June 30, 2024 • 24 mins
Mark Richardson is a former professional cricket player who represented New Zealand in 38 test matches in the early 2000s.
After his cricketing career Mark found his way into broadcasting via commentary for Sky Sport and co-hosted the popular show The Crowd Goes Wild on Prime. Mark's broadcasting career expanded beyond sports with roles on The Block NZ and The AM Show. Mark also spent a year hosting a talkback radio programme on the ill-fated Today FM.
Lately Mark has reinvented his career once again as a Financial Adviser at Forsyth Barr Limited.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Real Conversation, Real Connection. It's Real life with John Cowen
on News Talk s ed B.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You know, welcome to real life. I'm John Cowen. And
if you want to learn a bit about resilience and
change and reinventing yourself, then lean into your radio because
I've got Mark Richardson with me tonight. And Mark, how
are you doing. You've had a tough couple of years,
because you know, You've had a great career in cricket,
then a fantastic career in the media, and then a
(00:44):
few shelves collapsed in the shed?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Did it what he had? Good evening, John, And thanks
having me.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Big change, Yeah, a lot of change. And I look
back and it was over a year ago that it
all sort of happened. And as for the better, I'm
probably a happy person that I've ever been right now.
I got a new challenge in my life and I've
made a completely different.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
The qualifying thing there is right now. But I bet
it wasn't a grens all the way through.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
It was tough, you know, I had some dark times
because a lot of it was out of my control.
And you know, you blame yourself. I don't like to fail.
It's there's probably been a motivator. Quick. One of my
motivating things is, you know, fear of failure. But no,
now I'm who failed.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
You didn't fail. I mean you were all over the
AM Show, the Project, the Block on today a FM.
They were all good, solid.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Shows, decent enough bites, the cheery. I couldn't made one
of them, you know, lifelong Joe couldn't. I you know,
my sort of role models, I guess for people like
in terms of broadcasting, people like Paul Henry and yeah,
you know and and and the osc Hosking, these guys
who who killed it? I mean, you know Osking still there?
(01:56):
Well it's such a thrill bean and you.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Bet some of the microphone over there, Yeah, that's a
vacuum cleaner in the corner. Can see.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
These are these were my Those are my broadcasting role models.
And you know I fell quite quite flat, quite sure,
the me that carry one. But no, I've made a
complete change. And now I'm an investment advisor at Forsyth
Bar right, which is it's challenged. It's very different but
I really enjoyed. I've always had an interest in that
sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, fortunately you had a sort of a b colm
rattling around in the bottom of your kit bag that
would be jolly handy when you're suddenly facing everything closing
down around you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Well, I never thought i'd use it. In fact, I
sort of it was so faded. I needed to prove
I had to be calm when I got the job
at forsythe to qualify to do some of the other
qualifications that I need to do in my fast You've.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Probably got that when I'm still using pound chillings and pens.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
We go back to mid early nineties, Yeah, I think
I probably mid nineties. I think I graduated. So I
went to find and they said, we'll just just find
you your certificate and take a photo of it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, just to prove that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
So then, because I needed to then enroll in a
Level five certificate and financial services and investment and everything,
and it was so faded cold I couldn't bring any Allegedly,
there was this sort of big colorful star and then
there was some faded right, and you couldn't really really
work out it, had it. You could the gold print
of Otago University and be Calm was there. But then
(03:25):
actually all the signatures and the names and all that
were so faded that I needed another one.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
If it's bleached out, what about the stuff you actually learned?
That listuff coming back to you?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, I mean, you know what I think when it
comes to actually tertiary education, what I think is the
most important thing is you've got to organize yourself. Yeah,
so you come out of school where it's all force
fed a little bit, but if you don't do the
work at university, you don't pass. And there's a lot
of other distraction when you're in university as well. And
so I think the thing you learn in university is
you got to hit that deadline. You've got to hit it,
and you've got to hit it at a certain standard. So
(03:55):
that's probably you know what my tertiary education or my degree,
how that helped. I think when I had to go
and do some more academic stuff as a fifty two
year old, for so far is I understood that process.
I'll tell you what to put.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Some intellectual habits in places you can draw down.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Now you're doing exams when you're over fifty, you're really
stress kids to go what do I need to pass
sixty percent? What's past her? Oh? Sweet? Okay, But when
you're an adult, it's like you get one thing wrong,
you get really stressed about the whole thing. I think
you go on to seeking perfection.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Especially if you're an adult called Mark Richardson, and we
might come back to your personality around the standards you
set for yourself as well. But so it was actually, well,
let's even go back. Okay, you're getting these things that
are stopping. And did finance immediately pop into your radar
as being something that you could pursue or did you
(04:54):
g cast about a bit? No, because Mary, your wife
was sort of mid career changed to at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, so we both changed careers at the age of fifty.
