Media Insider: Linda Clark’s new TVNZ role; Ali Mau’s Stuff move; Grant Nisbett on his rugby commentating career

‘The shit hit the fan’: The go-to woman – Linda Clark and her remarkable career as journalist, broadcaster, lawyer, and now TVNZ board director; MediaWorks at table for ex-Today FM staff; When Sir Ian Taylor
met Chlöe Swarbrick.

It was a moment in television news history that came to define Linda Clark’s journalistic courage and nose for a story.

It was 1999 and Clark and Mike Hosking were hosts of TVNZ’s Crossfire: A “terrible programme, it didn’t last long, which was blessed”, Clark later recalled.

The pair sat across a studio desk from then-Prime Minister Jenny Shipley in a two-on-one interview set-up. Shipley came to utter words that would, in the mind of Herald political commentator John Armstrong, plunge her into her most “serious credibility crisis”.

The TVNZ-John Hawkesby saga was raging – the host had a short-lived tenure as 6pm newsreader to replace the equally popular Richard Long.

“In the course of that interview, Jenny Shipley said that he [Hawkesby] had got a million-dollar payout,” Clark told Q+A’s Jack Tame in 2019.

“As we walked out into the green room at the end of the show, she said words to the effect that she’d made it up. I can’t remember the exact words, but that was the essence of what we thought she’d said.

“So the next day it was a huge story.”

On the following evening’s 6pm news bulletin, Clark revealed the Prime Minister’s green room comments – that she’d essentially made up the number.

“Before I went and did that, it was referred right up, you know, endlessly. [We] did it, [I] said it,” Clark told Tame.

“And then the shit really hit the fan. At about seven o’clock that night, I got a call from [Alliance leader] Jim Anderton’s office, God bless him, to say you’ve got to come up to our offices and bring your camera.

“So we raced up. In those days [it was] much more innocent times. No curtaining or screens or anything on the Beehive windows. You could sit at Jim Anderton’s desk and look straight into Jenny Shipley’s [ninth floor PM’s] office.

“You could see Shipley [waving her arms] and everybody was basically having a meltdown in her office.

“Wyatt Creech was there and a whole bunch of advisers.

“So of course, what could you do? What would a good journalist do? We filmed it, we got the footage and then we put it to air.”

The images were plastered everywhere.

“Shipley never spoke to me again for, I think, about a decade,” Clark told Tame.

“It was priceless, actually.”

Clark’s comments – in a Q+A segment in which TVNZ’s former political editors described their “standout TV moment” – are a testament to her fierce commitment to journalism and holding the powerful to account.

Almost a quarter of a century later, with her reporting career in the rear-vision mirror but those traits still undoubtedly embedded, Clark’s career has altered course substantially.

She left journalism in 2006 to study law, surprising many of her colleagues.

In a Listener article, she said her departure from the industry was somewhat prompted by the unceremonious dumping of TVNZ newsreader Judy Bailey: “The media eats its own unless you happen to be smart enough to sidestep into management where you are the one doing the eating. And I have no appetite for either end of the equation.”

She is now an equally high-flying lawyer, a partner at Dentons Kensington Swan, who has represented various well-known clients on a range of matters – including helping negotiate Duncan Garner’s contract for the AM television show; Clarke Gayford in a defamation case against NZME radio station Kick; defending Rachel MacGregor in a defamation action brought by Colin Craig; and a woman who accused members of the Chiefs rugby squad of inappropriate touching and behaviour at an end-of-year function.

She also represented one of five summer legal clerks in the case against a Russell McVeagh partner who was found guilty of sexual misconduct and suspended.

Right now, she is on the independent panel reviewing RNZ’s editorial processes in the wake of the journalist who allegedly added pro-Kremlin content to Russia-Ukraine war stories, and she is reviewing Gore council following the fallout between the mayor and chief executive and various councillors.

She’s also been on the NZ on Air board and, as of this week, she started as a board member with TVNZ, the organisation where she made her name as a broadcaster.

It promises to be one of her most interesting assignments yet, as the Government and Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson seek to instill a stronger public broadcasting focus at TVNZ.

Clark made it clear this week she couldn’t talk to Media Insider about any of the various roles and issues she’s involved in, including the TVNZ role.

