Neil Collins (broadcaster)


Neil Cornelius Adrian Collins was a New Zealand local-body politician and broadcaster.

Broadcasting

Collins was a radio host in the southern city of Dunedin for over 50 years,

Brush with celebrity questioned

Collins claimed in a newspaper article in 2011 to have met actor Loretta Swit, the Beatles, and Bill Cosby, and provided a photo depicting himself posing alongside Cash. The student magazine Critic-Te Arohi pointed out that Cash's likeness in the photo "bears more than a passing resemblance to the album cover of The Best of Johnny Cash, Volume 2," concluding that the photo "...was so fantastic that Cash decided to use it for the album cover..."

Local-body politics

Collins was a city councillor in Dunedin since 1989 until his retirement in 2013.
Collins was awarded the Queens Service Medal for services to the community in 1990, and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting, local-body affairs and the community in the 2009 New Years Honours.
Collins died in Dunedin on 19 November 2018 after an illness.