She's now a real estate age of bar Thompson, doing
really well. I did, I wanted to say in broadcasting,
because I did enjoy it. I had a real love
hate relationship, but it was it was falling out. I
really didn't know what I was going to do because
it became very clear that fifty two year old white
(05:20):
male center views there weren't that many placements in the industry,
and my agent said so sweet sor right, you know,
we'll find something you seeing your people know your talent
and whatnot. And she all got back to me also
when you know what this is, this is tough, This
is quite serious. And it really hit both of us
like a sledgehammer. And then I went to the to
(05:45):
the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and they have a
service there, Paul Hobbs, who's a former journalist by chance,
who runs it, and they helped players get transitioned from
cricket to a career.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Usually in the year after they finished.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, so I took twenty years to get to them,
and they sent me down to like a human resources
a company down down in Wellington, and I did I
did this test to find out what I would be
be suited for so I could create a bit of
a CV to go out there into the big wide
world that was outside broadcasting. And and I did this.
(06:23):
I think it's the Myers and Briggs type indicated test,
and it works out what personality or what job or
profession your personality be most suited to.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Right, how you score?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I am one hundred percent suited to military. I came
out one hundred percent suited to military, and what was
staggering was right at the bottom least suited. Yes, about
twenty four percent suited to sports and media, which staggered me.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Does that say something about you? Say something about Myers
Briggs tests?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I know, Well, the test doesn't say that you won't
succeed in it. It means that you might just be
more stressed. And I was. I was a very stressy
cricket player and I was a very stressy broadcaster. And
that's why I think I burned out quickly in cricket
and in broadcasting. I was a big preparer, and I'd
(07:15):
get very yeah, like it didn't show. I believe to
make it look like it didn't show. But I used
to get very, very very nervous and get a lot
of anxiety. I just had the ability to actually, when
the red light went on, to somehow push play right.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That's amazing and in fact, you're a unique person. But
I've spoken to quite a few broadcasters who had described themselves.
You know, they come across on air or on the
radio as garrulous and outgoing and extroverted, and the moment
the red light goes off, the shutters come down, and
they would say, no, I'm a much more of a homebody.
(07:52):
I'm more introverted than that. And yeah, and shy, would
you call yourself shy a little bit?
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, I always get in trouble at home for not
giving the on screen me to the family enough. But
I think what happens you put yourself out there so
much on ear that and a lot of it is
a magnification of yourself.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
That I think you're just you want to and so.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It really is you. But it's yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Got to be a magnification. You can't mean, there's a
reason actors get paid so much because acting is hard, yeah,
and when and very few people can act really well.
So it's without a doubt of magnification of yourself. And
I think it's I think once that red lights off
in your homes, you just you want to. You almost
get into a protective shell as well. Okay, well, I'm
giving it all in the job to everyone, even I
(08:44):
don't know in my real life. Maybe I just want to.
I want to give that to the people there who
I want to give it to, you know, or not
closest to me, or or not at all. But I
can understand and I've you know, one thing I have
to do in this new gig is I got a
I got a network, and I go to a lot
of functions with people who are outside of the group
(09:05):
that I used to knock around with.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Do you handle that?
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Okay, a little bit shy, but it's you know, it's
literally it's just it's the thought of it that's harder
than actually doing it. And I think because I still
have a bit of a personality, I think people probably
if I stood there and said nothing, they won't come
up to me when I'm thinking, well, hey, you know,
you probably know me. Why don't you come up and
(09:28):
have chat? You know, whereas I need to be the
one that goes and breaks that eyes.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I can see transferable skills here between the sport and
they're broadcasting it in your current career. I mean, you've
got to turn it on when you walk out onto
the pitch, when you walk out onto a platform and
a produc accounts you in. You've got to turn it on.
You've got to deliver it well.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I think the investment and the investing people's money is
very very close to playing an innings and cricket, you
know where risk managers more so than investment advisors. I
think it's.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
About a stockbroker. That's a bit of an old TiO.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, I mean you still do broking, yeah, but that's
not the model any longer. It's and it's not. It's
not a successful model it now is. You know, it's
about portfolio management, and that's about risk management. And when
you plan innings at cricket, that's in sport and even rugby,
you know, do I pass to a kick? Do I
take that one on? It is it's about playing the
(10:27):
shots you know, at the right time, but being able
to actually have the skill and seat yourself up that
you know you're coming from a strong base and and
and sport and batting you have to do that. You
need a good defense to be well organized. And it's
no different when it comes to an investment and portfolio
(10:48):
construction and management. You need a good solid base to
build from and you need to know when you take
a chance and when you don't.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I guess a big difference between sport and what you're
doing now is on a good day in sport, you
come away happy and the other fellow goes away not
feeling so good. And if you get a good win.
As an investment advisor, you win and so does your client.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
And that's the great thing about it. It's a win
win situation. I'll tell you what. You write it personally,
and you write it like a you do in sport.
What do you mean, Well, I go in, I'll go
in and I'll look at have a look at the numbers.
And if they're down, you you know it's horrible. Oh,
and you feel dreadful, but you need to be positive.
(11:31):
At the same time, you go, okay, well there's they're
buying opportunities now. And but you go in another day
and you've had a great result and you're up five
or six percent or ten percent. You feel great for
the rest of the day. It really does, and you
do without a doubt. You live and breathe I used
to live and breathe cricket. You'd be thinking technique in
your head when you're lying in bed.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
I tend to think it's the same with the markets.
