Melissa Stokes

Early life and education Stokes grew up in Tauranga. Her parents ran fabric shops and she worked for them as a teenager. At age 16, she and her family moved to Christchurch, where she finished high school. also in Christchurch. Her uncle, Spencer Jolly, was a TVNZ journalist during Robert Muldoon's term as prime minister, and later worked for Channel 9 in Brisbane, Australia. Because of this, as a teenager Stokes visited the channel's studio. She has said her uncle partly inspired her to work in television. In December 2018 it was announced that Stokes would replace Peter Williams to become the 1News at 6pm newsreader during the weekends. On the same day of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Stokes travelled to the United Kingdom as a presenter for TVNZ's rolling coverage of the event.

Personal life Stokes is married to Dave Pierce, a cameraman, and they have two children.