Green candidate appointed as TVNZ Breakfast host

Stuff reports:

Former Green Party candidate Hayley Holt will replace Breakfast host Hilary Barry as the broadcaster moves to Seven Sharp.

TVNZ on Monday announced half of its new Seven Sharp lineup, confirming speculation that Barry would move to the programme. A major shake up at TVNZ was triggered when former Seven Sharp hosts Mike Hosking and Toni Street resigned at the end of last year.

Holt, who stood for the Green Party in the 2017 election, would work alongside Jack Tame with newsreader Daniel Faitaua and weather man Matt McLean.

I think it is a bad idea to have someone who stood just 14 weeks or so ago at the general election as a candidate to be hosting a show on TVNZ in which party leaders and MPs are regularly interviewed.

I don’t think having stood for Parliament should rule you out for ever. But in my opinion there should be at least one election cycle between standing and working in a role like this. Paul Henry had four to five years between standing and working for TVNZ.

I like Hayley Holt as a broadcaster.A big fan of her work on The Crowd Goes Wild. But it is not credible to be standing for Parliament in September and 14 weeks later interviewing the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader every week.

In the end it is TVNZ that suffers the brand damage. We really should sell it while someone will pay money for it.