Jenny-May Clarkson to lead TVNZ’s studio coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games
Jenny-May Clarkson will front TVNZ’s daily live studio show for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, anchoring a one-hour programme across the nine days of competition. Coverage begins on March 7 on TVNZ+ and TVNZ Duke, under broadcast rights allocated through the International Paralympic Committee’s governance framework. She will be joined in studio by gold and three-time bronze medallist Steven Bayley and Beijing Paralympic assistant coach Scott Palmer.
Return to sport after morning TV exit
Clarkson recently stepped away from early-morning television and its 3am alarms after nearly two decades with TVNZ, including as a co-host on Breakfast. [Editor’s note: TVNZ has confirmed a broader refresh of Breakfast as part of that transition.] She says the move has reshaped her family routine. The former presenter now cherishes getting her nine-year-old twins, Atawhai and Te Manahau, ready for school-moments she says were “lost” in her previous role. “I want to send my boys off into the world feeling loved, and I can do that for them now,” she says. “I tell them how amazing they are, and tell them to have the best day. That seriously means everything.”
Leaving the show brought clarity. “I walked out of the building, and I was happy. I don’t miss any of that at all. I miss the team, but that’s it really,” she says, adding with a laugh, “I had a good run.” She remains appreciative of the experience: “I don’t wish I were back there at all, but I’m grateful for the experience.”
The first month away from daily television came with self-doubt and unsuccessful pitches for new work, but momentum has since returned. “I’m finding my path at the moment,” Clarkson says. “It’s scary, but it’s also really empowering because I’m taking control of what my future looks like.”
Studio format and on-air team
The Paralympics assignment came soon after a personal moment-“I had just come out of a funeral service when I got the phone call,” she says-but it was a swift yes. “You don’t get opportunities like this handed to you… it was an opportunity, again, to be involved back in sports and back into broadcasting.”
- Programme: Daily live studio show, one hour
- Duration: Nine days of competition
- Host: Jenny-May Clarkson
- Analysts: Steven Bayley (gold and three-time bronze medallist), Scott Palmer (Beijing Paralympic assistant coach)
- Platforms: TVNZ+ and TVNZ Duke (from March 7, New Zealand time)
For international readers, the Paralympic Winter Games sit within the same global para sport system as the Summer Paralympics and bring together elite para athletes across disciplines such as alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, biathlon, para ice hockey and wheelchair curling. Milano Cortina 2026 continues that programme across multiple Italian venues connected by a mountain-and-city footprint, with organisers positioning the event as a flagship for inclusive winter sport.
Elevating Paralympic performance
Clarkson, a former vice-captain of New Zealand’s national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and a one-time Mystics assistant coach, frames the Winter Paralympics as elite sport first and foremost, rather than a feel-good adjunct to the Olympic cycle. She calls Paralympians “legends of sport” and is intent on the coverage reflecting that status: “I think it’s really important that we see them as athletes and give them that respect… the incredible stories and inspiring stories that go along with it.” She highlights “dedication, grit, determination, pushing boundaries, strength, power, belief.”
Two names resonate strongly in New Zealand’s campaign. Clarkson is eager to watch para alpine ski racer Corey Peters attempt to defend the gold he won in Beijing in 2022, and alpine skier Adam Hall as he heads to a sixth Paralympics. Spotlighting proven performers offers viewers competitive reference points and helps contextualise how results across alpine disciplines can shape a nation’s overall medal impact during a condensed nine-day window.
Experience comes full circle
Clarkson began at TVNZ in 2005 as a netball commentator, and she says returning to a dedicated sports role feels aptly named for the title of her 2025 book, Full Circle. “I feel like I’m coming back and returning to my roots… I’m coming back to the realisation that sport is my lane. It’s what I feel really comfortable in.”
The appointment also adds sporting credibility to New Zealand’s free-to-air coverage at a moment when public broadcasters globally are under pressure to demonstrate value to diverse audiences. A consistent, analyst-driven studio show can help translate complex Paralympic classification frameworks and race formats, which in turn supports informed viewing, broader audience retention during off-peak time zones, and clearer pathways for sponsors and public agencies assessing para sport visibility and impact.
Life beyond the studio
Alongside broadcasting, Clarkson is building a new business offering confidence courses, work she describes as deeply rewarding and focused on people grappling with self-doubt. Her on-screen journey has included confronting sexism, racism and hostile social media. With time, she says perspective has sharpened: “Where your focus goes, your energy goes… It speaks more about them than it does about me.”
“I am who I am. I’m proud of who I have become and who I am becoming. I’m proud of my whakapapa, where I come from, my family lines,” she says. “There might be comments that sting; you do see them, but you don’t sit in it. Because if you do, you’d be afraid to do anything, be yourself or say what’s true to you.”
Coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games starts on March 7 across TVNZ+ and TVNZ Duke, with New Zealand viewers able to follow live and free-to-air coverage shaped by a host who has moved, quite literally, from the national breakfast table back to the heart of elite sport.
