The Beehive and the broadcaster: What next for TVNZ as frosty relations hit new low

Tuesday, 28 April 2026

ANALYSIS: TVNZ’s political editor is one of the most high profile roles in the New Zealand media.

As head of the state broadcaster’s press gallery team, they often set the political agenda, front on crucial polling data, and are expected to have access to key political figures in and out of government.

So what happens if they themselves are the subject of scrutiny - not over their reporting, but their personal conduct? And what does it mean if the relationship between the Government and TVNZ is at risk of crumbling?

TVNZ’s political reporters, including political editor Maiki Sherman, are this week under fire over two separate alleged incidents.

On Friday, National’s newly minted campaign chair Simeon Brown revealed that the party had lodged a complaint against TVNZ - to both the Speaker and the broadcaster - alleging staff followed National’s whip Stuart Smith into an area of Parliament where media interviews aren’t normally permitted, and 'aggressively' banged on his door for several minutes. They’re also said to have “pressured him about how he would be portrayed on Breakfast the following morning” if he did not come out and speak.

Brown did not reveal the journalists involved on social media, and would not disclose the names even when directly asked on Newstalk ZB. However The Post understands that Sherman was one of those involved.

Brown said he “wasn’t going to go into which staff members it was”, but confirmed they were members of TVNZ’s political gallery at Parliament.

Come Tuesday morning, allegations of a different nature were made in an online blog post by an activist and former National Party staffer.

The claims, later reported by other outlets including The Post, are that at a closed door, late-night event inside Nicola Willis’ office almost a year ago, Sherman used a slur against Stuff explainer editor Lloyd Burr.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Burr’s employer, Stuff, said: “Stuff Group stands by, and has complete faith in, Lloyd Burr’s account of the events and his conduct in Minister Willis’ office last May. We will continue to respect his wishes not to comment further on what occurred that night.”

Willis has appeared to confirm the alleged incident, saying in a statement, “I can confirm I hosted a function for press gallery journalists in my office ahead of last year’s Budget.

“I was out of the room for a few minutes and returned to hear offensive language being used. I ended the event at that point.

“The following day, I checked in on the welfare of the reporter at whom the language was directed. He advised me he did not want to take the matter any further. I respected his decision.”

The blogger, Ani O’Brien, later said the incident was brought to her attention by someone in the media, “not any politician or staffer”. Senior National MPs also deny being behind the story.

TVNZ told The Post it didn’t comment on employment matters. Sherman also has not responded to a request for comment, with her phone going to voicemail, and was not present at the prime minister’s post-cabinet press conference on Tuesday.

TVNZ had defended its reporters in relation to the Stuart Smith incident, with a spokesperson telling The Post last Friday it had a “different view” of what took place.

“Our journalist was asking questions on behalf of the public, as they do every day. This story came to light due to leaking from National Party MPs. It was a legitimate story to follow. We look forward to Stuart Smith making himself available to explain his absence from caucus,” said a spokesperson.

“The correct place for complaints to be raised are with The Speaker of the House who has authority over these matters, not with TVNZ or on social media. Simeon Brown is well aware of this.”

This follows previous scrutiny of TVNZ’s political reporting after a story on gang numbers by Sherman’s deputy, Benedict Collins, prompted a public takedown by police minister Mark Mitchell, who labelled it “unbalanced journalism” for failing to take into account newly released crime stats.

As The Post was first to report, internal emails revealed TVNZ staff - including Sherman - attempted to calm the matter and offered an apology over the story.

Last week also saw Luxon announce he had cancelled his regular slot on TVNZ’s Breakfast programme; that decision came after a pair of interviews with new Breakfast host Tova O’Brien that resulted in gaffes going viral online (in one, the PM appeared to forget he did have a Māori minister in his cabinet: Tama Potaka).

All of which points to a possible breakdown in the relationship between the state-owned broadcaster and the Government, or at least the National Party wing of it.

What happens next, especially given it is an election year, is crucial.

Former TVNZ political editor, and current press gallery writer for his own Politik blog, Richard Harman, said the broadcaster should back its reporter.

“I think there's a bit of a public beat-up of Maiki going on at the moment,” he said. “Anybody who's worked in the press gallery knows that there's often - not just among journalists, but among other people who work in Parliament - incidents, if we want to put it that way.

“They have no political importance at all. If I insult somebody at a private party in Parliament, then it's got nothing to do with my journalism or that person's political performance.”

Harman said if Sherman was being accused of publishing a story that was wrong or “heavily slanted”, that would be a different story.

“I rate [Sherman] as a political reporter, and I do wonder whether [the scrutiny] would be as intense as it is if she were a white male.”

Another ex-TVNZ political editor, Mark Sainsbury, said the high-profile reporting role has always involved a “bit of a balancing act”.

“Back in the day that network sort of ruled the world because they were the biggest game in town,” he says. “There's quite a responsibility that you had … [you] have to be fair, and, you know, there was an incredible amount of pressure on you, because basically, their reporting can make such a big difference to the parties.”

While Sainsbury was unaware of the latest alleged incident, he said that there used to be a “what happened on tour, stayed on tour” mentality - but that “stuff always leaks out”.

He said the question was why it had taken so long to become public.

“There's so many different agendas going on. Did someone decide to leak that because [they] thought it was outrageous, or they were pissed off with Maiki? You’ve got to look at the ‘why’ with all of this.”

Willis, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, rejected being involved in the story circulating: “I absolutely have not been involved in talking to that blogger … In fact, I have worked to keep it as private as possible due to my concern for the individual who was the subject of the slur and their desire for it not to enter the public domain.”

She did not have a stance on whether Sherman’s position was tenable, but ACT leader and deputy prime minister David Seymour did. He suggested Parliament’s Speaker should look at her media accreditation after what he called a “conspiracy of silence” around the issue.

“There's a lot of people here, good reporters, who are innocent of any of this, but you'll get dragged down with it too.”

Luxon, at his post-cabinet press conference, managed to avoid most questions on the issue - but suggested that regular New Zealanders weren’t interested in it anyway.

“You can talk about yourselves as media on media, actually we have rules and standards in this place and we expect professionalism, and we expect that to be upheld.”