Brendon Pongia
Encyclopedia
Brendon Pongia is a New Zealand
television presenter and basketball player, formerly for the national team, the Tall Blacks
. He co-hosted Good Morning
alongside Sarah Bradley
from 2006-2011. He has also appeared on the Māori Television
show Iwi All-Stars and Code.
Pongia grew up in Greymouth
and is of Māori descent. He has a degree in marketing
.
He married human resources manager Michelle Kirkland in Hawke's Bay on 20 March 2009. The couple are now based in Wellington.
.
Playing in the National Basketball League
for sixteen years through the 1990s, Pongia earned greatest recognition in 2001 as a member of the Tall Black squad that defeated Australia to qualify for the 2002 world championships
. Although he saw little actual court time, he was front and centre in the pre-match build-ups as leader of the haka
. He captured an NBL title with the Waikato Titans in 2002, but lost his place in the national side. Pongia attended the world tournament in Indianapolis as a spectator and enjoyed a high profile in TV coverage, leading the supporters' haka. He was subsequently offered a presenter's role with TVNZ and, later, Sky TV
in 2003.
in 2007, with dance partner Hayley Holt. The couple was eliminated in the penultimate episode.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
television presenter and basketball player, formerly for the national team, the Tall Blacks
New Zealand national basketball team
The New Zealand national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. It is nicknamed the Tall Blacks, derived from the name of New Zealand's Rugby union team, the All Blacks.-History:...
. He co-hosted Good Morning
Good Morning (New Zealand show)
Good Morning is a New Zealand morning television magazine lifestyle show. It airs weekday mornings from 9am - 12pm on TV ONE. The show began in 1996 and is hosted by Jeanette Thomas and Rod Chesseman...
alongside Sarah Bradley
Sarah Bradley
Sarah Bradley is a TV presenter and the daughter of the controversial former naval officer Captain Ian Bradley....
from 2006-2011. He has also appeared on the Māori Television
Maori Television
Māori Television is a New Zealand TV station broadcasting programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture . Funded by the New Zealand Government, the station started broadcasting on 28 March 2004 from a base in Newmarket.Te Reo is the...
show Iwi All-Stars and Code.
Pongia grew up in Greymouth
Greymouth
Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coast's inhabitants...
and is of Māori descent. He has a degree in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
.
He married human resources manager Michelle Kirkland in Hawke's Bay on 20 March 2009. The couple are now based in Wellington.
Sports career
Pongia played basketball with the Tall Blacks for nearly a decade, before going on to work as a sports presenter, reporter and commentator, and radio hostRadio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
.
Playing in the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (New Zealand)
The National Basketball League, often abbreviated to the NBL, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in New Zealand.There were 10 teams in the 2010 season with teams based in Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Invercargill, Nelson, New Plymouth, North Shore, Palmerston North,...
for sixteen years through the 1990s, Pongia earned greatest recognition in 2001 as a member of the Tall Black squad that defeated Australia to qualify for the 2002 world championships
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
. Although he saw little actual court time, he was front and centre in the pre-match build-ups as leader of the haka
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
. He captured an NBL title with the Waikato Titans in 2002, but lost his place in the national side. Pongia attended the world tournament in Indianapolis as a spectator and enjoyed a high profile in TV coverage, leading the supporters' haka. He was subsequently offered a presenter's role with TVNZ and, later, Sky TV
SKY Network Television
Sky Network Television Limited , , is a New Zealand pay television service. On 30 June 2011, Sky had 829,421 subscribers, which comprises:*808,617 digital subscribers*20,840 other subscribers...
in 2003.
Television career
Pongia has been a contestant in Dancing With The StarsDancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
in 2007, with dance partner Hayley Holt. The couple was eliminated in the penultimate episode.