TVNZ is planning a huge shake-up of its senior news leadership team, with a proposal to axe several roles and introduce a supercharged executive role that brings news into all content and programming.

Some newsroom sources within TVNZ fear the new executive role will diminish the importance of news at the state broadcaster, especially if it is not filled by anyone with editorial experience. But TVNZ said today the proposed new executive role encompasses news and content equally.

The proposed newsroom leadership changes, and possible role reductions, are part of an all-encompassing TVNZ plan to overhaul its workforce and become strategically aligned for a digital-first future over the next five years. It is also trying to save $30 million.

The Herald revealed on Wednesday a leaked email from chief executive Jodi O’Donnell outlining TVNZ’s plans to disestablish 90.5 roles and create 41 new ones for a net loss of about 50 roles by the end of the year.

Staff from a broad range of departments were yesterday called to a series of meetings to learn their fate.

The Herald has been told several senior news leadership roles – in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch – are among those impacted. Stuff reported TVNZ was proposing to create a Wellington-based central bureau chief.

TVNZ told the Herald this afternoon that it had decided last month, during its strategic consultation work, to “bring together its news and content divisions”.

The news division is currently headed by the executive editor of news and current affairs, Phil O’Sullivan, while content and programming – that’s all the other, non-news shows on TVNZ – is headed by chief content officer Nevak Rogers.

Two of TVNZ's top executives have been caught up in staffing and strategic proposals. Photo / TVNZ

“Both areas deliver TVNZ’s audiences and the intention is that bringing these areas together will ensure we can deliver more digitally-led content and experiences for our viewers,” a TVNZ spokeswoman told Media Insider.

“To support this decision, there will be changes to the news and content leadership teams, with a small number of news and content roles disestablished and a small number of new roles created. This will provide a new combined leadership team for the business area.

“We have also created a new chief news and content officer role on the executive team. This will be in place of the executive editor and chief content officer on the executive team. TVNZ is becoming a smaller organisation and that means a smaller management team. As you will recall, the executive team reduced in 2023 also.

“This role is yet to be appointed and it may be that there is internal interest in the role. The title of the role is clear though – it will be a chief news and content officer and the intention will be to appoint an individual who can successfully lead the news, content and production teams.”

The TVNZ spokeswoman said she would not be commenting on individuals.

The pathway appears open for Rogers and O’Sullivan to apply for the new role.

A group of editors reporting to O’Sullivan have also been taken through proposals related to their own positions this week. According to one Herald source, at least one of them was in tears.

TVNZ chief executive Jodi O'Donnell has informed staff of plans to disestablish 90.5 roles and create 41 new ones for a net loss of about 50 roles by the end of the year.

A TVNZ spokeswoman earlier said that Thursday had been a “hard day”.

“This is incredibly tough for TVNZers. These are not decisions we want to be making, but they’re necessary to ensure the future sustainability of the organisation.”

“It’s a really terrible day in a year of terrible days for them,” E tū union negotiation specialist Michael Wood said on Thursday.

He said the mood was grim, with TVNZ making small to moderate chips in most teams, rather than the wholesale, full cutting of groups.

By Wood’s estimate, the 50 net job losses would equate to about $6m to $7m in savings – at best about a quarter of the $30m target.

There was concern and sadness for people who were losing their jobs, he said, but also concerns for those who remained at the company. Just what would they be left with? How soon would it be before TVNZ had to make more cuts?

The TVNZ spokeswoman said the company was “not intending to reach our $30m target through reduced labour costs alone”.

“As a business of less than 600 people, that’s simply not realistic,” she said. “Given we’re a broadcast and streaming business, content and operational costs are significant expenditures and managing these tightly will play a more important role in achieving our target.

“The $30m target is for FY25, we are only part way through the financial year, but we will be providing further guidance at the interim and full year.”

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.