Stuff has announced Samantha Hayes will present its new nightly TV news bulletin.
The yet-to-be-named 6pm broadcast, which will air from July 6, will see Hayes going solo without a co-presenter.
Stuff is taking over evening news programme after Warner Bros Discovery axed its Newshub operation as part of a restructure.
“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,” said Hayes.
This is the most exciting news project in the country and I hope our viewers will trust us and come along for the ride.”
She will be joined at Stuff by other former Newshub colleagues, including Jenna Lynch, Laura Tupou, Ollie Ritchie, Juliet Speedy, Zane Small and Heather Keats. They will work on the bulletin and across Stuff’s news ecosystem.
Production staff have also been appointed in key roles. Claire Watson will become 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.
“Newshub, like Stuff, is known for its gutsy journalism and the calibre of the journalists we’ve hired reflects that,” said Nadia Tolich, Stuff Digital’s managing director.
“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 Peterson, WBD Vice President, Head of Networks ANZ, said: “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.”
