Daryl Habraken, who appeared in the 2020 season of The Bachelorette New Zealand, is now turning his sights to politics. And despite working with National in the past, he says NZ First leader Winston Peters has always been his political mentor. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever your politics, you can\u2019t deny his absolute mastery of political debate and commanding the floor,\u201d Habraken tells Society Insider. <\/p>\n
Election candidate Daryl Habraken says NZ First leader Winston Peters has always been his political mentor. <\/p>\n
Best known for voice acting \u2013 a career he took up after Sir Paul Holmes told him he had a voice for radio \u2013 Habraken, 47, estimates he\u2019s done more than 10,000 voiceovers. <\/p>\n
For more than 25 years, he has worked as a camera operator, cinematographer, visual effects supervisor and director across major international productions, including The Last Samurai and Spartacus, documentaries, including stunt doco Rev Therapy, and commercials for a raft of businesses including BNZ and Coca-Cola. <\/p>\n
Since appearing as the \u201cmole\u201d on The Bachelorette NZ<\/a> \u2013 a fake contestant planted to give inside information to hopeful Bachelorette Lesina Nakhid-Schuster \u2013 Habraken has become known for more than just his voice. He has enjoyed time in front of the camera as well as behind it, with appearances on Shortland Street and Westside, and several podcasts, including his own electronic music podcast, Redlining. <\/p>\n He\u2019s also been seen in social media campaigns such as the comedic marketing campaign for Kiwi supplement brand Simply Nootropics with comedian Leigh Hart. <\/p>\n He was the voice of the National Party\u2019s 2011 campaign and its cinematographer in the 2014 and 2017 election campaigns, but he is now firmly putting his support behind NZ First. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time he\u2019s worked with the party. Habraken was creative director for NZ First\u2019s last election campaign, in which Peters appeared sitting on a horse in a cowboy hat in a video that went viral<\/a>. Habraken directed Peters looking down the camera and saying: \u201cTo govern a country, you need experience, and this is not our first rodeo\u201d. <\/p>\n Habraken says he enjoyed the experience and found the NZ First team \u201cincredibly down-to-earth, easy-going and open to creativity\u201d. <\/p>\n Habraken\u2019s father John, who is a fan of Peters, and John\u2019s wife, Maxine, have long been staunch supporters of the politician. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter the 2023 campaign, I kept an eye on what the party was doing and found myself increasingly aligned with its values and principles,\u201d Habraken says. <\/p>\n With NZ First releasing its party list in a month, Habraken says he is focused on growing the party vote while also making a splash in Northcote. <\/p>\n It\u2019s been a big year already for Habraken and his wife, producer Yvette \u201cYvie\u201d Harvey-Salter, who is expecting the couple\u2019s first baby in February. <\/p>\n The couple married in a \u201cperfect\u201d intimate family ceremony at a historic stone chapel in Papakura in March; two months later, they were overjoyed to discover they were about to become first-time parents. <\/p>\n However, they were then faced with family tragedy in June, a month before his candidacy was announced. Habraken\u2019s mother, Elva Ritchie, 72, died<\/a> after suffering a medical event while driving and crashing into a building at the Red Beach shopping centre. <\/p>\n Habraken received the news from a relative, who called to say Ritchie had missed an appointment. He knew immediately something was wrong and drove straight to Ritchie\u2019s place on the Hibiscus Coast, but she wasn\u2019t there. <\/p>\n \u201cThen came the dreaded knock on the door,\u201d he says, recalling the moment police arrived to deliver the news of the accident. <\/p>\n Habraken says the stories he later heard from locals who tried desperately to help her were incredibly moving. <\/p>\n \u201cStrangers did everything they could for a woman they had never met.\u201d <\/p>\n He says meeting and thanking some of those people restored some of his faith in humanity during a difficult time. <\/p>\n Although Habraken had told his mum his political plans, his candidacy wasn\u2019t confirmed until July. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I think about it now, it would have been wonderful to have her see her son pushing himself towards something bigger than himself,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause of my profile online and on television, she was definitely one of those mums who loved to boast about me to everyone at her art class and church.