Rhodes Scholar and former All Black Chris Laidlaw has stepped down from his position hosting the Sunday morning slot on Radio New Zealand National, making him the first Radio New Zealand host in history to abdicate prior to his death.
Traditionally, hosts of any regular Radio New Zealand slot are appointed to a life-term, which they are obliged to see through until their ultimate demise. But friends of Laidlaw say he has spent too long hearing other hosts slowly deteriorate, droning on and on in increasingly monotonous tones until they finally die live on air.
“It’s not all a bad thing,” said Laidlaw’s sister-in-law, former Green MP Sue Kedgley. “Radio New Zealand’s listeners need things to go a bit slower than usual, so the odd repetition of the script or sudden on-air nap isn’t really a problem. The only thing that can be a bit awkward is when they stop breathing and no one in the studio checks on them.
“But Chris just felt that kind of lifestyle wasn’t for him. We know there are some people out there who’ll say he’s forsaken his duty, but we all love him, and we know his conscience is fairly clean.”
In a statement released this morning, Laidlaw said he had enjoyed his 11 years as a host, but due to “a lack of strength of mind and body,” felt it was time to step aside and allow the station’s “new blood” – hosts in their late 40s and 50s – to take his place. Though he cautioned people about getting ahead of themselves concerning the precedent he was setting, saying it was still possible that he could die before his final show on December 22nd.