Shirley Frances Whitley Maddock (7 December 1928 – 10 October 2001) was a New Zealand producer,
television presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...
, author and actress. After early work in theatre and radio, she became a pioneering figure in early
New Zealand television
Television in New Zealand was introduced in 1960 as a state-run service. The broadcasting sector was deregulated in 1989, when the Government allowed competition to the state-owned Television New Zealand (TVNZ). There are currently three forms o ...
. She produced and presented a number of award-winning documentaries, including New Zealand's first ever locally produced television documentary series, ''Islands of the Gulf'' (1964). Later in her career she wrote a number of non-fiction books about New Zealand's history and landscapes, worked as a book reviewer, and continued to make appearances on television and radio throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life and career
Maddock was born in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, New Zealand, to Philip and Grace Maddock. Her father was the general manager of
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
New Zealand. She grew up in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
and attended
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is a private composite girls school located in the Wellington suburb of Karori in New Zealand. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 - on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 reflecting the lowest socioeconomic communities - ...
.
Maddock travelled to London in 1947 and spent three years in British
repertory theatre
A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation.
United Kingdom
Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...
. She also had a bit-part in the film ''
The Lavender Hill Mob
''The Lavender Hill Mob'' is a 1951 comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T. E. B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and Alfie Bass. The title refers to Lavender Hil ...
'' (1951). In 1952 Maddock returned to New Zealand and joined the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (the predecessor of the
New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation
The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...
) and worked on women's radio programmes as a scriptwriter, announcer and researcher.
In order to gain experience with the new medium of television, which had not yet arrived in New Zealand, Maddock moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1958 and worked on television documentaries. At the same time she continued to work as a radio correspondent, sending reports back to New Zealand.
New Zealand television career
With the arrival of television in New Zealand in June 1960, Maddock returned to New Zealand and became New Zealand's first television news writer, first television interviewer and first female television producer. In an interview for a women's magazine, Maddock said: "In those days we did everything live and if that life were faltering through inexperience and misadventure, what we attempted was full of the zest which all pioneers share. You had to be a jack-of-all-trades: I wrote the newsreel, the continuity for each transmission, took my turn as announcer and interviewer and produced some tentative pieces on architecture, art and William Shakespeare." One of Maddock's more unusual successes was discovering
Graham Kerr
Graham Kerr (born 22 January 1934) is an English cooking personality who is best known for his television cooking show ''The Galloping Gourmet'' from December 30, 1968 to September 14, 1973.
Early life
Kerr was born in Brondesbury, London. H ...
, who became one of the world's first celebrity chefs.
One of Maddock's early documentaries for the
NZBC
The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...
was ''The Distant Shore'' (1963), about the
landing at ANZAC Cove
The landing at Anzac Cove on Sunday, 25 April 1915, also known as the landing at Gaba Tepe and, to the Turks, as the Arıburnu Battle, was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by the forces of the British Empire, which ...
at
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
on 25 April 1915. She used contemporary photographs, narration, sound effects and music to bring the story to life. ''The Distant Shore'' was awarded Best Documentary at the inaugural 1964 New Zealand
National TV Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are vote ...
.
Around this time, Maddock also wrote a novel called ''With Gently Smiling Jaws'' (1963). The novel was based on her own experiences as a young New Zealand woman travelling to New York City to work in commercial television.
''Islands of the Gulf''
Maddock is best-known for producing and presenting New Zealand's first ever locally produced television documentary series, ''Islands of the Gulf'', in 1964. The documentary involved Maddock (with photographer Don Whyte) exploring the
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2, Intended to be a one-off, ''Islands of the Gulf'' ended up running to five half-hour episodes, and made Maddock a household name. The first episode was about the
Great Barrier Island
Great Barrier Island ( mi, Aotea) lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson ...
. The series was followed by a best-selling non-fiction book, ''Islands of the Gulf'' (1966), based on the documentary. It was re-printed many times, including in 2017.
Maddock was not initially permitted by the NZBC to use the title "producer". In a 1993 interview with Jim Sullivan for
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...
, Maddock explained that "the hierarchy of broadcasting in those days didn't think that producer was a suitable title for a woman", and accordingly the credit line she was allowed to use was "written, devised and arranged by" or "written and presented by". It was only in 1965 that Maddock was allowed to use the credit title of "producer" for a documentary called ''A Capital Move'', a centennial piece about the transfer of New Zealand government from Auckland to Wellington. Maddock went on to produce other documentary series such as ''The Tall Trees and the Gold'' (1966), about the history of
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...
and
gold mining in New Zealand
Mining in New Zealand began when the Māori quarried rock such as argillite in times prior to European colonisation. Mining by Europeans began in the latter half of the 19th century.
