Ray White agent Paul Glover was the perfect choice when the makers of AA Insurance Location, Location, Location NZ were looking for hosts. They needed someone who could bring to life the Kiwi version of the hit UK property show. Three decades as an actor meant Glover was well at home in front of the camera, and he’s had a stellar career in real estate since switching to selling houses three years ago.
Q: Was acting always the dream?
Yes, it was all I wanted to do growing up. I watched a lot of movies. My parents had a fruit and vegetable shop in Bledisloe Lane, at the back of the Civic Theatre in Auckland. I used to sneak into the movies and I think that’s where I fell in love with acting. I didn’t go to drama school – I auditioned once and didn’t get in – but I managed to get a few acting jobs so I thought I might as well just keep chugging along with what I was doing rather than auditioning again.
Q: Did you manage to work consistently?
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I wouldn’t say it was consistent. It’s a bit of a graft in New Zealand. But I did do quite a lot over the years [including Hercules, Xena, Spartacus, Shortland Street, The Brokenwood Mysteries, 800 Words and Educators] and I don’t regret anything. I got to work alongside some incredible people and I made wonderful connections.
Q: How did the move into real estate come about?
It wasn’t planned, I wasn’t looking for something else. After 30 years as an actor I was keeping busy and pretty happy. But I kind of got sideswiped by real estate. One night I was walking past the Carpenter Realty auction room on the North Shore and one of the agents, Regan Golding, came out. I knew her – I went to school with her husband – and she said to me, “You’d make a good auctioneer.” I looked in the room and saw auctioneer Tim Obern up there, cracking some funnies, and I thought, ‘actually, that could be quite cool’. There was a bit of theatre involved. When I was a kid I went to the Turners and Growers auctions with my parents for their fruit and vegetable business and was fascinated with the auctioneers – I think a fuse was lit back then.
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Tim said he would train me so I joined the team but unfortunately the timing was bad. It was 2022 and the market was starting to tank. There wasn’t really any work for me, so I thought selling houses would help me to get some experience. I was fortunate – I was paired with a great agent called Liz Mole who allowed me to grow and flourish alongside her.
Q: Did you get off to a flying start?
It wasn’t easy. The market was not good and I had to work really hard. I thought about stopping but I’d invested so much time into it, and had so much support from my partner Belinda and my colleagues, that I decided to double down and put everything into being a real estate agent. I’ve enjoyed relative success because of that. By my second year in the industry I was in the top 11% of Ray White agents in Australasia.
Q: Why do you think you did so well straight off the bat?
Working hard! I come from a family of grafters. My mum Patricia has always dabbled in real estate, not as an agent but buying and selling houses. Her dad was an amateur boxer who made a bit of money from the sport and bought houses and flats, did them up and sold them. I think I got my work ethic from them. I often work seven days a week.
I think the fact that I really love people and making connections and helping them on their journey helps too. Right from the start, it felt like I was always meant to do real estate. It’s strange that I feel like I have been doing this forever, yet I’ve only been here for a heartbeat. This is still my third year.
Q: How did appearing on AA Insurance Location, Location, Location NZ come about?
I got asked to audition. I couldn’t believe it when I got the job, it’s such an honour. I’ve always watched the British version and being asked to do the New Zealand one was a real “pinch me” moment. I couldn’t have written this as a script for myself. It’s a great opportunity to combine my experience in TV and real estate.
Glover, right, in the 2011 TV series Spartacus: Vengeance. Photo / Pacific Renaissance Pictures
Glover with his AA Insurance Location, Location, Location co-host Jayne Kiely. Photo / Supplied
I’ve loved working on the show. I hope we’ve been able to make a difference to the people on the show, and that Kiwis enjoy seeing other New Zealanders on their journey to find homes and can identify with them.
Q: Is it tricky following in the footsteps of a well-known couple like UK hosts Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp?
I do joke that I’ve got big shoes to “Phil”! But I just have to be myself. And I think that [fellow host] Jayne [Kiely] and I have a great bond. She’s an absolute powerhouse and a seasoned professional with so much experience in TV and real estate. She’s wonderful to work with.
Working in real format TV is quite different to acting. You don’t have a script so it was refreshing and exciting to do something like this. I did have to get rid of my “acty face” and just be authentic.
Q: How do you balance filming with your real estate work?
I work long hours. I’ve got a business administrator and an associate working with me and I wouldn’t be so efficient without their support. I also get a huge amount of support from my partner, Belinda, and I couldn’t do it without her.
Q: What do you do when you’re not working?
I don’t have a lot of downtime but when I do, I like to spend it with my partner and three kids. I go to their sports and I’m their Uber driver. I like driving them around and having that time to have a conversation in the car. I also like to give my time where I can to the community because I think it is important to give back, so I do things like helping the schools with fundraising.
Glover in his North Shore stomping ground with his dog Sussy. Photo / Fiona Goodall
I will occasionally play a bit of table tennis and a bit of pool, and I’ll have a round of golf where I can.
Q: Do you miss acting?
I’m still managing to do some. We’re just about to film the fourth season of Educators. My character Rob – the dad who goes back to school as an adult student so he can be close to his teenage daughter – is a guest actor so I’m not in it all the time. I’m looking forward to it, it’s a great show to work on.
I’m glad I still get the chance to do some acting, but I really do love being a realtor. I feel like I’m in the right place. This is a whole sea change for me, and it’s kind of like I reinvented myself at the age of 50. I approach life from a place of gratitude and I feel very grateful to be doing what I do.
AA Insurance Location Location Location NZ appears on TVNZ 1 on Sundays and on TVNZ+
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