Report into RNZ audience drop-off highlights culture issues, makes ‘blunt’ calls

Thursday, 14 August 2025

A highly critical independent review of state broadcaster RNZ, prepared in response to “persistent audience decline”, has highlighted several failings that need to be addressed in order to win back listeners.

The review, by former RNZ news boss Richard Sutherland, noted that the broadcaster suffered from a “lack of audience clarity, internal cohesion and urgency” and said that staff, during interviews for the review, were not clear on who they should be speaking to on the radio each day.

“The most worrying theme was the view that RNZ regards live listening as a sunset activity, rather than a growth opportunity. Disturbingly, this belief was held by staff at every level of RNZ, from junior producers through to executives,” the report stated.

“It shows a lack of understanding of how the performance of RNZ as a whole is measured by the board, external competitors and other commentators, politicians from across the spectrum, and most importantly of all for a public media entity, the public itself.”

Stamping out this belief would require “significant involvement” from senior leaders at RNZ, the report added, noting that RNZ staff must be “ambitious and prepared to fight” for a larger audience.

Once the market leader, RNZ’s on-air dominance has weakened since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s daily audience is now well below that of its main competitor, Newstalk ZB, along with a suite of commercial music stations like ZM and The Edge.

It was noted in the report that “too many voices” on RNZ do not meet the standards that audiences expect, and called for an audit of talent - though no specific names were mentioned.

“Some people shouldn’t be on air … it’s time to stop dodging hard calls,” the report said.

“No new hires should be allowed on air until they’ve been assessed and cleared, and some staff currently allowed on air should be taken off-air until the designated expert considers them suitable.

“Voice quality and the ability to perform in a live audio environment must be key considerations when hiring new staff, especially in News. A candidate's inability to meet these standards should not necessarily preclude their employment but it must be clearly understood that they can’t go on air until they reach an acceptable level - and some may never do so.”

At least one new, external “high-profile” hire should be brought into a “prominent” role to signal “ambition and drive renewed interest” to both staff and the audience.

The “high standard” of some newsreading was being “undermined” by those “nowhere near that level, both in comprehension of what they are reading and delivering”.

It concluded: “No one should be allowed on-air until they have been cleared to do so. RNZ National’s peak programmes can’t be training grounds.”

The report said that working from home had “significantly undermined” collaboration at RNZ, leading to fragmentation within teams - though the broadcaster, in responses provided alongside the release of the report, said working in the office was “the default” position for staff.

Workers were expected to be in the office “for at least three days” each week, RNZ said.

The broadcaster’s flagship news show, Morning Report, also came under fire in the report - in part for being too focused on Wellington, where much of its team is based.

“If RNZ National wants to grow, it must prioritise where the audience is. That means treating Auckland as the strategic centre of gravity,” the report said.

“Key to this strategy is the relocation of Morning Report to Auckland. Both main presenters should be based there, supported by most of the production staff. Auckland is the centre of New Zealand’s business, cultural, and social life. Producing the programme from Wellington creates editorial distance from the wider audience and reinforces the feeling of political insulation and dependence on government.”

The station retained “a perception” of being Wellington-based and “government-aligned”, read the report.

“RNZ National can recover, but only if it chooses to. That means making a clear, deliberate decision to change direction and fight for audience. Recovery depends on three things: reconnecting with listeners, lifting editorial and cultural leadership, and setting hard performance standards.”

In the report’s foreword, Sutherland said that while the recommendations were “blunt”, they were necessary and reflected “the seriousness of the station’s current trajectory”.

“The goal is to return RNZ National to leadership in live audio, with clarity, confidence, and ambition.”

Some “pushback” from staff, unions, former employees and commentators was to be expected.

“That’s part of the territory. RNZ’s job isn’t to keep insiders happy - it’s to serve the public. And that means acting decisively, not waiting for permission. Hold your nerve.”

In its response to the Sutherland report, RNZ said it had a “longstanding objective to grow audiences and engagement, with the goal to reach 80% of New Zealanders 18-plus per month by 2027. That was achieved in November last year.”

Any decisions around new staff appointments would be a decision, RNZ said, for the new chief audio officer - a position currently being recruited for.

“The management of on-air talent will be for the chief audio officer to determine in consultation with colleagues.”

On the recommendation to increase focus on Auckland, the station said the super city “and the upper North Island” was a critical market for RNZ.

“Morning Report will have a more Auckland-focused team and include more Auckland-based kaimahi (staff). However, there is still a need for resource outside of Auckland, including, importantly, for resilience.”

This year’s Budget saw RNZ’s funding slashed by $18 million over the next four years, with broadcasting minister Paul Goldsmith saying he expected the network to “improve audience reach, trust and transparency”.