Paul Thompson, RNZ CEO

What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we look back on 2023 and look to 2024?

Focused.

How would you describe your year?

Full-on. From the weather events that have rightly dominated the news cycle and impacted so many areas in New Zealand to a general election and of course the Rugby World Cup, it’s been a big news year.

And a big one for RNZ as well, as we shifted focus from the move to bring TVNZ and RNZ together to start work on our new strategy. We’ve launched new content, put in place nearly 70 per cent of the findings from our independent review and stepped up our content-sharing agreements which means RNZ content is now reaching more New Zealanders than ever.

It really is an exciting time to head RNZ.

What’s the best initiative/project/ campaign in your own business — and one that you thought a rival did well?

This year we launched RNZ Asia — a new service for New Zealand’s Chinese and Indian communities. I was especially proud of the work RNZ Asia did in covering the election, including spending over two weeks translating RNZ’s guide to party policy to simplified Chinese and live blogging on election night.

We don’t see other media providers as rivals, but I would like to acknowledge those in the sector who tell our regional and local stories with a laser focus — it’s critical to the strength of communities.

Next year we are supporting 16 local democracy reporters to work in newsrooms in the regions and each of those newsrooms has committed to their development and shown that they continue to see the value in local journalists in touch with their communities.

How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media — what’s the biggest priority for you?

It will be another challenging year and the sector will continue to adapt.

RNZ’s top priority will be to deliver on the promise we made to our audience in our strategy – providing and supporting outstanding public media that matters. We also want to make sure our people have the modern tools needed to do their work and we will continue to collaborate to help the wider sector. We have to work together to ensure a sustainable and vibrant local media.

What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?

The decline in trust in the media. We are currently doing some work to better understand what is happening and how we can address it.

The old axiom for journalism is that it’s about speaking truth to power. That’s still part of what we do every day, but I think we also have a role in giving a voice to those who don’t have one. How we do that and reflect New Zealanders and the issues important to them is critical.

What’s the biggest mistake media/ marketing /advertising people need to avoid in 2024?

Ask me in 12 months! But seriously I think when times are tough there is a tendency for tensions within the sector to increase and I think we need to recognise that we are stronger together on most of the key issues.

What are your plans for the summer break?

Catching up with Kim Hill’s greatest interviews through the new Kim Hill Collection podcast is on my list.

I’ll be reacquainting myself with some of New Zealand’s mountain bike trails and most importantly seeing friends and family.

The old axiom for journalism is that it’s about speaking truth to power. That’s still part of what we do every day, but I think we also have a role in giving a voice to those who don’t have one.