Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie grew up in small town South Island, but is now one of the most influential figures in US media (according to New York magazine). That’s because the platform, which started out with paid newsletters, is now starting to establish itself in social, audio and video. Hamish joins Duncan to discuss its latest moves, its relationship with legacy media and whether it can become a “new economic engine for culture” across all mediums without risking total enshittification. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spinoff’s editor-at-large Toby Manhire joins Duncan Greive to discuss SXSW and the launch of Auckland FC, and what each says about the vitality of Sydney and Auckland. Duncan toplines the Campaign Brief and Nine drama in Australia, which shows where that country is (still) at, in some ways. Next, they hit SPADA’s warnings about the future of screen production in New Zealand, and what that industry should understand about new NZ on Air board member Philip Crump. Finally, they talk about the end of Matt and Jerry on Hauraki, and the optionality Heath gives to Newstalk ZB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a week since TVNZ shocked the media with a proposal to shut down 1news.co.nz and merge news with content. Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss the merits of the approach, what it implies about the future of the business, and other ways it might save $30m and provide a pathway to a sustainable future. Plus – reflections on the debut of Stuff's HOW:TO, and what it might mean for New Zealand media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Stuchbury founded Motion Sickness as a brand and advertising agency in a flat in Ōtepoti. 10 years on, it has become known for powerful campaigns like 'Proud to be Māori' and 'Rep your Suburb' for Whānau Ora. The company dominated the Axis Awards and picked up silver in the Global Agency of the Year awards in London. Stuchbury and Motion Sickness head of strategy Hilary Ngan Kee join Duncan Greive to talk about the company's unconventional journey, the radically changing nature of the ad industry, and how local independents compete and often win against giant multinational groups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday afternoon, Google published a post to its little-read New Zealand blog, one which immediately sent shockwaves through the local news media. It confirmed what had been rumoured – that if the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill passes in its current form, Google will pull news from all its systems and services, and cancel all its agreements with local news media. It sets up an enormously high stakes staredown with the government, with a weakened and embattled news media squeezed between. Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive to set up the stakes, and suggest a possible compromise. Then they look at the end of Stuff Audio, and why it makes sense, even if Stuff staff must be exhausted by all this change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Bain spent a career working across prestige brands in digital contexts before returning to New Zealand to become Data and Marketing Director (CMO in all but name) of the telco-turned-digital services provider that is Spark. It's one of the biggest marketing jobs in the country, with a budget to match – but figuring out what Spark is and how it sells itself isn't easy, especially given its recent market travails. Matt joins Duncan to talk about the difference between brand and retail, reflect on Spark's recent Game Arena event, and explain why a live show can replace a TVC at the heart of a modern marketing campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anna Rawhiti-Connell is head of audience for The Spinoff, but spent most of the last decade working in social media for BNZ and the Auckland Theatre Company. She joins Duncan to do a deep dive into the changing nature and shape of social platforms – specifically what happened to links, and therefore traffic. Then they discuss two changes at Stuff – the end of Newsable, and the removal of vertical video from its homepage – before discussing the way RNZ handled the removal of a podcast episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Hurman is a globally recognised expert in advertising effectiveness – and believes many businesses have become transfixed by generating present day sales through social and search, at the expense of those in the future, generated by brand building on other surfaces. Together they examine what New Zealand's large advertisers and media agencies are doing with their advertising spend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne returns to join host Duncan Greive to discuss a pair of different stories which seem to head to the same conclusion. The first is Shayne Currie's report on a leaked email from TVNZ CEO Jodi O'Donnell flagging more cuts at the broadcaster, potentially at 1news.co.nz. The second is a Newsroom story about fast-rising ratings at RNZ's website. It all points to a newsroom merger, something disruptive but increasingly necessary. We also discuss the new wave of commercially funded primetime TV, and country superstar Luke Combs' rise to announcing two Eden Park shows in January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Craig Fenton has been boss of NZ Rugby Commercial for a little over six months, but is already in the midst of a crucial deal, one which will shape not just his period in charge, but the whole future of rugby in New Zealand. He joins Duncan Greive to discuss the evolving sports rights landscape in New Zealand, and how Craig sees the All Blacks, Black Ferns and Super Rugby taking advantage of the large but under monetised global All Blacks fandom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tamar Münch joins Duncan Greive to discuss the challenges facing screen and news media – and how they intertwine. They also discuss the resignation of Mike Sneesby at Nine, and the way Australian media is following a bad trail blazed by New Zealand media. Finally, a look at Snapchat's hold on teenagers and an intriguing new BSA survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive has a solo podcast this week, talking about the debut of Spark Game Arena Live, a huge new event at Spark Arena. He looks at the upside and downsides of the trend away from sponsorships towards brands creating their own projects. Plus: who's number one? Both NZME and Stuff claimed the title this week – but does it even matter? And finally, a look at the way you can see shrinking media budgets through smaller traveling contingents across both sport and politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One eked out a flat result, the other had a giant loss. Toby Manhire and Duncan Greive discuss what that says about their revenue models. They also discuss the downward trend for RNZ, one mirrored by public media entities around the world. Finally, they look at X’s ban in Brazil and the arrest of Telegram’s founder in France, as a window into the global techlash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glenn McDonald spent over a decade with a very mysterious and specific job title: data alchemist at Spotify. It's possible – even likely – that no one on earth knows as much about music streaming. He is in New Zealand for the Going Global music industry conference, and joins Duncan Greive to talk about how Spotify does and doesn't work for artists, why Spotify doesn't stretch your listening habits, and what he really thinks about its big move into podcasting and audiobooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 edition of NZ on Air's Where are the Audiences is a bombshell - largely because so little has changed. The past decade has been characterised by a sharp and consistent rise in UGC, social and SVOD platforms, while local media has slid precipitously. This year that slide has arrested – and in some cases reversed. Duncan Greive is joined by The Spinoff's Ātea editor Liam Rātana, dissecting the findings as they take turns drafting their five favourite data points from WATA 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The All Blacks were early on the sports doc series train – but the result was widely panned, due to a sense the subjects weren't willing to really open up for it. Robyn Paterson has directed a new series for Sky on the Wheel Blacks, a team she says has far more candour than their more famous counterparts. She joins Duncan Greive to discuss the changing shape of disability storytelling, and the potential merger of the film commission and NZ on Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive and Glen Kyne discuss the bombshell announcement that Laura Maxwell is leaving Stuff, with owner Sinead Boucher to take over in the interim. What does it say about Stuff's strategy, and who might replace her? Plus signals suggest TVNZ is making a big play into sports and a paywall – what does that mean for the state broadcaster, and for Sky? And finally, a look at the rise of the new TAB as a force in New Zealand media, with all the moral complexity that brings with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive to discuss the appointment of Graeme Mason to chair the NZ Film Commission board. The former Screen Australia boss seems the strongest signal yet that the NZFC and NZ on Air are coming together. We run through some worrying signs out of US cable – and ask what they mean for the potential sale of Foxtel, Sky's Australian equivalent. We also look at NZME making a revived Game of Two Halves for Sky, the X advertiser lawsuit and the remarkable run of Susan Wojcicki at YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ant Timpson has spent much of his life at war with the establishment. With ventures like the Incredibly Strange Film Festival and 48 Hours, he courted controversy and made a home for misfits of film. Now he's a veteran of governance and has directed a family film – albeit one with a killer psychedelic mushrooms sequence. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to explain what came over him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive to discuss earnings season in big tech media, with particularly noteworthy results for Meta and Netflix. Locally 1News has opened up a big 25-54 lead over Stuff's ThreeNews – partly using overwhelming force at the Olympics, the NZ Herald debuts an instructive piece of data journalism, and Ant Timpson's Bookworm lends itself to a discussion of the local box office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive is joined by recently-departed WBD leader Glen Kyne to pilot a brand new format for The Fold. It features Duncan and Glen analysing new strands in local and international media, along with regular deep dives into different aspects of the business. The first episode features reflections an explainer on why TV advertising fell off a cliff, a look at the upcoming NZ Rugby rights deal and the government's decision to bail out Shortland St. From now on, interviews will run less frequently and on Thursdays. Please give us feedback on the new format: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenn Cheuk is the founder and editor-in-chief of Rat World, "a magazine for the underground" she publishes in Tāmaki Makaurau. Now up to issue seven, it radiates the specific energy of driven, fragile yet urgent creativity across forms ranging from lengthy interviews to comics to photography, covering art, theatre music and more. She joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss the state of the arts, who Rat World is for – and why print is really different to the internet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spinoff founder Duncan Greive has been writing regularly this year on business, politics and pop culture. But his slightly more niche area of interest is the media itself. This week was a big week for the media with AM and Newshub airing their final episodes and a new lease on life for the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill. If you don’t know what that bill is, check out Duncan’s author page on the Spinoff, as he has written more about it than probably anyone else in the country. He also spoke to Samantha Hayes and Mike McRoberts about their time at Three in a sprawling, emotional interview. Duncan joins Madeleine Chapman on Behind the Story to talk about what he’s looking for in exit interviews, how he keeps a story interesting over a number of years, and what compels him to write. An abrupt U-turn from National, a brave new world for news in New Zealand Sam Hayes and Mike McRoberts look back in awe and sorrow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today marks the end of Newshub, an organisation which has been around for 35 years, and has a strong case as the most original and idiosyncratic newsroom this country has ever known. Sam Hayes and Mike McRoberts have more than 40 years combined experience at Three, and join Duncan Greive on The Fold to look back across the history of 3 News, assess its singular culture and some crucial moments along the path to this sad goodbye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hal Crawford ran Newshub through a crucial era – but has traveled a strange path since. He joins Duncan Greive to discuss the unique personality of Three News, the prospects of Stuff at 6pm – and his very different career since he returned to Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As founder of South Pacific Pictures, John Barnett has played a crucial role in the development of screen productions as varied as Shortland St, Whale Rider, Sione's Wedding and Outrageous Fortune. Now operating independently, he remains one of the most powerful – and critical – voices in New Zealand culture. He joins Duncan Greive to assess the current state of the industry and explain why he believes in the power of a merged Film Commission and NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive hosts his friend and colleague Toby Manhire on The Fold, to discuss the back-breaking process of making Juggernaut, his new podcast covering the tumultuous years of the fourth Labour government. Then they switch gears to discuss Goldsmith's first weeks as media minister, the post-Newshub recruiting efforts of major media companies, and early signals about Stuff's Three News. Click here to listen to Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We thought you might like a wee taster of our brand new #1 series, Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government, hosted by Toby Manhire. Click here to follow Juggernaut so you get every episode as soon as it's released! 1. I love you, Mr Lange Fuelled by brandy and fury, Sir Rob Muldoon calls a snap election, sparking a 1984 campaign of contrasts – the menacing, protectionist National PM against the fresh, upbeat Labour leader, David Lange. The pretext for the election is the decision by Marilyn Waring, a young, gay MP, to back an anti-nuclear bill and quit the National caucus, prompting an earful from Muldoon. Lange, meanwhile, is joined at the hip by a hungry would-be finance minister, Roger Douglas. They are about to confront a profound crisis, and launch a revolution. Includes previously unheard interviews with David Lange from the 84 campaign trail, and new and exclusive interviews with Marilyn Waring, Roger Douglas, Geoffrey Palmer, Richard Prebble, Peter Harris, Margaret Wilson, Bob Harvey and Gary McCormick. Click here for full details of archive material used in this series Juggernaut was made with the support of NZ On Air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William Terite has been fascinated by the news since Barbara Dreaver showed up at his primary school. He started working at Newstalk ZB at 17, and got his dream job at Newshub at just 20. Now a veteran of 23, he has a new role at the revitalised Pacific Media Network, hosting its flagship Pacific Mornings show. He joins Duncan Greive to talk about all he's been through in a short span. