Bill Ralston

Bill Ralston (born 1953) is a New Zealand journalist, broadcaster, and media personality, active in television, radio and print. He has worked as a political correspondent, fronted the television arts show Backch@t, and was the head of news and current affairs at TVNZ from 2003 to 2007. The New Zealand Herald has described him as controversial.

Personal life Born in Auckland, he attended Northcote Primary School and later Northcote College where he was Head Prefect.

At the University of Auckland he studied politics and history, In 1980, he worked as a general news reporter for Television New Zealand (TVNZ) in Wellington and Christchurch. TVNZ seconded him to the BBC for six months in 1981, where he worked as a reporter for Wales Today in Cardiff. Returning in 1982, he went to the New Zealand Parliament Press Gallery as a political correspondent for TV ONE, where he covered the fall of the Muldoon government. In 1999, an official from the Ministry of Health visited Ralston and threatened to prosecute the magazine under the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990, over a cigar review column. Ralston complained, saying the magazine derived no income from the column. While editor, several top Auckland restaurants banned him due to reviews in the magazine.

2000s In July 2000, police were called to a Saatchi & Saatchi fundraising event, where it was alleged Ralston had punched guests. Ralston had a goal of reducing the $46 million TVNZ news budget by $4.5 million, He drew criticism in March 2005 for verbally attacking Prime Television CEO Chris Taylor, saying, "I'd be shooting myself. I'd be pouring petrol over myself and throwing myself off Auckland's tallest building". He faced disciplinary action also in 2006 over an expletive-laden call to a Herald on Sunday journalist, who was making enquires about a homeless cousin.

Since TVNZ he has written columns for The New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday, The Listener, the Media Scrum blog for Fairfax Media, and in 2009 was an afternoon host for Radio Live. Former foreign minister Winston Peters refused to appear on the Sky News New Zealand show covering the 2008 general election, because he objected to Ralston, the host.

2010s At the 2016 Auckland local elections, Ralston contested the Waitematā and Gulf ward of the Auckland Council. He came second in the contest to incumbent councillor Mike Lee and was not elected.

2020s As a former editor employed by the Bauer Media Group, he commented on the company's decision to wind down its New Zealand business in response to the government banning magazines as part of the coronavirus lockdown as follows: "Eighty years of the Listener gone because some clod in Government decided to ban the publication."

Recognition 1998 and 1999 Qantas Awards for Excellence in Journalism as Best Political Columnist 1999 Qantas Media Award, Best Overall Columnist.