So, in the words of Clark herself, what would a good journalist do? Speak to those who know her well, of course.

Mark Sainsbury, who replaced her as TVNZ political editor in 1999, says Clark was a formidable journalist.

“She was a dominant force for so long. People were always like, ‘Oh you can’t take over’ but people just have different styles.”

Clark, he says, was “clinical”.

Viewers always try to work out the political editors’ politics, but with Clark, it was an equal opportunities assignment, he said.

“She could be equally hard on everyone; she kept the torch on.”

She obviously has a fantastic intellect in order to reach the top of her game in media and now law, says Sainsbury.

That agility and background knowledge will be huge advantages in her new role on TVNZ’s board.

“I always thought she was someone committed to public broadcasting. I imagine she will be an advocate for that. Now with the merger gone, for TVNZ there is a lot of refining to be done.”

Clark, born in England, came to New Zealand with her parents when she was a young girl.

She and her husband Alan Doak – they met 41 years ago – have two children, twins Arlo and Harper, now 21.

Her media career spans more than just broadcasting, starting out as a reporter on the Manawatu Evening Standard after studying journalism at Canterbury University. She moved on to the New Zealand Times and then the National Business Review before launching her TVNZ career, as a researcher, in 1989.

One of New Zealand’s most admired and respected magazine publishers and editors, Kate Coughlan, worked with Clark at the Times and many years later hired her as editor of the fresh-faced but short-lived Grace magazine.

Clark, she says, is “bright, straight and honest with a steel trap mind”.

She is, she says “one of the most significant people I know”.

She is also a “fabulous dinner party guest”.

“I like her a lot.”

Coughlan praised Clark’s “remarkable” ability, during her TVNZ political editorship, to get MPs to answer tricky questions “and in making the big important political issues comprehensible to viewers”.

“When I recruited her to edit Grace in 1999 after she’d taken a break from TVNZ, I was intrigued to see how she’d do in magazines. She is remarkably capable and rapidly mastered the new medium. It was a great shame that the company closed that magazine just as it was turning the corner.”

Clark told the Herald in 2002 that she’d been gutted by the closure of Grace.

“I was just trying to be a little bit different – but being different takes time. It was the greatest disappointment,” she said. “I still think it could have worked … the galling thing was that in the weeks following its demise, a number of advertisers told us they had money set aside for next year [to run campaigns in Grace]. People still say to me, ‘I wish Grace was still around’.”

A stint on RNZ’s Nine to Noon followed, before her move to law.

As a partner at Dentons Kensington Swan, she co-leads the Wellington public law and dispute resolution team.

“She doesn’t put up with foolish people for long,” says Coughlan. “There’s something of a bird of prey about her as she listens to people, head cocked slightly, weighing up whether they will trip by saying something stupid and be carrion or make intelligent sense and be worth talking to,” says Coughlan.

“She is funny and laughs delightedly and often. She is very stylish.”

New TVNZ chair seeks conflict-of-interest plan

Alongside Linda Clark on the revamped TVNZ board is new chair and another highly regarded business leader, Alastair Carruthers.

Less than a week into the role, he’s already dealing with a sticky issue around two of his other directorships – he is also chair of the New Zealand Film Commission and on the board of Screen Auckland.

These were both declared before his appointment and signed off by the Minister of Broadcasting and Treasury.

However, there are some raised eyebrows within the production industry at how Carruthers can manage both the chair of the Film Commission and TVNZ roles. While on the surface they are completely different organisations, there is one potentially troublesome area.

As Newstalk ZB’s Barry Soper has been reporting, there are concerns around the Screen Production Rebate process which the Film Commission administers. TVNZ and its rivals (for example, Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery) make submissions to the commission on this.

Carruthers has asked the Film Commission board to review this area and come up with a conflict-of-interest plan, independently of himself, that he can work to in the future, in line with the commission’s conflict policy.

It is understood that means he will recuse himself from any Film Commission discussions involving the rebate and not be involved in any discussions involving television productions. I suspect we’ll hear more on this in the coming days.

Carruthers has an interesting and varied business career across many sectors. He and his business and life partner, chef Peter Gordon, set up Homeland restaurant on Auckland’s waterfront.