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Henry founded 818 publicity a couple of months before The Spinoff, in June of 2014. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to reflect on a radically changed environment for entertainment PR – and the sometimes tense role of pitching stories to editorial outlets when all the ad spend goes to social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SYSCA founder Lucy Blakiston returns to the Fold for the first time in a while to talk through a truly singular year. Her business pivoted to being what it was perhaps always meant to be – her, as a solo news-explaining creator, working for her audience primarily. That meant saying goodbye to her two co-founders and taking on the whole load herself. But it also saw her sign a huge global book deal, move to Portugal, hit a deep depression, confront the realities of covering the war in Gaza online, move back to Blenheim. She also watched Instagram become Twitter in the process, while Substack became her true home. She joins Duncan Greive for an incredibly candid conversation about the reality of UGC life in 2024. We’d love it if you’re able to take a few minutes to fill out this short survey about The Fold so we can learn more about our listening community and what you’d like to hear on this series. Please click here to fill out the survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lewis Tennant is an energetic guy – an ex-radio presenter who got curious about podcasting about the same time we all did. But instead of stopping at listening or even creating, he turned it into an area of academic teaching and research. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss what his research has unearthed, which New Zealand podcasts are driving the form forward, and the takeaways from his recent Podcast Summit. We'd love it if you're able to take a few minutes to fill out this short survey about The Fold so we can learn more about our listening community and what you'd like to hear on this series. Please click here to fill out the survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a brand new media minister confronting a longstanding problem: how to handle the relationship between big tech and local media. Former NZ Herald editor Gavin Ellis and SPADA president Irene Gardiner join Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss a bold new idea: a joint levy to fund journalism and culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Koslowski has news in his blood – his father was a senior journalist and he's been in the business for 12 years despite not yet hitting 30. He co-founded The Daily Aus with a bold goal – to create a news brand for young Australians which met them where they lived: on Instagram. Now Meta is threatening to turn off news across all its platforms, threatening the viability of his business – a situation which could also happen in Aotearoa. Koslowski joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk through the model and mission of The Daily Aus, and how it's responding to a near-existential threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spinoff has just launched a brand new series called Behind the Story, where site editor Madeleine Chapman sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the week. We thought you might like to check out the first episode, and if you enjoy it please follow it wherever you get your podcasts! On Friday, Bulletin editor Anna Rawhiti-Connell sent her final newsletter, and took the opportunity to share what she’s learned about the news over two years of curating it for thousands of New Zealanders. Earlier in the week, she’d seen reports of Auckland dog owners discarding their pets’ turds on the ground after Auckland Council removed bins across the city. And so, the column “If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its shit” was born. Anna joins Madeleine Chapman to talk about the power journalists have when framing a story and how to find the middle ground between boring and sensational. For The Spinoff editor’s thoughts on the week that was, as well as a handpicked collection of the week’s best reads, subscribe to The Weekend with Madeleine Chapman newsletter at thespinoff.co.nz/newsletters  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a series of scattered media appearances, and a concerning lack of any real plan to respond to the collapses in news media, Melissa Lee has been ousted in favour of a more senior and more wonkish minister in Paul Goldsmith. The Spinoff’s editor-at-large Toby Manhire joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about the shock firing, and what it might portend for the small but fairly explosive media portfolio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just six days after WBD confirmed the end of Newshub, news broke that Stuff would take over delivery of the 6pm bulletin from July 6th. It's a huge deal, which could vault Stuff to video stardom, or become a huge pain and distraction. Duncan Greive analyses the spiralling implications of what will prove a major sliding doors moment in New Zealand's recent news media history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a bleak start to the year for journalism – but it's worth dwelling on where growth and innovation is still happening. Madison Reidy is just 28, but has already worked at three news organisations and an investment bank. She joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about 100 episodes of Markets with Madison – and one very challenging and viral interview with Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last 30 hours TVNZ and Warner Bros. Discovery have confirmed the closure of some of our most significant news and current affairs programming including Sunday, two 1News bulletins and the total loss of Newshub. Hundreds of journalists will be out of jobs and with nowhere to go, it will be increasingly difficult for New Zealanders to access quality news and the ripples of these closures mean there are more dark days to come. Duncan Greive reacts to the week's devastating closures, asking how is it we are all just sitting here letting this pillar of democracy cave in? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's an idea so pervasive that it almost doesn't get questioned in media: that media agencies – the people who place ads on behalf of most big advertisers – are largely staffed by 25-year-olds who only consume social media. There is some truth to that – but it's more complicated than it appears. Alex Radford and Richard Thompson run an independent media agency named D3, and join Duncan Greive to break down how media buying works, and the ways the search and social giants' products eat budgets – including a revealing view into the black box that is the Google ad tech stack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel House might be just shy of a household name, but is definitely one of our most acclaimed and accomplished actresses, with key roles on what amounts to a role call of New Zealand's greatest films: Whale Rider, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Cousins and more. She's just directed her debut feature in The Mountain, and joins Duncan Greive on The Fold at the very end of a lengthy promotional tour for a very funny and very exhausted conversation about the experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Ormsby's Scroll Media is a technology and sales solution for smaller publishers which often miss out on the huge advertising spends which go mainly to Google, Meta and a few large local entities. She joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about Scroll Media's plan to get the likes of Rolling Stone NZ and Newsroom on more radars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The creative relationship between director Lee Tamahori and producer Robin Scholes spans 30 years, including heavyweight features such as Once Were Warriors, Mahana and now critically acclaimed new release The Convert. They join Duncan Greive to discuss the unintentional political resonance of their new film and the financial challenges facing film productions in NZ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Owen, Research and Insights director at nationwide out-of-home media group oOh!media and Tori Colebourne, CMO at Black Pearl Group, an NZX listed SAAS / cloud business join Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about the role of data in media and communications decision-making in 2024 and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan addresses the shock news out of TVNZ, that current affairs powerhouse Sunday, Fair Go and two news bulletins are ending, with grave fears for Re: News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive sits down with the director of Alice Snedden's Bad News, Leon Wadham, to talk about his career on stage and screen, on both sides of the camera. Wadham is one of the most thoughtful and open creatives we've ever had on The Fold, and gives generous insights into working on productions from the shoestring (Bad News S1) to the opulent (Lord of the Rings, the most costly TV show in history). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive is joined by Newsroom co-editor and former Three head of news Mark Jennings for a deep and urgent dive into what just happened at Three, the rich history of it as a news organisation – and where the story could head from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive jumps on the mic to offer an immediate analysis of this morning's devastating news regarding the future of Three, which signalled that Newshub and much of its local programming will soon be coming to and end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Kerton's career began 40 years ago, at the very dawn of New Zealand commercial radio. Since then he has played crucial roles at peak bFM, introduced Jeremy Wells to television and has one of the most impressive hands-on CVs in reality TV. On the occasion of production powerhouse Greenstone's 30th birthday, he sits down with Duncan Greive to talk about his fascinating career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philip Crump is a lawyer by trade, who returned to Aotearoa during the pandemic. He found the media environment much more homogenous than the one he left behind in London, and started tweeting about what he observed. Within two years those tweets, and a widely-read Substack, made him one of the most powerful new voices in right wing media. He tells the story of how NZME doxxed him, then hired him to edit ZB Plus - a mainstream competitor to the fast-proliferating likes of Sean Plunket’s The Platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive is joined by Kit Arkwright, CEO of The Spinoff partners Beef + Lamb NZ, for a knotty conversation about the communication challenge which is marketing meat in this era. We delve into the data and narratives, from the economic to the scientific to the cultural, which make what was once an uncomplicated part of our national story into something much more challenging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alec Kieft makes games for "youtube for gaming" platform Roblox, including Break-In, a smash hit which has been played over 2bn times by 80m people. The platform is wildly popular with pre-teens, and is widely considered the closest thing to an operating metaverse which exists in the world today. Kieft joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to explain what drives the culture and economy of this hidden world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Founded almost 20 years ago, Laneway began in the era of CDs and radio, and now finds itself in one defined by TikTok and Spotify. That it has retained its focus on new music without succumbing to nostalgia is a rare triumph of vision and curation. The festival's co-founder Danny Rogers and Julian Carswell, creative producer for the Auckland show, join Duncan Greive on The Fold to explain how they do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clare Winterbourn is a New Zealander who moved to Sydney in the 00s, and now runs Born Bred Talent, the most impactful talent agency in social media across Australia and Aotearoa. She represents powerhouse talent like the Inspired Unemployed and Uce Gang, and joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to give an unparalleled insight into TikTok, Instagram and YouTube – the most powerful new media forces of the 21st century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She arrived off the boat from Ireland, and within a couple of years was interviewing the prime minister weekly. That led to one of the biggest political scoops of the decade, a long career at RNZ and the extraordinary life she lays bare in her acclaimed memoir Grand. Now McCarthy runs the exceptional podcast company Bird of Paradise, and has recently collaborated with The Spinoff on Dear Jane, a narrative podcast available now on The Spinoff Podcast Network, which reflects on one woman's experience as a 14 year old girl in an inappropriate relationship with the youth group leader at her church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Over the past two years TikTok has risen to become the cultural heart of the internet, for better and worse. And throughout that time, Kate Lindsay has been there to document it. The former staffer with The Atlantic joins Duncan Greive live from New York to spend a very entertaining hour unpacking the current state of the social media nation, and why reporting on social media often feels so weird. She also recaps when she inadvertently became the internet’s main character after popularising the divisive “millennial pause” discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Red Nicholas is the founder of the D*List, a bold new media brand which just launched aiming to provide a salty, raw and exuberant platform for, by and about disabled people. He and editor Olivia Shivas join Duncan Greive to explain the genesis and kaupapa behind this exciting new venture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Gaven Morris oversaw the entire news division of the ABC during a transition from a public radio and TV behemoth, to a market leading digital operation. He talks with Duncan Greive to share what he learned in that process, and give his advice on what the future of RNZ, TVNZ and NZ on Air should look like, now that the public media merger is no longer going ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SUPERPOD is back! Hosted by Gone By Lunchtime's Toby Manhire and featuring Jane Yee and Alex Casey from The Real Pod, Duncan Greive from The Fold, Gone By Lunchtime's Annabelle Lee-Mather, Simon Pound from Business Is Boring, Bernard Hickey from When The Facts Change and The Spinoff Podcast Network's Te Aihe Butler and Samuel Robinson, SUPERPOD 2023 is the crossover to end all crossovers. From intense discussion of government policy to figuring out what the heck a skibidi toilet is, we celebrate the best and worst of what has been a rollercoaster year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Founder of LitCrawl and editor of The Spinoff Books Claire Mabey has a front-row seat to what has been a vibrant decade for books locally and overseas. She joins Duncan Greive to discuss the impact of BookTok on the publishing industry and why she could never have started LitCrawl today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive runs through highlights from the recent NZ TV awards, discusses the dangers baked into TVNZ’s dominance, and theorises what might happen with poking the government bear during a particularly sensitive time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Monday marks the first week of retirement for one of New Zealand’s greatest beat reporters. Todd Niall started his career in print in 1977, but spent a glorious 33 years at RNZ, the latter part of it delivering brilliant reporting on Tāmaki Makaurau as it became the super city. