It is understood that some robust “feedback” was shared with management at the public broadcaster. Other directors are understood to have been supportive.
“I am stunned,” said a second source with knowledge of the situation and in the wake of the announcement of Campbell yesterday as Morning Report co-host, alongside Ingrid Hipkiss.
Campbell is replacing Corin Dann, who is becoming RNZ’s business editor. A start date for Campbell has not been confirmed.
While the board was consulted about the Morning Report appointment, the decision was ultimately that for RNZ chief executive and editor-in-chief Paul Thompson to make.
There is no doubt Campbell is a polarising broadcaster – like the man he will compete against at Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking, he has a legion of passionate supporters, and then others who hold an opposite view.
Campbell, currently TVNZ’s chief correspondent and a popular member of staff, has written a series of opinion pieces on the 1 News website in recent years, some of them focusing on politics.
He has also been responsible for exclusive news investigations, most notably with recent work on Destiny Church.
In a statement to specific questions from Media Insider, RNZ said yesterday that Campbell was committed to impartial journalism.
“You will have our media release on the appointment,” said a spokeswoman.
“We would only add that we are confident that John Campbell has a commitment to impartial journalism and he, like all employees of RNZ, will be held to that high standard through our comprehensive editorial policy.”
TVNZ’s John Campbell and Act leader David Seymour in an interview earlier this year. Photo / TVNZ
The statement did not address specific questions and points from Media Insider about board members’ views.
The spokeswoman did provide an additional statement from RNZ chair Jim Mather.
“Decisions around the appointment of presenters are the responsibility of the chief executive,” Mather said.
“As with all decisions of this nature, the board’s role is to provide counsel and ensure a robust process has been followed.”
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson (left inset) and chair Jim Mather.
RNZ has seven board members – Mather, Jane Wrightson, Irene Gardiner, Brent Impey, Mads Moller, Gracie MacKinlay and Andrew Szusterman.
Media Insider sent its series of specific questions and points to RNZ at 1.45pm on Thursday, including our understanding that Campbell was the leading/preferred candidate for the Morning Report role.
We advised RNZ that we understood the appointment had been discussed at board level (by no means an unusual situation for a role such as this), and that some board members did not necessarily support the move.
We asked for a response by 5pm.
It is understood that Campbell resigned from TVNZ on Thursday afternoon.
RNZ announced his appointment in a press release and on its website soon after 4pm. RNZ came back to Media Insider with its response at 4.30pm.
RNZ declined to answer further questions about board members’ views.
The Campbell announcement
In many respects, a variety of views from board members should not be a surprise.
The appointment is one of the most critical decisions in New Zealand broadcasting, and will be pivotal in helping rebuild RNZ’s traditional radio listenership in 2026.
In the official announcement yesterday, RNZ chief audio officer Pip Keane described an impressive field of candidates for the Morning Report role.
It is understood former AM host Lloyd Burr was another main contender.
“John’s experience as a journalist and host is exceptional, but equally important is his passion for pursuing the stories that matter and our audience values this strong journalism,” said Keane.
“He’s also a highly skilled interviewer, and that’s crucial for Morning Report.”
RNZ chief audio officer Pip Keane. Photo / RNZ
From the highs of early 2020, when it easily outpaced Newstalk ZB and commercial music stations to be New Zealand’s biggest radio station, RNZ National slipped to eighth spot within five years.
Overall, listeners had fallen from a high of more than 700,000 in early 2020 to a low of 467,700 at the start of 2025.
In recent months, however, RNZ has started to rebuild listeners, bouncing back over a total cumulative audience of 500,000 in the most recent ratings survey.
It is now New Zealand’s third biggest station, behind NZME’s Newstalk ZB and MediaWorks’ The Breeze.
That overall RNZ audience trend is also reflected in RNZ’s Morning Report ratings.
In early 2020, it hit a peak of 531,836 listeners, more than 100,000 ahead of Hosking’s ZB breakfast show. By early 2025, Morning Report’s audience was 333,200 – more than 100,000 behind Hosking.
It closes out the year with an uptick – 352,200 listeners, 72,100 behind Hosking.
Keane said Campbell would be a key part of RNZ’s dedicated audio plan.
“We know John can build an audience; he added 50,000 listeners to Checkpoint’s audience during his time on that programme.“
RNZ’s radio performance has been in contrast to the fortunes of its well-performing website, rnz.co.nz.
