NZ Herald, Newstalk ZB boost South Island news team with new appointments

Hamish Clark

Senior journalist Hamish Clark has been appointed to head New Zealand Media and Entertainment's (NZME) South Island news team.

Clark joins an expanded team of multimedia journalists in the NZME Christchurch newsroom, building on the excellent work of the Herald's Kurt Bayer, Newstalk ZB's Christchurch-based reporters – led by Anastasia Hedge - and Newstalk ZBs talk hosts Simon Barnett, Phil Gifford and Chris Lynch.

"Hamish is an incredibly experienced and highly regarded journalist who has spent many years covering local, national and international news events from his home base in
Christchurch. He was recognised for his outstanding work during the Christchurch
Earthquakes in 2011 when he was named Journalist of the Year at the Aotearoa Film and Television Awards," said NZME managing editor Shayne Currie.

Clark has been Newshub's South Island Bureau Chief since early 2016,

"Hamish has been responsible for leading a team of southern reporters covering stories from Farewell Spit to Stewart Island. He knows the South Island better than most and his time supporting his news teams during events like Pike River, the earthquakes and most recently, the Christchurch terror attack makes Hamish a perfect fit to lead our team in the South Island," said Currie.

NZME has recently boosted its South Island news team with the New Zealand Herald's renowned crime writer and podcaster Anna Leask and Voyager NZ Junior Reporter of the Year Logan Church leaving RNZ to join the NZME Christchurch newsroom. Digital producer Devon Bolger and reporter Hugh Collins will also soon be based in the Canterbury newsroom.

"We're very proud of our Christchurch team who've done an outstanding job making sure South Island stories hit our newspapers, websites and radio bulletins, helping us deliver quality, trusted journalism to our audiences wherever they are in New Zealand," said Currie

This week NZME has celebrated the extraordinary growth in the number of Kiwis reading its newspapers and magazines and accessing its on-line platforms.

Readership of the New Zealand Herald for the 12 months to June 30 has jumped 16 per cent year on year, to 546,000 daily readers. The New Zealand Herald's weekly brand audience is at a record 1.758 million people*.

Clark says he's looking forward to leading NZME's multi-platform focused reporting team and being part of an organisation that's expanding its investment in quality journalism.

"It's exciting to be joining a news team backed by a business prepared to make the commitment to not just support journalism but to ensure it has a thriving future.

"Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald already have a strong and respected presence in the South Island. The addition of more quality journalists can only further reassure our South Island communities that we are here to share their stories."