| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1974-04-09)9 April 1974 (age 51) Te Kūiti, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[citation needed][1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Dean Clarkson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on 18 October 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jenny-May Clarkson (néeCoffin; 9 April 1974) is a New Zealand television presenter, FormerNew Zealand netball player and former co-host ofBreakfast.[1]
Clarkson was a member of the Silver Ferns, theNew Zealand national netball team, from 1997 to 2002, and was the vice-captain in 2001. She also played for theWaikato Bay of Plenty Magic in theNational Bank Cup (1998–2004) and theAuckland Diamonds (2007); she also played one season in theANZ Championship in 2008 for theSouthern Steel, and was signed to play with theNorthern Mystics in 2010.
Since 2005, Clarkson has been a sports commentator and news presenter forTVNZ andMāori Television. From 2020 to 2025, She was a co-host ofTVNZ’sBreakfast[1]
Jenny-May Clarkson was born inTe Kūiti, New Zealand. She was the youngest of six children raised by Waka and Paddy Coffin inPiopio,[2] close to Mokaukohunuimarae. Her father's parents were Charlie Coffin, aPākehā, and Harata, aMāori.[3]
Jenny-May Clarkson played for the Silver Ferns from 1997–2002. She was vice-captain in 2001, and represented the Silver Ferns at the2002 Commonwealth Games. She made 26 caps for the Ferns before retiring from international netball at the end of 2002.[4][5]
Jenny-May Clarkson played in New Zealand domestic netball leagues since 1995 and the National Bank Cup since 1998. She started playing for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 1998 and in 2000 was appointed captain. She left the Magic in 2004, going into retirement and worked as a sports presenter onTVNZ. She returned to netball in 2006 and played in the National Championships before playing in the Auckland Diamonds as captain in 2007. With the National Bank Cup replaced by theANZ Championship in 2008, Coffin was signed with theSouthern Steel on a two-year contract. However, she pulled out of the team after the first season to focus on her television career.[6] Coffin announced her return to competitive netball in October 2009, signing with the Northern Mystics for the 2010 ANZ Championship season.[7]
Clarkson first joined TVNZ in 2005 as the netball commentator for the National Bank Cup onONE Sport. In March of that year she was announced as the weekend sports presenter and sports producer during the weekdays. In 2006, she regained her role on ONE Sport and she rejoined the netball commentating team. In 2007, she played for the Auckland Diamonds netball team. She presented sport on TV One on Mondays and Tuesdays, and commentated some National Bank Cup games. She was a news presenter onTVNZ 7 before TVNZ dropped the station.[8]
Clarkson replacedDaniel Faitaua as the news presenter onBreakfast on TVNZ 1 in September 2019.[9] In August 2020 she succeededHayley Holt as co-presenter, alongsideJohn Campbell.[9]
In November 2025,TVNZ announced that Clarkson would be leaving her role onBreakfast later that month after the company announced a “refresh”. On 21 November 2025, Clarkson co-hosted her final show.[1]
In April 2018 after theSilver Ferns failed to qualify for a medal at the Commonwealth Games, Clarkson's question about whether the team had pride in the black dress, asked of captainKatrina Rore, was criticised as being too harsh.[10]
Clarkson married Dean Clarkson in 2015;[11] the couple had twin sons in 2016.[12]