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss his career, leaving RNZ for Stuff and the specific challenges of covering a mayor like Wayne Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Zealand’s most internationally acclaimed living artist, Simon Denny has built his career on extremely close reading of and responding to the impact of technology on society and culture. On the eve of a major new work at Auckland Art Gallery, he joins Duncan Greive for a conversation about the original mass media, and how technology has informed his practice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Schulz has spent years reporting on a healthy New Zealand music industry. Now, the rise of tech platforms like Tik Tok and the decay of music media have made it a really challenging landscape for artists and journalists alike. He talks to Duncan Greive to discuss what’s bedevilling the industry, and what we can do to solve its issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tech and startup community can, at times, be hostile to the idea of journalism. Caffeine Daily plans to change this. They've hired one of this country’s best business journalists to oversee a site with a different and innovative approach to a fascinating sector. Founders James Hurman and Julie Gill sit down with Duncan Greive to explain what they’re up to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With historical context and Three's no show in mind, Duncan Greive gives his thoughts on TVNZ’s annual Showcase event held this week and what it signals for the current strength of the media industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the founder of a number of New Zealand’s most enduring and thoughtful publications, Vincent Heeringa has spent years operating in spaces like sustainability, technology and marketing. He is also Duncan Greive’s former boss. He joins the podcast to discuss how the world has come to be dominated by the exact conversations he's been having for years, and what lessons he's learned along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s normal for comedians to have parallel careers in writing or acting – but few people in this business have range like Tom Sainsbury. His latest project is his most ambitious yet – a chilling, thrilling horror film called Loop Track. He joins Duncan Greive to discuss how his extraordinary career has lead to this role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He had a long career at the Sunday Star-Times, running the sports pages when they dominated the national conversation. Then the internet happened, and Michael Donaldson felt the light go out. He turned a taste for craft beer into the Pursuit of Hoppiness, a print publication and Substack which exemplifies the power of niche media. He joins Duncan Greive on The Spinoff to talk about his long, circuitous career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive hits the studio to analyse what’s driving the shock decision to end Three’s popular and successful 7pm news-entertainment hybrid The Project. He digs into recent ratings and explains the history and function of 7pm shows in New Zealand, then imagines what might come next from the digital-first direction hinted at in an email from Newshub’s Sarah Bristow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She became a spokesperson for gaming almost by accident, but as chairperson of the New Zealand Game Developers Association, Chelsea Rapp went on to score the industry’s biggest ever win in this year’s budget. She joins Duncan Greive to discuss how she secured a tax rebate scheme for the gaming sector that is similar to Australia's and the growth she believes the extra investment will bring in the future of the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paula Browning is the chair of WeCreate, an umbrella organisation which represents the interests of design, screen, fashion, music and more – a combined $15bn sector. Yet it still struggles to get attention and funding from government. Browning speaks to Duncan Greive to make the case for that to change in the next government, no matter which party is leading it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the aftermath on an underwhelming Better Public Media NZ debate, in which half the parties didn’t show, Duncan Greive goes solo to vent his frustrations on the current state of political engagement with media in New Zealand, and why the underlying issues matter in what (he self-interestedly thinks) are quite profound ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic saw a huge surge in share prices, as investors processed the step-changed reality of an extremely online, locked down population. Stake distinguishes itself from other trading platforms not just in focusing on a more strategic investor, but also in using content as a core part of its way of gathering and connecting to audiences. Its CMO Bryan Wilmot joins Duncan Greive to talk about the pandemic, meme stocks, Barbenheimer and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday NZME announced the formation of ZB+, a new subscription platform associated with its much-loved, much-loathed Newstalk ZB brand. It will be edited by Philip Crump, a lawyer-turned-Substacker who found big audiences wading into uncomfortable areas. Reaction to the idea was mostly negative, but Duncan Greive thinks it’s the right play, and explains why in this monopod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She has spent her career in television, but when the position of CEO for the NZFC came up, Annie Murray found the opportunity irresistible. She joins Duncan Greive to talk about what makes a New Zealand film, how the sector is handling the prolonged actors and writers strikes, and what recent changes to government incentives are likely to do for the embattled sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The challenge of climate change is discussed every day, but another issue that's almost as knotty: how do we talk about it in a way which induces the desired response? Nikki Wright runs Wright Communications and has worked with clients like Toyota and Urgent Couriers for almost 20 years in the sustainability space. David Robertson runs Hardwired, a consultancy which deploys behavioural psychology to nudge consumers toward the desired behaviour. Together they tell Duncan Greive how to bring your audience with you when you’re talking about the big, gnarly issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She arrived off the boat from Ireland, and within a couple of years was interviewing the prime minister weekly. That led to one of the biggest political scoops of the decade, a long career at RNZ and the extraordinary life she lays bare in her acclaimed memoir Grand. Now McCarthy runs the exceptional podcast company Bird of Paradise, and has collaborated with The Spinoff on Dear Jane, a brand new narrative podcast out now, which reflects on one woman's experience as a 14 year old girl in an inappropriate relationship with the youth group leader at her church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s WATA day, Duncan Greive’s favourite day of the media year, when the latest in the vast longitudinal New Zealand on Air media research drops. Duncan gives some top line thoughts and then is joined by New Zealand on Air chief executive Cameron Harland to dig into the weeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine a social media app where the algorithm didn't prioritise the most divisive content on the platform. Letterboxd co-founder Karl Von Randow and editor-in-chief Gemma Gracewood join Duncan Greive to talk about how they purposefully built a slow, community-centric and non-capital intensive platform. Plus, the current state of film and how it is tracking at the end of the pandemic and the beginning of the strikes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past two years TikTok has risen to become the cultural heart of the internet, for better and worse. And throughout that time, Kate Lindsay has been there to document it. The former staffer with The Atlantic joins Duncan Greive live from New York to spend a very entertaining hour unpacking the current state of the social media nation, and why reporting on social media often feels so weird. She also recaps when she inadvertently became the internet’s main character after popularising the divisive “millennial pause” discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chamanthie Sinhalage-Fonseka and Victoria Young met at a party earlier this year, and ended up talking deep into the night about their experiences as Asian wāhine working in the fields of communications and journalism respectively. They wondered why they had met so few colleagues with backgrounds like their own, given the burgeoning pan-Asian population of New Zealand. Instead of shrugging and moving on, they started an organisation dedicated to helping both practitioners and organisations increase that representation. They join Duncan Greive to explain what binds the experiences of such a diverse community, and how people can engage with Kiwi-Asians in Media and Communications (KaiMaC). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She left New Zealand for London 20 years ago, and fought her way into the edges of the music industry the hard way. But a chance encounter with country music a decade ago saw Milly Olykan rapidly become a key figure in unlocking this famously regional music for international audiences. Now she’s VP of international relations for the famed Country Music Association trade group, and she tells Duncan Greive how country music came to sell out Spark Arena – and the lessons for other media forms it contains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this year, NZME’s long time managing editor resigned – but instead of going to governance or a competitor, he walked straight across to his newsroom. Shayne Currie became “the media insider”, creating an informed, dishy column which has quickly become one of the most-discussed products in NZ’s media. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about the road to the c-suite, what drew him back to the shop floor, and how he balances reporting on his own organisation and its competitors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are now more than a decade into what was once known as influencer marketing, and has now grown into the much more complex and sophisticated creator economy. Wendy Thompson founded Socialites, and recently hired Melanie Spencer as CEO. The pair have been on an acquisition spree, and now have six businesses and almost 50 staff. They explain how they’re taking on major agencies with a singular approach to creative and media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A television veteran and co-founder of comedy production powerhouse Kevin & Co, Bronwynn Bakker joins Duncan Greive to talk about the strange media era we're in, the foundational role Jono and Ben played in nurturing a generation of comics and her plans to take that talent to global markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a spiritual sequel to an earlier interview with Paul Spoonley, Duncan Greive is joined by the head of Growing Up in New Zealand, an extraordinary longitudinal study which gives an unparalleled insight into the world of thousands of kids. Now 13-14, they represent the future of this country, and by extension our media. Sarah-Jane Paine tells Duncan what knowledge the media can gain from this groundbreaking study. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Red Nicholson is the founder of the D*List, a bold new media brand which just launched aiming to provide a salty, raw and exuberant platform for, by and about disabled people. He and editor Olivia Shivas join Duncan Greive to explain the genesis and kaupapa behind this exciting new venture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month Guy Montgomery played four sold out nights at Q Theatre, pulling almost 2000 people in the process, while his original format show Guy Mont-Spelling Bee is a bonafide hit. He’s a decade into his career and has figured out who he is and how to do his jokes. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to explain how it all happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive addresses the fallout from revelations RNZ has for years been running wire copy altered to have pro-Russia and China slants. He also looks at the legacy of departing Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher, and explains why The Fold will be getting a little less time sensitive for the next while. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He started on lowest rung at Saatchis in Wellington, in charge of absorbing TV ratings leaving a dot matrix printer. By the time Matt Bale left the agency he started, MBM, in 2022, the media business had transformed. He chose to lean into that, studying AI at Stanford, and joins Duncan Greive to talk about his career, and what the next wave of the generative internet might look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For a very special episode, Duncan Greive analyses the Safer Online Services and Media Platforms, an obscure “discussion document” which contains a bold idea: regulate the internet in the same way we do legacy media. He is joined by The Spinoff staff writer Shanti Mathias to explain the context, then The Bulletin editor Anna Rawhiti-Connell to analyse its implications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She seems to have mastered acting, writing and directing after two decades creating film and TV, but what's next for Madeleine Sami? She joins host Duncan Greive to talk about the institutions which made her and her two new original series airing in June. