With the departure of long-standing TVNZ political editor Jessica Mutch McKay, there is a vacuum at the top of the state broadcaster’s political coverage in need of filling.
The high-profile political journalist announced at the end of December last year she would be leaving for a job at ANZ, with a TVNZ spokesperson telling Stuff at the time that hunt for a replacement and an announcement would happen within weeks.
But as January ticks along, TVNZ has said there is not yet date for the announcement of Mutch McKay’s replacement, even though she only has a few weeks left in the role.
The obvious front-runner for the position is TVNZ deputy political editor Maiki Sherman (Ngāpuhi), who has a proven track record in the capital and is the chair of the Press Gallery.
She is already well-into the second decade of her broadcasting career and has a number of elections under her belt.
She previously told Stuff growing up as part of a “generation who was reclaiming their language, their culture, and their identity, naturally it lends you towards challenging the system and the status quo” and led her into journalism.
Other candidates
But there are other internal candidates, like TVNZ stalwart Jack Tame and business correspondent Katie Bradford who could take a shot at the position - though it would mean relocating to Wellington for each of them.
Tame was a former US correspondent, covering political issues and he currently hosts the network’s Q+A, the show Mutch McKay hosted prior to getting the job as political editor.
And as long as we’re wildly speculating, maybe veteran journalist and TVNZ’s chief correspondent John Campbell will put his hand up?
It could be hard to find anyone with a more proven track record, though Campbell’s current role gives him the freedom to work on projects and programmes across the spectrum of the broadcaster’s offerings.
While there are strong candidates inside the building, it doesn’t preclude the talent search from spreading the net a little wider.
Newshub Nation host Rebecca Wright can often be seen going toe-to-toe with the country’s political leaders, and has proven herself a worthy contender.
Familiar faces
She has already spent time at TVNZ as the state broadcaster’s US correspondent, and covered Donald Trump’s presidency from the outset.
Newstalk ZB’s political editor Jason Walls has been in Wellington for years, covering parliament for the radio station and NZME stable partner the NZ Herald. He is deputy chair of the Press Gallery and a familiar face around parliament press conferences, especially during the daily pandemic briefings.
RNZ’s deputy political editor Craig McCulloch could be in the mix too, having spent much of the last decade at the country’s state radio station, with the exception of a brief stint with Reuters in London.
But whoever gets the nod will have big boots to fill, given the years of experience Mutch McKay has accumulated in the role.
She led coverage of the last two national elections since she took over the role in 2018. Previously she worked as a gallery reporter, a general reporter and as Europe correspondent for 1News between 2013 and 2015.
She leaves for a new role at ANZ Bank as the head of government relations and corporate responsibility.
A TVNZ spokesperson said Mutch McKay had been an exceptional political for TVNZ,” the spokesperson said, and while they were sad to see her go, they wished Mutch McKay “all the best in her new role”.
- Stuff