The injection of a broader range of lifestyle content, the recruitment of some of New Zealand’s top journalists, and outside factors such as the demise of Newshub, have seen the website easily become New Zealand’s third biggest digital news platform, behind Stuff and nzherald.co.nz, based on Nielsen’s monthly unique audience numbers.
The announcement of the new Morning Report host is the first major move under Keane as the recently appointed chief audio officer.
And while Morning Report will have its own executive producer, it also sees Campbell and Keane reunited after they worked together on Checkpoint and TV3’s Campbell Live.
Keane’s appointment came in the wake of a scathing independent review by former RNZ news boss Richard Sutherland.
Sutherland’s report highlighted a raft of cultural problems at the station and recommended replacing presenters and on-air voices who did not align with its target audience.
The review recommended at least one new high-profile hire “to signal ambition”, and that the flagship Morning Report show should be fully relocated to Auckland, to “counter perceptions of Wellington bias”.
Campbell will be based in Auckland, alongside Hipkiss.
‘It gives voice to the less powerful’
TVNZ chief correspondent John Campbell is moving to RNZ. Photo / Greg Bowker
In the RNZ press release, Campbell said he had listened to Morning Report since it began.
“My parents woke up to it. My childhood mornings echoed to the sound of it. That makes this programme really special to me. My first understanding of journalism would have been from Morning Report.
“It gives voice to the less powerful and holds a mirror up to New Zealand life. To be able to do that, every weekday morning, with neither fear nor favour, is such an exciting opportunity.”
Campbell’s political writing
A column that Campbell wrote for TVNZ soon after the announcement of the new coalition government in 2023 triggered a complaint to the Media Council.
The complainant described the column as a “rant”. The council rejected the complaint but not before making some important observations.
The column, which appeared the day after the new coalition Government had been announced, was headlined, “I hoped to be surprised – actually I’m amazed”.
Campbell did not mean this kindly.
As the Media Council noted, the column expressed “John Campbell’s disappointment at the coalition agreements and, in his view, their lack of attention to climate change and poverty, a ‘deeply regressive’ approach to race relations and misguided support for landlords and gun-owners”.
Campbell was, said the council, “strongly critical of the three coalition parties and their leaders”.
At one stage, he referred to a photo of Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters and David Seymour as they met to thrash out the new coalition agreement.
“It was art imitating life,” wrote Campbell.
“Everything in that photo is empty. The room. The walls. The table. The glasses [which are still upturned because Winston hasn’t yet given Chris and David permission to use them]. And the men, too, as it turned out. Empty of ideas.”
NZ First leader Winston Peters, National’s Christopher Luxon and Act’s David Seymour. Photo / Winston Peters
The council said that TVNZ rejected the complaint, saying Campbell, “like any journalist, is not limited to writing straightforward news stories”.
“As chief correspondent, he has a mandate from TVNZ to ‘examine topical issues from his perspective’. Readers of his work as chief correspondent understand it includes ‘his personal insights and opinions’.”
Further, TVNZ told the council, the column was clearly an opinion piece and labelled as such.
“Those opinions cannot be perceived as statements of fact. The discussion of issues such as child poverty and ‘re-colonisation’ were clearly presented as Mr Campbell’s opinions, not as fact.”
In its findings, the council said that since its formation in 1972, it was more common today for journalists to express opinions.
“But even then there was a tradition of advocacy journalism and opinion writing. In the years since, it has become increasingly common for journalists from any number of political persuasions to write opinion pieces.”
The council said: “The piece complained about as ‘a rant’ is certainly one with much personal opinion and little analysis, which seems to be core to [complainant] Susan Fogarty’s concerns.”
“For context, the strength of opinion in this and other recent pieces by John Campbell have sparked debate in the media and on social platforms as it is unusual for someone designated a ‘correspondent’.
“More commonly, those expressing personal opinions distinguish themselves as ‘broadcasters’ or ‘writers’, or if they are news gatherers writing something other than news, offer analysis rather than straight opinion.”
A rushed announcement?
Sources say the Campbell announcement appeared rushed yesterday, illustrated by the point that the original RNZ website article stated he would be starting at Easter in 2026.
That was later corrected to state that a “start date is to be confirmed”.
It is understood TVNZ will play a key role in that start date, taking into account any notice period and restraint of trade that it might wish to enforce.