You're living and breathing it, you're thinking about them constantly.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I really wonder how comfortable it is between the years
and Mark at Richardson's head. You know, if you're lying
in bed thinking about you know, finances and things when
you should be sleeping. And and I know that I've
heard you say about how a poor performance on the
sports field or in broadcasting keeps on replaying back and
(12:20):
your stal on it. Yeah, you don't sit there watching
the highlights. Really, you're watching the bluepit reel all the time.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
No, but you've also I think you need to have
a good ability to be self critical and self aware.
I suppose it's quite yeah, you know, because life isn't
and tough things that and things that mean plenty to
you will always come with anxiety. They always come with
a bit of disappointment. It's how you it's how you
(12:46):
respond to it. You know that that matters. But you
got it. Yeah, you're right, you've got to be able
to switch off. But no, I think my my personality,
if I choose to do something, I can get quite
infatuated with it and it can really preoccupy my mind.
Be it even just makes your curricular stuff, you know.
But certainly when it came to cricket broadcasting and now
(13:08):
this new thing you know you do, I do get
very full away I go.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
And yet some stuff you do on air has been
quite risky like, I just watched again that interview you
did with Stephen Fleming, and I mean, when you know
that it's a setup, when you know that it's a joke,
it's hilarious. But if you're just watching it for the
first time, it sounds like you've just been sprayed by
(13:33):
you know.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Well, it was a setup.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
It was a setup.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
It was a setup. But I think there was an
element of truth in it as well from Fleam. Well
you said, because he's not an actor, as we've seen
from his Fugitsu ads, but he he I think I
was about a year out of other team as well,
and I think there was a little bit in the
within that because I was like, I'm not playing an
(13:57):
long I'm a commentator, and I went hot. It came
out hot on that because I love the commentary, and
I think there was a little bit of anks between,
you know, how you've seen what you know, what has
been saying about us, you know, and there was at
that time, there was very much in us and them
mentality cricket, the cricket team and the media and I
(14:18):
just sort of joined the media. And while it was
a setup and Flen was really into it, and we
are very good friends. I think there was the words
came quite easily to it. He didn't struggle, you know,
to find the words. But once again, there's risk taking.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
That's what I was getting at you for a person
that you say that you give it all and everything
like this, and you're obviously wandering a good outcome from everything,
and you stew over things when they don't go right.
That was a risky maneuver.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
And it was it was I wanted to make a
name for myself. I just got into commentary and we
were doing it as part of a story that I'd
put together for like the magazine Cricket Show for Sky
at the time, and I wanted to do something a
little bit different. So it was a risk and I
don't know whether and it did. It paid off.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
It paid off. I've had a few a few scorch
marks around around you though, did and some people took
it too seriously.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I think the problem was that we didn't tell anyone
that was was happening and sorry, I just had a coffee.
Shouldn't be doing that down the microphone lots for stills.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Of discipline, will rinse that microphone covers.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it it was because we didn't tell anyone we
were doing it. So New Zealand Cricket all of a sudden,
New Zealand Cricket had this issue where there their their
broadcast partner. Now the crap didn't have a cracker at
one of the commentators, it's that's New Zealand Cricket effectively
having a crack at their broadcast partner. Had just gone
all around the globe. So they were going, well, we
(15:50):
want apologies. And then my boss at the time, the
late great Martin Crow, he didn't like giving apologies, so
he wasn't happy. New Zealand Cricket wasn't happy. They weren't
happy with me or Flim. Martin Crow wasn't happy with
me or Flem, namely me and the producer of that show.
And yet it really behind the whole, behind the scenes.
It was a bit of a mess. But okay, but
(16:11):
what it did it actually put me on the map
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
When it came with you got jobs out of it?
It did.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
You got into it lead me to get to the
Crogos Wild for eleven years and that led onto the
Bloc Indead.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
The story went on, Hey, we've got to go and
let the company make some money, so we'll play some ads.
I'll be back talking with Mark Richardson a bit more
about things past, things in the future and what makes
them tech. This is real life on News Talks EDB.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people. It's real life on News
Talk z EDB.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Welcome back to real life. I'm John Cown chatting with
Mark Richardson. Who's picked that song for us at a
time and play song for you?
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Did the Boys of Summer?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yeah, Well I was always a cricketer as a kid
and over summer and then you know, even through my
sort of teens in early twenties, so I was I
was playing cricket, So I was summer. I was playing cricket,
and cricket wasn't exactly a sport that you went to
the gym and you never really got buff. You never
managed to have a beach holiday and and you know
(17:12):
have a bronze tanned, you know, buff beach body. No,
you sort of were skinny, little light kid who used
to wear silly white clothing and would have a cricketers
tan at best. And you know, I always and at
that age where you're out, you know, you're looking for
girls and whatever is you're growing up. And I wasn't
one of the boys of summer, you know, and I
(17:32):
always wanted to be one of those beach boys this summer.
