Barry Soper

Barry has been a journalist for 35 years, with the past 24 spent in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, making him the longest serving member of the gallery and the country’s most experienced political broadcast journalist. Barry came to the gallery as political editor for private radio but during his time has made frequent appearances on television commenting on politics.

He has fronted Counterpoint for TVNZ, Right of Reply, an interview show featuring the political leaders in the lead up to the 1999 election for Saturn, and Absolutely Soper, a light hearted weekly feature on TV2’s late night news. He’s also been a radio talkback host and has served an unprecedented three terms as chairman of the press gallery. For many years he has written a daily satirical column that he voices for radio and which is published daily on Xtra and other internet sites.

Through his work he has known and travelled abroad with seven Prime Ministers, the first of whom was Rob Muldoon. He has also met and interviewed some of the most celebrated world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, most of the Australian Prime Ministers, among them Paul Keating who once called him ‘a blow fly’, and more recently Bill Clinton who called him ‘a gentleman’.

Barry covered both the Fijian coups in 1987 and 2000, and was the first international journalist to secure an interview with rebel leader George Speight. He was also the only broadcast journalist to stay on in Suva after the shooting started within a week of the coup. He has covered major events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and President Mandela’s inauguration in South Africa.

His colleagues honoured Barry with a life membership of the gallery and was last year named radio journalist of the year.

Barry works out daily at the gym and is passionate about golf, although plays too infrequently to maintain a healthy handicap.