Former Newshub presenter and journalist Oriini Kaipara has taken a swipe at TVNZ after the company announced it will axe up to 68 news and current affairs roles.
TVNZ staff were "devastated" on Friday to learn several high-profile shows will be cut, including Sunday, Fair Go, and 1News' Midday and Tonight programmes.
Kaipara, who now works as the new pouwhiringa Māori culture lead for the NZ Olympic Committee, didn't hold back on Instagram on Friday.
"Today’s announcement that after 22 years of powerful storytelling and leading current affairs @sundaytvnz which Miriama [Kamo] hosts, is to be axed along with longstanding investigative show @fairgonz Tonight and Midday. It’s absolutely awful," Kaipara wrote.
Kaipara noted she made her debut presenting mainstream news at TVNZ, before moving to Three where she presented many of Newshub's bulletins.
TVNZ's shows that will be canned have contributed towards a better Aotearoa, Kaipara added.
"They have also been pivotal spaces for Māori journos like me to grow and develop our ability to tell our people’s stories without prejudice and/or criticism."
Not only are more and more people in the news media industry losing their jobs, she said it's also a threat to democracy in New Zealand.
"With such huge losses comes great uncertainty and inevitable change and I don’t believe it’s going to do any good for any of us."
Kaipara also paid tribute to Sunday presenter Kamo, who first nudged her to present mainstream news.
