E tū Director Michael Wood described the cuts as part of a “massacre of journalist capacity across the country”, as the media industry continues to struggle with widespread layoffs and shrinking resources.
“It follows on from NZME closing 14 regional titles, major job reductions at Stuff, and successive rounds of cuts at TVNZ,” Wood said.
“Cumulatively, these reductions mean that the New Zealand media system has less ability to perform its core functions – holding decision-makers to account, providing information in response to natural disasters, covering breaking news, and undertaking long-term investigations that help to inform the public on important issues.”
Trust in media at crisis levels
As media organisations shed jobs at an alarming rate, public confidence in the industry has collapsed to new lows.
According to new research from Ipsos, commissioned by eight city councils across the country, nearly half of New Zealanders (48%) now say they mistrust the media, while just 27% express trust—a devastating indictment of the state of journalism in the country.
This is a sharp decline from AUT’s February 2024 study, which found 33% of New Zealanders trusted the media.
The Ipsos poll also stands out for its sheer scale—over 6,000 respondents, nearly seven times the sample size of most surveys, making it a definitive measure of public sentiment.
The figures paint a grim picture of a media industry that has lost touch with its audience, with growing concerns that outlets have abandoned balanced reporting in favour of government-aligned narratives and click-driven content.
NZME, in particular, was a key player in championing the Government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
In 2021, it launched “The 90% Project”, a campaign designed to push vaccine uptake, using its vast media network—including the New Zealand Herald, Newstalk ZB, and regional radio stations—to amplify the Government’s messaging.
While some saw this as a public health initiative, critics argued it crossed the line into outright advocacy, raising questions about whether NZME and other media companies compromised their independence in exchange for financial support through public health advertising.
E tū warns against shift toward click-driven content
E tū members at NZME had engaged in discussions with the company, securing some amendments to the original redundancy proposal, which helped preserve some journalism roles.
“The work of E tū members at NZME resulted in some changes to the original proposals, which have preserved some capacity, showing the value of union membership and engagement,” Wood said.
However, he warned that NZME’s increasing focus on clickbait-driven content over serious journalism was a troubling shift that risked further alienating audiences.
“NZME must find a balance between generating short-term revenue and continuing to invest in high-quality journalism that drives long-term value,” he said.
Wood said the Government must take responsibility for failing to address the systemic challenges facing the media industry, particularly the dominance of social media platforms that profit from news content without contributing to its production.
“Primarily, though, this further round of cuts can be sheeted home to a Government that is missing in action,” he said.
“The sector continues to suffer because the content it produces gets used by social media platforms that do not contribute to its costs while earning advertising revenue from it. Last year, the Government committed to advancing the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill to address this issue, but now appears to have wilted in the face of lobbying from big overseas corporates.”
“In the wake of yet another round of cuts, it is more evident than ever that the Government needs to wake up and take action so that we preserve a media system that supports New Zealand’s democracy,” Wood said.
Media cuts continue to mount
The latest NZME redundancies add to a growing crisis in the New Zealand media industry, following significant job losses at Stuff, TVNZ, and the closure of multiple regional newspapers.
Broadcaster Chris Lynch is an award winning journalist who also produces Christchurch news and video content for domestic and international companies. This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media and is published here with kind permission.
“Cumulatively, these reductions mean that the New Zealand media system has less ability to perform its core functions – holding decision-makers to account, providing information in response to natural disasters, covering breaking news, and undertaking long-term investigations that help to inform the public on important issues.”
Trust in media at crisis levels
As media organisations shed jobs at an alarming rate, public confidence in the industry has collapsed to new lows.
According to new research from Ipsos, commissioned by eight city councils across the country, nearly half of New Zealanders (48%) now say they mistrust the media, while just 27% express trust—a devastating indictment of the state of journalism in the country.
This is a sharp decline from AUT’s February 2024 study, which found 33% of New Zealanders trusted the media.
The Ipsos poll also stands out for its sheer scale—over 6,000 respondents, nearly seven times the sample size of most surveys, making it a definitive measure of public sentiment.
The figures paint a grim picture of a media industry that has lost touch with its audience, with growing concerns that outlets have abandoned balanced reporting in favour of government-aligned narratives and click-driven content.
NZME, in particular, was a key player in championing the Government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
In 2021, it launched “The 90% Project”, a campaign designed to push vaccine uptake, using its vast media network—including the New Zealand Herald, Newstalk ZB, and regional radio stations—to amplify the Government’s messaging.