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the political and economic gravities pulling in various directions, the finance minister was tasked with providing support for the hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis without heaping sugar in an already high-inflation sauce. And on top of that, it's an election year. To assess whether Grant Robertson managed to thread that needle, Gone By Lunchtime’s Toby Manhire sits down with When the Facts Change’s Bernard Hickey to discuss their Budget 2023 reactions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 years ago, Joel Little was an ex-pop punk singer who’d set up a small studio to record music for commercials. By the end of the year he'd produced a #1 single in the US, and since his enormous success with Lorde’s Pure Heroine album he has worked with a galaxy of stars. Now he’s set up Big Fan, a community space comprising studios and a venue, run by Savina Fountain, a veteran of Aotearoa's live music scene. They both join Duncan Greive on The Fold to tell the story of Big Fan and the vital function they see it as performing for New Zealand music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has any technology ever caused as much disquiet as generative AI? Duncan Greive talks to veteran tech journalist Peter Griffin about how this new generation of AI works, why it has scientists, philosophers and politicians spooked, and its implications for media industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday Stuff finally announced paywalls for three of its powerhouse regional mastheads, while keeping the big Stuff platform free to all. It’s a bold experiment in making regional news the centre of a paid proposition, and runs contra local and international trends. Stuff chief content officer Jo Norris joins The Fold to explain the thinking to Duncan Greive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Zealand’s most famous demographer, professor Paul Spoonley, joins Duncan Greive to talk about the incredible changes to New Zealand’s makeup over the past 20 years, and how they are expected to accelerate in years to come. He also discusses a new study from The Fold sponsor oOh! Media which looks at post-Covid changes to mobility, hyper-ageing and the ethnic makeup of the country. Spoonley unpacks these seismic, yet poorly understood trends and explains how it all affects the media business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since uniting on Native Affairs during the rise of Māori Television, Mihi Forbes and Annabelle Lee-Mather have formed one of the longest-lasting creative partnerships in Aotearoa journalism. They join Duncan Greive to reflect on their trailblazing careers, taking in 3 News, RNZ, The Hui and now Aotearoa Media Collective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Its difficult to do your first podcast, but doing it daily is a whole other beast. Damien Venuto is the host of the New Zealand Herald's podcast 'The Front Page' which celebrates its first birthday this month. He joins Duncan Greive to talk about what it takes to host a daily podcast, and how he has grown into the role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live episode: For the 5th birthday of The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s trailblazing daily email newsletter, its founding editor Alex Braae sat down with its current editor Anna Rawhiti-Connell at a special event for The Spinoff’s members. The pair were interviewed by The Spinoff’s editor Madeleine Chapman, and the trio provide a bunch of fascinating insights into just how that product is made, and what it requires of those who make it. Want to become a member of The Spinoff? Click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After just a year of broadcasting, Today FM hosts Tova O'Brien and Duncan Garner took over the airwaves this morning to dramatically declare that Mediaworks was considering axing the fledgling radio brand. Duncan Greive sits down in this bonus monopod to discuss the potential future that faces Today FM's employees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He's got one of the most prestigious journalism careers in the country, but RNZ’s Guyon Espiner is not slowing down anytime soon. His new series "Mate, Comrade, Brother" on political lobbying in New Zealand has already exposed a number of troubling incidents. He sits down with Duncan Greive to discuss why he supports lobbying regulation, along with a look back over a rich career in forward-thinking journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The early days of Māori Television were chaotic. After the founding CE was fired and imprisoned for fraud, Dr. Jim Mather was tapped to lead the fledging broadcaster. An account with no previous media experience, he was an unlikely choice for the role, but ended up leading the channel through some of its greatest years. He joins Duncan Greive to talk his outstanding career in consultancy and governance, his current position as chair of RNZ, and his involvement with podcast sponsor oOh!Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Animation studio Mukpuddy are creating cartoons that are loved around the world, and stand on the precipice of a monster global adaptation of Spike Milligan’s 'Badjelly the Witch'. But this moment did not come easy. Mukpuddy co-founders Ryan Cooper and Alex Leighton join Duncan Greive to tell the wild story of their journey from the basement to the big time and how they survived an inhospitable local media environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet the mastermind behind the ABC's astounding digital transformation. Gaven Morris oversaw the entire news division of the ABC during a transition from a public radio and TV behemoth, to a market leading digital operation. He talks with Duncan Greive to share what he learned in that process, and give his advice on what the future of RNZ, TVNZ and NZ on Air should look like, now that the public media merger is no longer going ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did Aotearoa's most-awarded magazine survive through some of the biggest obstacles in media history? New Zealand Geographic publisher James Frankham talks with Duncan Greive about the collapse of Bauer Media, taking the government to court, and the brilliant revenue model which helps NZ Geo turn a rare profit in print. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does a young New Zealander end up amongst televisions big leagues? While production assisting on shows like Workaholics, Georgia Rippin saw the potential that web-series had when scaled for television. Now, Georgia has created Kold Open, a marketplace which aims to connect web-series creators with big studios that produce content for streaming services. She joins Duncan to talk about the power she sees in converting digital content for traditional mediums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can companies ensure their advertising dollar is being well spent? Ooh!media is using their fleet of digital bus stop billboards to transform the industry into one of the most responsive and creative forms of advertising available. General manager Nick Vile talks with Duncan about Ooh!media's ability to adapt in a quickly changing market, and why he feels optimistic about the financial year ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For nine years he steered the ship he built, but last week Duncan Greive announced his surprise resignation as CEO of The Spinoff. He joins guest host, Jane Yee, to discuss how doing things differently took The Spinoff from an irreverent TV blog to a respected online magazine, and why he's decided to hand over the reins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet the kiwi in charge of some of the worlds biggest brands across Japan, Australia and Aotearoa. Glen Kyne went from running the commercial team at Mediaworks to fostering brands like CNN and HBO in the blink of an eye. He chats with Duncan about the future of the streaming wars, what might happen if the RNZ-TVNZ merger goes through, and what should be done if it doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Duncan takes a break from hosting The Fold to guest star on an episode of The Shit Show. Hosted by Shit You Should Care About founder and personal friend, Lucy Blakiston. They talk Greta Thunberg, the Roanoke disappearance, and of course, AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of Thursday’s astonishing announcement, Duncan Greive sits down with Jacinda Ardern biographer Mad Chapman and Gone By Lunchtime host Toby Manhire to discuss Ardern's complicated relationship with both mainstream and social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What in the Terminator has been going on in the news recently? 2022 saw AI skyrocket in the public discourse, with science-fiction becoming a looming reality. Founder of AI NZ Justin Flitter joins Duncan to discuss the rise of Dall-E 2 and ChatGPT, and discuss the way those in and out of the media should think about these tools going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second of a pair of high summer solo podcasts, Duncan Greive talks about the stunning advances in consumer AI in 2022, from Dall-E 2 and Midjourney to ChatGPT. He runs through how they might impact the media and society, and explains why he believes it’s such a dazzlingly confronting technology frontier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of a pair of high summer solo podcasts, Duncan Greive runs through an alternate way of achieving public media outcomes using RNZ and NZ on Air if (as looks increasingly likely), Labour abandons its plans to merge TVNZ and RNZ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SUPERPOD is back! And for 2022, we're bigger than ever! Hosted by Gone By Lunchtime's Toby Manhire and featuring Jane Yee and Alex Casey from The Real Pod, Duncan Greive from The Fold, Leonie Hayden from Nē?, Simon Pound from Business Is Boring, The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman and The Spinoff Podcast Network's Te Aihe Butler, SUPERPOD 2022 is our multiverse of madness. From the Black Ferns' historic win to Mike King's villainous turn on Celebrity Treasure Island, we cover the incredible highs and lows of what has been a terribly special year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The country is experiencing the largest migration of audiences since the invention of the Television. As New Zealand's longest serving leader of a major media organisation, RNZ CE Paul Thompson has had a front row seat for all of it. He joins Duncan to talk about the function of publicly funded media, why the merger matters and what he has learnt from touring the world's state-owned broadcasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who reports on the reporters? Hayden Donnell, senior producer of RNZ’s Mediawatch and former staff writer for The Spinoff sits down to discuss the countries 10 biggest media stories of the year. Hayden and Duncan discuss everything from the occupation of parliament to the looming public media merger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She’s Tumuaki o ngā Take Pūtea at Irirangi te Motu – the head of funding at NZ on Air – but Amie Mills is also one of the most open and curious minds in our media. She joins The Fold to talk about the challenges manifest in the organisation’s new research into the viewing and listening habits of Gen Z, before talking us through the profound changes NZ on Air has had to make in response to the media merger, which has seen its budget slashed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former NZ First MP is leading the establishment board for ANZPM – the new entity which will run RNZ and TVNZ as they re-merge into a brand new, fit-for-the-future media powerhouse. Because they’re also being given nine figures a year by the government, the merger is causing consternation among private sector media – and Martin is tasked with figuring out how to keep everyone from freaking out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was arrested during the 1981 Springbok tour, not long after being announced as head girl of her high school – whatever she does, Janine Morrell-Gunn does it with her whole heart. Since those early peaks, she set off into the TVNZ newsroom of the 80s, before traversing into her life’s work in kid’s TV. She co-founded Whitebait Media, the iconic Ōtautahi studio behind What Now?, The Erin Simpson Show and many other hits, influencing generations of tamariki. She was just bestowed the NZ TV Legend award, and joined The Fold to look back on a singular screen career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He’s no stranger to chasing down oddballs on the internet, but Mister Organ saw David Farrier finally meet his match in his second feature length documentary. It began with a story about clamping that became a huge hit saga on The Spinoff, and ended with legal threats flying and some deeply freaky confrontations. Farrier joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss the film, his hit newsletter Webworm and all the fascinating and formally inventive moves he's made over his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She started her career at The Spinoff as a 22-year-old intern in 2016, and became its editor five years later. In between time she wrote two books and became one of the most admired writers of her generation for her wit, intellect and originality. Then she got a job she didn’t even want, becoming one of the youngest editors of a “mainstream” publication ever. Madeleine Chapman sits down with Duncan Greive to reflect on her unconventional path to the role, the early years of The Spinoff and some of her most iconic pieces of writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Consumer has had a big year – driving the conversation around the grocery duopoly in a way which has fundamentally reframed our view of supermarkets. Yet the challenges facing our consumers are big and complex, and the membership base is shrinking. He joins The Fold to explain why Consumer exists, and how it is evolving in the modern media environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most talented creatives working in Aotearoa today, Chris Parker seems to never have met a medium he can’t master. He joins The Fold to talk about his new book, but we also traverse his comedy, his plays, his Instagram, his felting and his extraordinary reality TV appearances. But the most revelatory part of the conversation concerns why he still can’t get his dreams on screens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 years ago, Viva La Dirt League started doing musical parodies of gaming logic. Now, three friends have built out a truly unique YouTube channel with over 3m subscribers and revenue which would dwarf all but a handful of NZ media companies. They join the Fold to explain how they did it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a few short years Joe Daymond went from sleeping on a mate’s couch to selling out Sky City Theatre with his stand-up show, all driven by a very smart and analytical use of social media. But the plan was always to build a TV empire – and with production company West Park, he’s already well on his way. [First released February 2022.] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an extraordinary decade with Three, during which she became the zeitgeist face of the press gallery, Tova O’Brien abruptly resigned late last year. After an ugly and public employment relations authority case, she finally got to start a new gig in a new medium with a new station at Today FM. Despite all that, she is crackling with energy as she joins Duncan Greive on The Fold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a lot going on in New Zealand’s media at the moment, so Duncan Greive takes the mic alone to deliver a solo podcast on the three issues which feel most pressing, including the freaky state of the TVNZ-RNZ merger, an increasingly isolated and aggressive Facebook and how the Queen’s death marked the end of a media era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former National cabinet minister Simon Power was a surprise appointment to lead TVNZ, but his skills as a politician have come in handy with the biggest change at the state broadcaster in decades fast approaching. