Simon Barnett

Simon Barnett is an award winning radio announcer and has presented a variety of television shows.

Simon is a down to earth and popular MC, experienced television presenter and voice-over artist.

Simon's cheery quick fire patter welcomes listeners of More FM Breakfast to their workday mornings, Monday to Friday. Simon has had a long and varied career in the media, from ‘What Now’ to ‘Face The Music’, ‘Clash of the Codes’, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Telebingo’ for TVNZ. He was also a contestant in the third series of Celebrity Treasure Island and is a contestant on 2015's series of 'Dancing with the Stars'.

"Being a radio broadcaster is a great job for me because I love people; everyone's got a story to tell and I really enjoy hearing their stories."  Simon began his career in radio over 20 years ago as a cadet, but gave up after five years to work in television. However, when he was given the opportunity to co-host a radio breakfast show on commercial radio, Simon couldn't resist. For a number of years he has managed to combine radio and television work, and has become one of New Zealand's most well known personalities. Working on a breakfast show means Simon's day begins while most of us are still sleeping. 

"For me, being a radio broadcaster is a really great way to make a living. People say 'don't you have down days' and obviously I do, but it lifts me out of that. You've got to be larger than life. How many people get the privilege to genuinely make a difference in people's lives? I take that responsibility seriously. I want to make sure that my influence is for good. That's a highlight of the job."Occasionally people come up to me and say 'you guys did this thing this morning and I just laughed and laughed', or they tell me that when they pulIed up at the lights and looked across at the cars, people were just laughing and laughing. Getting good feedback like that makes me happy because then I know that I made someone else happy."

Simon together with co-host Gary McCormick won Best Music Breakfast Show at the 2015 NZ Radio Awards.