Media Insider: RNZ brings in former news boss to review radio operation; Lotto Powerball's naked skier tops complaints list; Stuff editor leaves amid staff tears

NZ Herald

10-07-2025

'As editor-in-chief, Paul Thompson asked Richard Sutherland to provide some advice on RNZ National,' said an RNZ spokesman.
'He has only just completed his document and RNZ has yet to fully assess it. As part of this work, Richard talked to a range of people across RNZ to tap into their thinking.'
The spokesman said RNZ would 'share Richard's advice with staff' in coming weeks and seek further input from them 'as we build on our plan'.
'Richard's work is focused on our live listening audience. He was asked to assess what more we can do to serve our radio audiences.'
RNZ National's radio audience has steadily declined since Covid pandemic news peaks in 2020 and it now sits at 467,700 - its lowest number in more than five years, according to GFK figures released in May.
RNZ, which once led the market based on cumulative audience, is now eighth, behind commercial news rival Newstalk ZB and six music stations (Breeze, More FM, ZM, The Edge, The Rock and Mai FM).
Former RNZ head of news Richard Sutherland. Photo/ RNZ
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sutherland was head of news at RNZ from August 2019 until July 2023.
He was the interim senior director of news at Newshub from January to July 2024, leading that newsroom through a tumultuous final few months, a stint that earned him a nomination as editorial leader of the year for this year's Voyager Media Awards.
His profile describes him as a 'senior editorial executive and change/crisis management expert'.
'With a robust career that includes leading Radio New Zealand's newsroom and steering Warner Bros Discovery's news division, I have deep expertise in the news industry and change management. I bring a wealth of experience in day-to-day news operations, as well as the ability to drive significant strategic changes.'
RNZ this week lost one of its most influential executives, head of content/chief content officer Megan Whelan.
RNZ head of content Megan Whelan. Photo / RNZ
Her departure comes at the same time as the public broadcaster faces budget cuts and increasing pressure from the Government over its ratings performance and trust levels.
Whelan's role includes oversight of RNZ hosts and other talent.
I have spoken to many radio industry insiders as well as lapsed and existing RNZ listeners in the past few weeks, and, in my view, it is not an exaggeration to state that the legacy of Thompson, who has been chief executive of RNZ for more than a decade, will be partly defined by whether he can stabilise and then rebuild RNZ's radio ratings and market share.
That may include having to make some tough calls to bring in new talent behind the microphones and a totally new content approach within radio.
The RNZ spokesman said of Sutherland's review: 'All of this work is in keeping with RNZ's three strategic priorities – building trust, digital acceleration and being a strong public media cornerstone for New Zealanders.
'Richard's advice on live listening is part of the many projects we have in the year ahead. RNZ is implementing new editorial systems and digital tools, moving to new premises in Auckland, upgrading transmission towers, while continuing to deliver outstanding trusted public media in tumultuous times.'
Referring to RNZ's website audience and initiatives such as sharing content with other media companies, the spokesman said: 'Pleasingly, RNZ now reaches more people than ever before and is a vital cornerstone of New Zealand's media sector.'
Morning Report hosts Corin Dann and Ingrid Hipkiss. Photos / RNZ
Meanwhile, Sutherland's review comes as its fellow public broadcaster, TVNZ, commissions an independent review of its news – checking for balance and bias – after Government pressure on it to improve its trust levels.
'Trust is important to us and it's an area of increased focus,' a TVNZ spokeswoman told Media Insider on Monday.
'We have commissioned former ABC and SBS executive Alan Sunderland to undertake some refresher training.
'To do that successfully and meaningfully, we want him to review a week of our content (and others' news content in market) to see what we are covering, what we are not and how we are covering it.
'This additional training will be completed in 2025.'
'That is not normal': Lotto's naked skier draws dozens of complaints
Lotto's naked skier advertising campaign has attracted 48 complaints.