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss the merger – why he believes in the concept but not the current bill, and his vision for ANZPM should he be appointed to lead it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The third season of Alice Snedden’s Bad News will be the last – and that’s fine, its creator tells Duncan Greive. Alice Snedden joins The Fold to explain why the show’s over, and how it and her have changed in the five years since it debuted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Founded in 2011, The Conversation has risen from Melbourne to become one of the most influential platforms for academic publishing in the world. Its New Zealand editor Finlay Macdonald explains the two crucial innovations which have driven its success, and reflects on his career writing and editing at The Listener when it was in the prime of its societal influence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former ED of Tāmaki Makaurau’s trailblazing venue The Basement, Elise Sterback is currently partway through a PhD on the subject of arts funding. She thinks a lottery would produce more equitable results, and maps the current system and her proposed solutions on The Fold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She’s objectively one of the most successful actors this country has produced, in terms of the scale of her roles, yet Michelle Ang is not in it for the fame (she’s currently employed as the Spinoff’s finance person). What she is about is the brilliant tension between the creative and the disciplined, manifest in her wildly varied career, which spans Neighbours, Fear the Walking Dead, McDonald’s Young Entertainers as well four different more intimate productions released this year alone. Most notably Hair Now, an outstanding docu-series dropping weekly on The Spinoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We say it a lot, but this really is a must-listen for anyone hoping to reach the new wave of risk takers and decision makers. Gen Z is making and consuming media in ways and at a pace that can be difficult for older generations to understand. They've never known a world without digital connection at its core and we're on the precipice of massive societal change as a result. New York-based Rex Woodbury writes a tech-meets-culture Substack called Digital Native, and Duncan is obsessed. Also obsessed is Duncan's friend, and real life Gen Z legend, Lucy Blakiston (Shit You Should Care About). This week the pair team up to interview Rex about why we're in the early stages of multiple major shifts and what it all means for media and society as a whole from this very moment on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two decades working as an exec at Sky, John Tapu resigned to start Kava Bowl Media. He's already made a rugby league show which has sold into Australia and the islands, with a special eye for talent and distinctive humour. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to explain how he did it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshly-minted media minister Willie Jackson joins Duncan Greive to explain the government’s plans for its merged media platforms – and what that means for NZ on Air. He talks about the Public Interest Journalism Fund and why he believes settlements with Google and Facebook are the right approach to replacing it. In addition, he reminisces on his trailblazing time in the music industry, and reflects on his one big regret. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After being let go from her radio job in 2020, Brodie Kane made the brave decision to build her own podcast company just as the pandemic hit. Now Brodie Kane Media has a smash hit on her hands in The Girls Uninterrupted, and a growing stable of related podcasts that marks her as a media entrepreneur to watch. She joins Duncan Greive to talk about her new business, her career in broadcasting and her inspirational run on Dancing With the Stars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Braae was the founding editor of The Bulletin before joining TVNZ's flagship politics show Q+A as executive producer. He and its host Jack Tame have embarked on a thoughtful reimagining of the show and its role this year, largely doing away with panels and heading out into the field more. They join Duncan Greive on The Fold to discuss the role of political current affairs shows, and how to capture younger audiences in the Tiktok era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She started a Twitter account for the Auckland Theatre Company, and within a few years was running social for one of New Zealand’s biggest banks; thus becoming one of the first wave of social media experts in Aotearoa. Now she’s largely abandoned the platforms in taking a new role as the author of the Bulletin – and now head of newsletters for The Spinoff. Anna Rawhiti-Connell explains her fascinating professional journey to Duncan Greive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The relationship between media and museums is stronger than you might expect. Courtney Johnston is the youngest Tumu Whakarae / chief executive in Te Papa’s history. She oversees a staff of 600 and an institution with an unresolvable complex mission: one national museum to serve all our peoples. Yet Johnston gets a massive kick out of her big, unruly and fascinating job, and agrees with the thesis that museums were the original media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Newport founded Crux to address the fact that the big west coast towns of Te Waipounamu had no major newspaper serving them. Four years on, Crux has endured the usual startup travails, but also become a key voice in the region’s journalism. He joins The Fold to tell Duncan Greive why and how he did it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Known for weird and highly original TV shows, Leigh Hart is also a wildly innovative business person. In a rare earnest and out-of-character interview, he explains how he has built the singular Moon TV universe, and the way beer and chips have naturally grown out of his approach to funding his escapades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes I just get to indulge in pure fandom on this show, and this is one of those times. Henry Cooke has been in the press gallery for just five years, but had a lightning fast rise to the role of chief political reporter. He writes brilliantly about all aspects of our politics with verve and a sense of the institution that belies his years (he’s 29). As he leaves on his OE, I got to ask him about one of the most fascinating jobs in journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s 30 years since Shortland Street debuted on our screens, and in that time Aotearoa has transformed. The daily soap opera is a maligned format, but the way Shortland Street does it, it really shouldn’t be. Where many soaps are fundamentally conservative, Shortland Street has been consistently and impressively progressive. The show’s producer, and one-time star, Oliver Driver, comes on The Fold to explain how they get it done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Able is the home of the captioning and audio description services which make television accessible to hearing and vision impaired New Zealanders – and it’s about to lose the only leader it's ever had. Outgoing chief executive Wendy Youens tells The Fold about her haerenga, the importance of Able’s work – and why the same services barely exist on New Zealand’s streaming services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She has produced television for decades, from every conceivable angle. Now, Irene Gardiner has taken on the presidency of producers’ guild, Spada, at the most fascinating and complex time in the sector’s history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A second conversation with press gallery wonk, Bernard Hickey, about his newsletter / podcast product, The Kākā. It’s just 18 months old and only six months into its paywall, but already has become financially sustainable. Now he’s landed on a quixotic plan to grow it – make it free, to hundreds of thousands more people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first of a new quick response format to big breaking media news featuring host, Duncan Greive, tackling two huge media stories of the past week. This week: Netflix’s big miss and Elon Musk taking Twitter private. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a piqued interest in high school leading him hustling into radio work, Nathan Rarere's journey in broadcasting began doing the overnight shift. Most recently finding himself as the host of First Up on RNZ, over his history as a broadcaster, Nathan has been a part of many cultural pinpoints across the spectrum. Nathan joins the pod to chat his extensive path to First Up, how an early gig became a TV pinnacle of alt youth culture, and how to make good media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the height of a global pandemic (thus in an amplified and tense state), being new to the media world is no easy task. However, taking it in his stride and coming from a large breadth of diversified roles, his decades of experience elsewhere have lead Don Mann to his current position as CEO of the Pacific Media Network. Although each pinpoint in his working career are seemingly different, Don sees and implements their core similarity as a driving force: serving community. Today, he joins The Fold to speak on representation in the media of Aotearoa, diversity development, and the complexities of his role in its relationships to both the media, and community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She started her career in journalism in her hometown of Ōtautahi, three months before the quakes. Four years later she left and effectively restarted from scratch in Canada, only to do that all over again a few years later in New York. This combination of doggedness, ambition and a willingness to humble herself in pursuit of true greatness has now landed Olivia Carville at Businessweek, the flagship of global business media giant Bloomberg. She tells her incredible story to Duncan Greive, and gives a masterclass in how to get to the top of longform journalism along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 years ago, Viva La Dirt League started doing musical parodies of gaming logic. Now, three friends have built out a truly unique YouTube channel with over 3m subscribers and revenue which would dwarf all but a handful of NZ media companies. They join the Fold to explain how they did it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto, NFTs and web3 have an impressive ability to prompt one of four core reactions: fury, greed, idealism or "????" Glorious is a web3 company from Aotearoa which has started in fine art and with a focus on how to improve outcomes for artists. Co-founder and CEO Tim Harper has a specific and differentiated view of how the space will evolve – and how it will create its own lane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two decades overseas in major roles at the Financial Times and Washington Post, Anna Fifield returned home in 2020 to edit the Dominion Post. One of the biggest challenges she's faced in the new job has been deliberately obstructive communication work from the public service – and so she's made it her mission to try and change that culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It started as just this side of a joke, in a caravan, calling what was one of the worst ever Black Caps sides. Just eight years later the Black Caps are world test champions and the Alternative Commentary Collective has become one of the most interesting and powerful innovations in New Zealand’s media. Co-founder Mike Lane explains how it happened, and what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A research fellow with Te Pūnaha Matatini, Sanjana Hattotuwa has been studying information disorder for two decades. He’s spent the last month watching the occupation at parliament spread and outrate the mainstream media in venues like Facebook Live and Telegram, and explains why Aotearoa has to view this as a sign of things to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One year on from taking on a Substack Pro deal, Emily Writes finds herself able to live as a full-time writer for the first time. She joins Duncan Greive to explain how it happened, what it’s done for her life and why writers need to get more comfortable straight up asking for money. Subscribe to Emily's newsletter at emilywrites.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New observational documentary series Takeout Kids (watch now on The Spinoff) follows the day-to-day lives of four young people growing up in takeaway shops and family-run restaurants. Director Julie Zhu joins The Fold to talk about making the series, how representation alone is not enough and the need to break away from the “exceptional immigrant” narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a few short years Joe Daymond went from sleeping on a mate’s couch to selling out Sky City Theatre with his stand-up show, all driven by a very smart and analytical use of social media. But the plan was always to build a TV empire – and with production company West Park, he’s already well on his way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After abruptly leaving Magic Talk last year, veteran broadcaster Sean Plunket did something unusual: he started his own radio station. The Platform will be all digital, and has recruited some high profile stars, including Michael Laws and Martin Devlin. What unifies them is a sense that they all feel like the debate in New Zealand has grown too narrow for their taste – and a belief that there is an audience for views which have become far less visible on our major media platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the director of news and talk at MediaWorks, Dallas Gurney is responsible for overseeing the launch of Today FM, the company’s new talk radio brand set to replace Magic Talk and, they hope, offer a viable alternative to talk radio giant Newstalk ZB. He joins Duncan Greive to talk about why MediaWorks decided to scrap Magic Talk, the long-term vision behind Today FM and the contentious ERA decision keeping Tova O’Brien off the air until mid-March. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a short break over summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then here's one of our favourites from 2021. Emma Espiner is a writer, commentator, podcaster and doctor. She won Opinion Writer of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2020, the same year she completed her medical degree – her podcast about that final year as a Māori med student navigating New Zealand's inequitable health system, Getting Better, was then named Best Narrative Podcast at the 2021 Voyagers. In this episode she talks with Duncan about making Getting Better, the way the media interacts with healthcare and how it’s been starting out as a junior doctor in 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a short break over summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then here's one of our favourites from 2021. Lucy Blakiston is one of three young New Zealand women behind Shit You Should Care About, a media company built around an Instagram account which was started in 2018 to break down the barriers of entry to news and issues. The account now has over three million followers, and the company is branching out into podcasts and the new web series Extremely Online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a short break over summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then here's one of our favourites from 2021. While most press gallery journalists go to sleep and dream of politics, NZ Herald's Derek Cheng has another true love: climbing. Duncan first met him at a press gallery party, where he was barefoot, cooking up sausages on a barbecue, and since learning of the journalist’s intense passion for climbing, has been intrigued to find out more. In this episode Derek talks about his climbing, a serious injury that brought him back home to New Zealand and why Covid-19 was such a fascinating time to be in the beehive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Gone By Lunchtime’s Toby Manhire and featuring representatives from The Real Pod, The Fold, Nē? and Dietary Requirements, SUPERPOD 2021 is the crossover podcast event we’ve been waiting all year for. Join us as we relive the highs and lows and heroes and villains of the longest, shortest year in living memory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final episode for 2021, The Fold enters monopod formation as Duncan Greive attempts to summarise the last 12 months in the New Zealand media industry. What were the biggest stories, strongest trends and most significant changes, how have all the big players been performing and what does it all mean? