1News

• 1. Introduction

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  1News, the news service of New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ, owes its national reach in part to a storm. In April 1968 the Wahine disaster struck, and cameras in Wellington recorded footage that most of the country could not see. Television news had begun in 1960, with bulletins coming from four cities that operated independently of one another. Technical limits meant that pictures shot in Wellington could not be sent to the other centres at the same time. The extra-tropical cyclone that contributed to the disaster also grounded air traffic, so nobody could fly the film elsewhere.

  Today the service's flagship, 1News at Six, is usually the most-watched television programme in New Zealand and is seen as influential. It is broadcast from studios in Auckland. TVNZ also keeps bureaus in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with foreign correspondents in Australia, Europe and the United States.

  How does a country go from four disconnected newsrooms to that? Who sat behind the desk, and why did the names, channels and timeslots keep changing? And what happens when money, rivals and the internet begin to squeeze a national bulletin?

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• 2. A Network Is Born

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  At 7:35pm on the 3rd of November 1969, Dougal Stevenson read the first live news bulletin to reach the whole country at once. The nationwide television network had been completed the month before. Microwave links joined the four main centres, and that made the simultaneous broadcast possible. The programme was called the NZBC Network News. In its early days Philip Sherry, Dougal Stevenson and Bill Toft took turns reading it on a rotating roster.

  The Warkworth satellite communications station, built in 1971, ended another kind of delay. Before it opened, overseas programmes could not be received live. Footage had to be flown into New Zealand, and it was often days old.

  On the 31st of October 1973 the NZBC began broadcasting in colour. The Network News mostly stayed in black-and-white, however, until the NZBC was dissolved on the 31st of March 1975. The broadcaster wanted to avoid refitting its Wellington studio in Waring Taylor Street with colour equipment. It was waiting instead to move into a purpose-built facility, the Avalon television centre.

  Many more newsreaders appeared on the NZBC Network News before the dissolution. Afterwards the programme was renamed simply News. The Avalon centre that the broadcaster had been waiting for was about to open alongside a new channel, TV One.

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• 3. Two Channels

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  TV One began broadcasting on the 1st of April 1975, and it moved its evening news to 6:30pm. Dougal Stevenson or Bill McCarthy read the bulletin on a rotating roster until the 15th of February 1980. The new studios allowed the news to go out primarily in colour.

  TV2 followed on the 30th of June 1975 with a bulletin of its own, first scheduled for 7pm. By the end of 1975 it had moved to the earlier slot of 6pm. Jennie Goodwin anchored a nightly bulletin for TV2 as one of New Zealand's first female newsreaders to do so. Angela D'Audney had been first, two years before.

  In December 1976 TV2 was rebranded South Pacific Television, to set it apart from the former NZBC channel. Over the following year its main evening news was read by Tom Bradley and Philip Sherry. John Hawkesby later replaced Sherry. South Pacific Television ceased transmission on the 15th of February 1980.

  The next day, the 16th of February 1980, TV One and South Pacific Television were amalgamated into Television New Zealand. The main evening news carried on at 6:30pm on TV One. It would soon be joined by news programmes for four separate regions.

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• 4. Reshaping the Hour

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  On the 31st of March 1980, four regional news programmes began. Top Half served Auckland and the upper North Island, and Today Tonight served Wellington and the lower North Island. The Mainland Touch covered Christchurch and Canterbury, while 7:30 South covered Dunedin, Otago and Southland. At first they aired at 7:30pm and ran for half an hour.

  In February 1982 the main bulletin was revamped into a single hour, running from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. It combined the day's national and international news, the regional programmes and the weather forecast. Dunedin's 7:30 South became The South Tonight. TVNZ also introduced a feature segment called Nationwide, which carried regional items of national interest. It also offered "sidebars", items that looked at the human interest side of an event reported in the network news. Nationwide was dropped in late 1983, and the main bulletin was extended to make room for more sport.

  Sport and weather had faces of their own by the mid-1980s. Richard Long and Tony Ciprian alternated presenting sport, while Veronica Allum and Sue Scott shared the weather on alternate nights. In February 1988 Ciprian moved to the new commercial network TV3, as its first sports producer. He stayed with 3 News for almost 20 years.

  July 1988 moved the bulletin to 6pm under the name Network News at Six. It also brought computer-generated weather graphics. Jim Hickey and Penelope Barr replaced Allum and Scott as weather presenters. Hickey became TVNZ's most popular weather presenter. He left in 2003, returned in 2007 and left again in December 2014. Daniel Corbett, a former BBC meteorologist, had joined the weather team that September. Karen Olsen made her final broadcast as weathercaster on the 16th of November 2015.

  On the 3rd of April 1989, TVNZ launched a nightly current affairs programme, Holmes, presented by Paul Holmes at 6:30pm. The Network News at Six shrank back to 30 minutes, and the regional programmes moved to around 5:45pm on TV2. The same year, TVNZ appointed its first foreign correspondents. They were Liam Jeory in London and Susan Wood in Sydney.