Tova O’Brien will host TVNZ Breakfast in 2026. Photo / Smoke Photo + Video
After all, TVNZ has its own new-look Breakfast show launching in 2026, with a new host, Tova O’Brien. A start date for her has yet to be announced.
The Girls Uninterrupted, interrupted
The Girls Interrupted, now interrupted.
One of this country’s most popular podcasts has ended, rather abruptly, after seven years and more than 300 episodes. Its hosts were in tears on the final episode this week.
The Girls Uninterrupted – hosted by Brodie Kane, Gracie Hitchcock, and Caitlin Marett – has been hosted on Stuff, as part of a distribution deal between Kane’s company Brodie Kane Media and the publishing firm.
Stuff confirmed in a statement on its website that its distribution deal with Brodie Kane Media had come to an end, coinciding with the end of the podcast’s seventh season. It wished the company all the best for the future.
Kane told Media Insider that, “we’re going our separate ways, us girls”.
“There’s nothing in it other than the timing of the partnership with Stuff was coming to an end. It made sense to wind up.
“As far as Brodie Kane Media, I’m always looking at ways to evolve and figure things out as a staff member of one. That’s what I’m just going to be looking to do for 2026.”
Another of her podcasts, Kiwi Yarns, would continue, but not on Stuff.
She said the reality was that podcasts were “big behemoth monsters” to produce. “They take a huge amount of time and energy so having a partnership is hugely beneficial. The partnership with Stuff has been mutually beneficial and one I have been genuinely happy to partner with over the past couple of years.”
She said The Girls Uninterrupted had been a labour of love.
“It’s been a huge, amazing seven years, working with just two incredible women and navigating everything that we’ve navigated together.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work with both of them. We’ve had so much fun.”
She said she loved the two other women unconditionally. “They have been very dear friends to me.”
She said she could not speak about their own plans.
Hitchcock was not in a position to be able to chat yesterday, asking for questions to be emailed to her. Media Insider will update this article with any response.
Marett told Media Insider by text message: “Thanks for reaching out but I’m not going to make any comment on this at this stage.”
Inside courtroom 8.4
It’s been quite the week in Auckland District Courtroom 8.4.
Anti-co-governance campaigner Julian Batchelor is suing TVNZ and researcher Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa for defamation over an online article in August 2023, which he claims accuses him of being racist.
TVNZ and Hattotuwa deny the claim and are defending it on three principles – truth, honest opinion and responsible communication in the public interest.
Anti-co-governance campaigner Julian Batchelor is suing TVNZ over an online article in 2023.
The case has had it all, including revelations that businessman and NZME director and shareholder Jim Grenon is funding Batchelor’s case; the appearance on the witness stand of Batchelor himself; expert testimony from former TVNZ host Peter Williams on behalf of Batchelor, and plenty of well-known TVNZ faces watching on in the public gallery.
Judge David Clark retired yesterday to consider his decision, following four days of testimony and legal discussions.
Here’s a rundown.
Hit piece or honest opinion? Peter Williams takes the stand for Jim Grenon-backed evangelist against TVNZ. READ THE FULL STORY HERE
‘Silly me’: Peter Williams labels campaigner a ‘nutter’ after testifying for him. READ THE FULL STORY HERE
‘Seriously rotten’: Lawyers go head to head over Jim Grenon-funded TVNZ defamation claim. READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Another major bank moves on its agencies
With less than two weeks to go in an eventful year, the big manoeuvres within the advertising agency world show no signs of slowing.
This year, we’ve seen several banks change out their media and/or creative agency.
Notably, ANZ – currently with PHD – is reviewing its agency arrangements; that decision will be one of the biggest in early 2026.
Kiwibank announced last month that it was parting ways with its long-time advertising agency, OMD, after 12 years, selecting New Zealand-owned Together as its new media buying and planning agency.
And now Westpac – currently with a group of Publicis-owned agencies – has also confirmed changes are coming.
“Westpac NZ has enjoyed a strong partnership with Spark Foundry NZ, Digitas NZ, Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, and are proud of what we’ve achieved together,” Westpac chief marketing officer Sarah Williams told Media Insider in a statement.
Westpac chief marketing officer Sarah Williams. Photo / Dean Purcell
“As our business and marketing models evolve, we are exploring a new agency structure and model. The shift reflects the changing needs of our brand, and for now our focus remains on ensuring a smooth transition and continuing excellence in our marketing activity.
