Opinion: As Newshub finishes on Friday, July 5, this website ceases operations just as the TV bulletins do.
The news website's lifespan has been shorter than the TV network's and as a different platform, its history has been a little different, too. I felt it should also be marked as we come to an end.
From humble beginnings, the 3 News website that developed into Newshub always punched above its weight, adopting the do-more-with-less, cheeky, 'youngest sibling' approach that had made the TV network what it was.
The standalone website 3news.co.nz launched in 2006, before which time only the odd news story and video had been uploaded to tv3.co.nz - a website that outrageously used a solid black background with white text. At the bottom of this article, I'll embed screenshots of our various website designs to show how they've changed over the years.
Early on, 3news.co.nz had an emphasis on video that was ahead of its time in Aotearoa and pre-dated the social media explosion of the late 2000s. There were many clever tricks, audacious strategies and the occasional bit of naughtiness that made the website and its social media accounts unique, memorable and successful, despite limited resources.
It has consistently been ranked the number three news website in New Zealand (based on the size of its unique New Zealand-based audience), according to Nielsen. In 2023, Newshub generated more video views on social media platforms than any other mainstream New Zealand news service.
As the Newshub website ends, I asked its leaders from over the years - each of whom was also my boss - to write a message reflecting on their time in the role along with what made this website special.
Here's what they said.
- Paul Mayow - 3news.co.nz chief editor, Oct 2006 - Oct 2008
When 3news.co.nz launched it was a little late to the party, but in true TV3 style, no expense was spared. A total of three staff were hired - none with any real experience - and to start with we didn't pay for a single photo or wire service. Instead, we three original News Online Editors (absurdly abbreviated to "NOLEs"), had to rely on four-line hourly radio scripts from RadioLive, until 6pm, when we would slowly upload a few video packages. But while resources were low, expectations were high for our rather ambitious manager; for her, the fact we couldn't immediately match the 24/7 output of the likes of BBC News was a source of genuine confusion. The whole thing was bonkers, but it was exciting and incredibly fun. Just keeping it alive past those first few months was a massive achievement. Then, with some talented and hardworking reinforcements, we began the long journey of turning 3news.co.nz into the over-performing website it became - a website I am very proud to have worked on.
- James Murray - 3news.co.nz chief editor, Nov 2008 - Feb 2012
We covered so much during this time, including both Christchurch earthquakes, the David Bain trial, two important elections, and the death of Osama Bin Laden. We brought in radical things like Search Engine Optimisation and social media channels and saw our audience share grow significantly. I've never worked somewhere since where I felt quite the same sense of opportunity, even if I did essentially work in the basement of a cheese factory. What I'll never forget is our team; we all learned so much and on reflection we were so ridiculously young! I've seen people from that time go on to create brilliant careers inside and outside of the media, so it seems like it was a pretty neat place to get a start. The loss of Newshub/3 News is senseless. There are things much more important than money - a great loss to New Zealand.
- Angela Quigan - 3news.co.nz chief editor, Nov 2012 - Oct 2015
I spent almost 10 years of my career at 3 News and my time as chief editor was, in a lot of ways, the most fun I've ever had working. Looking back, we were almost like kids playing dress up, working out of an old cheese factory alongside some of the best in the industry, absorbing everything we could like little sponges. The online news team was a young and ambitious group cutting their teeth in what was often their first real newsroom job. We had very basic tech and very limited resources, but 3 News was the little engine that could. We were competitive and determined to do things different. We championed livestreaming, launched web-exclusive news shows, and worked tirelessly to get a linear newsroom thinking 'digital', producing more original content with a web audience in mind. I couldn't be prouder of the growth we achieved, the stories we told, and the incredible broadcasters and reporters some of those kids turned out to be - even if we were sometimes mistaken for "the lovely folk from IT".
- Jono Hutchison - Newshub head of digital, Nov 2015 - Aug 2016
I started my career in November 2006 as one of the original News Online Editors, or NOLEs, on 3news.co.nz. With just three of us somehow covering early mornings to late nights seven days a week, we were hard-working and resourceful with the newsroom scraps we were thrown, which included raw radio wire copy and the grand total of three videos per night from the 6pm bulletin, exported slowly at the end of the evening. So it was with some sadness that, when I returned in 2015 as Newshub's head of digital news after several years in TV, my first edict was to replace the term 'NOLEs' with a more serious-sounding job title to boost the team's credibility in the newsroom. But in my heart, I'll always be a NOLE - digging around in the dirt of the bits nobody else wants, looking to make something worthwhile.
- Shaun Davies - Newshub head of digital, Sep 2016 - Apr 2018
I joined during a period of rapid transformation for the Newshub website and it was a highlight of my working life thanks to the great spirit of the place. There was a combination of genuine commitment and great fun that made you want to be in the newsroom. The digital team achieved a lot together over those two years - we doubled our audience, nailed major event coverage (especially politics), and worked around the clock after the Kaikōura quake. This culminated in us winning News Website of the Year at the Canon Media Awards in 2017 - a huge team achievement against the big boys of media. Losing Newshub is a blow for New Zealand and an alarm bell for the rest of the world, but I'll always be proud of what we built.
- Cathy O'Sullivan - Newshub director of digital news, Jun 2018 - Jan 2022
Having worked in several major NZ media companies, the thing I found that differentiated Newshub from the rest was the relentless energy of the newsroom. It was palpable from the minute you walked in. The digital news team was infused with that Newshub spirit of 'let's give it our all'. It was a privilege to lead the team during some of the biggest news stories in NZ history, including the Christchurch terrorist attack, the Whakaari / White Island eruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. While the digi team's strength came to the fore in breaking news situations, they would also shine covering less serious topics. Whether it was recapping the best Married at First Sight moments, live updates of the UFC, or unpacking the philosophy of Jordan Peterson, they always seemed to land the yarns that would be the water-cooler moments for Kiwis. There was never enough resources or time, but the Newshub digital team had initiative and creativity in spades.
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To our loyal audience, thank you for watching and reading our stories over the years.
