Mihingarangi Forbes

Mihingarangi Forbes (born ), also known as Mihi Forbes, is a New Zealand journalist, television presenter and radio broadcaster. She has worked on current affairs shows including Campbell Live, 20/20, and Native Affairs. In 2008, she won a Qantas award for 'Best Reporter for Daily Current Affairs'; in 2020, she won 'Best Presenter: News and Current Affairs' at the New Zealand Television Awards.

Forbes is known for leading a 2013 investigation into alleged misspending by the Te Kōhanga Reo Trust Board.

Early life Forbes was born as Joanna Mary Forbes in and grew up with her mother in Feilding, New Zealand. Her father is a "Māori bushman" of Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Maniapoto heritage, and her mother, a counsellor, is Pākehā (non-Māori) and a relative of Kate Sheppard. When she turned 19 or 20, she attended Waikato Institute of Technology, Te Ataarangi Māori-language immersion college and became fluent in te reo. During her time on the show, she conducted an infamous interview with businessman Alasdair Thompson, challenging his earlier comments about women earning less pay because of their menstrual cycles. In February 2013, Forbes became the presenter of Māori Television's current affairs show Native Affairs. Native Affairs aired an investigation led by Forbes into alleged misspending by the Te Kōhanga Reo Trust Board. Media reports suggested that her departure from Māori TV was related to increasing editorial pressure on her work – her follow-up story on the Kohanga Reo National Trust had been held back, delayed without a clear explanation why. Forbes denied any wrongdoing, confirming to reporters that the clothing had been promised to her by her former boss at the company She co-presented RNZ's Saturday Morning for two years until August 2026, when she resigned shortly after being given four weeks’ notice of the termination of her position.

Atlas Network investigation In early 2024, Forbes interviewed ACT Party leader David Seymour. In that interview, she asked him questions about the Atlas Network and implied that ACT had links to the network, which Seymour denied. Seymour compared ACT's purported links to the Atlas Network to the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. Seymour has previously referred to people at the Atlas Network as his "old friends" on ACT's website.

Aotearoa Media Collective Forbes has her own production company, Aotearoa Media Collective, together with Anabelle Lee-Mather, releasing podcasts and mini-documentaries under the Mata name.

Personal life Forbes has four children, two with former partner Duncan Garner. Forbes strongly advocates for te reo, raising her children to speak Māori and English.