown didn’t want to say anything about Niall’s retirement and he’d only known him for a year.

Stuff’s commissioning editor, Simon Plumb, says journalism is a tough industry and not everyone can go the distance.

“The Todd Niall byline represents important, fair and trusted reporting. His is a deeply respected and valuable contribution to New Zealand journalism.”

Niall plans to travel and spend time with his new grandson. He is also the proud owner of a half-share in a Trekka and plans to do a bit of driving.

“I’ve had a ball. You can’t say that because it sounds trivial, but it’s true.”