Lotto's bare-bottom skier is in line to clinch a new prize - alongside his Powerball win - after emerging as the most complained-about ad in 2025, so far.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has revealed it has dealt with 48 complaints about the Lotto Powerball ad, which hit our screens on May 31.
'The complainants said the portrayal of a man skiing naked, with images of his bare buttocks clearly visible, was indecent, offensive and inappropriate for younger viewers,' said the ASA in a recently released decision.
It quoted several specific complaints, including one viewer who saw it while watching The Big Bang Theory: 'In this specific ad for Lotto, three were betting on skiing in just gloves... one man did it and it showed his bum. That is not normal.'
Lotto defended the ad to the ASA, saying it was 'a positive, artistic celebration of the human body'.
'The advertiser said their intention with this advertisement was to be humorous and to entertain and engage the public, within the [advertising standard code] guidelines, and certainly not to offend,' said the ASA in its decision.
'The advertiser said, given the context and treatment of the nudity in the full advertisement, they believe the total of three seconds of seeing the skier's bottom is within societal standards.'
The ASA found the ad did not breach the code.
The Lotto Powerball winner took to the slopes, naked, to honour a bet.
'The complaints board acknowledged 48 complaints had been received and the level of nudity shown in the advertisement was of concern to a significant group of consumers,' said the ASA.
'The board noted that the advertisement had been played at a relatively high frequency and across a broad range of programmes targeting a mainly adult audience.
'The complaints board considered the content of the advertisement. The complaints board said the nudity in the advertisement was brief and not close-up or gratuitous, and it was relevant to the story in the advertisement.
'The board said the man appears to have told his friends that if he wins Powerball, he will ski naked down a mountain overseas.
'The complaints board said while the nudity in the advertisement was designed to 'make you look', it was not sexualised or likely to cause harm to a general audience.'
The ASA confirmed on Thursday that the Lotto ad was, so far, topping the list of most-complained-about ad in 2025.
The ASA revealed in May its top five most-complained-about ads in 2024: at No 1 was a Hobson's Pledge ad that appeared on the front page of the NZ Herald (672 complaints) followed by the Burnett Foundation's 'Ins and Outs' sex education posters (86 complaints); TAB's 'Hunchland' (28 complaints); Burger King's Crunchy BBQ Whopper (17 complaints) and One NZ's 'Let's Get Connected' (eight complaints).
Who might buy iconic magazines?
Are Media titles have performed well in latest readership results.
The owner of some of New Zealand's most iconic magazines - including the Listener and NZ Woman's Weekly - is reportedly under 'no pressure' for a quick sale of the business.
It was revealed yesterday that Sydney-based private equity firm Mercury Capital wants to sell its Are Media business, which publishes a range of magazine titles on both sides of the Tasman.
As well as the Listener and NZ Woman's Weekly, Are Media in New Zealand publishes Woman's Day, the Australian Women's Weekly, Your Home and Garden, and Kia Ora (under contract with Air New Zealand).
The New Zealand business is profitable, with Mercury stripping out a huge amount of cost following its purchase of the previously Bauer-owned titles in 2020.
And its readership results have been commendable, with all of the Kiwi titles recording increases in the latest Nielsen survey.
Where perhaps a big opportunity lies is in digital - the Listener has already partnered up with NZME for its digital subscription service; a new owner would no doubt seek to build on that, while also considering how to accelerate revenue and audience for broader lifestyle content.
In that respect, NZME - publisher of the NZ Herald and owner of Newstalk ZB -is likely near the top of the list of any potential buyers, especially if the New Zealand arm of Are Media is carved off as a separate transaction.
'It is believed the sale document available to prospective purchasers points to strong cash flow and dividends that Mercury Capital has received over the past five years,' The Australian reported yesterday.
'Mercury is also claiming it is under no pressure to make a quick sale and will do so only if a compelling offer is made.'
Are Media chief executive Jane Huxley.
