Daniel Faitaua's 10 best moments during his time on TVNZ's Breakfast

Yesterday marked the end of an era.

TVNZ's Breakfast farewelled Daniel Faitaua as he prepares to begin his stint as 1 News' European Correspondent.

So what better time to take a look back at the newsreader's memorable on-air moments - and he's had plenty!

Breakfast viewers will remember him for his entertaining mishaps as much as his impeccable news-reading charm. So without further ado ...

1. When he crashed his go-kart on the first bend
   Taking on the Breakfast go-karting challenge, Faitaua was over-confident before getting behind the wheel. "Failure isn't even an option for us," he said, but his cockiness proved ill-founded when he crashed while attempting to go around the first corner of the track. He reckoned someone had "definitely tampered" with his car.
   
   
2. When he was a sore winner
   Daniel's competitive streak was also apparent when he went head-to-head with Matty McClean in a Survivor challenge. Faitaua won the number-ordering challenge - but he wasn't the most humble winner, accusing McClean of "playing the victim" and bragging about his win with a celebratory dance.
   
   
3. When he fired back at Hilary Barry
   After an unfortunate blunder reading the news, Faitaua didn't hear the end of it from his colleagues. He stumbled over the word "shooting" making it sound like a swearword, and they looped his error during the 7.30am bulletin several times. But Faitaua ended the mockery with a faux-savage swoop at host Hilary Barry, asking her "what would you know about news reading Hilary?".
   
   
4. When he was left out in the cold after another blooper
   The September 2016 gaffe wasn't the only time a news reading error provided comic relief for Breakfast viewers. Replacing an "n" with an additional "t" when pronouncing Hillary Clinton's name, his fellow Breakfast hosts started hysterically laughing, throwing Faitaua off and making it difficult for him to continue reading the news.
   
   
5. When he told misbehaving kids to "bugger off"
   The newsreader will also be remembered for his lively parenting anecdotes. The father of three boys told Breakfast viewers about the time his Easter dining experience at a restaurant was interrupted by children at a neighbouring table. He dealt with them not by suffering in silence, but by telling them to "bugger off".
   
   READ MORE:
   • Why Daniel Faitaua stormed off the Breakfast set this morning
   • Daniel Faitaua's hilarious return to Breakfast after the summer break
   
   
6. When he took a stand for the cost of swimming lessons
   Admirably, Faitaua also used his platform to shed light on important issues ... like the high cost of swimming lessons. "We have three boys and it's $200 each a term for our boys to do swimming lessons. So we're looking at sacrificing one of our boys," he joked.
   
   
7. His strong opinions about Christmas cake
   Faitaua's stoic news reading charm was broken when he got fired up about a few controversial topics like, you know, festive treats. His verdict: "I know it's a Christmas cake, but I think it'll be better as a door-stopper."
   
   
8. Telling people to "get over themselves" over Whittaker's gender reveal chocolate.
   New Zealand company Whittaker's faced controversy when it released a chocolate collaboration with Plunket - customers didn't know whether their bar would be blue or pink, a play on gender reveal parties. But Faitaua wasn't having it. "This is absolutely pathetic," he said of the uproar. "People need to get over themselves, it's Whittaker's at it's best, helping a charity, helping Plunket and doing well for it."
   
   
9. Expressing just how much he didn't miss his colleagues over summer break
   One of Faitaua's funniest moments was when he was brutally honest about how much he missed his co-workers during the summer holidays. "You guys weren't even on my mind!" he said.
   
   
10. When his colleagues pranked him after he got the job as European correspondent
    The Breakfast team had some fun when it was announced Daniel would be taking the reins as 1 News' European correspondent - sneaking in a news item about the nation entering a time of mourning following his departure.

Breakfast is on TVNZ1 weekdays from 6am-9am.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.