David Lomas is the Wellington-raised journalist who has spent 17 years reuniting New Zealanders with missing relatives on Three, first on Missing Pieces in 2009 and now on David Lomas Breakthrough. His partner is school principal Clarinda Franklin, and NZ On Air has already funded a second Breakthrough series for Three.
That funding is the newest news for fans asking whether the show has finished. NZ On Air’s funding decisions list shows “David Lomas Breakthrough 2” approved in April 2026 for eight 44-minute episodes, worth up to $1,594,000. Below is everything that is on the public record about the man who answers the phone with “Hello. I’m. David. Lomas.”, from his school days to the people in his life.
Who is David Lomas?
Lomas is a veteran New Zealand investigative reporter. He went to St Patrick’s College in Wellington, starting in the third form in 1966, and his brothers Peter and Roger attended the school too. His journalism started early: St Patrick’s College profiled him in May 2026 and noted the Evening Post paid him for weekly ice hockey reports while he was still a pupil, and he later covered weekend rugby for the Dominion. When his parents moved overseas he boarded at Wellington College.
After working as a newspaper reporter, he joined TVNZ in 1988 and was one of the reporters at the start of Holmes in 1989. He has said he only moved into television “when the newspaper I was working for folded”. He also helped start the current affairs programme Sunday and fronted the 2004 documentary about the Mr Asia drug syndicate, which is where his trademark “I’m David Lomas” introduction began.
How old is David Lomas?
His exact date of birth has not been published. What is on the record is that he began secondary school in 1966 and was flatting at university in 1972, which puts him among the most experienced reporters still fronting a prime-time show in New Zealand.
David Lomas’s partner Clarinda Franklin
Lomas’s partner is Clarinda Franklin, principal of Hauraki Primary School in Takapuna. The couple told the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly in April 2021 that they met by chance at Regatta, a bar overlooking Takapuna Beach, when their groups of friends started talking. Their first date was at the same bar, and at that point they were going into their fourth year together. Franklin said she had never watched his shows before they met.
“It’s just a feeling of absolute happiness and contentment,” Lomas told the magazine. “Meeting Clarinda really was a wonderful surprise.” The pair spend school holidays walking and cycling around the country, from the Otago Central Rail Trail to the Pouakai Crossing on Mt Taranaki.
Was David Lomas married before?
His former partner was Sue Donald, who worked with him on Missing Pieces and was co-creator, researcher and producer of the series Family Secret. She died at home in 2012 while Lomas was filming in Wales. Her research kept some stories going for a year or two afterwards. “For a while you’re sort of lost,” he told the Woman’s Weekly. Searches for a “first wife” usually mean Sue Donald, though no source we checked says the two were married.
Does David Lomas have children?
Lomas has not spoken publicly about children of his own, and none of the interviews we checked mention any. Clarinda Franklin has two sons and three grandchildren from her earlier 27-year marriage.
David Lomas shows from Missing Pieces to Breakthrough
The reunion show has changed its name three times, but it is the same idea: a seeker who has lost a parent, sibling or child asks for help and Lomas’s team tries to find them. NZ On Screen lists Missing Pieces starting on TV3 in 2009. These are the series NZ On Air has funded under his name.
| Series | Funding approved | Episodes | NZ On Air funding (up to) |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Lomas Investigates | July 2018 | 10 x 44 min | $985,434 |
| David Lomas Investigates 2 | July 2020 | 12 x 44 min | $1,616,532 |
| David Lomas Investigates 3 | December 2021 | 12 x 44 min | $1,111,384 |
| David Lomas Investigates 4 | November 2023 | 12 x 44 min | $1,629,444 |
| David Lomas Breakthrough | November 2024 | 8 x 44 min | $1,594,000 |
| David Lomas Breakthrough 2 | April 2026 | 8 x 44 min | $1,594,000 |
Before David Lomas Investigates, the show ran as Missing Pieces and then Lost and Found (2015 to 2019). David Lomas Investigates Series 2 won Best Original Reality Series at the 2021 New Zealand Television Awards.
David Lomas Breakthrough in 2026
Breakthrough premiered on Three in April 2026, screening on Tuesdays at 8.30pm and streaming on ThreeNow. It goes after harder cases than the earlier shows, people who have “hit a brick wall” searching for a family member, and it also looks at the social and political history behind why families were split up. The first episode followed Sha from Christchurch looking for her Iranian father; the second followed 21-year-old Tobias searching for his father in Tonga.
“We’ve done a heck of a lot, we’ve put a lot of people together who have approached us,” Lomas told Newstalk ZB before the launch. He now spends about a third of each year overseas on searches.
When is David Lomas back on TV?
Breakthrough 2 has funding for Three, but as of October 2026 no screening date has been announced. Past episodes stay on ThreeNow, which is also where to watch David Lomas Investigates.
How to contact David Lomas about a missing relative
Applications for Breakthrough go through the “Apply here” casting form on the show’s page at skyfree.co.nz, the website that now carries Three’s local shows. Associate producer John Keir and genealogist Gail Wilson-Waring sort through the requests, and each is graded from one to five. About 12,000 people had contacted the show by 2024, and about 80 per cent of seekers are women.
Once a relative is found, the first approach is gentle and vague, often a handwritten letter or a bunch of flowers with a card. “When we approach a person, it’s generally one hell of a shock,” Lomas told The Spinoff. Some searches take a day; one search for a Tokelauan man took five years.
Frequently asked questions
Where is David Lomas from?
He grew up in Wellington, attending St Patrick’s College and boarding at Wellington College. He was later based in Ponsonby, Auckland, and his team works from an office in a boat shed in Auckland.
What channel is David Lomas on?
Three, with episodes streaming on ThreeNow. Every version of his reunion show since 2009 has been made for Three (formerly TV3).
Who funds David Lomas Investigates?
NZ On Air, the public broadcasting funding agency, has funded every series since 2018. The two Breakthrough series were each approved for up to $1,594,000.
How many seasons of David Lomas Investigates are there?
NZ On Air funded four series of David Lomas Investigates between 2018 and 2023, before the show became Breakthrough in 2026.
Has David Lomas finished?
No. A second series of Breakthrough was funded in April 2026, so more episodes are coming to Three.
