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Barry Soper

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Soper in 2026

Barry John Soper ONZM (born 1951 or 1952)[1] is a New Zealand political journalist, and has been featured regularly on radio and television since the 1970s.

Early life

[edit]

Soper is from Gore. In 1969, after finishing high school he attended the Royal New Zealand Police College at Trentham for six months before he withdrew from studying.[2] Soper returned to Gore, and started to work for The Southland Times.[2]

Career

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After working at The Southland Times, Soper worked for a number of media organisations: Mataura Ensign, Otago Daily Times, New Zealand Truth, and the Waikato Times. Following this, he worked for the New Zealand Wool Board as a speech-writer.[2] Soper joined the Parliamentary Press Gallery in 1980 working for APN, before moving to Newstalk ZB, where he currently works.[2]

Soper covered both the 1987 Fijian coups d'état, and the 2000 Fijian coups d'état, securing the first international interview with George Speight.[3]

He was approached to stand for the Labour Party at the 1992 Wellington Central by-election, but rejected the offer to do so.[4]

Soper covered Nelson Mandela's inauguration in 1994.[5] In 2001, Soper was named Individual Radio Journalist of the Year at the Radio Awards.[6]

Soper himself made the news in July 2006 during the visit of Foreign Minister Winston Peters to Washington, DC, where Peters singled out Soper from a group of journalists who questioned Peters during the trip. Soper reported that Peters' own behaviour was outside what would reasonably be expected of a politician during an international visit.[7]

Previously, he was also one of the "You've Got Male" panellists on TV One's Good Morning.[citation needed]

Currently, Soper's main role is political editor at Newstalk ZB, a radio network in New Zealand. Through its agreement with Prime Television, he appears as the political editor for the TV network on its nightly broadcasts.[citation needed]

In the 2026 King's Birthday Honours, Soper was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to journalism.[8]

Personal life

[edit]

Soper married journalist Heather du Plessis-Allan in 2009.[1] In October 2021 Du Plessis-Allan announced she was pregnant.[9] The baby boy was born on 26 February 2022.[10]

Soper has five children from his two previous marriages.[5][11] His daughter Alice Soper is a rugby player, television analyst, and kids' television show host.[12][13][14] On 28 July 2017, Soper's son Henry was stabbed during an argument at a bar in Courtenay Place.[15] Months later, his younger son Hugh was severely injured after falling down a steep bank on a walking track near Karori.[16] In 2021, Hugh was convicted of assault for a 2019 attack on two Wellington bar owners.[17]

In 2010, Soper was fined and disqualified from driving for six months for drink-driving.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Media wedding off to a shaky start". The New Zealand Herald. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Romanos, Joseph (9 November 2011). "A press gallery institution". New Zealand: Stuff. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Political editor silent on drink-drive case". New Zealand: Stuff. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Soper rejects by-election bid". The Evening Post. 19 October 1992. p. 1.
  5. 1 2 de Lore, Clare (17 January 2017). "Barry Soper and Heather du Plessis-Allan on kids and critics". Now To Love. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "2001 Radio Awards Finalists". RadioStationWorld. Archived from the original on 10 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  7. ↑ Houlahan, Mike (20 July 2006). "US senator caught in Peters' media war". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  8. ↑ "King's Birthday Honours 2026: The full list – knights, dames and all other recipients". The New Zealand Herald. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Newstalk ZB's Heather Du Plessis-Allan announces she is expecting her first child, with husband Barry Soper". The New Zealand Herald. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "Newstalk ZB welcomes a new face, congratulations Heather and Barry". Newstalk ZB. 26 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Hewitson, Michele (19 July 2002). "All the best stories at Barry Soper's place". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "Alice Soper | New Zealand Rugby History". rugbyhistory.co.nz. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Stanley, Ashley (19 May 2020). "The unshakable voice of Alice Soper". Newsroom. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Extreme Cake Sports". Good Times Company. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Nightingale, Melissa (7 July 2018). "Mystery around why man stabbed broadcaster Barry Soper's son". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  16. ↑ Lawrence, Meghan (26 October 2017). "Police say broadcaster Barry Soper's second son 'fell down bank', was not attacked". The New Zealand Herald.
  17. ↑ "Unprovoked attack leaves Wellington bar owners with permanent injuries". New Zealand: Stuff. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
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