New Zealand has abundant resources of coal, silver, iron ore, l ...
.
Later career
After getting married and starting a family in the mid-1960s, Maddock wrote a number of non-fiction books, including ''Far As A Man May Go'' (1970), about the journey of
Captain Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
to New Zealand, ''These Antipodes: A New Zealand Album'' (1979), ''The Waikato'' (1984), and ''A Pictorial History of New Zealand'' (1988). ''These Antipodes'' was described by ''
The Press
''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...
'' as "her most ambitious book to date", and a "rich and rewarding study, filled with fascinating detail". In 1971, Maddock wrote a play called ''Prospect from the Park'', to mark Auckland's 150th anniversary. In 1980, Maddock and her husband Michael Easther co-authored a book called ''A Christmas Garland: A New Zealand Christmas Album, 1642-1900''.
Maddock continued to make appearances on television and radio throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including guest appearances on television shows such as '' Hudson and Halls'', ''Master of Arts'' and ''Beauty and the Beast'', and a documentary revisiting ''Islands of the Gulf'' in 1984. In 1974 she was a judge for the Feltex Television Awards. ''Islands of the Gulf'' was re-screened by TVNZ in 1997. In later life she reviewed books on
National Radio
RNZ National ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa Ā-Motu), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operat ...
and for newspapers including the ''
Waikato Times
The ''Waikato Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand and owned by media business Stuff Ltd. It has a circulation to the greater Waikato region and became a tabloid paper in 2018.
The newspaper has won the title of Ne ...
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for services to broadcasting. One of those who recommended her for the honour, radio broadcaster
Sharon Crosbie
Sharon Margaret Crosbie (born 1945) is a former broadcaster and broadcasting executive from New Zealand. She served as the chief executive of Radio New Zealand from 1995 to 2004.
Life
Born in Rangiora in 1945, Crosbie studied at Victoria Unive ...
, said Maddock was an inspiration for other women: "She broke through and proved herself, making programmes that were a revelation. In so many ways she set the standards for those who followed".
After her death on 10 October 2001, well-known New Zealand producer
Max Cryer
John Maxwell Cryer (10 December 1935 – 25 August 2021), generally known as Max Cryer, was a New Zealand television producer and presenter, radio broadcaster, entertainment producer, singer, cabaret performer and writer.
Early life and educ ...
said she was one of television's "most respected producers", for which he credited her "background in radio and theatre, combined with her extreme intelligence".
Judith Tizard
Judith Ngaire Tizard (born 3 January 1956) is a former New Zealand politician, and a member of the Labour Party.
Early life and career
Tizard was born at Auckland's St Helen's maternity hospital in Pitt Street in 1956. She was educated at Glen ...
, New Zealand's Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, called her "a trailblazer in New Zealand broadcasting", and said her contribution to broadcasting and literature "has increased our self-confidence as a nation, by presenting New Zealand's social history in an accessible way".
Personal life and family
In 1965, Maddock married Michael Easther (a
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
general practitioner, a ''Waikato Times'' crossword designer, and long-time Hamilton Operatic Society member). They had two sons and a daughter. Maddock's son Richard is the head of the Department of Physics at the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
Carla Crozier
Carla Summerfield (née Crozier, also known as Leach) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'', who was portrayed by Elisabeth Easther from early 1995 to mid 1996. The character debuted as the sister of establish ...
on television show ''
Shortland Street
''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...
'' from 1995 to 1996, and her son Philip is a Waikato organic farmer.
In 2018, Maddock's daughter Elisabeth Easther was the host of a remake of ''Islands in the Gulf'' for
TVNZ
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...
during which she visited places that her mother had visited and re-interviewed surviving interviewees. Reviewer Greg Bruce, writing in ''
The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'', gave the show a positive review, and noted: "The regular references and old footage may drive you, as they did me, to the NZ on Screen archives to watch the entire first episode from Easther's mum's 1964 series. Once there, you'll realise, as I did, that you've stumbled on a small masterpiece."
NZ On Screen
NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...
NZ On Screen
NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...
TVNZ
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...