But it was, well, you either go to the beach
or you play cricket. So make your choice. You know,
you can have it. You can have a bronze tan
body or you can have a cricketer's tan. Which one's
going to do your best? And luckily I chose. I
chose cricket. But it's now that I do actually get
get a chance to actually go to the beach for summer,
(17:55):
it's a bit late now. I tend to keep a
rash shirt on.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
I think Mary would probably prefer that you did. Make
sure that it's a bit too late now.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
And yeah, yeah, I'll leave it there. Coming to your life,
ah well, she she was some Yeah, full disclosure, she was.
She was my flatmate. She was also my landlord. So
I came back to Auckland in two thousand and two
and and I needed. My deal was that I would
I was going to play for Auckland, and I said, look,
(18:23):
I want a car for the summer, and I'd like
accommodation at City Life, who were their sponsors in the town.
It was fantastic living there for you know. So the
summer I stayed at City Life and they gave me
a car. And then I said, after the summer, after
the season ends, that would given me, you know, the
summer to sort himself out and I'll go and find accommodation.
(18:43):
And I just I bumped into Mary and it as
you do in a bar in the soul Bar down
the Via Act in Auckland, and we got chatting and
she sort of said, oh, look, I've got an apartment
that was down on Temiky Drive on the waterfront, great
grand little spot and she she owned it part on
it with her brother and she had an older lady
(19:05):
in there who was lovely, but she sort of fell
she wanted a flatmate who was a little bit younger.
So I managed to talk. So next day I went
round and I had a look and moved in and
and then probably six months later we you know, we
we had a spare room.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
So ample opportunity to do due process. No wonder you're
such a great fan of the of the rental market
when it works so well for you evidence for me
doing a bit of research. I was watching you crossing
swords of Chloe Swarbrick about rental properties and things you
owned before that you have center right views. Some people
would say that they're a little bit to the right
(19:45):
of the center. How does that work out for you?
I mean you you you're quite a conservative in nature,
and that shakes down into Polcat.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
And when it comes to when I say center right
or you know, conservative, I see myself. I think so
often you know, you're you're given this label and therefore
you meet you're sort of anti everything that we would
see is not conservative, right, But I'm not. I see
myself as a very tolerant person.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
And have progressive ideas.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, well, I'm just tolerant of other people and I
think everyone's entitled to be different. It's just my political views.
I tend to believe in, you know, if I was
going to sum it up, I believe in trickle down
when it's done properly. So I believe that the people
who create opportunity for others, and you just want to
make sure that those roadblocks are removed so that and
(20:37):
the and the and the safety safety is there that
you do get a trickle down effect. Okay, but I'm
not you know, I'm not a I'm not a you know,
just handout, So I think you have to go and
earn what you get, and that's probably when it comes
to politics. That's how I describe myself. But but I
would also I also see myself as a very tolerant
(20:58):
person of people's differences.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So your views map closely enough to the national parties
for you to play with the idea of actually playing
on their team.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah, yeah, I did, because I think when I was
working the Aims show and all of a sudden we
were told, we were asked if we wanted to we
were coming up to an election, and our execut producer asters,
do want to put our colors to the mast if
that's the right, And when it comes to and of
course all the other journals were like, well, no, be going,
(21:31):
no I vote for and I'm not all right, I will,
and I just put it out there. I was national
and it sort of went from there, and it was
quite rare, I think for someone who was seen in
this almost journalistic role and I'm not a journal to
actually say who they were politically aligned with. So that
was quite jarring for many people.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
If you had gone into politics, you would have had
a lot more experience than a lot of MP's and
actually talking to other politicians with your broadcast. Oh yeah,
I was starring with just under a durn Rather.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Normally I had the best seat in the house of
when Dunker Garner was going at them. But that day
she sort of addressed me because of something I said,
and off it went. It was a good debate, and
what a lot of people don't realize is probably my
rationale was in terms of the argument, I don' want
to relitigate the argument.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
I think that's irrelevant with regarding we an employer should
know whether a woman is going to have a child.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Yes, yeah, that's You've done some homework there, which is
good to see. A lot of people seem to think
it was like whether I was asking her no. And
my standpoint on it was that, well, it's such a
significant thing, and your labor is an organization's most valuable resource,
and this is something that needs to be planned.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
For because it's what you were planned for.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I think people need to know. So maybe a little
bit naive thinking that people would actually would take that
the way I was meaning it. So she came at
me and we had this debate and when the cameras
stopped rolling, she just got up, went good debate, see
you next week. She was fine, But of course that
(23:08):
never got shown and my answers never got shown. It
really it just suited the media at that point in
time to actually just show what she was saying. Yep,
and I needed to be the fall guy for the narrative.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It made a much better story, didn't it. It did,
But it did have toasted you and toasted your family.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
I was and I still have a razmement of the
organization I worked for at that time, and I think
I think I still will. But it did wonders for
me at the same time.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Guess what I can hear in my ears our final
song playing I did It my Way, which is Frank Sinatra,
which I think you've picked, and so we better wrap
it up there. It's been great talking to your mark.
