An external probe into NZME’s handling of allegations related to the sacking of multiple senior managers has identified “two other specific issues” alongside a raft of suggested changes for the media company.
The review examined events surrounding “the termination of three senior managers” late last year. It was commissioned by the publicly-listed company’s board in February and carried out by workplace investigator Andrew Scott-Howman,
An internal email sent to staff, signed by board chair Steven Joyce and chief executive Michael Boggs, outlined the company’s response and the review’s “key findings”.
Staff were told earlier today that a full copy of the review would “remain confidential” to “protect the privacy of those who engaged with it”.
“The review concluded that the departure of the three senior managers from OneRoof and ZM addressed the specific safety and welfare issues which were identified at the time in those two businesses,” the email read.
One of the managers included senior leadership executive Greg Hornblow, who recently lost name suppression after being convicted of hiring an underage girl for “commercial sexual services”. He has been given a sentence of home detention.
The NZME departures prompted significant scrutiny of the company’s workplace culture, with questions raised about what the company knew and when it acted.
Joyce and Boggs told staff the company would “reinforce a zero-tolerance approach” on retaliation against those who raised workplace concerns, stating employees being investigated for serious misconduct may be suspended.
“We will not sacrifice staff safety to meet any other objective in the business,” they said.
“We need to be very clear that safety and welfare of all NZME staff is an absolute priority for the business and for the board of directors.”
The email went on: “The company wants to earn your confidence by ensuring any allegations raised are treated seriously and handled appropriately.”
NZME’s board said it would oversee delivery of the “action plan” and receive regular reporting on progress, which it would update staff with.
Hornblow had led OneRoof, NZME’s residential property listings platform, before his termination. His criminal conviction related to offending that occurred outside the workplace and the charges were laid separately to an internal misconduct investigation.
The other two managers who departed were OneRoof national sales head Nicholas Hammond and ZM content director Ross Flahive, who left in separate and unrelated circumstances.
Two additional workplace ‘issues’ identified
Scott-Howman concluded that NZME’s practices needed “strengthening” to encourage staff to come forward with inappropriate conduct complaints in the future
He found the company had “adequate” systems for reporting inappropriate conduct, but those channels “were not accessed for some time” at either OneRoof or ZM.
The company, which owned the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB, also had “more work to do in order to ‘promote and maintain a supportive work environment in which employees and other persons are treated with respect and dignity,'” the email read.
Two “other specific issues” had been identified elsewhere at NZME and would be “addressed in the coming weeks”, although no further details were provided.
Staff were told that these new issues had been referred to chief executive Michael Boggs and the senior leadership team.
NZME was “not currently able” to provide any additional information for reasons of natural justice and fairness, the email read.
Boggs says ‘action plan’ to bring change
In response to Scott-Howman’s findings, Joyce and Boggs detailed a series of changes the company planned to make.
The email outlined plans to make NZME’s people and culture team “more visibly embedded”, strengthen wellbeing advocate roles, and ensure reporting channels were “visible and accessible, so every matter raised is promptly and thoroughly investigated”.
Staff who preferred to report concerns externally and anonymously could use the company’s independent whistleblower service, the email said.
Manager training would be refreshed “at all levels”, including guidance on how to respond when concerns were raised and how to document issues.
The board would maintain “direct oversight” of any issues involving executive leaders. For concerns about those in management roles, a “mixed group of the executive team” would be involved in reviewing and responding to allegations.
NZME’s people and culture team would also document “conduct-related conversations and concerns, even if a formal complaint is not made”, the email said.
Joyce and Boggs said this would “help identify areas of concern over time and ensure any identified issues are dealt with early and consistently”.
“If you raise a concern in good faith and experience even the suggestion of negative treatment as a result, they want to know, and will act immediately. You will not be penalised in any way for reporting inappropriate conduct,” the email read.
“Where it is deemed necessary to ensure your health and safety in the workplace, the executive team will suspend employees who are being investigated for serious misconduct.”
Joyce, a former MP, has chaired the NZME board since last year.
He was lined up as chairperson following a bruising boardroom battle in mid-2025, after Canadian private equity billionaire Jim Grenon acquired a major stake in the company.
Boggs has been chief executive since 2016. The workplace review comes amid a turbulent period for New Zealand’s largest listed media company, which has grappled with advertising revenue declines, job losses and newsroom restructurings.
NZME is one of the country’s most prominent media companies, operating across print newspapers, digital, and radio. Its stable included the New Zealand Herald, the country’s most-read daily newspaper, and radio stations such as Newstalk ZB and ZM.