  Competition forced a new name in November 1989. TV3 had a bulletin called 3 National News, and the Network News was relaunched as One Network News. In December 1989 TVNZ axed Top Half and Today Tonight. The Mainland Touch and The South Tonight continued for another year on TV One at 5:45pm, with support from NZ On Air. The two Christchurch and Dunedin programmes were axed at the end of 1990.

  In February 1995 the main bulletin was extended again, from 30 minutes to a full hour at 6pm, with Holmes following at 7pm. A new studio set was unveiled at the same time and used until 2003. On the 31st of December 1999 the programme was renamed again, this time as One News.

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• 5. The Anchor Desk

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  In November 1986 Judy Bailey and Neil Billington became the first co-presenters of the revamped Network News, in a double-headed format. They replaced Philip Sherry. Tom Bradley moved to weekends, where he alternated with Angela D'Audney as weekend anchor.

  In February 1988 Richard Long took over from Billington as co-anchor. It was the beginning of a partnership with Bailey that would continue for much of the next 15 years.

  July 1997 changed the weekend desk. Husband and wife Simon Dallow and Alison Mau replaced D'Audney and Bradley. Bradley resigned, but D'Audney stayed on as a backup presenter for other bulletins until her death in 2002.

  In 1998 TVNZ signed John Hawkesby, then anchor of 3 National News, to replace Long from the start of 1999. When Hawkesby began presenting at 6pm alongside Bailey, the public protested loudly about the separation of Bailey and Long. Three weeks later Long was reinstated as co-anchor. Hawkesby later took TVNZ to court and won.

  Changes in 2003 were far sweeping. Bill Ralston, the incoming head, remade the formats of many programmes, and many presenters were culled. Sports presenter April Bruce, who was born April Ieremia, left that year. The changes ended the 15-year partnership of Long and Bailey. From January 2004 the 6pm bulletin reverted to a single anchor, Bailey.

  In October 2005 TVNZ announced that it would not renew the contract of its long-standing flagship broadcaster. Some observers believed this was a direct reaction to the programme's declining market share in Auckland against 3 News. An emotional Bailey signed off for the final time on the 23rd of December 2005. She was TVNZ's longest-serving newsreader, with 34 years of reporting and presenting for the NZBC and TVNZ. When the bulletin returned after the break, Wendy Petrie and Simon Dallow took over as a double-headed pair. The weekend bulletin stayed single-headed until September 2008, when Peter Williams joined Bernadine Oliver-Kerby as co-anchor.

  During the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, cost-cutting returned the weekday bulletin to a single presenter. Simon Dallow remained as the sole newsreader, while Wendy Petrie lost her role. She stayed at TVNZ as a backup presenter across other 1News programmes.

  Behind the camera, leadership also changed. Paul Yurisich was appointed Head of News and Current Affairs in 2020. He resigned in 2022 after a review into the hiring of former Al Jazeera presenter Kamahl Santamaria. Phil O'Sullivan replaced him as Executive Editor, News and Current Affairs, having held the role in an acting capacity since June 2022.

  In late July 2023, 1News revamped its intro and banner. The colour changed from blue to black, and the name and job title moved to the left side of the screen.

  On the 28th of November 2025, Simon Dallow stood down as the weekday presenter after 20 years. Melissa Stokes, who had presented at weekends, replaced him. Jack Tame was announced as the new weekend presenter, working Friday and Saturday instead of the full weekend.

  On the 26th of January 2026, 1News updated its template with minor graphics changes. On the 10th of May 2026 it went further, with a new opening, a new desk and a virtual studio background. The traditional blue was replaced by a purple colour scheme.

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• 6. Beyond the Bulletin

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  Five segments, separated by advertisement breaks, make up each hour of 1News at Six. National and international stories fill the first three, about 35 minutes in all. Sport takes the fourth segment, roughly 10 to 15 minutes, and the weather comes at the end. Hayley Holt or Andrew Saville present the sport. On Sundays the weather moves earlier to make room for a light-hearted segment called Good Sorts.

  On the 2nd of January 1995, protesters occupied the studio and delayed One Network News by 10 minutes. They were angry that the Māori language bulletin Te Karere was off air over the Christmas and New Year period. Today Te Karere is a half-hour bulletin broadcast at 4pm on weekdays, entirely in Māori, with the weather also given in Māori. Scotty Morrison presents it. It regularly attracts between 50,000 and 80,000 viewers a day.

  The early morning schedule began on the 11th of August 1997 with the Telstra Business and Breakfast shows. Michael Wilson hosted Telstra Business, while Susan Wood and Mike Hosking hosted Breakfast. Breakfast now airs short news, sport and weather updates every half hour from 6:30am to 8:30am. Chris Chang and Tova O'Brien rotate as newsreaders. A Saturday edition began on the 3rd of September 2011, hosted by Rawdon Christie and Toni Street. It was cancelled for financial reasons at the end of 2012, together with One News at 4:30. Business with Breakfast, hosted by Mei Heron, first aired on the 11th of May 2026 as a half-hour show before the main programme.