I wish you every success in your finance at work
and half an hour food past.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yeah, that song is a song I used to walk
out to bat too. I could pick but when I
wasn't an opener, and I used to go on about
number four or five, you could pick a song and
I'd walk out of that.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Well it's been great talking with you, and thank you
very much for coming into the studio. This is real life.
I'm John care I'm looking forward to being back with
you next Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
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Real Conversation, Real Connection. It's Real life with John Cowen
on News Talk s ed B.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You know, welcome to real life. I'm John Cowen. And
if you want to learn a bit about resilience and
change and reinventing yourself, then lean into your radio because
I've got Mark Richardson with me tonight. And Mark, how
are you doing. You've had a tough couple of years,
because you know, You've had a great career in cricket,
then a fantastic career in the media, and then a
(00:44):
few shelves collapsed in the shed?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Did it what he had? Good evening, John, And thanks
having me.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Big change, Yeah, a lot of change. And I look
back and it was over a year ago that it
all sort of happened. And as for the better, I'm
probably a happy person that I've ever been right now.
I got a new challenge in my life and I've
made a completely different.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
The qualifying thing there is right now. But I bet
it wasn't a grens all the way through.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
It was tough, you know, I had some dark times
because a lot of it was out of my control.
And you know, you blame yourself. I don't like to fail.
It's there's probably been a motivator. Quick. One of my
motivating things is, you know, fear of failure. But no,
now I'm who failed.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
You didn't fail. I mean you were all over the
AM Show, the Project, the Block on today a FM.
They were all good, solid.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Shows, decent enough bites, the cheery. I couldn't made one
of them, you know, lifelong Joe couldn't. I you know,
my sort of role models, I guess for people like
in terms of broadcasting, people like Paul Henry and yeah,
you know and and and the osc Hosking, these guys
who who killed it? I mean, you know Osking still there?
(01:56):
Well it's such a thrill bean and you.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Bet some of the microphone over there, Yeah, that's a
vacuum cleaner in the corner. Can see.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
These are these were my Those are my broadcasting role models.
And you know I fell quite quite flat, quite sure,
the me that carry one. But no, I've made a
complete change. And now I'm an investment advisor at Forsyth
Bar right, which is it's challenged. It's very different but
I really enjoyed. I've always had an interest in that
sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, fortunately you had a sort of a b colm
rattling around in the bottom of your kit bag that
would be jolly handy when you're suddenly facing everything closing
down around you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Well, I never thought i'd use it. In fact, I
sort of it was so faded. I needed to prove
I had to be calm when I got the job
at forsythe to qualify to do some of the other
qualifications that I need to do in my fast You've.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Probably got that when I'm still using pound chillings and pens.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
We go back to mid early nineties, Yeah, I think
I probably mid nineties. I think I graduated. So I
went to find and they said, we'll just just find
you your certificate and take a photo of it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, just to prove that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
So then, because I needed to then enroll in a
Level five certificate and financial services and investment and everything,
and it was so faded cold I couldn't bring any Allegedly,
there was this sort of big colorful star and then
there was some faded right, and you couldn't really really
work out it, had it. You could the gold print
of Otago University and be Calm was there. But then
(03:25):
actually all the signatures and the names and all that
were so faded that I needed another one.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
If it's bleached out, what about the stuff you actually learned?
That listuff coming back to you?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, I mean, you know what I think when it
comes to actually tertiary education, what I think is the
most important thing is you've got to organize yourself. Yeah,
so you come out of school where it's all force
fed a little bit, but if you don't do the
work at university, you don't pass. And there's a lot
of other distraction when you're in university as well. And
so I think the thing you learn in university is
you got to hit that deadline. You've got to hit it,
and you've got to hit it at a certain standard. So
(03:55):
that's probably you know what my tertiary education or my degree,
how that helped. I think when I had to go
and do some more academic stuff as a fifty two
year old, for so far is I understood that process.
I'll tell you what to put.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Some intellectual habits in places you can draw down.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Now you're doing exams when you're over fifty, you're really
stress kids to go what do I need to pass
sixty percent? What's past her? Oh? Sweet? Okay, But when
you're an adult, it's like you get one thing wrong,
you get really stressed about the whole thing. I think
you go on to seeking perfection.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Especially if you're an adult called Mark Richardson, and we
might come back to your personality around the standards you
set for yourself as well. But so it was actually, well,
let's even go back. Okay, you're getting these things that
are stopping. And did finance immediately pop into your radar
as being something that you could pursue or did you
(04:54):
g cast about a bit? No, because Mary, your wife
was sort of mid career changed to at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, so we both changed careers at the age of fifty.
She's now a real estate age of bar Thompson, doing
really well. I did, I wanted to say in broadcasting,
because I did enjoy it. I had a real love
hate relationship, but it was it was falling out. I
really didn't know what I was going to do because
it became very clear that fifty two year old white
(05:20):
male center views there weren't that many placements in the industry,
and my agent said so sweet sor right, you know,
we'll find something you seeing your people know your talent
and whatnot. And she all got back to me also
when you know what this is, this is tough, This
is quite serious. And it really hit both of us
like a sledgehammer. And then I went to the to
(05:45):
the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and they have a
service there, Paul Hobbs, who's a former journalist by chance,
who runs it, and they helped players get transitioned from
cricket to a career.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Usually in the year after they finished.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, so I took twenty years to get to them,
and they sent me down to like a human resources
a company down down in Wellington, and I did I
did this test to find out what I would be
be suited for so I could create a bit of
a CV to go out there into the big wide
world that was outside broadcasting. And and I did this.
