23 years on: The end of the Hilary Barry era

The countdown is on to Hilary Barry's final day at TV3, which will see her read the 6pm news for the very last time on Friday.

The broadcaster, who began her career with the network in 1993, appeared to be feeling nostalgic last week, posting a throwback photo to her first day on the job at 3 National News, when she went by her maiden name Hilary Pankhurst.

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Hilary Pankhurst reporting for duty at 3 National News, 1993. #throwbackthursday

A post shared by Hilary Barry (@hilary.barry) on May 18, 2016 at 3:33pm PDT

It's understood that Ingrid Hipkiss will replace Barry alongside Paul Henry in the mornings, while Samantha Hayes will fill in on the 6pm news, until permanent replacements are named.

Meanwhile, it's still unclear when Barry will begin her contract with TVNZ, with both parties remaining tight-lipped.

Samantha Hayes is rumoured to be the favourite replacement for Hilary Barry on Newshub.

Speculation is rife that TVNZ plans to use Barry to revamp its Breakfast offering, however, insiders say it is unlikely the broadcaster would make any major changes until the new year.

While some have suggested the network would be wise to lure Paul Henry back into its ranks, sources close to Barry say she would not sign up to work with Henry again.

Despite their friendly on-screen banter, sources say Barry is not a fan of Henry and finds him difficult to work with.