Barry Soper
May 7, 2024Barry Soper (born 1951 or 1952) is an award-winning New Zealand journalist. He is the senior political correspondent for Newstalk ZB. Since the ’70s, he has been on radio and television.
The political journalist has spent over 20 years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. He joined as a political editor for private radio and fronted Counterpoint for TVNZ and Right of Reply. He has also worked as a radio talkback host.
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| Quick Facts | |
| Name: | Barry Soper |
| Born: | 1951 or 1952 (age 73 years old) |
| Place of birth: | Gore, New Zealand |
| Nationality: | New Zealander |
| Occupation: | Journalist |
| Spouse: | Heather Du Plessis-Allan (m. 2009) |
Origin and Educational Background of Soper.
Barry Soper was born to Leonard, his late father, and Doreen, his mother. He had an older brother, Lenny, and a younger brother, Paul. He is from Gore, South Island, New Zealand.
The journalist completed high school in 1969 and joined the Royal New Zealand Police College at Trentham.
What is Barry Soper doing now?
After withdrawing from college, Barry returned to Gore and got a job at The Southland Times. He has since then worked for many media organizations. He has worked at Otago Daily Times, New Zealand Truth, Mataura Ensign, and the Waikato Times.
Barry became a speech writer for the New Zealand Wool Board. He joined the Parliamentary Press Gallery, working for APN, an Australian media company, in 1980. He later moved to Newstalk ZB, a New Zealand talk-radio network.
His works have seen many highlights. He secured the first international interview with George Speight, the leader of the 2000 Fijian coup d’état. He also covered the Fijian coup d’état that happened in 1987 and 2000.
Barry was the only Kiwi broadcast journalist to remain in Suva after the shooting began within a week of the coup. He also covered the inauguration of the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, in 1994.
Soper made it as a panelist on “You’ve Got Male” on TV One’s Good Morning. He was named the Individual Radio Journalist of the Year at the 2001 Radio Awards. He has traveled abroad with seven Prime Ministers and has met some celebrated world leaders.
Who is Barry Soper married to?
Barry Soper married journalist Heather Du Plessis-Allan in 2009. He is 33 years older than his wife, Heather, who doesn’t see her relationship as any different to two people of the same age.
How many children does Soper have?
Barry had five children – Kate, Hannah, Alice, Henry, and Hugh – from his previous relationships and is also a grandfather. His daughter, Alice Soper, is a television host, television analyst, and a rugby player. He and his wife welcomed a baby boy on 26 February 2022.
One of his children, Henry, was stabbed during an argument at a bar in Courtenay Place in July 2017. His son, Hugh Soper, was convicted of assault for a 2019 attack on two Wellington bar owners in 2021.
Barry was fined and disqualified from driving after being arrested for drunk driving in June 2010. He appeared in Porirua District Court pleading guilty to driving in central Wellington with 99 milligrams of alcohol for every 100ml of blood.
What surgery did Barry Soper have?
Barry Soper had an open-heart surgery after he learned that he had a “blockage near his heart” in September 2023. NZ Herald reported that he had a near-death experience after heart triple bypass surgery in April 2024.
