Paddy Gower: vulnerability and positivity
Paddy Gower has been in the (news) game for 25 years. He’s done a lot, lived through a lot, and dropped many F-bombs along the way. Metropol Deputy Editor Nina Tucker catches up with the journalist and now author-on-life, bringing a positive lens to news.
Paddy started his career on the graveyard shift at the New Zealand Herald. Working his way up, he became Newshub’s political editor, and then national correspondent. Then, one day, he said that famous quote in the Auckland University Law Library, and became a countrywide sensation and household name. It’s now the title of his book, released in September, and nationwide tour, coming to Christchurch’s Charles Luney Auditorium on 22 November.
While Paddy has been “trucking along” in his work, many things have shifted. He describes the recent catastrophic shifts in New Zealand’s media landscape as “forced change”. “Getting made redundant from TV3 was one hell of a shock. But it meant I was forced to change.” That change would be to completely flip the script on traditional news media and the ‘doom and gloom’ it connotates.
The positive angle he’s taking echoes his journey. “I have needed to be positive and optimistic to get through stuff.” Listing stress, anxiety, and depression, Paddy explains that putting a positive spin on something “really works”. He calls it “trained optimism. I force myself to be optimistic and believe in the possible.”
It was a brave reflection of that sentiment when Paddy admitted his alcohol addiction to New Zealand in 2023, and, as a public figure, put himself right under society’s harsh scrutiny. For the most part, the response was “good on you”, from people nationwide, he says. “I’ve been lucky to have Kiwis on my side.” Now, more than 100 days sober, that support, alongside colleagues and friends, meant everything. “Thanks, New Zealand,” he says.
Paddy believes his honesty is what makes him a trusted name in journalism. “I’ve reported on a lot of different stuff, I’ve opened up about personal things. I’ve admitted when I have got things wrong. I have played it straight. I think Kiwis respect that,” he explains.
He maintains a friendly presence on social media, connecting with everyday people and searching for stories to share with his platform that inspire, or encourage change. He takes hard issues and makes them ingestible, and is genuine when things get hard.
His book, dedicated to mother Joan Gower who died of cancer in 2007, extends that desire to shed light on typically taboo topics, delving into personal experiences in life. As reviewer and author David Hill puts it, “[Paddy] is most impressive when he’s most vulnerable.”
The change in work has been “refreshing” Paddy says, yet it hasn’t always been approved by society, and in the public eye he faces a lot of opinions daily, positive or not. In his line of work, Paddy’s comedic character was historically unexpected. “I was meant to be a serious political editor guy. But the joker streak would come out, like saying ‘This is the F#$%ing News’ in a library,” he laughs. Regardless, Paddy puts his “trained optimism” to good use, “I’ve made my opportunities,” he says. A book, a nationwide tour mixing stand-up comedy and journalism, and a new media gig shining a light on the good stories and people in New Zealand. The angle of ‘positive news’ came to him like an epiphany.
When he approached Stuff’s Sinead Boucher and Nadia Tolich with the idea of ‘positive news’, a far cry from the usual negatives that news notoriously spotlights, it was welcomed with open arms. “They loved it,” he explains. Paddy puts feel-good journalism at the forefront, broadening positive to include inspirational stories of people overcoming adversity or seeking entrepreneurship. In New Zealand media, he’s doing it different.
“I honestly want to spread positivity throughout New Zealand. I want to go around making people feel happy. I want people to feel great about being a Kiwi,” he shares. Paddy hopes his shows across the country create that energy, and the positivity lasts another 25 years.
In between the screen, Paddy wakes up early to cycle at the gym. He listens to the news and then starts a day filled with recording shows or interviews, and planning and arranging his workload. “Meetings, brainstorms. Inevitable problems,” come next. So many logistics to juggle, yet Paddy says it’s all fun.
When it’s not work, Paddy is surfing, road cycling, mountain biking, or doing yoga. In late October, he completed the Whaka 25km Mountain Bike Marathon. “I’m usually really tired and like quiet times and being introverted,” he explains. His last show in Waitangi on 6 December will be followed by a summer of introversion to do his favourite things – and he can’t wait. “A big rest over summer. It feels good just saying that.”
Purchase tickets to Paddy’s shows at paddygower.co.nz