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian Guy Williams became a household name in New Zealand off the back of his regular appearances on Jono and Ben, and has remained on television in a “volunteer journalist” capacity on his own show New Zealand Today. That show now has a spinoff podcast of the same name, which Williams is co-hosting with former guest Karen Hill of viral “wants her $20 back” fame. He joins Duncan Greive to talk about making the show, why a podcast is his logical next step as a “mediocre white man”, and his friendship with Karen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Wheel Blacks captain Dan Buckingham started out as a researcher and presenter for TVNZ’s long-running disability docuseries Attitude in 2008. Now he’s the CEO of Attitude Pictures and chair of The Attitude Trust, which hosts the annual Attitude Awards. He joined Duncan Greive to talk about on screen representation for disability, which has been described internationally as the “forgotten diversity”, and about Attitude’s new primetime series Down For Love coming to TVNZ next year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cate Slater is the director of content at TVNZ, which last week held its upfronts announcing what’s in store for next year. She joined Duncan Greive to talk about the organisation’s Aotearoatanga journey, a 2022 content schedule with an emphasis on local drama over international reality TV franchises, the rise of digital and OnDemand and the legacy of outgoing CEO Kevin Kenrick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne is the SVP and general manager of Discovery ANZ, the new owners of Three. Last week the company had their first ever upfronts revealing what the channel and its wider ecosystem will look like in 2022 and beyond. He joins Duncan to discuss all the big talking points.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a very special The Fold / The Real Pod crossover episode, Duncan is joined by Jane Yee to delve into the first ever Discovery upfronts, in which Three’s new owner just announced a bunch of new shows, two new channels and a very reality TV-heavy new direction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though he's lived in New Zealand for more than two decades, Ahmed Osman (Third Culture Minds) struggles to remember ever seeing anybody who looked like him on the screen here. The Somali-New Zealander joins Duncan Greive to talk about how diversity and representation are handled when it comes to media funding, the flow-on consequences that has and the opportunities we’re missing out on as a result. They also discuss Kelvin Taylor’s recent story on The Spinoff: How it feels to be an African-Kiwi on NZ screens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rudy Kokx is the director of Coffee News New Zealand. In this episode he joins Duncan for a chat about how this ubiquitous publication gets made, and their recent decision to get off Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bailey Mackey is the CEO of Pango Productions, the production company behind last Saturday’s eight-hour live Vaxathon. He joins The Fold to tell the story of how they pulled it all together in a little over a week.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning guest Hal Crawford (Crawford Media) joins The Fold for a discussion about Facebook in light of the Wall Street Journal’s recent Facebook Files investigation. What did they reveal, and what can be done about it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Worrall and Miriama McDowell are two of the key creatives behind Head High, a critically acclaimed and pioneering drama which just wrapped its second season on Three. The weird news is, instead of discussing where the series might go next, we’re talking about why it just got cancelled. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toby Morris’s comics (The Side Eye, The Pencilsword) have been making an impact in New Zealand for some time, but his collaborations with Dr Siouxsie Wiles communicating public health messages around the Covid-19 pandemic went truly global. Released under Creative Commons, these illustrations have been used by governments worldwide and ultimately the World Health Organisation. At the same time as all this, along with becoming The Spinoff’s creative director and starting Daylight Creative, he also managed to write a book: Dad Man Walking. In this episode he tells Duncan Greive about the book, the Covid-19 illustrations and how he has developed his distinctive style of comics journalism over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samson Samasoni started his career as a journalist in the 1980s, went to work for the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, then had a long and fascinating career in communications around the world, working in locations as diverse as Saudi Arabia and Tokelau before returning home to specialise in communicating to Pasifika. In this episode, we discuss NZ on Air's Where are the Audiences research, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and how government and media can better communicate with modern Aotearoa. The Fold wouldn’t exist without the support of The Spinoff Members. Find out how to join at members.thespinoff.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janet Wilson is an experienced journalist and public relations consultant who last year took on the role of chief press secretary for the National Party during their ill-fated election campaign, working first under the leadership of Todd Muller, then Judith Collins. In this episode she joins Duncan Greive for an explosive interview in which she discusses Collins' leadership as a threat to the party's very existence, and assesses both the bizarre 2020 campaign (the prayer, the Ponsonby Road walk) and the way the party has ignored the lessons of its drubbing in favour of an autocratic focus on loyalty tests. The Fold couldn’t be made without the support of The Spinoff Members. Find out how to join at members.thespinoff.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MONOPOD! An in-depth look into some shocking new audience data – and what it means for all of us. Duncan Greive goes solo this week, taking a deep breath before diving into the latest edition of 'Where are the Audiences?', a fascinating annual piece of research commissioned by NZ On Air. It's 46 gushing minutes which seek to try and understand what has happened to our media consumption over the last seven years. The Fold couldn’t be made without the support of The Spinoff Members. Find out how to join at members.thespinoff.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dylan Cleaver is one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed sports writers, with over 25 years experience at the NZ Herald. A couple of months ago he left the Herald to start The Bounce, a new thrice-weekly sports newsletter, via Substack. He joined Duncan Greive over Zoom this week to talk through the move, how sports journalism has changed in recent years and his investigations into the hidden toll of head injuries in rugby. The Fold couldn’t be made without the support of The Spinoff Members. Find out how to join at members.thespinoff.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danyl Mclauchlan is a Wellington based writer. He wrote politics blog The Dim Post back in the blogging era and now writes regularly for The Spinoff, where his recent review of Andrey Mir’s book Postjournalism and the Death of Newspapers. The media after Trump: manufacturing anger and polarization was published. In this episode he joins Duncan Greive over Zoom to discuss the concept of postjournalism, engaging with the world of effective altruism, Simon Bridges’ new book and more. LINKS Things fall apart: why journalism might not survive what’s coming next Communism by stealth: notes on conservatism, neoliberalism, social investment, and a UBI Tranquillity and Ruin (VUP) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Wild was the series producer and director of The Apprentice Aotearoa – an old-fashioned one-night-a-week series in the era of multi night reality behemoths, and one of the most fun-to-watch New Zealand reality TV series in a long time. In this episode he tells Duncan Greive about making that show, as well as New Zealand's Next Top Model and The Bachelor, the importance of casting and the way the New Zealand character feeds into our reality TV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emma Espiner is a writer, commentator, podcaster and doctor. She won Opinion Writer of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2020, the same year she completed her medical degree – her podcast about that final year as a Māori med student navigating New Zealand's inequitable health system, Getting Better, was then named Best Narrative Podcast at the 2021 Voyagers. In this episode she talks with Duncan Greive about making Getting Better, the way the media interacts with healthcare and how it’s been starting out as a junior doctor this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Ahwa is the creative director at Viva magazine, the NZ Herald’s fashion, beauty, food and wellbeing publication. The title has been running since 1998 and stands out among other newspaper-inserted magazines for how well-crafted and curated it is, with its own distinct aesthetic and values. In this episode, Dan talks to Duncan about surviving the pandemic cutbacks last year to launch a new glossy quarterly publication, holding space for lifestyle content within a predominantly news-focused organisation and being a Samoan New Zealander working within fashion and mainstream media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Musician and actor Troy Kingi is half way through an ambitious mission to release 10 albums in 10 different genres over 10 years. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold this week to talk about the project and making his latest album Black Sea Golden Ladder, his mixed feelings about appearing on The Masked Singer NZ earlier this year, the changing music economy and what it’s like being an artist during this era of closed borders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucy Blakiston is one of three young New Zealand women behind Shit You Should Care About, a media company built around an Instagram account which was started in 2018 to break down the barriers of entry to news and issues. The account now has over three million followers, and the company is branching out into podcasts and the new web series Extremely Online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Qiane Matata-Sipu is a journalist, photographer, podcaster, entrepreneur and activist. In 2019 she launched Nuku Women, a multimedia project with the ambitious goal of interviewing and photographing 100 indigenous wāhine. As one of the founders and spokespeople of SOUL (Save Our Unique Landscape) she has also played an important role in occupying and protecting Ihumātao. In this episode she reflects on what she learned being on the other side of the media equation and what makes Nuku such a hard but rewarding project to work on. Find Qiane's work at nukuwomen.co.nz and qiane.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive speaks to comedian James Roque about filming his hugely ambitious crowdfunded stand-up hour Boy Mestizo. He is unashamedly trying to sell it to Netflix, and believes its examination of his identity as a Filipino New Zealander will have appeal far beyond these shores. He also talks about being part of the guessing panel on The Masked Singer NZ, the absence left by Jono and Ben – and why New Zealand needs its own late night show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan Greive sits down with Metro editor Henry Oliver, art director Kelvin Soh and food editor Jean Teng to discuss the resurrection of the legendary title. The team just released the third and best issue since its independent revival after the dramatic collapse of Bauer. They talk about the extraordinary new design scheme, reimagining the tense school rankings, how Auckland's cafe scene is changing and a pleasingly buoyant ad market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to the New Zealand Herald’s deputy political editor Derek Cheng. While most press gallery journalists go to sleep dreaming of politics, Derek Cheng has another true love – climbing. Duncan first met him at a press gallery party, where he was barefoot, cooking up sausages on a barbecue, and since learning of the journalist’s intense passion for climbing, has been intrigued to find out more. In this episode Derek talks about his climbing, a serious injury that brought him back home to New Zealand, and why Covid-19 was such a fascinating time to be in the belly of the beehive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So far this year on The Fold, Duncan Greive has spoken to a number of the media's top dogs, gaining insight into how the media runs from a business standpoint. Today we're changing the scope with the launch of our Creator series, featuring conversations with the people on the ground, the ones actually making the media we all consume. First up, Duncan talks to Kirsty Johnston, senior writer at Stuff. Kirsty is known for her investigative journalism, writing in-depth about domestic violence, abuse in state care and education over the last decade.  In this episode she talks about the mayhem of working in the New Zealand media industry, why she's passionate about telling stories at an individual level and why writing behind a paywall didn't work for her. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been two years since the NZ Herald website launched its premium offering, the first New Zealand media brand to do so. In that time head of premium Miriyana Alexander has learnt a lot about what New Zealanders want from their news, and she joins Duncan Greive to talk about it on this episode of The Fold. They also discuss why The Herald chose their particular hard paywall model and whether that's something they've ever considered changing, the end of the front page, how social media is changing the way traditional media functions and more in a wide-ranging conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of The Spinoff's media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to TVNZ CEO Kevin Kenrick about the much talked-about RNZ/TVNZ merger, and Kenrick hints at a paid subscription offering for the TVNZ OnDemand service that could be hitting the market soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Zhou and Angelina Del Favero were just 14 when they started publishing imPower magazine. The first two editions – focusing on family harm and modern slavery – were sent to every secondary school in the country. Now 17, they're working on a third all about body image. