Jeff Latch, TVNZ director of content, resigns

Jeff Latch has resigned from TVNZ. Photo / File

TVNZ's director of content Jeff Latch has resigned ahead of a planned restructuring.

Latch will leave in July after 23 years at the broadcaster. He was appointed director of content in 2006 under then chief executive Rick Ellis.

In a statement, TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick said: "At our heart we're a content business and Jeff's played a central role in TVNZ's business successes over many years. Our track record of sustained growth in TV audience share and OnDemand reach is testament to Jeff's leadership of our Content team - the one year birthday of DUKE's successful launch being the most recent example."

Latch said leading the content team had been an "enormous privilege".

"The strength of TVNZ has always been its people and I wish all those passionate, dedicated and talented individuals all the very best for the future," he said.

A spokesperson for TVNZ said the recruitment process to appoint a new successor will begin shortly.

The move comes ahead of a planned restructuring at TVNZ.

TVNZ staff last week learned of a new proposal that would mean job losses at the national television broadcaster.

Kenrick did not reveal how many jobs were in the firing line, but said staff should have a clearer idea of whether their jobs were safe or not in a couple of weeks.

"We will have conversations with teams and have consultations on what's proposed but if we were to go forward with what's proposed today we would disestablish a number of roles. We would create some new ones but in absolute terms the net effect would be less," he told the Herald.

He said the job cuts would come from "the area of how we get the content back to TVNZ and then get it out to viewers".

"If you look at the processes, the systems, the roles around the editing, the production, we think that there's duplication in what we're doing right now and we think we could create a centre of excellence in one place and do that more efficiently."

He would not be drawn on whether staff would have to reapply for their jobs.

In December the Herald reported that the state broadcaster TVNZ spent more than $2 million in the past two financial years on "early termination" payments to top presenters and other newsroom staff. At the time, the business warned staff it needs to make radical changes to remain profitable.

Last year, several high-profile presenters departed, including weather presenter Karen Olsen, weekend newsreader Bernadine Oliver-Kerby, Fair Go's Gordon Harcourt and Breakfast hosts Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross.