Samantha Hayes to front Stuff’s new 6pm TV bulletin alongside other key talent

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

Stuff owner and publisher Sinead Boucher and Head of WBD NZ Glen Kyne have outlined an agreement to continue a nightly news broadcast on Three.

Samantha Hayes and several top Newshub journalists will join Stuff as part of the team to deliver the company’s new 6pm television bulletin.

In April, Warner Bros. Discover (WBD) confirmed the closure of its newsroom, the Newshub website and the end of the 6pm and AM TV news bulletins on channel three.

Days later, Stuff Group and WBD announced an agreement for Stuff to provide a daily news bulletin to WBD, which will begin on Saturday July 6, the day after the final Newshub bulletin airs.

On Tuesday, the first tranche of key talent, journalists and operational staff hired from Newshub was announced by Stuff Group, with current Newshub presenter Samantha Hayes confirmed in a new, solo role for the 6pm show.

Samantha Hayes will present Stuff's new 6pm news bulletin on channel three.

On Instagram, Hayes wrote the new bulletin is “really is the most exciting news project in the country right now and I’m thrilled to be part of the team working on it.”

“Stuff is New Zealand’s number one news website - a trusted source of news for many Kiwis,” she wrote.

“The best bit is I’ll still be doing the nightly news at 6pm on Three. I’m passionate about making great, live television and I’m revved up about the new show that’s taking shape behind the scenes.”

Six other well-known Newshub journalists are also joining Stuff to work on the bulletin and across Stuff’s ecosystem of news products. Key production roles have also been appointed.

Journalists including Jenna Lynch, Laura Tupou, Ollie Ritchie, Juliet Speedy, Zane Small and Heather Keats, are among the group of new hires.

Leading the team is one of the country’s most experienced broadcast producers, Claire Watson, who has been appointed 6pm’s executive producer, while Steve Gore-Smith, currently Newshub’s Senior Manager of Operations, will become Stuff’s Director of Video Operations and Technology.

Jenna Lynch and Zane Small are among the first tranche of journalists announced to join Stuff from Newshub.

The as-yet-unnamed bulletin will broadcast for an hour Monday to Friday with a 30-minute programme on the weekend.

Hayes said she was delighted to be joining Stuff.

“I’m thrilled to be starting a new chapter of my career with Stuff, after nearly two decades at Three. It’s an honour to be anchoring this new iteration of the 6pm news and I’m grateful it will keep Newshub’s legacy alive. This is the most exciting news project in the country and I hope our viewers will trust us and come along for the ride.”

Managing Director of Stuff Digital Nadia Tolich said the talent of the team hired from Newshub would add additional firepower and specialist skills to complement Stuff’s large national newsroom.

“We are excited to have secured the top talent in the country to anchor our new bulletin. Samantha is an experienced and polished professional with brilliant skills and warmth. We are lucky to have her as part of the team.

“Newshub, like Stuff, is known for its gutsy journalism and the calibre of the journalists we’ve hired reflects that,” said Tolich. “Like all of our journalists, they will work across our ecosystem of products in a variety of roles. Their specialised skills will complement the teams we have producing our digital, audio, video and print news products.

“While there are some very familiar faces in our lineup, and we’ll be reporting on all the major events in news, sport and business, this will be an evolution of a 6pm news product,” Tolich said.

Juliet Speedy and Laura Tupou will join Stuff as part of the new 6pm TV bulletin.

“We’ve said right from the start that we are innovating not replicating, and that will be in the way we commission and tell stories, the technology we use and our ability to get to the news first, right around the motu, through our large team of Stuff journalists.

“We are also evolving the way we engage with audiences, leveraging the scale of our reach on New Zealand’s largest digital news platform stuff.co.nz to bring the voice of New Zealand into the bulletin.”

Juliet Peterson, WBD Vice President, Head of Networks ANZ said she was excited to see the new Stuff bulletin come together.

“This is a brand-new 6pm bulletin with some continuity from familiar faces from the Newshub team.

“As we said on the day we announced this bulletin, this is the future of news. As the most-read news organisation in the country, Stuff is uniquely capable of delivering a new 6pm bulletin for Three and ThreeNow. It will be hugely reassuring to know that when New Zealanders switch on the new bulletin, it will be Sam welcoming them.

“Everyone who works at Newshub are absolute superstars. That goes without saying. Sam as news anchor has been a cornerstone of Three for so many years – having her continue on in that role is a fabulous announcement.”