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of The Spinoff's media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to Special Group founder and CEO Tony Bradbourne about the changing world of advertising, going global and making a Superbowl ad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to broadcasting and media minister Kris Faafoi about funding journalism, putting the audience first and a public media merger. We get to talk with a lot of people in the centre of New Zealand's media industry on this podcast, now we speak to the man representing the media in the Beehive. Kris Faafoi took over the broadcasting and media portfolio after the resignation of Claire Curran in 2018. Duncan Greive talks with the minister on this episode of The Fold about taking up the portfolio and the work he's done in the media industry since. They talk about Māori and Pasefika representation, the public interest journalism fund and the proposed RNZ/TVNZ merger. Faafoi also talks about media consumption and the rapid shift from linear television to on demand and international online offerings that are now taking over viewing habits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to Jason Paris, Vodafone's CEO. After pulling their advertising from Magic Talk in the wake of John Banks' racist comments airing, Vodafone developed an entire policy for ethical advertising. Their CEO Jason Paris tells Duncan Greive about that decision and how it happened so quickly, as well as their new-ish policy on honouring the Treaty. He and Duncan also talk about the 5G rollout and what it will actually mean for most people, and how Vodafone TV is simplifying the streaming experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Spinoff’s media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to Cam Wallace, MediaWorks' CEO about Magic Talk, The Rock and the future of commercial radio.   Cam Wallace worked at Air New Zealand for almost two decades before he left last year amid the turmoil of Covid and all it brought upon the travel industry. Just months later as ex-MediaWorks CEO Michael Anderson announced his departure from the role, Wallace was revealed to be the next-in-line. Just three months into his new job, Wallace has already made some waves in the company, kicking John Banks off air after Banks made racist comments on Magic Talk and now dealing with allegations of sexual abuse made against workers at various stations under MediaWorks. He talked to Duncan Greive about his move into media and how radio just keeps surviving, this week on The Fold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spinoff’s media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to ex-head of news at Mediaworks, Hal Crawford, who's just completed a review into the NZ Media Fund. The NZ Media Fund was introduced by New Zealand On Air in 2017 to cover television, radio, music and online media, in hopes that it would more successfully represent the growing diversity of media than past funds. Now, three years later, former Mediaworks head of news Hal Crawford has conducted an independent review into this fund, hoping to grasp the industry's feelings about how the money is being spent. He joins The Fold today to talk about what he learnt about New Zealand's unique media landscape and why this review was important. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on The Fold, Duncan Greive talks to The Spinoff's Justin Latif about reporting from South Auckland. Through his career Justin has developed a passion for reporting stories from his home in South Auckland. He chats to Duncan about where that passion came from, why his role is so important and whether the media has been fair on South Auckland communities in the past. Justin also ponders whether the Local Democracy reporters' scheme will make a difference to regions with low media coverage and reflects on the many roles he's held in the industry, and out of it, since he started at Fairfax in the mid-2000s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on The Fold, Duncan Greive analyses a shocking development in the global pushback against big tech. Facebook has made the monumental decision to block all people and publications in Australia from posting news content, after a long battle between the Australian government and the social media giant. The implications of this action are already being felt as many Australian-based Facebook pages are shut down, and the potential implications could change how people around the world access news. On this episode of The Fold, Duncan Greive explains how it got to this point, and what could happen next for Australia's news media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spinoff’s media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive is joined by Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack. For years, the media landscape has been filled with publications making money by filling up ad space. While an effective mode of funding for the already underfunded sector, Hamish McKenzie saw an alternative. Alongside co-founders Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi, McKenzie developed Substack, an online platform for writers to send newsletters directly to paying subscribers. In the three years since its inception, the platform has become host to some of the most well-known names in New Zealand and international journalism, including Vox co-founder Matthew Yglesias and local writer David Farrier, and some writers are making a lot of money from subscriptions. Today on The Fold, McKenzie joins Duncan Greive to talk about a new era of publishing, driven by readers, not ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Spinoff’s media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive is joined by Ali Mau, Stuff senior journalist and creator of New Zealand's own MeToo movement. In 2017, the MeToo movement brought some of Hollywood's elite crashing down under allegations of serious sexual abuse and misconduct. One year later, journalist Ali Mau brought the movement to New Zealand when she launched #MeTooNZ with a team at Stuff.  Her goal was to bring to light stories of misconduct and abuse within our own borders, and in the three years since she's reported these stories from victims in many industries, from fast food to academia. In this episode of The Fold, Ali Mau joins Duncan Greive to explain how her career has led her to the point she's at now, defend talkback radio, and praise the bravery of those who allow her to tell their stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over the summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then we're republishing some of our favourite interviews of 2020. This week: Duncan talks with Bernard Hickey. First published November 6, 2020. Working at the intersection of politics and economics, Bernard Hickey is one of the most interesting and unique journalists in New Zealand today. As you’ll hear in this episode, he possesses a rare ability to make even the most mysterious or boring-sounding topics within these areas feel urgent, exciting and accessible. His latest venture in a long career (he’s one of the founders of Interest.co.nz, has held senior roles in the Fairfax/Stuff Business team and was one of the founders of Newsroom, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg) is The Kākā, a daily email which allows him to respond to unfolding stories in close to real time.  To talk about why, as well as get stuck into government policy toward the media and the New Zealand media market, the wage subsidy, Stuff’s recent acquisition and more, he joined Duncan Greive in the studio for a no-holds-barred, boots’n’all episode of The Fold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over the summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then we're republishing some of our favourite interviews of 2020. This week: Duncan talks with Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher after she bought the company for $1 back in May. First published June 24, 2020. The chaotic couple of weeks which finally saw the end of the Stuff-NZME saga were riveting and strange, replete with stock exchange announcements, legal challenges and finally the acquisition of New Zealand’s most-viewed news platform by its CEO for just $1. Six months after she appeared on the very first episode of The Spinoff’s media podcast, The Fold, I had Stuff CEO – and now Stuff’s sole owner – Sinead Boucher back to the show. She recounts those extraordinary few weeks, from the collapse of Bauer NZ, to just how brutalised ad revenues got in lockdown, the bailout package and the strange forces impacting journalism during level four. Sinead casually reveals what happened behind the scenes during those hectic times, and plots out the future for Stuff – New Zealand’s biggest employer of journalists, and the closest thing to a truly national news network that exists in this country. For those in and around the media, who watched the maneuvering of our two print media giants with awe and popcorn, it’s a pretty fascinating hour.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over the summer holidays. We'll be back in the new year, but until then we're republishing some of our favourite interviews of 2020. This week: Duncan talks with Gaurav Sharma from The Indian Times about the communities NZ's media doesn't serve. First released July 7, 2020. I first met Gaurav Sharma in the aftermath of March 15. New Zealand and the world has gone through so much trauma since then that it feels much further away than the 15 months which have elapsed since. He was there for another meeting, but afterwards a colleague said we had to meet, and we spoke for a half hour or so, and he talked to me about the impact of the attacks on the migrant community. Sharma edits the Multicultural Times, which grew out of the Migrant Times, each one a newspaper dedicated to telling stories about and for a community which he argues persuasively for being underrepresented in New Zealand’s media.   His own story is a microcosm of that – an engineer by training, he switched to journalism 12 years ago in India. He arrived in New Zealand five years ago, and found its society and his chosen profession entirely closed off to him. Hence starting two businesses.   He’s now associate editor of The Indian News, a weekly newspaper which he has broadened to include coverage of other immigrant communities within New Zealand. I asked him up to The Fold, my monthly podcast covering media within New Zealand, to talk about his own journey within New Zealand journalism, March 15, and his considered and powerful critique of New Zealand media. It’s a confronting conversation at times, but I think one which Pākehā like me within the New Zealand media need to hear to help us understand who we’re creating journalism for, and who we’re missing out.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic put unbearable pressure on New Zealand’s media this year, but also saw it gain larger and more engaged audiences than ever before. In a year-ending monopod, Duncan Greive wraps his head around what it all means. I've tried to capture the sweep of this incredible year by drilling into the news organisations, journalists and other players in the ecosystem. Broadly it felt like a year in which, under some of the most extreme duress imaginable, journalism rediscovered its purpose, and both the public and government felt that too. So for an hour I went solo, taking the monopod format and going deep on the following topics: Google and Facebook’s epic battle with Australian regulators, and what that means for New Zealand. Sinead Boucher and Stuff’s triumphant year, from buying the company for $1 to the historic apology and everything in between – while still having questions over its future. The contrasting strategy of NZME, which is clearly more focussed on business than editorial at this point. The continued rollercoaster that is Sky, which started the year by buying Lightbox and ended it by losing its CEO (while gaining a very promising new one). A holding pattern for RNZ, which tried to change and found New Zealand’s most powerful NIMBYs camped on its lawn. TVNZ deftly using its dominance to huge advantage – owning the local space, becoming the unquestioned winner of the free VOD platforms and positioning itself to be the main player in the suddenly-back-on RNZ/TVNZ merger. A series of coups for Mediaworks, selling the TV arm to Discovery and installing Air NZ’s Cam Wallace as CEO of the new radio and outdoor company. The unexpected vitality of the indie media space after the collapse of Bauer. It’s all hyper-nerdy, but if you are, tragically for you, into this sort of thing, then there’s a solid hour of me talking at you about this heart attack year for our media. Merry Christmas, I guess? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pour yourself some eggnog and join the hosts of The Spinoff’s podcast network for our annual Superpod round up of the year that was. Representing Gone By Lunchtime, Dietary Requirements, The Real Pod, Papercuts, The Fold and On The Rag our hosts dive into the key events, issues, heroes and villains of 2020. From National’s botched election campaign to Ben Thomas’ take on TikTok, via the collapse of Bauer, the rise of oat milk, with a detour through controversial frozen grapes and Simon’s Sausage Spot, there’s something for everyone in this year’s Superpod. Featuring special guests producer T and Covid-19. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The outgoing director of grassroots community campaigning organisation ActionStation joins Duncan Greive to talk about a busy few years in the job. ActionStation was formed in 2014, but it feels like they’ve been around much longer than that. The independent, crowdfunded community organisation has led a number of highly visible and successful campaigns across a wide range of issues during the last six years, thanks in no small part to the energy and forward thinking of its outgoing director Laura O’Connell Rapira. In her time the group has carried the conversation on everything from mental health to making Matariki a public holiday in a way that feels distinctly modern, online and media-savvy. To talk about what’s worked, what hasn’t, the highlights of the role and what’s next, Laura O’Connell Rapira joined host Duncan Greive on this week’s episode of The Fold. The Fold is proudly supported by Vodafone. With innovation made simple and world-class network technology, Vodafone will help maximise the potential of you and your business. Find out more at vodafone.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is episode one of Coming Home, a new five-part podcast series from The Spinoff podcast network, in partnership with Kiwibank. We're sharing it with you here because we think if you like The Fold you might find this interesting too. Have a listen and subscribe on your platform of choice to hear the rest of the series. New episodes arriving weekly. Coming Home delves into the phenomenon of high achieving New Zealanders returning to Aotearoa in the era of Covid-19. Join hosts Duncan Greive and Jane Yee as they seek to find out who these returnees are, why they left New Zealand in the first place, the reasons for their homecoming and what their arrival means for all of us. Featuring Peter Gordon, Julia Arnott-Neenee, Paul Spoonley, Jarrod Kerr, Rachel Morris, Joel Kefali, Polly Fryer and Mahoney Turnbull. