Devastatingly, the heart attack was fatal \u2013 by the time Sainsbury arrived, his father, Robert Sainsbury, had died.<\/p>\n
Mark Sainsbury with his father Robert, a World War II veteran.<\/p>\n
Just a couple of weeks earlier, Sainsbury had sat down with his father, a World War II veteran, for 15 minutes for an interview for TVNZ to talk about his four years as a prisoner of war in Crete.<\/p>\n
Sainsbury was previewing his own visit to Greece with then Prime Minister Helen Clark to mark the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.<\/p>\n
The interview with his dad was to be the last time Sainsbury saw him alive \u2013 the image of him happily chatting in his favourite chair, a La-Z-Boy, is ingrained, and that 15-minute conversation, now preserved on DVD, is one of Sainsbury\u2019s most precious items.<\/p>\n
Now, 25 years on, that heartbreak has been top of mind for Sainsbury, who has teamed up with former TVNZ executive producer Antony Stevens for a new venture, \u201cI Always Meant to Ask\u201d.<\/p>\n
The pair are using their broadcast, interview and production skills to offer keepsake video interviews to families of loved ones.<\/p>\n
They are creating personal, broadcast-quality interviews and films that tell the stories of people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the whole thing of this \u2013 I always meant to ask,\u201d Sainsbury says, reflecting on the life of his own father, who, like so many of his generation, had not talked about the war after they returned home.<\/p>\n
Mark Sainsbury was a well-known face on TV screens for decades. Photo \/ Alyse Wright<\/p>\n
For Sainsbury and Stevens, that applies more broadly \u2013 to families who may not have taken the time to sit with a loved one, to ask them fully about their lives, and to preserve memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone has that. We always meant to ask. We\u2019ve never talked about this, never talked about that,\u201d Sainsbury says.<\/p>\n
He and Stevens believe there will be children and grandchildren who will be motivated to organise interviews with loved ones, and others who will want to get their own stories recorded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked in media all of my life \u2013 how difficult would it have been to sit with our parents for a couple of hours at some stage? We all put it off, we all mean to do it, and we never do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sainsbury, who conducts the interviews, and Stevens are offering three tiers of packages.<\/p>\n
According to their website (Ialwaysmeanttoask.nz), the \u201cessential\u201d package for $4500-$6500 is a half-day shoot for a 30-60-minute film; the \u201csignature\u201d package for $7000-$10,000 is a 60-90-minute film with added extras; and the \u201clegacy\u201d package for $10,000-$15,000 is a fully produced documentary across multiple days.<\/p>\n
Former TVNZ executive producer Antony Stevens.<\/p>\n
The pair say they, by chance, had been thinking of a similar venture before they joined forces.<\/p>\n
Stevens, a former executive producer of Seven Sharp, Breakfast and Fair Go, recalls watching the movie Amadeus, based on the life of Mozart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made me think of my stepdad, who is 88 and a lover of classical music. I wondered where Mozart ranked in his top composers and then thought, there are actually so many questions I need to ask about his wonderful life before it gets too late. That was the lightbulb moment for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone needs to capture these family stories from their elders before it\u2019s too late. Once captured on film, it can be passed down through the generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Sainsbury\u2019s great talents is his ability to connect with people. He\u2019s regularly approached on the street for a chat \u2013 even if he laughs that some people can sometimes be a little mixed up about which shows he hosted. <\/p>\n
The former TVNZ political editor and long-time 7pm Close Up host was not a Fair Go presenter, for example.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is great to be doing something,\u201d Sainsbury, who is Wellington-based, says.<\/p>\n
He also volunteers at the SPCA and works with other agencies and organisations, and he leads the annual Men\u2019s Health Week.<\/p>\n
And despite that 15-minute sitdown with his dad just a couple of weeks before his death, he knows there could have been more things he could have asked.<\/p>\n
Such as the time Sainsbury\u2019s grandfather and his brother headed to Argentina in the early 1900s to buy a farm with a bag of money.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey spent the lot. There was a rumour that my grandfather\u2019s brother fired a gun off in some house of ill repute in Buenos Aires and missed the Prince of Wales by a matter of inches.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy great-grandmother hadn\u2019t heard from the boys, so she got on a sailing ship and went over and dragged my grandfather back to Wairoa. Imagine leaving Buenos Aires in the 1900s and arriving back in Wairoa.\u201d<\/p>\n
He knows he could have asked his own dad more about that. \u201cThere\u2019s the frustration because when they\u2019re gone, they\u2019re gone \u2013 it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he is delighted to have a recording of his TVNZ interview. \u201cI\u2019m so pleased I got it \u2013 there he is, all the mannerisms … and then the frightening thing is you start to see elements of yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n
Digital reinvestment: TVNZ\u2019s forecast $48.8m losses<\/p>\n
TVNZ is forecasting almost $50 million of cumulative losses across two years as it invests in its transformation from a traditional broadcaster to a digital-first media business.<\/p>\n
TVNZ is forecasting a $20.7 million financial loss in 2026 and a further $28.1m loss next year as the state-owned broadcaster deliberately and heavily invests in its five-year digital strategy.<\/p>\n
The broadcaster has previously signalled that it would fall into the red over the next two years \u2013 the scale of those expected losses has now been revealed in its new statement of performance expectations.<\/p>\n
Two of TVNZ’s best-known broadcasters \u2013 Breakfast co-host Tova O’Brien and 1News at Six presenter Melissa Stokes. Photos \/ TVNZ<\/p>\n
TVNZ is a Crown-owned entity \u2013 it is not funded by the taxpayer, with almost all of its revenue coming from advertising.<\/p>\n
However, its financial performance has been under heavy scrutiny from the Government, following several years in which it did not pay a dividend. <\/p>\n
News tip? Feedback? Email shayne.currie@nzme.co.nz<\/p>\n
It returned to paying a dividend last year \u2013 a $3.1m payment on the back of a $10.7m profit \u2013 but TVNZ does not expect to pay a dividend in its 2026\/27 financial year as it focuses resources on its digital transformation programme.<\/p>\n
That strategy aims to double TVNZ\u2019s digital audiences, triple its digital revenue and deliver sustained profitable earnings by 2030.<\/p>\n