\u201d <\/p>\n Habraken had been able to let her know she was going to become a grandmother, seeing her three days before her accident to give her the news. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll never forget the look of joy on her face. She threw her hands in the air and let out a little yell. It was beautiful,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n Yvie, who is Habraken\u2019s campaign manager as well as his partner, says their biggest advantage is that, through their work in media, they can create, shoot and produce high-quality campaign content in-house. <\/p>\n The couple launched North Shore-based production company Odd Socks two years ago, specialising in documentary storytelling and commercial content. <\/p>\n \u201cBetween now and the election, we\u2019ll be putting a major focus on social media and digital content, while also doing the traditional groundwork \u2013 hoardings, flyers, door-knocking, public meetings and getting out into the community as much as possible,\u201d Yvie says. <\/p>\n Habraken is already appearing in newsreader-style videos in which he channels Peters. <\/p>\n He knew he\u2019d be standing against incumbent National MP Dan Bidois, but he\u2019s also up against another seasoned campaigner \u2013 Labour list MP Shanan Halbert, who won Northcote in 2020, before losing it to Bidois in 2023. <\/p>\n \u201cI love an underdog story,\u201d Harbraken says. \u201cI genuinely believe I\u2019ve got what it takes to give them both a run for their money.\u201d <\/p>\n He says living in and around Northcote for most of his adult life has given him a connection to the people and communities here. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an incredibly diverse electorate, with affluent precincts and working-class suburbs existing side by side. It\u2019s a fascinating cross-section of New Zealand.\u201d <\/p>\n The near-fatal crash that inspired Georgia Fulford\u2019s debut song <\/p>\n Budding country\/pop singer Georgia Fulford, 18, has recently released her debut single, Coming Home \u2013 a tribute to her dad, Lighting Direct managing director Dean Fulford, 56, who survived a near-fatal motorsport accident before she was born. <\/p>\n \u201cThe song is deeply personal and tells my family\u2019s story,\u201d Georgia tells Society Insider. <\/p>\n \u201cEighteen months before I was born, my dad survived a life-threatening racing accident<\/a> after another driver touched his car at more than 220km\/h, sending it over the fence and into the grandstands at Pukekohe.\u201d <\/p>\n The accident made headlines, with Dean\u2019s Porsche GT3 barrel-rolling for about 80m before clearing a 3.5m-high safety fence. <\/p>\n After the 2006 accident, Dean walked away from a 12-year career in motorsport, most notably competing in the Porsche GT3 series in New Zealand. <\/p>\n Dean\u2019s father, Bill Fulford, founded Lighting Direct in 1974 and also participated in motorsport for 16 years. Lighting Direct is now a multimillion-dollar family-owned company with 25 stores throughout New Zealand. <\/p>\n Bill founded the Lighting Direct Porsche team in 1991 with his friend Owen Evans, with Dean joining them in 1994. <\/p>\n \u201cA career highlight for Dad was the Lighting Direct team winning the prestigious 1993 Wellington Nissan Mobil 500 Street Race, and the following year the team won the New Zealand Motorsport Team of the Year,\u201d Dean says. <\/p>\n \u201cThe near-death experience catalysed a shift in our family\u2019s relationship with motorsport,\u201d he says. \u201cThe focus moved from Dad\u2019s and my participation to a shared passion of watching the sport together.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAfter surviving the crash, he made the decision to hang up his helmet and come home to start a family,\u201d Georgia says. \u201cThe helmet that helped save his life is one of the most important details on the cover art of my song.\u201d <\/p>\n Georgia explains that to make the song even more meaningful, it features her grandfather \u2013 her mum Victoria\u2019s father Terry Gibson \u2013 playing guitar on the recording. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve grown up listening to my grandpa play guitar and have sung with him since I was a baby.\u201d <\/p>\n After playing her grandpa some early demos, Gibson picked up his guitar and started playing along, which eventually led to them recording together at Crescendo Recording Studio in Henderson. <\/p>\n \u201cFor me, the song is less about the crash and more about everything possible because Dad came home,\u201d Georgia says. \u201cIt\u2019s a project that\u2019s incredibly close to my heart, and one I hope resonates with others through its message about family, sacrifice and finding what truly matters.