"Our presenters and broadcasters are in high demand to host and facilitate public events and there is real value to RNZ if staff develop their public profile and are actively engaged in the community."
Thompson said he had not made a big fuss about the change.
However long-time staff I approached said they were "gobsmacked" by the number of commercial crossovers and said the new approach was news to them.
Hirschfeld and Campbell have long been active on the celebrity emcee circuit, going back to the days when they worked together at TV3.
One of Hirschfeld's key tasks now is to prepare the replacement for the evening show Checkpoint, which will feature Campbell.
Radio NZ said its policy on conflicts of interest was transparent, and staff were required to get approval for outside work from their bosses.
Emcees for hire
Chief executive Thompson said Radio NZ knew it had to be careful to protect its reputation for independence. He had some concerns about ads for St John medical alarms, featuring Hirschfeld. The St John ambulance service has been in the headlines over its new response system.
That deal was signed before Hirschfeld joined Radio NZ last year. Thompson said he would be discussing the matter with her next week.
Hirschfeld also appears in print commercials for Partridge Jewellers, for which she signed before joining Radio NZ.
At the Air New Zealand event, Hirschfeld and Campbell used their day job relationship of content chief and broadcaster as part of the schtick for their performance - at one point Campbell referred to not using a Radio NZ phone for a private call, and Hirschfeld said she was glad to hear it.
Asked for comment about her sideline, Hirschfeld said numerous broadcasters worked as emcees and speakers, including Simon Dallow, Wendy Petrie, Rachel Smalley and Mike Hosking.
She said Radio NZ was aware she was bringing that experience to the job.
It is possible to argue that emceeing an awards show or even a corporate event does not imply endorsement. And lately, all news media have been pulling down traditional barriers between editorial and commercial functions. But in my opinion, it is unusual to have a senior public servant working alongside one of her staff in a sideline business venture.
Campbell is being heavily promoted by Radio NZ as the exemplar of independence and integrity.
This week he told the Herald he was aware of the possible negative perception of his doing corporate events. Campbell said the Air New Zealand function would be his last corporate event, but he would continue to emcee awards shows.
Hirschfeld said she was always very careful which events she worked on. There was no question of her commercial relationships affecting news coverage, she said.
But pressed for her future plans, she too said she intended to limit herself to awards ceremonies and would drop corporate events such as the one for Air New Zealand. Thompson said he was glad his head of content and the current affairs host had come to that conclusion.
Another Radio NZ star, Afternoons host Jesse Mulligan, recently appeared in a TV commercial for the Lotteries Commission, which Radio NZ said he was committed to before it hired him.
Thompson said several staff had taken roles emceeing events, including pro bono work for charity. But staff approached by the Herald said they had not been told about the new "more relaxed" approach.
Thompson's predecessor, Peter Cavanagh, had a puritanical approach to maintaining what he saw as the integrity and independence of Radio NZ, and for a long time even refused to take funding from the Asia New Zealand Foundation, which has strict rules backing editorial independence.
Is this a case of going from one extreme to another? The policy has not changed, but its implementation has, and I wonder if the public radio brand is being damaged.
TVNZ has long been open to news and current events hosts doing work on the side. All such speaking engagements are handled on a case-by-case basis and subject to the approval of the head of news and current affairs. "This process is in place to ensure TVNZ's editorial credibility is retained." said a TVNZ spokeswoman.
