Murray Deaker

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Murray Deaker is a broadcaster on one of New Zealand's premier radio stations - Newstalk ZB. He is a sporting broadcaster and his shows and simultaneously on Radiosport as well as Newstalk ZB Auckland. Currently, he works weekdays (Monday-Wednesday) 7pm-8pm and on weekends midday-6pm.^[1] He was a former club rugby lock and an opening batsman in club cricket but did not have the ability to make it all the way to the top level, these two sports have become his particular area of expertise,^[2] however he is very knowledgable on all sports that are played. He regularly has features on his weekend show of minor sports and this helps add more of a profile to these sports. He was an avid Team New Zealand supporter in the America's Cup and the downfall of this boat led in a way to his depression. He started working full-time on talkback radio in 1990 after being deputy principal of Takapuna Grammar when he missed out on the principal's job again.^[3] Deaker is a controversial talkback host with many of the things he says just to provoke listeners into calling him out of annoyance for what he is saying. He has very strong views on everything and will stick by these when he speaks. As well as radio he has a show on Sky Sport "Deaker on Sport" that airs on Wednesdays at 8:30pm. He was won a numerous amount of awards for sports broadcasting including Best Sports Presenter multiple times.

He often makes his views known in the political world as well as the sporting. His outspoken views come through here. For example when he said "I am going to vote for a party that reduces taxation, sets a definitive date in the near future to finalise the Treaty of Waitangi, establishes a competitive education system that embraces and encourages excellence and allows Kiwis to once again enjoy sport and recreation free from the pernicious influence of bureaucracy. Sadly I do not for one minute believe there will be such a party".^[4] He is heavily critical of the policies that have occurred with New Zealand under the Labour Party. Especially when there was a time where in children's sport the score was not counted. He blamed this for the lack of competitiveness and will to win in the elite New Zealand sports teams.

During 2004 Murray suffered greatly from depression. Here he took a long time off to have a break and play lots of golf. On his final show on Sky Sport before his break he gave The Mad Butcher a book on state highway 1 and told him that one day he will have stores all down it because he is such a great mate. He wrote about his depression very thoroughly in his second book "Just an Opinion".^[5]

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