Media Insider: Katie Bradford resigns from TVNZ as 1News business correspondent

1News business correspondent Katie Bradford. Photo / Supplied

Katie Bradford’s resignation leaves a hole in TVNZ’s business coverage and follows a series of newsroom cuts.

One of TVNZ’s most experienced journalists has resigned.

1News business correspondent Katie Bradford - who has been with the state broadcaster for more than a decade - is the latest of several well-known journalists to depart TVNZ.

Bradford, who is heading to a corporate role with Infrastructure NZ, referred comment to her employer.

A TVNZ spokeswoman confirmed Bradford’s resignation, saying she would be leaving in April.

“Katie is a hardworking and tenacious journalist,” the spokeswoman said. “She has been an asset to our newsroom and viewers have benefited from her thoughtful analysis and clever reporting.

“We’ll miss having her in the 1News team, but we wish her all the best for her new role with Infrastructure NZ.”

TVNZ has been forced into several rounds of cost-cutting, across the business, over the past two years.

While she is leaving on her own terms, Bradford has witnessed in recent months the departure of several of her newsroom colleagues, as TVNZ seeks to find $30 million in cost cuts or revenue gains.

Two years ago, TVNZ had about 730 staff. Its latest annual report shows 600 – but that number is now believed to be about 550 as a result of recent job losses, including those in the newsroom.

Among those who have left are two other senior reporters, Nicole Bremner and Helen Castles - they spoke to Media Insider this week about their time at TVNZ.

Bradford has been a journalist for more than 20 years, and previously worked in the parliamentary press gallery as a political reporter.

Her departure will be felt keenly across the business community - only this week she was analysing the Sky TV result and previewing the OCR announcement.

She was also a potentially strong option for TVNZ as a host for Q+A, although for the next two weeks, it has gone with RNZ’s Guyon Espiner to fill in for Jack Tame who is on paternity leave.

According to her TVNZ biography, Bradford’s journalistic interests are focused on “consumer and workplace issues, housing, construction, infrastructure, local government and of course the economy and politics”.

Two years ago, she became a mum for the first time.

“My friends and family have been amazing,” Bradford told the Herald then.

“I think they’ve been in tears of happiness more than I have. My parents are both very excited, another grandchild to add to the Bradford whanau and as I’m the only girl, it makes it extra special.”

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.