(06:23):
I think it's the Myers and Briggs type indicated test,
and it works out what personality or what job or
profession your personality be most suited to.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Right, how you score?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I am one hundred percent suited to military. I came
out one hundred percent suited to military, and what was
staggering was right at the bottom least suited. Yes, about
twenty four percent suited to sports and media, which staggered me.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Does that say something about you? Say something about Myers
Briggs tests?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I know, Well, the test doesn't say that you won't
succeed in it. It means that you might just be
more stressed. And I was. I was a very stressy
cricket player and I was a very stressy broadcaster. And
that's why I think I burned out quickly in cricket
and in broadcasting. I was a big preparer, and I'd
(07:15):
get very yeah, like it didn't show. I believe to
make it look like it didn't show. But I used
to get very, very very nervous and get a lot
of anxiety. I just had the ability to actually, when
the red light went on, to somehow push play right.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That's amazing and in fact, you're a unique person. But
I've spoken to quite a few broadcasters who had described themselves.
You know, they come across on air or on the
radio as garrulous and outgoing and extroverted, and the moment
the red light goes off, the shutters come down, and
they would say, no, I'm a much more of a homebody.
(07:52):
I'm more introverted than that. And yeah, and shy, would
you call yourself shy a little bit?
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, I always get in trouble at home for not
giving the on screen me to the family enough. But
I think what happens you put yourself out there so
much on ear that and a lot of it is
a magnification of yourself.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
That I think you're just you want to and so.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It really is you. But it's yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Got to be a magnification. You can't mean, there's a
reason actors get paid so much because acting is hard, yeah,
and when and very few people can act really well.
So it's without a doubt of magnification of yourself. And
I think it's I think once that red lights off
in your homes, you just you want to. You almost
get into a protective shell as well. Okay, well, I'm
giving it all in the job to everyone, even I
(08:44):
don't know in my real life. Maybe I just want to.
I want to give that to the people there who
I want to give it to, you know, or not
closest to me, or or not at all. But I
can understand and I've you know, one thing I have
to do in this new gig is I got a
I got a network, and I go to a lot
of functions with people who are outside of the group
(09:05):
that I used to knock around with.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Do you handle that?
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Okay, a little bit shy, but it's you know, it's
literally it's just it's the thought of it that's harder
than actually doing it. And I think because I still
have a bit of a personality, I think people probably
if I stood there and said nothing, they won't come
up to me when I'm thinking, well, hey, you know,
you probably know me. Why don't you come up and
(09:28):
have chat? You know, whereas I need to be the
one that goes and breaks that eyes.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I can see transferable skills here between the sport and
they're broadcasting it in your current career. I mean, you've
got to turn it on when you walk out onto
the pitch, when you walk out onto a platform and
a produc accounts you in. You've got to turn it on.
You've got to deliver it well.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I think the investment and the investing people's money is
very very close to playing an innings and cricket, you
know where risk managers more so than investment advisors. I
think it's.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
About a stockbroker. That's a bit of an old TiO.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, I mean you still do broking, yeah, but that's
not the model any longer. It's and it's not. It's
not a successful model it now is. You know, it's
about portfolio management, and that's about risk management. And when
you plan innings at cricket, that's in sport and even rugby,
you know, do I pass to a kick? Do I
take that one on? It is it's about playing the
(10:27):
shots you know, at the right time, but being able
to actually have the skill and seat yourself up that
you know you're coming from a strong base and and
and sport and batting you have to do that. You
need a good defense to be well organized. And it's
no different when it comes to an investment and portfolio
(10:48):
construction and management. You need a good solid base to
build from and you need to know when you take
a chance and when you don't.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I guess a big difference between sport and what you're
doing now is on a good day in sport, you
come away happy and the other fellow goes away not
feeling so good. And if you get a good win.
As an investment advisor, you win and so does your client.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
And that's the great thing about it. It's a win
win situation. I'll tell you what. You write it personally,
and you write it like a you do in sport.
What do you mean, Well, I go in, I'll go
in and I'll look at have a look at the numbers.
And if they're down, you you know it's horrible. Oh,
and you feel dreadful, but you need to be positive.
(11:31):
At the same time, you go, okay, well there's they're
buying opportunities now. And but you go in another day
and you've had a great result and you're up five
or six percent or ten percent. You feel great for
the rest of the day. It really does, and you
do without a doubt. You live and breathe I used
to live and breathe cricket. You'd be thinking technique in
your head when you're lying in bed.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
I tend to think it's the same with the markets.