The Australian said Are Media chief executive Jane Huxley had made it plain to staff this week that the business would continue to keep the publishing wheels turning.
'This decision comes from a place of strength and optimism,' she said in an internal email.
'We've built incredibly strong foundations and now it's time to take the next step. With the right new owner, we believe Are Media can grow even stronger and continue to lead women's media in Australia and New Zealand.'
Stuff editor's sudden departure
Several senior Stuff editors and reporters are departing the organisation, with sources describing a challenging time in the company's Auckland newsroom, especially, over the past week.
Planning editor Simon Plumb, previously of TVNZ and the Herald on Sunday, departed the newsroom last Friday, the same day as it was announced he was leaving.
He was one of several staff members impacted by a restructuring of leadership roles.
'To lose Simon so suddenly last week has been devastating,' said one Stuff source. 'He is one of the most respected and trusted news editors in the business.
'Simon was visibly upset... There were tears when everyone gathered around his desk after Keith [Stuff editor in chief Keith Lynch] posted the announcement in Slack [the company's internal messaging platform]."
Plumb told Media Insider he had made some 'lifelong friends' at Stuff. 'I'd like to acknowledge the tireless work of our reporters, news desk staff, visual journalists, the ThreeNews team and fellow editors."
Planning editor Simon Plumb left the Stuff newsroom last week. Photo / Dean Purcell
It is understood that as part of restructuring, three senior roles – managing editor, planning editor and chief platform/homepage editor – have been reduced to two: chief daily live/breaking editor and chief daily commissioning editor.
Current managing editor Jane Skinner, the former head of TVNZ Sunday, is understood to have resigned after just eight months, opting not to put her hand up for a new role. She leaves at the end of August.
Guy MacGibbon, who was chief platform/homepage editor, has moved into the new chief daily live/breaking editor role, while Chris Reed will be acting chief daily editor, Stuff said in a statement to Media Insider.
Stuff editor in chief Keith Lynch's message announcing the departure, that day, of Simon Plumb.
Two other people departed last Friday – Stuff reporters Joel Maxwell and Nick Truebridge, who is heading to the Commerce Commission in a PR role.
Then, two days ago, it was announced another senior Stuff editor Kathrin Goldsworthy was also leaving.
'We have been understaffed in this department for months, meaning everyone is having to work overtime to keep the website ticking over,' said one Stuff source.
'Morale among the reporters is at an all-time low. It is very unsettling.'
Stuff did not directly address specific concerns that were raised by our sources.
'As with all media organisations, change and innovation in newsrooms is required as audience and market needs evolve,' said a spokesperson.
'As well as changing the structure of how we manage the newsroom, Stuff Digital has made a number of new appointments and hires in recent weeks...'
It's certainly been a period of mass movement, both within the media industry and for those shifting completely out of it.
Stuff has lost a fair few people to RNZ, where former Stuff news boss Mark Stevens has frequently poached some big names from his former employer.
At the same time, Stuff has just lured senior NZ Herald reporter Isaac Davison - the Herald has been through its own restructuring earlier in 2025 with a number of newsroom job losses.
Stuff's 'small town' obsession
Sharks and house prices, make way.
It appears news website Stuff has settled on a couple of new phrases to keep readers clicking – the plight of the 'small town' or 'tiny town'.
It seems that barely a few days go by without one of those two phrases featuring as a teaser headline on its homepage.
While the company might be closing down most of its community newspapers at a rate of knots, it can still find readership gold in the regions.