While some saw this as a public health initiative, critics argued it crossed the line into outright advocacy, raising questions about whether NZME and other media companies compromised their independence in exchange for financial support through public health advertising.
E tū warns against shift toward click-driven content
E tū members at NZME had engaged in discussions with the company, securing some amendments to the original redundancy proposal, which helped preserve some journalism roles.
“The work of E tū members at NZME resulted in some changes to the original proposals, which have preserved some capacity, showing the value of union membership and engagement,” Wood said.
However, he warned that NZME’s increasing focus on clickbait-driven content over serious journalism was a troubling shift that risked further alienating audiences.
“NZME must find a balance between generating short-term revenue and continuing to invest in high-quality journalism that drives long-term value,” he said.
Wood said the Government must take responsibility for failing to address the systemic challenges facing the media industry, particularly the dominance of social media platforms that profit from news content without contributing to its production.
“Primarily, though, this further round of cuts can be sheeted home to a Government that is missing in action,” he said.
“The sector continues to suffer because the content it produces gets used by social media platforms that do not contribute to its costs while earning advertising revenue from it. Last year, the Government committed to advancing the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill to address this issue, but now appears to have wilted in the face of lobbying from big overseas corporates.”
“In the wake of yet another round of cuts, it is more evident than ever that the Government needs to wake up and take action so that we preserve a media system that supports New Zealand’s democracy,” Wood said.
Media cuts continue to mount
The latest NZME redundancies add to a growing crisis in the New Zealand media industry, following significant job losses at Stuff, TVNZ, and the closure of multiple regional newspapers.
Broadcaster Chris Lynch is an award winning journalist who also produces Christchurch news and video content for domestic and international companies. This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media and is published here with kind permission.
14 comments:
If New Zealand media system had been performing its core functions like holding decision makers to account, providing information in response to natural disasters, covering breaking news, and undertaking long-term investigations that help to inform the public on important issues in a BI-PARTISAN way then maybe none of this would be happening.........
They are so dumb it is astonishing.
The NZ media doesn't offer objective non biased journalism. There are so many other options now.
The same Michael Wood - no suprises there
Anyone taking advice from Michael Woods deserves what they have coming.
If the media had chosen to be professional/ objective rather than partisan left, I have a feeling they'd be in a better position today.
In summary "I aint bovvered "
Mr (River of Filth, I presume) Wood thinks the New Zealand taxpayer should bail out the MSM who never back the ordinary citizens in any circumstances, never wrote about He PuaPua, never told( or is telling )the citizens about The Foreshore and Seabed Takeover, doesn't write balanced articles about Acts Treaty Principles Bill and continues to talk in a garbled mishmash of Maori and English language. Sorry Mr Wood, we won't oblige and we won't support a government who does either. Are you listening Coalition government?
This is not a moment for sadness but a time for joy. Lame stream media deserves everything coming their way.
Michael Wood has no credibility especially after his performance in the last government - could never survive in a commercial environment.
I had hoped that I would never hear his name again.
When is thd Herald going to publish its own Death Notice ?
Good Job.
This makes a fantastic joke. The legacy medias core function : holding the leaders to account. Lol. That made me laugh. Where were these far left msm lunatics when the Ardern lot were in power holding the worst govt in this countries history to account. The destruction committed by ardern and Co was second to none, yet the msm never held them to account. I would trust a meth addicted gug toting crim more than the msm. What does that tell them.....although they are not smart enough to figure it out....
Sky News Australia is good. Maybe we should replace all ours with that.
Every comment above pretty much nails the feeling most of the Nz public have for the media.
You screwed yourselves by treating the public like idiots.
Crocodile tears won’t make any difference to the outcome. Lift you game, start reporting objectively and leave your opinions at home.
All self-created and most certainly deserved; let Woods end up like the lying sycophants of the msm - in their own-self-dug-business-gone-bust-graves.
With their ‘litany of lies’ they sowed the wind during the tyranny of the last Labour Govt. Now, oh joy, they reap the whirlwind of destruction. The Marxists now taste some of the bitterness they visited on the rest of us.
Haha: "E tū" says it all! Maybe these guys just need look in a mirror to see close-up the source of their troubles. The quicker they all close down the better and good riddance.
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