# Melissa Stokes > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Melissa_Stokes > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Melissa_Stokes.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Stokes > Source revision: 1327973394 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) New Zealand newsreader and reporter Melissa Stokes Born Melissa Tania Stokes 1978 or 1979 (age 47–48)[1] Television 1News Breakfast **Melissa Tania Stokes** (born 1978 or 1979[1]) is a New Zealand television presenter and reporter. Since 28 November, she has been presenter of [1News at Six](/source/1_News_at_Six) during the weekdays. ## Early life and education Stokes grew up in [Tauranga](/source/Tauranga).[1] Her first job was working at the deli section of a [New World](/source/New_World_(supermarket)) supermarket.[2] Her parents ran fabric shops and she worked for them as a teenager. At age 16, she and her family moved to [Christchurch](/source/Christchurch), where she finished high school.[1] She did one year of law at the [University of Canterbury](/source/University_of_Canterbury) with the intention of becoming a lawyer, but later described it as "really dull" and realised that she probably would not perform in front of a [judge](/source/Judge) and [jury](/source/Jury), like she wanted to. She later attended broadcasting school,[3] also in Christchurch. Her uncle, Spencer Jolly, was a [TVNZ](/source/TVNZ) journalist during [Robert Muldoon](/source/Robert_Muldoon)'s term as prime minister, and later worked for [Channel 9](/source/Channel_9_(Australia)) in [Brisbane](/source/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.[1] At broadcasting school she got an internship at the [Prime TV](/source/Prime_TV_(New_Zealand)) newsroom in Christchurch, which she found slightly disappointing because her friends were getting internships at TVNZ and [Newstalk ZB](/source/Newstalk_ZB), but she later described it as a "great opportunity" because of the mentorship of her boss Steve Bloxham.[3] ## Career Stokes began working for [TVNZ](/source/TVNZ) in 2001, as a reporter for the morning news programme *[Breakfast](/source/Breakfast_(New_Zealand_TV_programme))*.[1] Between 2006 and 2008, she was the TVNZ Europe correspondent.[4] In December 2018 it was announced that Stokes would replace [Peter Williams](/source/Peter_Williams_(broadcaster)) to become the *[1News at 6pm](/source/1News)* newsreader during the weekends.[5] On the same day of the [death of Queen Elizabeth II](/source/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Elizabeth_II), Stokes travelled to the United Kingdom as a presenter for TVNZ's rolling coverage of the event.[4] In early November 2025 TVNZ announced that Stokes would replace [Simon Dallow](/source/Simon_Dallow) as the main weekday presenter for 1News. She assumed the role on 28 November, after Dallow stood down.[6] ## Personal life Stokes is married to Dave Pierce, a cameraman,[7] and they have two children.[1] Her mother chose to die by [euthanasia](/source/Euthanasia) after having cancer for about seven years.[8] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:2_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:2_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:2_1-6) ["TVNZ presenter Melissa Stokes on balancing working mum life"](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/tv-guide/119578799/tvnz-presenter-melissa-stokes-on-her-career-and-custommade-wardrobe). *[Stuff](/source/Stuff_(website))*. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["TVNZ newsreader Melissa Stokes opens up about parenting her ADHD son - No Such Thing as Normal"](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/tvnz-newsreader-melissa-stokes-opens-up-about-parenting-her-adhd-son-no-such-thing-as-normal/WMLH6XCOJRDOLNN334Z3JJMZZM/). *[The New Zealand Herald](/source/The_New_Zealand_Herald)*. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_3-1) ["'Live TV can be terrifying': Melissa Stokes on 25 years in front of the camera"](https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/11/29/live-tv-can-be-terrifying-melissa-stokes-on-25-years-in-front-of-the-camera/). *[1News](/source/1News)*. 29 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) ["'Her Majesty': The story Melissa Stokes will never forget"](https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/12/11/her-majesty-the-story-melissa-stokes-will-never-forget/). *[1News](/source/1News)*. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_5-0)** ["Melissa Stokes to replace Peter Williams as the host of 1 News on the weekends"](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/109139282/melissa-stokes-to-replace-peter-williams-as-the-host-of-1-news-on-the-weekends). *[Stuff](/source/Stuff_(website))*. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["TVNZ reveals Melissa Stokes as new 6pm news presenter"](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/tvnz-reveals-melissa-stokes-as-new-6pm-news-presenter/2VPXW7WX5JADFLRZHIRYRXPZQ4/). *[The New Zealand Herald](/source/The_New_Zealand_Herald)*. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Melissa Stokes on her mum's lasting legacy: "She didn't want to be in pain anymore""](https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/celebrity/celeb-news/melissa-stokes-mum-cancer-48175/). *Woman's Day*. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Melissa Stokes: The day my much-loved mother chose to die"](https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/15/melissa-stokes-the-day-my-much-loved-mother-chose-to-die/). *[1News](/source/1News)*. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Melissa Stokes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Stokes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Stokes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.