Consider some of the results that pop up in the screeds of Google results over the past 12 months:
A small town's transformation after major highway reroute (Ōtaki);
The small town at breaking point after a dozen business break-ins (Ōtorohanga);
The small town fighting for its airfield (Tūrangi);
Why Maccas can't live without this small NZ town (Eltham);
The New Zealand small towns that are at their best in autumn (various);
The tiny town that's simply one of the most charming in New Zealand (Clyde);
The tiny town bucking the sluggish tourism trend (Kaikōura);
The tiny town that became Taranaki's op shop capital (Hāwera);
The town expanding so fast its infrastructure can't keep up (Warkworth);
The tiny New Zealand lakeside town up for sale (Lake Waitaki Village)
'I imagine they get lots of clicks and I appreciate that they are covering parts of NZ not always covered, but if this is the extent of our regional coverage, it's a big problem,' a senior industry source told me, along with screengrabs of plenty of examples.
The source added that they believed public broadcaster RNZ 'should have focused on getting more reporters into the regions in the past few years rather than creating a whole lifestyle section... there are great stories to be told.'
One Good Poll
Who's won big ad account?
Publicis-owned Spark Foundry is understood to have won the lucrative Asahi advertising account, not that anyone is shouting it from the rooftops just yet.
Media Insider was promised the exclusive this week, but then the Publicis PR person rang and said the company couldn't comment. They referred us to Asahi, who did not respond to messages.
The incumbent agency, OMD, and its chief executive, Nigel Douglas, sent us a gracious statement.
'OMD have really enjoyed their eight-year partnership with Asahi,' he said.
'Some of the many highlights include a unique, sold out dining experience with Asahi Aki Doa, we won a Gold FOMA and Effie for Carlsberg, stood up a bespoke ecom offering during Covid in a mere two weeks and recently helped to launch Hard Rated in New Zealand, one of their most successful launches ever.
'We wish them the best for the future.'
'Fear and distress': Movie ad complaints upheld
Two separate advertisements, for two separate movies, have fallen foul of the advertising watchdog.
The Advertising Standards Authority says billboard and bus advertisements for the film Final Destination Bloodlines and a poster campaign for the movie Bring Her Back were likely to cause fear and distress for some people, including children.
In separate decisions, the ASA's complaints board concluded with the same finding: 'The majority of the board said the advertisement had not been prepared and placed with a due sense of social responsibility.'
The Advertising Standards Authority's complaints board has upheld a complaint about a Final Destination Bloodlines advertisement.
A complainant said the Final Destination Bloodlines ad 'would expose young children to an inappropriate and gruesome image'.
The complainant expressed particular concern that the images were at eye-sight level for children, said the ASA.
'The billboard and bus advertisements for the Universal Pictures film Final Destination Bloodlines show the image of a black skull with its mouth open and a chain through the nose against a red and black background.
'The text in the advertisement says, 'Final Destination Bloodlines in cinemas May 15′ and 'Death Runs in the Family'.'
Universal defended the ad to the ASA, describing the film as 'a suspenseful comedy-horror which contains numerous scenes which could be seen as over the top and scary in nature and advertising materials have been produced within the context of the product being advertised'.
It told the ASA that Final Destination was a well-known and recognised franchise. 'The advertisement did not appear on any school bus routes and billboards were not within 50m of any schools or next to places of worship.'
However, the ASA said the majority of its complaints board said the confronting image and the placement in unrestricted environments meant the advertisement was likely to cause fear and distress for a sector of society, including children.
The advertisement was not to be used again in its current form.
In the case of Bring Her Back, two complainants were concerned the advertisement was accessible to children who had been extremely affected by the imagery.
The complainants told the ASA the advertisement 'was unnecessary and disturbing and caused distress and anxiety'.
The Advertising Standards Authority also upheld two complaints about a poster for the Bring Her Back movie.
The poster showed a child with bulging and bloodshot eyes.
Sony Pictures told the ASA its advertising agency, PHD, checked with media companies before running the creative.
It said guidelines were adhered to, based on proximity to schools and early childhood education centres. It did not consider there had been a breach of any media placement, but confirmed all advertisements had been removed because of the completion of the campaign, the ASA said.
The ASA's complaints board reiterated that the campaign was likely to cause 'fear and distress for a sector of society, including children'.
The advertisement was not to be used again in its current form.
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.
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