June 1, 2025 • 4 mins
Known for her bright smile, catchy songs, and helping Kiwi kids socialise, speak and count, TV host Suzy Cato is now an officer of the New Zealand order of Merit.
She has been a central figure in children's programming for more than 35 years.
Cato talks to Andrew Dickens about the honour.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks, it'd be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
She's known for her bright smile, known for her catchy songs,
known for helping our kids socialize and helping our kids
speak and count. Beloved children's entertainer Susi Cato is now
an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She's
been a central figure in children's programming, music and education
for more than thirty five years, on shows like You
and Me and Susie's World and Susie joins me this morning,
(00:40):
Kyoda telofa.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
A you got me. I was going to do that.
Tell you, Kyoda, tell over it.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
You know what I've been doing all morning long. I've
been calling you, Dame Susie Cato, because I came in.
I came in and they I said, what who's got
on it? Who's got who are we talking to? Who
are we talking to? And then when Susie Cato's got
on our Dave, Susie Cato, that's a fantastic idea. But
that was just me. But if I was to choose you,
I would choose you. Oh thank you, because like I
said in my intro, you have done so much for
(01:12):
the socializing of New Zealand children, for teaching them how
to get on, to be positive, to talk, to count,
to read. You've done very important work.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Oh look, I have just been one of a huge
team on every project that I've worked with. But I
accept this honor with grade honor on behalf of so
many people are doing great work around the country for
many many years and many many decades. So gosh, I mean,
I can't count on more than on my hands of
(01:44):
the people I can think of off the top of
my head that deserve this honor just as much. And
our children are our future, so the better prepared we
can make them, the better our future is going to be.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
But from when you started, when there was just some
programs on the TV, now there's the Internet. Now everything
has gone somewhat digital. You've changed to adapt to the
big changes. These changes adversely affected our kids.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
I think the amount of screen time that's available and
the content that they're able to access. Yes, I think
that is Look, they've got access to so much information,
but it's the misinformation, it's the inappropriate viewing. All those
sorts of things. I think we really need to look
at how we allow our children to be able to
access these things and help them different strategies for understanding
(02:36):
what's a good amount of time on screens. Let's say
that there's a lot of adults that could reduce their
screen diety.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and the thing about you is you're in New Zealander.
You are here. You're not blue looking for a clue.
You know you are here. And you've met so many
young New Zealanders face to face throughout your career. And
so these days kids entertainment heavily digital on the Telly
and from overseas, so our children's entertainer is as accessible
these days, and this is important. For a kid to
(03:04):
see a hero like you.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
I think it's really important. I think a roll of
a human role model is very very important. But not
just appults like myself actually seeing their peers doing things
their aspirational selves. Now those children that are slightly older
than them. And that's why I've got a YouTube channel
called Kids Talk About Books, which is kids reviewing really
interesting picture books and things like that to encourage other
(03:28):
children to read. Because if kids slightly older than them
are going, hey, this is I'll check out these pictures
and all that sort of thing, they'll look for themselves
and they will perhaps share their thoughts more openly and
more easily. So, yeah, it's incredibly important that we have
an amount of animation, but that real life examples are presented,
(03:50):
and our stories, our New Zealand stories, our accents, our songs,
the things around us we need to identify as Kiwi's
part of the big global picture, but Kiwi's first and foremost.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, Suzanne Noreen K. They've got to drop the middle
name thing, don't they. I know? Anyway, Suzanne Noreen Cato
now Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Unfortunately,
it's time to say see you, see you later. It's
time for us to go.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I thank you so much for speaking to me, very kind,
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Congratulating once a day.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
You see you, see you later.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
For more from News Talks ed B listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks, it'd be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
She's known for her bright smile, known for her catchy songs,
known for helping our kids socialize and helping our kids
speak and count. Beloved children's entertainer Susi Cato is now
an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She's
been a central figure in children's programming, music and education
for more than thirty five years, on shows like You
and Me and Susie's World and Susie joins me this morning,
(00:40):
Kyoda telofa.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
A you got me. I was going to do that.
Tell you, Kyoda, tell over it.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
You know what I've been doing all morning long. I've
been calling you, Dame Susie Cato, because I came in.
I came in and they I said, what who's got
on it? Who's got who are we talking to? Who
are we talking to? And then when Susie Cato's got
on our Dave, Susie Cato, that's a fantastic idea. But
that was just me. But if I was to choose you,
I would choose you. Oh thank you, because like I
said in my intro, you have done so much for
(01:12):
the socializing of New Zealand children, for teaching them how
to get on, to be positive, to talk, to count,
to read. You've done very important work.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Oh look, I have just been one of a huge
team on every project that I've worked with. But I
accept this honor with grade honor on behalf of so
many people are doing great work around the country for
many many years and many many decades. So gosh, I mean,
I can't count on more than on my hands of
(01:44):
the people I can think of off the top of
my head that deserve this honor just as much. And
our children are our future, so the better prepared we
can make them, the better our future is going to be.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
But from when you started, when there was just some
programs on the TV, now there's the Internet. Now everything
has gone somewhat digital. You've changed to adapt to the
big changes. These changes adversely affected our kids.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
I think the amount of screen time that's available and
the content that they're able to access. Yes, I think
that is Look, they've got access to so much information,
but it's the misinformation, it's the inappropriate viewing. All those
sorts of things. I think we really need to look
at how we allow our children to be able to
access these things and help them different strategies for understanding
(02:36):
what's a good amount of time on screens. Let's say
that there's a lot of adults that could reduce their
screen diety.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and the thing about you is you're in New Zealander.
You are here. You're not blue looking for a clue.
You know you are here. And you've met so many
young New Zealanders face to face throughout your career. And
so these days kids entertainment heavily digital on the Telly
and from overseas, so our children's entertainer is as accessible
these days, and this is important. For a kid to
(03:04):
see a hero like you.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
I think it's really important. I think a roll of
a human role model is very very important. But not
just appults like myself actually seeing their peers doing things
their aspirational selves. Now those children that are slightly older
than them. And that's why I've got a YouTube channel
called Kids Talk About Books, which is kids reviewing really
interesting picture books and things like that to encourage other
(03:28):
children to read. Because if kids slightly older than them
are going, hey, this is I'll check out these pictures
and all that sort of thing, they'll look for themselves
and they will perhaps share their thoughts more openly and
more easily. So, yeah, it's incredibly important that we have
an amount of animation, but that real life examples are presented,
(03:50):
and our stories, our New Zealand stories, our accents, our songs,
the things around us we need to identify as Kiwi's
part of the big global picture, but Kiwi's first and foremost.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, Suzanne Noreen K. They've got to drop the middle
name thing, don't they. I know? Anyway, Suzanne Noreen Cato
now Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Unfortunately,
it's time to say see you, see you later. It's
time for us to go.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I thank you so much for speaking to me, very kind,
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Congratulating once a day.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
You see you, see you later.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
For more from News Talks ed 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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