Sam Rossiter-Stead fires questions at Kieran McAnulty. PHOTOS/SUPPLIED
GEORGE SHIERS
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Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty and Greytown resident Sam Rossiter-Stead broke two world records in the weekend.
Settling in for a long haul at The White Swan on Saturday, the duo smashed the Guinness World Records for both the longest radio interview and the longest television interview in a question time that lasted more than 26 hours.
Rossiter-Stead interviewed McAnulty for 26 hours and 30 minutes from 8am on Saturday to 10.30 am on Sunday. The interview was broadcast live on Arrow FM and Wairarapa TV.
McAnulty said the interview took “more coffee than I’ve ever had”.
“I’m normally a one-coffee-a-day kind of guy, but I drank four coffees, a couple of Red Bulls, and several caffeine lozenges.
“I reckon Sam could have gone on for another six or eight hours.”
McAnulty said the interview had to follow a strict question-and-answer format. The pair filled some of the time talking about a cricket match.
“It was tough towards the end. It was about 6am, and the cricket had finished, and as soon as that dried up, I was starting to slur.
“It was great to do something different and for a good cause. I honestly wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.”
Rossiter-Stead said the interview was a fun way to raise money for a good cause.
“It was a wonderful way to spend my birthday, and I’m delighted that we’ve managed to raise nearly $4500 so far with donations still coming in, as well as raising the profile of a wonderful organisation.
“Kieran was great company and showed a remarkable ability to think on his feet as I threw hundreds and hundreds of questions at him. Some of those were pre-prepared, some were submitted, but many were completely spontaneous.”
Rossiter-Stead said the record-breaking moment of the interview was marked with a question submitted by the Prime Minister.
“We reached the first record with one of the questions sent in by the Prime Minister, and we did it in front of an audience which included members of the East Coast Rural Support Trust, as well as a group of family and friends.”
Adjudicators for the final session were Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson and South Wairarapa Mayor Alex Beijen, who had to sign the final paperwork and review each logbook page kept by the timekeepers.
Funds from the interview went to Rural Support Trust, a charitable trust supporting rural communities through wellness. McAnulty had previously supported the charity when he donated the proceeds after selling his famous red ute.
Guinness World Records would review the attempt, and once verified, certificates would be awarded.
The previous record for a radio interview of 25 hours and 26 minutes was set by a Nepalese duo in November 2021.
The previous TV interview record of 26 hours and 4 minutes was set by New Zealanders Tom Conroy and Tim Shadbolt in 2012.