Carruthers, a former chief executive of Chapman Tripp, has also been chair of the Arts Council, a member of the Unitec Institute of Technology Council and chair of the Allpress Espresso Group of companies.

The immediate priority for him, Clark and the rest of the TVNZ board will be the appointment of a new chief executive to replace Simon Power, who left last week.

Alison Mau leaves Stuff

Alison Mau has left Stuff as a full-time writer – one of a raft of changes involving some of the media company’s biggest names.

The former broadcaster and Stuff have confirmed she will continue to write a weekly column for the Sunday Star-Times but her time as a full-time staff member has come to an end.

Mau was named Reporter of the Year at the 2021 Voyager Media Awards on the back of her #MeToo investigative journalism. The judges described her work as “fearless, determined pursuits that deserve the highest commendation”.

She says she cannot comment on her future plans just yet.

Confirmation of Mau’s departure comes in the same week that Caitlin Cherry finishes at Stuff, after just five months as the editor of The Post in Wellington. She is being replaced by Tracy Watkins, the current Sunday Star-Times and Sunday News editor. Watkins will retain her Sunday responsibilities while taking on the editorship of The Post.

More senior editorial changes are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

TV rugby legend’s big year

Grant Nisbett will be hoping the All Blacks perform slightly better than his own efforts on the bowling green at the Naenae club in Lower Hutt yesterday. “A win, a loss and a draw – middle of the road,” bemoaned the legendary rugby commentator as Media Insider caught up with him.

On the eve of the All Blacks’ World Cup season – they kick off with the Rugby Championship this weekend in Argentina – our most experienced rugby caller, now 72, is set to extend a remarkable record.

On June 16, 1984 – just two days after the infamous night that a drunk Prime Minister Rob Muldoon called a snap general election – the then 33-year-old was calling his first All Blacks game, a test against France at Lancaster Park.

It has been a remarkable and in many ways underrated media career – with, by his estimate, a record 335 All Blacks tests under his belt.

While Tony Johnson will be calling this weekend’s test for Sky, Nisbett will be in the hot seat from there on in, for the All Blacks’ tests against South Africa, Australia and then the Rugby World Cup in France in September/October.

“I’m pretty optimistic [about the All Blacks],” says Nisbett, who will be at a World Cup for the first time since 2015, after Spark Sport secured the rights ahead of Sky in 2019.

Nisbett says the 2015 World Cup final win against Australia at Twickenham counts as one of his two most memorable matches, with the All Blacks securing the cup in the final minutes with a kick-and-chase try.

“Beauden Barrett’s got a heap of pace…!” screamed Nisbett. “That’s the World Cup,” screamed Justin Marshall. Pandemonium.

“I thought he was going to push me out of the commentary box,” Nisbett recalled later in a Sky piece.

The other highlight in a career of highlights was the All Blacks’ test win against South Africa in Pretoria in 1996, securing their first-ever test series there.

Interestingly, Nisbett rates the South Africans the team to watch at this year’s tournament, ahead of even France and Ireland. “The Springboks just seem to be able to peak at the right time and I think that’s possibly being overlooked a bit by some pundits.”

While the laws and shape of rugby have changed remarkably since 1984, Nisbett’s own preparations have remained consistent.

As soon as a side is named, he’ll hit the books, preparing all sorts of background information on the players, the occasion, the ground and even the referee. The great British caller Bill McLaren was the same and once told Nisbett that he’d be lucky to use 10 per cent of the material he prepared.

“Once the whistle blows, it just becomes one major ad lib really,” he says.

Does he still get nervous?

“For the bigger games, I wouldn’t say nervous, maybe I’m a little more on edge.

“Because you know that there’s so much at stake. I think in many ways it brings the best out if you’re feeling a little bit, what’s the word, maybe anxious? It’s better to be that way than feeling too confident.

“I’m still enjoying it and that’s the key to it. And as long as people think that I’m doing okay, I’d be pretty keen to hang in there but who knows after the World Cup? It’s a bit like being a player!”

