Murray Deaker

Murray "Deaks" Deaker, ONZM, is a New Zealand sports radio and television talk show host and sports author.

Deaker was educated at Dunedin's King's High School, the same school in which fellow broadcaster Peter Montgomery attended. He worked as a teacher prior to his media career, including at Orewa College.

Deaker was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003.^[1] Deaker has acted as a mentor for sports personalities such as Jesse Ryder, a New Zealand cricketer.^[2]

Deaker has conducted a number of high profile interviews, including the last interview with Tiger Woods before his tabloid controversies of 2009.^[3] Deaker fell into his own bunker of controversy in 2011,^[4] with a racially sensitive slur in reference to a colleague. Despite the NZ Race Relations Commissioner describing the turn of phrase as "Not appropriate" and a weight of public outrage reminiscent of fellow broadcaster Paul Holmes' "Cheaky Darkie" saga and Paul Henry's derogatory comment about an Indian Diplomat with the surname "Dikshit", Deaker's network described the phrase as "widely used". Deaker later apologised, stating "It was a bad choice of words and I apologise unreservedly".

In March 2012, Mr Deaker again became enmeshed in another controversy after allegedly offensive remarks about All Black and Muslim Sonny Bill Williams ^[5]

At the end of 2013 Deaker, then aged 68 years, announced he would move on from his position at Newstalk ZB and from his Sky TV programme, Deaker on Sport.^[6] "Timing is everything in sport and life. I want to get out while I'm still at the top of my game. There are fresh challenges that I am keen to have a crack at," says Deaker.

Murray Deaker won the Best Sports Presenter at the Radio Awards seven times and was a finalist on 10 other occasions. In 2009 he received the award Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for Services to Broadcasting. His radio programmes have consistently rated number one.

References