  Holmes left TVNZ's schedule in 2004 after Paul Holmes resigned following failed contract negotiations. Close Up was launched in November 2004 in the same format, hosted by Susan Wood. She resigned suddenly in 2006, and Mark Sainsbury became the main host.

  Paul Holmes returned in 2009, by then Sir Paul Holmes, as host of the new political programme Q+A. Q+A won Best News/Current Affairs Programme at the 2009 Qantas Media Awards. Illness stopped him hosting in late 2012, and he died on the 1st of February 2013. Today Jack Tame presents the hour-long programme on Sundays at 9am. Each edition holds an interview with a politician who has been in the news and a panel debate on a political topic. From July 2018 it ran in primetime, and by mid-2020 it was back in its traditional Sunday morning slot.

  The final Close Up screened on the 30th of November 2012. Its replacement, Seven Sharp, had its first show on the 4th of February 2013, three days after Holmes died. Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells present the half-hour programme at 7pm each weekday, mostly with current events and local human interest stories.

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• 7. Screens and Budgets

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  On the 19th of March 2000, TVNZ launched its first digital initiative, nzoom.co.nz. It was staffed by 20 journalists and offered news, sport, entertainment and home and garden sections, as well as acting as a web portal. The site closed in 2003 and was replaced by a more basic offering designed to extend television programming. When it closed it ranked second among local online news providers, behind the New Zealand Herald and ahead of Stuff.

  In December 2008 the online news product relaunched under the TVNZ.co.nz domain. The broadcaster said it was "upping the ante" for its digital offerings.

  July 2012 saw TVNZ News at 8 and TVNZ News Now discontinued when TVNZ 7 closed down. Business was amalgamated into Breakfast in 2013. One News at 4:30 pm was also discontinued, for lack of funding. 1News won Best News at the Qantas Media Awards from 2008 through 2011, and Best Breaking News at the 2012 New Zealand Film and Television Awards.

  In July 2015, TVNZ rebranded its news website as One News Now, focused on breaking news and video. The change was expected to double the website's video views. Some critics saw an apparent pivot towards "clickbait". In May 2016 TVNZ began syndicating news video with Stuff. That year the programmes were renamed 1News, when TV One became TVNZ 1.

  In early March 2024, TVNZ proposed ending several programmes, including 1News at Midday and 1News Tonight. It blamed a decline in advertisement revenue and competition from digital rivals such as Netflix and YouTube. The proposal also included 68 job cuts, about 9 percent of the staff. On the 9th of April, TVNZ confirmed that both bulletins would be axed by mid-May 2024. Midday broadcast its final bulletin on Friday the 3rd of May 2024, hosted by Indira Stewart. Tonight, which had competed with Three's Newshub Late, ended on Friday the 10th of May 2024.

  On the 7th of October 2024, management proposed closing the 1News website by February 2025 as part of a NZ$30 million cost-saving measure. On the 29th of October, TVNZ abandoned the plan. It proposed expanding the news offering on its TVNZ+ streaming service instead. Nadia Tolich was appointed as TVNZ's chief news executive in April 2025, months after that reversal.

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• 8. Breaking News Specials

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  Over the 25th and the 26th of December 1991, 1News aired a special on the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Specials are screened during international, one-off and breaking news events. For overseas stories, 1News often airs a video feed from other news organisations.

  The list of specials reads like a New Zealand and world diary. The 26th of December 1993 brought the Auckland mid-air collision, and the 31st of August 1997 the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The September 11 attacks followed on the 11th of September 2001. A Gisborne earthquake on the 20th of December 2007 and the death of Sir Edmund Hillary on the 11th of January 2008 led to further specials. His state funeral followed on the 22nd of January 2008.

  The Pike River Mine disaster on the 19th of November 2010 had a special. So did the Christchurch earthquake of the 22nd of February 2011, and the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on the 11th of March 2011. The Kaikōura earthquake of the 14th of November 2016 had one as well.

  Specials marked the Christchurch mosque shootings on the 15th of March 2019 and the Whakaari/White Island eruption on the 9th of December 2019. Another covered the first anniversary of the shootings on the 15th of March 2020. Cyclone Gabrielle on the 14th of February 2023 brought a special, as did the death of Elizabeth II on the 9th of September 2022 and her state funeral on the 19th of September 2022.

  At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, a special aired most days at 1pm. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield used it to announce how many new cases of coronavirus there were in the country.

  Some broadcasts come back every year. Annual specials cover the Government Budget announcements and The Year in Review, which airs on the first Sunday of the year. They also include the New Year fireworks in Auckland.

  The most recent specials in the record are a 1News economic special titled You, Me, And the Economy on the 25th of November 2025, and the FIFA World Cup 2026 final draw on the 6th of December 2025.

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