The Media Insider poll

Simon Dallow has been back in his own seat this week, bringing an air of calm and authority to TVNZ’s 6pm news. He was away late last month and the state broadcaster used no fewer than five newsreaders between June 22 and June 28: Wendy Petrie, Melissa Stokes, John Campbell, Jack Tame and Miriama Kamo.

A TVNZ spokeswoman told Stuff: “We have a number of talented presenters and journalists in our newsroom. There are a range of reasons why one of our usual presenters may become unavailable – from scheduled holidays to illness or Covid-19 isolation requirements. In instances like these, you’ll see their team members stepping up and covering for them. Filling in roles also provides our people with new opportunities to expand their skills or work on a different programme, with a different focus for a period of time.”

MediaWorks – show us the money

Just how is MediaWorks performing financially? The company has been relatively slow to post its annual results with the Companies Office.

“MediaWorks is in the process of finalising its annual financial statements and these will be filed in due course,” the company said in a statement to Herald journalist Damien Venuto and then to Media Insider this week.

The company’s financial results have been usually released in early to mid-June over the past several years.

When pushed on specific questions as to whether the delay has been caused by some sort of issue or issues, MediaWorks came back with an additional statement: “MediaWorks is a private company and will be complying with our disclosure requirements. We are not a public company like NZME and we see no reason to respond to your questions and do not intend to do so – other than that we will be filing our annual reports in due course in compliance with the law.”

The release of the company’s results follow a tumultuous start to the calendar year: MediaWorks closed Today FM in late March, with staff told the station was forecast to lose about $1 million in the next 12 months.

Most media companies have been tightening costs and restructuring in light of economic headwinds.

Meanwhile, MediaWorks is starting to settle a number of personal grievances lodged by former Today FM staff.

The Herald has been told of several cases that have been settled.

The company is also understood to be at the table and negotiating with Charlotte Parkhill, a lawyer representing around 20 disgruntled ex-staff including the likes of Tova O’Brien.

Those staff are seeking compensation for what they view as hurt and humiliation. It is understood they have rejected an opening offer from the company. “Negotiations are underway,” said one source.

A company spokeswoman said: “MediaWorks is continuing to work with our advisers on resolving the personal grievance claims from some of the former Today FM team. While this process is ongoing, we have been advised not to comment further.”

When Sir Ian met Chlöe

Media Insider was pleased to help connect Sir Ian Taylor and Chlöe Swarbrick this week. Taylor’s open letter in the Herald, followed by Swarbrick’s response in an interview with me, certainly had our premium subscribers and audience … engaged.

The pair were keen to meet and like so many of these things – away from social media, especially – the pair found common ground.

“Great to catch up with Sir Ian Taylor about education, climate action, taxes and that open letter,” Swarbrick wrote on Twitter. “We can both strongly agree that a fairer, more transparent & collaborative economy is in the best interests of all NZers – and the more open public discussion about it, the better.”

Taylor told Media Insider he invited Swarbrick along to the Product Accelerator research initiative – for which he is chair – at Auckland University. It’s apolitical, most of the other political parties have visited.

“It was really cool. And we had a really good chat. I sat and listened as she talked to all these other people she’d never met.”

Asked if they were now friends, Taylor laughed: “I’m not enemies with anybody. We need to be taking our young people seriously.”

Where there’s a Wil…

Out of professional devastation comes opportunity.

Earlier this year, journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton had just started a dream role, as a specialist investigative reporter, for MediaWorks when the pin was pulled on Today FM.

She was one of many staff who suddenly found themselves without a job.

Last month, she was named best news/sport journalist at the annual Radio Awards.

And now she is launching her own media business, Wils & Co.

“My new business … will see me offering freelance journalism, broadcasting, media training, MCing, writing, podcasting and comms. I’m really excited to be doing a whole variety of things that light my fire, and all fall under the media umbrella I’ve come to love over the years,” Shrimpton told Media Insider.

As part of that, she is teaming up with agency Hustle & Bustle for the media training sessions.

“Having worked in some of the country’s largest newsrooms and on some of the biggest stories in our recent history, Shrimpton comes with a wealth of knowledge about cross-platform coverage and the best way to present it,” said Hustle & Bustle boss Gemma Ross.

One Good text

This week, we talk to Herald football writer Bonnie Jansen.

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.