“Details of the new agency structure and model are still to be confirmed, and we’ll have more to announce in early 2026.”
Warehouse Group c-suite move
A massive shift in thinking at The Warehouse Group, with one of this country’s most renowned marketers being appointed to a newly created role of chief marketing officer.
It will see the return of marketing to the C-suite at the retail group, which owns The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery and Noel Leeming.
Goodman Fielder chief marketing officer Frankie Coulter is moving to The Warehouse Group.
New Zealand’s 2024 marketer of the year, Frankie Coulter, currently the chief marketing officer at Goodman Fielder, will join The Warehouse Group in the new year.
Expect a major shake-up, including potentially an agency review. Under Coulter’s watch, Goodman Fielder has just moved to an independent Kiwi agency, Together.
“We have no comment to make on any speculation about our agency partnerships,” said a Warehouse spokesman.
In a statement to Media Insider, The Warehouse Group chief executive Mark Stirton said he was delighted to welcome Coulter.
He would bring “a proven track record of turning around major Kiwi brands”.
“This move is about building on the momentum we’ve created.”
TWG also confirmed that its equally respected marketing general manager, Jo Mitchell, would be leaving in January.
“Jo has played a key role in transforming how we show up in the market and supporting the business through a period of significant change. We thank Jo for her leadership and contribution and wish her all the best for what comes next,” said Stirton.
Are you not entertained? Sky Sport changes
Sky has unveiled a restructure within its sports department, with 12 roles out and 11 in, and a renewed focus on a sports entertainment offering in 2026.
Sky’s sports content head Gary Burchett – an experienced former head of news at Fox News in Australia and Disney Star broadcast executive in India – has firm ideas and plans for more sports entertainment content out of Sky’s Mt Wellington studios, say insiders.
Sky TV host Laura McGoldrick.
He is understood to be a big fan of the likes of presenter Laura McGoldrick and James McOnie, the knowledgeable and irreverent roaming reporter for Crowd Goes Wild.
In Australia, shows like the Sunday Footy Show – hosted by Emma Lawrence with former players Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler and Billy Slater – offer brighter, more entertaining content than just a panel of serious analysts.
That stretches into the social media and digital space, with huge engagement on the likes of YouTube and other channels.
You can expect to see some potentially new shows – and faces – in 2026, especially with Sky embarking on a new five-year rugby deal, and as it looks forward to regaining cricket from TVNZ during the year.
The changes have seen the appointment of a new sports entertainment manager, Matt McPhail, but it has also led to job losses in the department – several experienced producers’ roles have been disestablished, some of whom have been with the organisation for more than 15 years.
In total, 12 roles are out, and 11 are in, meaning the department now has a total of 76 staff.
Sky is understood to be striving to offer freelance work to those who are leaving the business.
“We have confirmed changes within our sport content and production team, all aimed at strengthening our digital capability and ensuring we can continue to deliver the speed and responsiveness that live sport demands,” said a Sky TV spokeswoman.
“As part of this evolution, we’re pleased to welcome Matt McPhail as our sport entertainment manager. He’ll lead content that goes beyond the game – including entertainment shows, digital formats and vodcasts.
“Matt brings more than 25 years of experience across television and digital, and his creativity and expertise will strengthen the work we’re already doing to engage sport fans beyond the final whistle.
“This goes hand-in-hand with our continued focus on sport analysis and our goal to be at the forefront of sport conversations in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Sky has also axed several roles in its sales leadership team, as it brings two companies into one following the acquisition of Three from Warner Bros Discovery this year.
The company has confirmed it has “made changes to our sales leadership structure so we can speak to advertisers with a unified voice and make the most of the opportunities across our expanded portfolio”.
Sky’s highly respected sales leader, Ben Gibb, left the business in October. Barely had the news of that sunk in, when – unsurprisingly – he walked straight into a new role as sales boss at outdoor firm QMS.
“At Sky, we regularly review how we work and how our teams are set up so we can continue to deliver on our priorities and meet the needs of our customers,” the Sky TV spokeswoman said.
“We are now selling to agencies and advertisers as a unified team, and the response has been really positive.”
Merry Christmas!
The Media Insider column continues over the Christmas-New Year period, including with some special end-of-year and year-ahead content.
This will be the last full column before Christmas Day – I wish all of our readers a very merry and safe Christmas.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.