Kate Hawkesby is still on New Zealand radio, just not at 5am any more. She hosted Newstalk ZB’s Early Edition from January 2018 until November 2023, and as of mid-2026 she joins her husband, Mike Hosking, most Fridays to wrap the week on his breakfast show. She was born on 1 April 1973, so she is 53, and she has three children from her first marriage.
For a generation of viewers she was the young face of TVNZ news, the youngest newsreader to present the 6pm One News. Here is where she is now, who is in her family, and what is and isn’t on the public record.
What is Kate Hawkesby doing now?
Her weekday show ended in late 2023. Stuff reported in November 2023 that she would host Early Edition until 24 November and then keep her Friday morning slot on Hosking’s breakfast show.
That Friday slot is the “Wrapping the Week” segment, where Hawkesby and fellow commentator Tim Wilson join Hosking to run through the week’s talking points. Newstalk ZB was still publishing the segment in 2026, including episodes in March and June. She has also written opinion columns for the NZ Herald and, earlier, for Woman’s Day.
Who is Kate Hawkesby married to?
She is married to broadcaster Mike Hosking, the host of The Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB. They first worked together in 2002, when she became his co-host on TVNZ’s Breakfast. They married in 2012, a second marriage for both of them.
In August 2019 she appeared on a Newstalk ZB “Better Halves” segment with Simon Barnett and Phil Gifford, introduced as both the Early Edition host and Hosking’s wife. The segment ran under the headline “We don’t talk politics at home”.
Who was Kate Hawkesby’s first husband?
Before Hosking, Hawkesby was married to Richard Lyne for 12 years. That marriage ended in 2007.
Kate Hawkesby’s children
Hawkesby has three children, all from her marriage to Richard Lyne. She went on maternity leave from TVNZ’s Tonight in late 2006 and did not return to the show. In a 2020 column she wrote about flying to Gisborne with her daughter.
Their names and exact ages have not been published by the family, so we are not listing them. Hosking has twin daughters, Ruby and Bella, from his first marriage, which makes a blended family of five children between them. No public source records a child born to Hawkesby and Hosking together.
How old is Kate Hawkesby?
Kate Hawkesby was born on 1 April 1973. She turned 53 in April 2026, and her birthday falls on April Fools’ Day.
Kate Hawkesby’s father and family
Her father is John Hawkesby, born in 1947, who read the news on TV2, TV3 and One News and later hosted It’s in the Bag. After broadcasting he moved into the wine world as a judge and reviewer. That makes Mike Hosking his son-in-law, and makes Kate a second-generation newsreader.
Her mother has not been named in the sources we checked. People also search for a link to Reserve Bank economist Christian Hawkesby, but we could not find a reliable source confirming any family connection, so we are not stating one.
From TVNZ intern to Early Edition host
- 1995: started at TVNZ as an intern after studying politics and working briefly for the Daily Express in England.
- Late 1990s: reported from Bougainville and the Oscars red carpet, read Midday and TV2 news, and became the youngest newsreader on the 6pm One News.
- 2002: co-hosted Breakfast with Mike Hosking.
- 2004 to 2006: hosted the late news show Tonight, first with Eric Young and then on her own. In 2005 she also fronted How Normal Are You?
- 2007: left TVNZ.
- 2018 to 2023: hosted Early Edition on Newstalk ZB, 5am to 6am on weekdays.
- 2023 onwards: Friday regular on The Mike Hosking Breakfast.
When Newstalk ZB announced her Early Edition job in October 2017, Hawkesby said: “I can’t wait to get back on air hosting my own show.” She took over from Rachel Smalley and started on 22 January 2018. Her NZ On Screen profile lists award nominations for Best Presenter in 2002 for Breakfast and in 2005 for Tonight.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kate Hawkesby still on Newstalk ZB?
Yes, but not with her own weekday show. Since leaving Early Edition in November 2023 she has appeared on Fridays on The Mike Hosking Breakfast, still doing so as of mid-2026.
Do Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking have children together?
No shared child is recorded in public sources. Hawkesby has three children from her first marriage and Hosking has twin daughters from his.
When did Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking get married?
In 2012. They had first worked together as Breakfast co-hosts in 2002.
Who is Tim Wilson on Wrapping the Week?
Tim Wilson is the commentator who joins Hawkesby and Hosking for the Friday “Wrapping the Week” segment on Newstalk ZB.
Was Kate Hawkesby a TVNZ newsreader?
Yes. She worked at TVNZ from 1995 to 2007 and became the youngest person to read the 6pm One News.
