One of New Zealand’s most accomplished TV journalists, Rod Vaughan, has died.
A family notice posted yesterday confirmed Vaughan passed away in Christchurch on Sunday last week after a “short battle with cancer”. He was 77.
Born and raised in England, Vaughn entered the world of journalism after studying at Wellington Polytechnic and began writing for The NZ Herald and The Dominion.
Vaughan returned to New Zealand in 1968 after a brief stint back in the UK and began working for the state broadcaster — then known as the NZ Broadcasting Corporation (now TVNZ).
He spent 35 years on state TV, reporting for current affairs shows and primetime news.
In 1985, Vaughan was infamously left bloodied after a face-off with one-time New Zealand Party leader Bob Jones on the banks of the Tongariro River.
He would then go on to spend eight years with TV3’s 60 Minutes.
The Bob Jones incident would inspire the title of his 2012 autobiography, Bloodied But Not Beaten.
“What has driven me, as a journalist, over the years is a sense of fair play and an abhorrence of deceit and dishonesty, not to mention hypocrisy and pomposity,” he said in his autobiography.
The family notice described Vaughan as a “loving grandad”.
“Rod was a much respected and tenacious journalist, a keen aviator, and golfer,” the notice read.
In a statement today, TVNZ executive editor Phil O’Sullivan said Vaughan was a “tenacious reporter and producer for TVNZ for more than 35 years”.
“Rod worked for some of the biggest current affairs shows in this country’s history. He had a strong sense of fairness and an abhorrence of dishonesty. His contribution to investigative journalism is immense.”