You're living and breathing it, you're thinking about them constantly.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I really wonder how comfortable it is between the years
and Mark at Richardson's head. You know, if you're lying
in bed thinking about you know, finances and things when
you should be sleeping. And and I know that I've
heard you say about how a poor performance on the
sports field or in broadcasting keeps on replaying back and
(12:20):
your stal on it. Yeah, you don't sit there watching
the highlights. Really, you're watching the bluepit reel all the time.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
No, but you've also I think you need to have
a good ability to be self critical and self aware.
I suppose it's quite yeah, you know, because life isn't
and tough things that and things that mean plenty to
you will always come with anxiety. They always come with
a bit of disappointment. It's how you it's how you
(12:46):
respond to it. You know that that matters. But you
got it. Yeah, you're right, you've got to be able
to switch off. But no, I think my my personality,
if I choose to do something, I can get quite
infatuated with it and it can really preoccupy my mind.
Be it even just makes your curricular stuff, you know.
But certainly when it came to cricket broadcasting and now
(13:08):
this new thing you know you do, I do get
very full away I go.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
And yet some stuff you do on air has been
quite risky like, I just watched again that interview you
did with Stephen Fleming, and I mean, when you know
that it's a setup, when you know that it's a joke,
it's hilarious. But if you're just watching it for the
first time, it sounds like you've just been sprayed by
(13:33):
you know.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Well, it was a setup.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
It was a setup.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
It was a setup. But I think there was an
element of truth in it as well from Fleam. Well
you said, because he's not an actor, as we've seen
from his Fugitsu ads, but he he I think I
was about a year out of other team as well,
and I think there was a little bit in the
within that because I was like, I'm not playing an
(13:57):
long I'm a commentator, and I went hot. It came
out hot on that because I love the commentary, and
I think there was a little bit of anks between,
you know, how you've seen what you know, what has
been saying about us, you know, and there was at
that time, there was very much in us and them
mentality cricket, the cricket team and the media and I
(14:18):
just sort of joined the media. And while it was
a setup and Flen was really into it, and we
are very good friends. I think there was the words
came quite easily to it. He didn't struggle, you know,
to find the words. But once again, there's risk taking.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
That's what I was getting at you for a person
that you say that you give it all and everything
like this, and you're obviously wandering a good outcome from everything,
and you stew over things when they don't go right.
That was a risky maneuver.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
And it was it was I wanted to make a
name for myself. I just got into commentary and we
were doing it as part of a story that I'd
put together for like the magazine Cricket Show for Sky
at the time, and I wanted to do something a
little bit different. So it was a risk and I
don't know whether and it did. It paid off.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
It paid off. I've had a few a few scorch
marks around around you though, did and some people took
it too seriously.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I think the problem was that we didn't tell anyone
that was was happening and sorry, I just had a coffee.
Shouldn't be doing that down the microphone lots for stills.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Of discipline, will rinse that microphone covers.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it it was because we didn't tell anyone we
were doing it. So New Zealand Cricket all of a sudden,
New Zealand Cricket had this issue where there their their
broadcast partner. Now the crap didn't have a cracker at
one of the commentators, it's that's New Zealand Cricket effectively
having a crack at their broadcast partner. Had just gone
all around the globe. So they were going, well, we
(15:50):
want apologies. And then my boss at the time, the
late great Martin Crow, he didn't like giving apologies, so
he wasn't happy. New Zealand Cricket wasn't happy. They weren't
happy with me or Flim. Martin Crow wasn't happy with
me or Flem, namely me and the producer of that show.
And yet it really behind the whole, behind the scenes.
It was a bit of a mess. But okay, but
(16:11):
what it did it actually put me on the map
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
When it came with you got jobs out of it?
It did.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
You got into it lead me to get to the
Crogos Wild for eleven years and that led onto the
Bloc Indead.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
The story went on, Hey, we've got to go and
let the company make some money, so we'll play some ads.
I'll be back talking with Mark Richardson a bit more
about things past, things in the future and what makes
them tech. This is real life on News Talks EDB.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people. It's real life on News
Talk z EDB.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Welcome back to real life. I'm John Cown chatting with
Mark Richardson. Who's picked that song for us at a
time and play song for you?
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Did the Boys of Summer?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yeah, Well I was always a cricketer as a kid
and over summer and then you know, even through my
sort of teens in early twenties, so I was I
was playing cricket, So I was summer. I was playing cricket,
and cricket wasn't exactly a sport that you went to
the gym and you never really got buff. You never
managed to have a beach holiday and and you know
(17:12):
have a bronze tanned, you know, buff beach body. No,
you sort of were skinny, little light kid who used
to wear silly white clothing and would have a cricketers
tan at best. And you know, I always and at
that age where you're out, you know, you're looking for
girls and whatever is you're growing up. And I wasn't
one of the boys of summer, you know, and I
(17:32):
always wanted to be one of those beach boys this summer.
But it was, well, you either go to the beach
or you play cricket. So make your choice. You know,
you can have it. You can have a bronze tan
body or you can have a cricketer's tan. Which one's
going to do your best? And luckily I chose. I
chose cricket. But it's now that I do actually get
get a chance to actually go to the beach for summer,
(17:55):
it's a bit late now. I tend to keep a
rash shirt on.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
I think Mary would probably prefer that you did. Make
sure that it's a bit too late now.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
And yeah, yeah, I'll leave it there. Coming to your life,
ah well, she she was some Yeah, full disclosure, she was.
