TVNZ has announced today that dynamic duo Hilary Barry and Jack Tame will be fronting the Breakfast programme from September 19, replacing Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross.
They will be joined by Daniel Faitaua as news presenter and Sam Wallace as weather presenter.
“It’s true – we’re making some changes,” said John Gillespie, TVNZ’s Head of News and Current Affairs.
“Hilary, Jack, Daniel and Sam have an extraordinary mix of broadcasting experience and journalistic credibility and will start together on September 19th.
“Of course, the changes we’re making mean saying goodbye to some of the current team, and I want to thank them for their contribution to the show. There’s been a lot of attention focussed on Breakfast over recent weeks and throughout it all they have been consummate professionals,” he said.
Rawdon’s last day with TVNZ will be September 9th, while Nadine finishes up on September 16.
Meanwhile, Ali Pugh and Peter Williams will remain on the ONE News team, with Ali reporting from her home town of Christchurch from October.
Watch Hilary’s last live broadcast on Newshub in the video below. Story continues.
“I’ve had the best job in television, working with the most dedicated team I have ever been a part of,” Rawdon said.
“Since I started we’ve put to air 3000 hours of live television, covering every conceivable issue from terror attacks and natural disasters to national elections and world cup wins.
“Now is a good time for me to take a break and assess the new commercial opportunities in the fast-evolving media landscape.”
Rawdon and Nadine (pictured here at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards in 2015) are both leaving TVNZ. Photo: Getty
In her own statement on the news, Nadine said she was “lucky enough to have a crack at hosting everything from AMP Business to ONE News”.
“More importantly, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best camera ops, producers, studio crews and journalists in the business. I’m now excited about the opportunities on the horizon – and the prospect of turning off my 3am alarm,” she said.
According to Gillespie, TVNZ had hoped to “retain Nadine in another role”, but she decided to “explore other opportunities”.
Watch Jack Tame answer our quick fire questions in the video below.