\u201d <\/p>\n The eldest of three sisters, Georgia grew up in Auckland\u2019s eastern suburbs. Like her father, she attended Saint Kentigern\u2019s, and this year she\u2019s in her first year of a Bachelor of Commerce and Property conjoint degree at the University of Auckland.<\/p>\n Alongside university and writing new music, Georgia, who was a professional dancer at high school, teaches dance and interns at a property firm. <\/p>\n A week before her first recording session for Coming Home in February, Georgia\u2019s parents gave her tickets to the Melbourne Grand Prix<\/a> for her 18th birthday. <\/p>\n Dean says rediscovering his love of motorsport through his daughter\u2019s eyes has been something very special. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were there to support New Zealand driver Liam Lawson,\u201d Dean says. \u201cGeorgia and I enjoy following fellow Kiwi Mitch Evans and his career in Formula E.\u201d <\/p>\n Georgia says she\u2019s been lucky to have an amazing \u201cgirl dad\u201d in her corner. <\/p>\n \u201cI remember playing Dad the song for the first time, and he couldn\u2019t stop smiling,\u201d she says. \u201cHe\u2019s listened to every demo since, and there have definitely been a few teary eyes.\u201d <\/p>\n Party people of the week<\/p>\n Cirque Alice spectacular <\/p>\n The New Zealand premiere of Cirque Alice<\/a> took place at the Civic last Friday evening. <\/p>\n Created by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson, the team behind The Illusionists magic show, Cirque Alice reimagines Lewis Carroll\u2019s beloved story as a fusion of circus, music, aerial performance, comedy and visual spectacle. <\/p>\n Guests enjoyed a selection of specialty cocktails, including The Caterpillar, The Cheshire and The Mad Hatter, plus gourmet macarons, popcorn and Queen of Hearts cupcakes. <\/p>\n Among those spotted stepping through the looking glass were Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and his wife Toni, Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, Auckland Live director Daniel Clarke, sexologist Morgan Penn, actor Ria Vandervis, Radio Hauraki\u2019s Mike Minogue and The Hits\u2019 Ben Boyce (with his daughter Sienna), 1News reporter Aziz Al Sa\u2019afin, A-list chef Hercules Noble, The Whitening Co. founder Kennedy Anderson and motoring influencer Taylor Serage. <\/p>\n Cirque Alice runs at the Civic until Sunday. <\/p>\n A Titanic preview<\/p>\n More than 180 guests gathered at Auckland\u2019s Smith & Caughey Building last week for an exclusive first look at Titanic: The Human Story, as the internationally acclaimed exhibition made its New Zealand debut. <\/p>\nDaryl Habraken was the bachelor mole in the 2020 series The Bachelorette NZ. <\/p>\n
Daryl Habraken and his dad John, who is a long-term supporter of New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. <\/p>\n
Yvie and Daryl Habraken on their wedding day.
Yvie and Daryl Habraken got married at a historic stone chapel in Papakura in March. <\/p>\n
Elva Ritchie was proud of her son Daryl Habraken on his wedding day. <\/p>\n
Yvie and Daryl Habraken work together at their production company Odd Socks. <\/p>\n
Yvie and Daryl Habraken campaigning in Northcote. <\/p>\n
Yvie and Daryl Habraken on election night 2023 with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters (centre). <\/p>\n
Georgia Fulford did a photoshoot for her debut single Coming Home, which featured her father\u2019s crash helmet. Photo \/ Birgit Utech<\/p>\n
The Lighting Direct Porsche GT3.
The wreck of the Porsche GT3. Photo \/ NZPA, Wayne Drought<\/p>\n
Dean Fulford was a professional motor racer for 12 years. <\/p>\n
Victoria and Dean Fulford in an accident and emergency ward after his racing accident in 2006. Photo \/ Bradley Ambrose<\/p>\n
The cover for Georgia Fulford\u2019s debut single Coming Home. Photo \/ Birgit Utech <\/p>\n
Georgia Fulford\u2019s grandpa, Terry Gibson, played guitar on her debut single Coming Home. Photo \/ Jazzelle Rowell <\/p>\n
Georgia Fulford and her father Dean.<\/p>\n
Georgia and Dean Fulford at the Melbourne Grand Prix earlier this year. <\/p>\n
Dean Fulford with his baby daughter Georgia. <\/p>\n
Kirsty Painter and Tim Lawson, Mayor Wayne Brown with wife Toni, and Daniel Clarke. Photo \/ LK Creative
Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson. Photo \/ LK Creative
Morgan Penn. Photo \/ LK Creative
Ria Vandervis, Chris Ashton and their son Ted. Photo \/ LK Creative
Sienna and Ben Boyce. Photo \/ LK Creative
Aziz Al Sa’afin and Jordan Eskra. Photo \/ LK Creative
Matt Reyland and Chris Henry. Photo \/ LK Creative
Claudia and Courtney Sammut. Photo \/ LK Creative
Arii Jade and Maria Guerrero. Photo \/ LK Creative
Erin Simpson. Photo \/ LK Creative <\/p>\n