She was my flatmate. She was also my landlord. So
I came back to Auckland in two thousand and two
and and I needed. My deal was that I would
I was going to play for Auckland, and I said, look,
(18:23):
I want a car for the summer, and I'd like
accommodation at City Life, who were their sponsors in the town.
It was fantastic living there for you know. So the
summer I stayed at City Life and they gave me
a car. And then I said, after the summer, after
the season ends, that would given me, you know, the
summer to sort himself out and I'll go and find accommodation.
(18:43):
And I just I bumped into Mary and it as
you do in a bar in the soul Bar down
the Via Act in Auckland, and we got chatting and
she sort of said, oh, look, I've got an apartment
that was down on Temiky Drive on the waterfront, great
grand little spot and she she owned it part on
it with her brother and she had an older lady
(19:05):
in there who was lovely, but she sort of fell
she wanted a flatmate who was a little bit younger.
So I managed to talk. So next day I went
round and I had a look and moved in and
and then probably six months later we you know, we
we had a spare room.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
So ample opportunity to do due process. No wonder you're
such a great fan of the of the rental market
when it works so well for you evidence for me
doing a bit of research. I was watching you crossing
swords of Chloe Swarbrick about rental properties and things you
owned before that you have center right views. Some people
would say that they're a little bit to the right
(19:45):
of the center. How does that work out for you?
I mean you you you're quite a conservative in nature,
and that shakes down into Polcat.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
And when it comes to when I say center right
or you know, conservative, I see myself. I think so
often you know, you're you're given this label and therefore
you meet you're sort of anti everything that we would
see is not conservative, right, But I'm not. I see
myself as a very tolerant person.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
And have progressive ideas.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, well, I'm just tolerant of other people and I
think everyone's entitled to be different. It's just my political views.
I tend to believe in, you know, if I was
going to sum it up, I believe in trickle down
when it's done properly. So I believe that the people
who create opportunity for others, and you just want to
make sure that those roadblocks are removed so that and
(20:37):
the and the and the safety safety is there that
you do get a trickle down effect. Okay, but I'm
not you know, I'm not a I'm not a you know,
just handout, So I think you have to go and
earn what you get, and that's probably when it comes
to politics. That's how I describe myself. But but I
would also I also see myself as a very tolerant
(20:58):
person of people's differences.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So your views map closely enough to the national parties
for you to play with the idea of actually playing
on their team.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah, yeah, I did, because I think when I was
working the Aims show and all of a sudden we
were told, we were asked if we wanted to we
were coming up to an election, and our execut producer asters,
do want to put our colors to the mast if
that's the right, And when it comes to and of
course all the other journals were like, well, no, be going,
(21:31):
no I vote for and I'm not all right, I will,
and I just put it out there. I was national
and it sort of went from there, and it was
quite rare, I think for someone who was seen in
this almost journalistic role and I'm not a journal to
actually say who they were politically aligned with. So that
was quite jarring for many people.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
If you had gone into politics, you would have had
a lot more experience than a lot of MP's and
actually talking to other politicians with your broadcast. Oh yeah,
I was starring with just under a durn Rather.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Normally I had the best seat in the house of
when Dunker Garner was going at them. But that day
she sort of addressed me because of something I said,
and off it went. It was a good debate, and
what a lot of people don't realize is probably my
rationale was in terms of the argument, I don' want
to relitigate the argument.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
I think that's irrelevant with regarding we an employer should
know whether a woman is going to have a child.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Yes, yeah, that's You've done some homework there, which is
good to see. A lot of people seem to think
it was like whether I was asking her no. And
my standpoint on it was that, well, it's such a
significant thing, and your labor is an organization's most valuable resource,
and this is something that needs to be planned.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
For because it's what you were planned for.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I think people need to know. So maybe a little
bit naive thinking that people would actually would take that
the way I was meaning it. So she came at
me and we had this debate and when the cameras
stopped rolling, she just got up, went good debate, see
you next week. She was fine, But of course that
(23:08):
never got shown and my answers never got shown. It
really it just suited the media at that point in
time to actually just show what she was saying. Yep,
and I needed to be the fall guy for the narrative.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It made a much better story, didn't it. It did,
But it did have toasted you and toasted your family.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
I was and I still have a razmement of the
organization I worked for at that time, and I think
I think I still will. But it did wonders for
me at the same time.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Guess what I can hear in my ears our final
song playing I did It my Way, which is Frank Sinatra,
which I think you've picked, and so we better wrap
it up there. It's been great talking to your mark.
I wish you every success in your finance at work
and half an hour food past.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yeah, that song is a song I used to walk
out to bat too. I could pick but when I
wasn't an opener, and I used to go on about
number four or five, you could pick a song and
I'd walk out of that.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Well it's been great talking with you, and thank you
very much for coming into the studio. This is real life.
I'm John care I'm looking forward to being back with
you next Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
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