Hilary Barry and Simon Dallow rumoured to front TVNZ election coverage

There is also speculation that Hilary Barry and Simon Dallow could host the prime time 6pm bulletin together.

Hilary Barry and Simon Dallow are rumoured to be hosting 1 News' 2017 election night special.

A source has told the Weekend Herald the pair, who are both veteran news readers but haven't presented together before, had been chosen to front TVNZ's coverage of what's likely to be the biggest national news event of the year.

However, TVNZ has been tight-lipped about its election night line up.

In response to questions from the Weekend Herald about Barry and Dallow a spokeswoman said: "We'll release full details of 1 NEWS' Election coverage plans once they're finalised - that's expected next week".

The speculation about Barry and Dallow hosting the election night coverage comes on the heels of talk in the industry that the network is testing the pair's on-screen chemistry, raising the prospect that they could host the prime time 6pm bulletin together.

Barry, who worked in several reporting and presenting positions for rival broadcaster MediaWorks for 23 years before joining TVNZ in August 2016, currently co-hosts Breakfast with 1 News' former US correspondent Jack Tame, while Dallow fronts the 6pm news alongside Wendy Petrie.

In July, TVNZ's head of news and current affairs John Gillespie poured cold water on claims Barry may take over from Petrie as the female prime time anchor, emphatically denying major changes were planned for Breakfast and Seven Sharp.

But it is understood that meetings were held to discuss a Breakfast "reboot" in the face of strong competition from its Mediaworks rival The AM Show.

Nielsen figures revealed The AM Show, hosted by Duncan Garner, has nearly doubled its audience in the past six months, from 38,000 viewers in February to 69,000 in July. By comparison, Breakfast drew an average audience of 115,000 viewers in July, down from 137,000 in April.

A spokeswoman for TVNZ reiterated Gillespie's statements when asked by the Weekend Herald on Friday about whether Barry would host the 6pm news.