Peter Williams

Peter Allan Williams (born 6 March 1954) is a New Zealand broadcaster and sports journalist who worked for the national broadcaster TVNZ between 1979 and 2018. His roles with TVNZ included hosting the 1News 6pm weekend bulletin and serving as the southern editor of TVNZ Sports in Wellington. Between 2019 and 2021, Williams also hosted the morning talkback programme on Magic Talk, a MediaWorks radio network.

Since March 2023, he has been a host on Reality Check Radio, an internet radio station run by anti-vaccine group Voices for Freedom.

Early life and family Williams was born in Geraldine in 1954, the son of Elizabeth Ann (née McLaren) and Allan Huia Williams. He was educated at Waitaki Boys' High School from 1967 to 1971, and then West High School in Corning, New York as an AFS scholar from 1971 to 1972.

Williams has covered seven Olympic Games, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics, from which he garnered the TP McLean Award for Sports Television. He has also covered five Commonwealth Games, three Rugby World Cups, two Cricket World Cups and two Masters golf tournaments.

In 1999, Williams was awarded the New Zealand Rugby Union's Supreme Media Award for his work at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. He has twice been New Zealand Golf Broadcaster of the Year.

On 12 February 2021, Williams drew controversy when he directed listeners to an anti-vaccine site run by the "Voices for Freedom" group which was spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

In early September 2021, Williams announced that he would be retiring from Magic Talk at the end of the month, stating that he wanted to "enjoy a life with fewer commitments" following a lengthy broadcasting career. Media Works confirmed that he would be succeeded by broadcasters Leah Panapa and Danny Watson, who would host the morning and afternoon programmes respectively.

Other pursuits Williams was a sports writer and columnist from the beginning of the Herald on Sunday in 2004 until the end of 2009. He wrote predominantly about golf, a sport with which he had a close involvement during the first decade of the new century. That included a period as a selector of Auckland representative teams in 2008 and as a director of New Zealand Golf Inc during 2008 and 2009.

In 2010, he concentrated his sporting activity on triathlon and completed the Port of Tauranga Half (2 km swim, 90 km bike and 21.1 km run) on 8 January 2011. His time was 6 hours and 37 minutes. The effort raised over $8000 for Look Good Feel Better, an organisation which helps women suffering from cancer with make-up and hair assistance.

Williams joined the board of the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union in April 2022, and in June spoke on behalf of them at a Groundswell NZ rally against the Three Waters reform programme. He has also opposed vaccinations.

Personal life Williams' first wife Cecile died of ovarian cancer in November 1996. During the time of her illness she received assistance from Look Good Feel Better.