The Last Time is a monthly column where we quiz interesting people about the specifics of their daily lives, including Lucy and Bel from Shit You Should Care About, celebrity makeup artist Amber D, and more.
Former Newshub European correspondent Lisette Reymer is an award-winning journalistic powerhouse, leading the former Newshub TV team through a slew of TV Awards for her reporting from the Ukraine including best coverage of a major news event and best reporter.
I met Lisette on that red carpet in 2022 where I felt so cringe asking her what she was wearing, but she answered the question in true Ensemble-style, talking about online shopping from the war zone for her big night (thanks Lisette for making me feel more Amelia Dimoldenberg than Giuliana Rancic).
Lisette is currently busy finishing up her Euro era, reporting on the America’s Cup sailing from Barcelona, before returning to Aotearoa where she’ll be a senior reporter for ThreeNews (owned by our parent company, Stuff, making us colleagues; yay).
To mark the occasion, we caught up with her via internal Slack to ask her about the last time she cried, got drunk, and DM she sent.
When was the last time you cried?
I’m a big crier and I’m also terrible at goodbyes, and I’ve been saying lots of goodbyes lately, so there’s been a lot of tears.
When was the last time you danced, and what were you dancing to?
I’m actually dancing in my seat as I answer these questions, listening to Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido by Karol G. It’s obviously a huge pop hit in Spain because I hear it on the radio every time I get in an Uber so I finally Shazam’d it the other day and added it to my playlist. The next step is to work out what she’s actually singing about…
What was the last thing you bought and loved?
I just did something incredibly stupid, and bought a fruit bowl and a set of the most beautiful cake plates in the world from a Portuguese crockery maker I am obsessed with (yes, I did just turn 30, what’s giving it away?). They were far too expensive and I now have to attempt to transfer them from Europe to New Zealand in a suitcase, which probably isn’t going to end well, but I really do love them!
What’s the last piece of clothing you bought?
Does jewellery count? Because I just fed my Zoë & Morgan addiction with some new hoops.
When’s the last time you got drunk (and who were you with, what were you drinking?)
A couple of weeks ago, drinking Sangria in Barcelona with one of my best mates, Daniel Pannett. He is the camera operator I travelled to Ukraine with in 2022, and we haven’t worked together in over a year, but we have been lucky enough to be reunited on the tools for the America’s Cup and it felt deserving of a toast.
What was the last really delicious thing you ate?
I think medical tests would confirm I am actually a bowl of Patatas Bravas at this point. I’m a little bit obsessed with potatoes generally and have a very well considered top 20 list of ways to eat them. The Spanish treatment has really been pushing its case for a top five spot.
The last book you finished?
Musings on Life, Death and Celebrity from a Far-Flung TV Newsroom the Week Princess Diana Died, written by an incredible colleague and newsroom legend, Angus Gillies.
The last DM/text you sent? Who was it to?
To my best friend, “What was the last book I finished?”
The last song you listened to on Spotify?
Other than the aforementioned Karol G banger? Waves – Tame Impala Remix. When I am writing a script for a television news package, I have to be listening to a single song on repeat. It’s a weird habit but I’m adamant it helps me write better. Waves has been going strong for a couple of weeks now.
The last TV show you watched?
Selling Sunset. I don’t want to hear your judgement.
The last time you laughed so much your tummy hurt?
Watching the Selling Sunset dog funeral. Season eight, episode nine. 21 minutes, 50 seconds in. Treat yourself.
When’s the last time you were home?
Home is a very fluid concept for me at the moment; because I’m currently home-less! I’m stuck in the wee limbo stage between moving from London back to New Zealand and I have a little bit of my heart in both those places.
I left London in August to cover the America’s Cup in Barcelona and I’m already missing it, and I was last in New Zealand for the closure of Newshub in July. I never made it home-home to Cambridge on that trip, but I spent a lot of time in the newsroom and that place also always felt a lot like home.