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NZ Rugby is in a fascinating situation at the moment, with some big calls to be made over the coming years. The man in charge of making them joins Duncan Greive on this week’s episode of The Fold. Mark Robinson probably has one of the most complex jobs in the country. As CEO of NZ Rugby he’s effectively the boss of everything from the All Blacks and Black Ferns to the clubs, the head of an organisation that has many, many different stakeholders. He only came into the job about nine months ago, which meant he was just getting his feet under the desk when Covid hit and threw the whole rugby season a massive dummy. The pandemic didn’t just disrupt the match schedule – it seemed to bring a lot of the sport’s underlying issues to the surface as well. This obviously makes the CEO’s a much harder one than it would have been even a few years ago. NZ Rugby is in a fascinating situation, and decisions made under Mark Robinson’s tenure could make or break the sport’s future in New Zealand. To discuss this situation, as well as talking about Match Fit and what he admires about the NBA’s marketing model, he joined Duncan Greive for this week’s episode of The Fold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Fold, journalist Bernard Hickey joins host Duncan Greive for a wide-ranging chat about the challenges faced by New Zealand media and why he’s launched a new subscription-only daily email. Working at the intersection of politics and economics, Bernard Hickey is one of the most interesting and unique journalists in New Zealand today. As you’ll hear in this episode, he possesses a rare ability to make even the most mysterious or boring-sounding topics within these areas feel urgent, exciting and accessible. His latest venture in a long career (he’s one of the founders of Interest.co.nz, has held senior roles in the Fairfax/Stuff Business team and was one of the founders of Newsroom, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg) is The Kākā, a daily email which allows him to respond to unfolding stories in close to real time.  To talk about why, as well as get stuck into government policy toward the media and the New Zealand media market, the wage subsidy, Stuff’s recent acquisition and more, he joined Duncan Greive in the studio for a no-holds-barred, boots’n’all episode of The Fold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From winning two world cups with the Black Ferns to heading up TVNZ’s sports and events department, Melodie Robinson’s career has been one full of remarkable firsts. She joins host Duncan Greive to talk about it on this week’s episode of The Fold. When the Ministry of Education decided to start a children’s educational channel during the first lockdown earlier this year, the job fell to the TVNZ department that had just found itself with not a lot of work on – sports and events. General manager Melodie Robinson and her team threw together the prop, got the contract and ended up setting up the entire channel in about 10 days. That’s just one remarkable story in a career full of them. Robinson started out in journalism as a press gallery reporter for Mana News, before moving into sports production at XtraMSN. She broke barriers as a rugby commentator presenter during a long career at Sky Sports, before moving into a new role at TVNZ. It’d be fair to say Robinson has seen some things and faced some challenges in her time at these institutions – and has some of the best stories in the business to show for it. She’s been a dream guest for The Fold since the podcast began, and we’re delighted to finally get her on for a chat this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spinoff’s new(ish) political editor Justin Giovannetti joins Duncan Greive to share his impressions from a hectic first six months on the job – and in New Zealand. When Justin Giovannetti interviewed for the job of political editor at The Spinoff, from Canada, the world was quite a different place. In the time it took for him to work out his notice with national newspaper The Globe and Mail, a global pandemic shut borders, grounded flights and threw everyone’s plans for the year into disarray. How Justin made it to New Zealand at all is a story for another podcast. This week on The Fold he joins Duncan Greive to talk about the baptism under fire that has been reporting on New Zealand politics for the first time in the middle of an election year, in the middle of a pandemic. New Zealand’s press gallery and political reporting style is pretty different to Canada’s – so what have been the weirdest things he’s had to get his head around, and what are his main impressions, as a newcomer, of this punishingly long election campaign? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former NZ Women’s Weekly editor Sido Kitchin joins The Fold’s Duncan Greive to talk about starting School Road Publishing and launching a whole new stable of magazines following the collapse of Bauer Media. Sido Kitchin loves telling New Zealand women’s stories. An important figure in the magazine industry, she edited the New Zealand Women’s Weekly until earlier this year, when the collapse of Bauer Media brought it and a lot of other popular titles to an abrupt end. The six months since have been a period of regeneration for the magazine industry, with a number of new independent publishers, titles and websites blooming. Perhaps no one has moved as hard and fast as Sido Kitchin, who has set up School Road Publishing and established not just one but four new titles – Woman, Haven, Thrive and Scout. She joined The Fold host Duncan Greive in the studio this week for a chat about this tumultuous year, what it was like starting with a blank canvas and why the first issue of Woman is more true to her vision than any magazine she’s ever edited before – plus what it was like being a TV publicist in the golden era of big budget broadcast television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold host Duncan Greive speaks to NZ On Air’s new chief executive Cameron Harland about his first six months in the job and the findings of the recent Where Are the Audiences? report. Cameron Harland started his new job as the chief executive of NZ On Air in March, the week before the country went into level four lockdown. Duncan has wanted to get him on The Fold to pick his brain about the ins and outs of NZ On Air’s unique funding model ever since. In a follow-up to the previous episode of The Fold, which looked at the highlights of NZ On Air’s recent Where Are the Audiences? survey, Cameron Harland joined The Fold via Skype from Wellington this week to talk through the findings of the survey, how NZ On Air is adapting to serve increasingly fragmented audiences, and the challenges of operating through Covid-19. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christmas has arrived early for The Fold host Duncan Greive – this week NZ On Air released Where are the Audiences?, a biannual survey of audience behaviour in New Zealand media. The report is unique in the way it attempts to measure the behaviour of such a diverse set of audiences across all media consumption. This year’s edition shows New Zealand at a crossroads, with digital media overtaking traditional media in largest daily audiences for the first time. It goes without saying that Duncan has already read the whole report from cover to cover. In this monopod edition of The Fold he picks out the most interesting data points, and discusses the seismic change it represent for the New Zealand media landscape. – Sign up to The Spinoff's newsletter Rec Room for weekly recommendations along with all our latest videos and podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of New Zealand’s most voracious consumers of local news media joins Duncan Greive to reveal the secrets behind his popular daily newsletter. Most days Alex Braae starts work at approximately the same time as a dairy farmer. But instead of hopping on a quad bike to go and milk a shed full of cows, he sits down at his computer to read a figurative shed full of news. The end product is just as important to a lot of people’s morning routines as a cold bottle of blue top milk – it’s The Spinoff’s daily newsletter The Bulletin. Since it started in 2018, The Bulletin has developed a loyal following among its more than 25,000 subscribers by collecting and distilling all the most important stories from across the New Zealand news landscape into a single email that hits inboxes at 7am every morning. But exactly how Alex does it remains a mystery to even his closest colleagues. He joins The Fold host (and his boss) Duncan Greive on this month’s edition of The Fold to explain the process behind the curation and creation of The Bulletin, discuss the state of New Zealand journalism (as someone who consumes more of it than most) and delve into the obsession with local democracy and minor parties which led him to embark on a Jucy campervan tour of the regions before Lockdown 2.0 hit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The associate editor of The Indian News joins host Duncan Greive to discuss his belief that New Zealand’s media ignores the quarter of our population not born here – and why both parties lose as a result.   I first met Gaurav Sharma in the aftermath of March 15. New Zealand and the world has gone through so much trauma since then that it feels much further away than the 15 months which have elapsed since. He was there for another meeting, but afterwards a colleague said we had to meet, and we spoke for a half hour or so, and he talked to me about the impact of the attacks on the migrant community. Sharma edits the Multicultural Times, which grew out of the Migrant Times, each one a newspaper dedicated to telling stories about and for a community which he argues persuasively for being underrepresented in New Zealand’s media.   His own story is a microcosm of that – an engineer by training, he switched to journalism 12 years ago in India. He arrived in New Zealand five years ago, and found its society and his chosen profession entirely closed off to him. Hence starting two businesses.   He’s now associate editor of The Indian News, a weekly newspaper which he has broadened to include coverage of other immigrant communities within New Zealand. I asked him up to The Fold, my monthly podcast covering media within New Zealand, to talk about his own journey within New Zealand journalism, March 15, and his considered and powerful critique of New Zealand media. It’s a confronting conversation at times, but I think one which Pākehā like me within the New Zealand media need to hear to help us understand who we’re creating journalism for, and who we’re missing out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It will justifiably be lost in the tumult of Covid-19, but the chaotic couple of weeks which finally saw the end of the Stuff-NZME saga were riveting and strange, replete with stock exchange announcements, legal challenges and finally the acquisition of New Zealand’s most-viewed news platform by its CEO for just $1. Six months after she appeared on the very first episode of The Spinoff’s media podcast, The Fold, I had Stuff CEO – and now Stuff’s sole owner – Sinead Boucher back to the show. She recounts those extraordinary few weeks, from the collapse of Bauer NZ, to just how brutalised ad revenues got in lockdown, the bailout package and the strange forces impacting journalism during level four. Sinead casually reveals what happened behind the scenes during those hectic times, and plots out the future for Stuff – New Zealand’s biggest employer of journalists, and the closest thing to a truly national news network that exists in this country. For those in and around the media, who watched the maneuvering of our two print media giants with awe and popcorn, it’s a pretty fascinating hour.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He started as a journalist, became a producer, and is now one of NZ’s most successful TV creators. Bailey Mackey joins Duncan Greive on The Fold. This month’s episode of The Fold, The Spinoff’s media podcast, features host Duncan Greive in conversation with Bailey Mackey, a TV producer with one of the most interesting CVs in the entertainment industry. Mackey grew up in and around Gisborne, and got his start in broadcasting on Radio Ngāti Porou, before hitching to Auckland to audition for Te Karere. When he arrived he wore a suit two sizes too small, and saw Julian Wilcox auditioning for the same job. They both got the job, with Wilcox becoming an on-screen legend, while Mackey gravitated towards production, and eventually to reality TV, where he learned from the master – Julie Christie. Mackey was then a highly successful head of sport at Māori TV before launching his own businesses, first Black Inc and latterly Pango, which aims to take Māori storytelling to the world. His career has been stunningly successful, with the creation of hit shows in New Zealand like the huge but unjustly maligned The GC and Sidewalk Karaoke, a format sold to Fremantle, along with a slew of other shows created here and watched globally. Greive spoke with him about how you sell a show, what New Zealand does right and wrong in the screen trade, and the business as it is right now, decimated by Covid-19, but boiling with opportunity too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold podcast returns for March into a media world transformed by the impact of Covid-19. Host Duncan Greive records a monopod to assess its impact. In last month's edition of this podcast, The Spinoff editor Toby Manhire and I discussed RNZ's Concert debacle. At the time, it was the biggest story in media; now it seems, like so many things, a quaint concern from a different time. The impact of Covid-19 has been so vast that there is no other news agenda – simply 'how the virus is impacting X'. Even Thursday's decision by the Christchurch mosque terrorist to change his plea to guilty had a notable Covid-19 dimension, as his victims were largely unable to face him in court – and thus what would have been the biggest story of any other month felt like it flashed by. Yet for all the global pandemic's power as an engulfing news story, it's the impact on the media business I discuss on March's The Fold. There's a huge paradox in its relationship to the media, in that all of us are seeing record ratings, which in normal times would lead to big revenue spikes – but because almost no client is advertising, the opposite is happening. Journalists are working harder than ever, serving bigger audiences than ever, but the bottom is falling out of the business in a completely unprecedented way. It's also making our work different: instead of being in our podcast studio in Morningside, I recorded it under a towel at home. And instead of a guest, I simply relayed my own thoughts. Literally everything has changed in our society now, and the media has had a supply, demand and operational shock up there with the best of them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode three of The Spinoff's media podcast The Fold, host Duncan Greive speaks with Toby Manhire about the RNZ Concert fiasco and whether there's space for another youth-focused media brand in New Zealand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode two of The Spinoff newish media podcast The Fold, host Duncan Greive conducts an exit interview with Hal Crawford, the departing head of Newshub.  Hal Crawford landed into a TV3 newsroom in crisis in 2016, just after Campbell Live had been axed, and Hilary Barry had resigned. He had been hired by Mark Weldon, the much-maligned CEO who oversaw a transformation at MediaWorks, from a news-first organisation, to one whose schedule was increasingly dominated by reality TV – but Weldon himself resigned before Crawford even started. He was born and raised in Perth, cutting his teeth in print before going on to lead 9MSN, at onc ethe most-read news site in Australia, and one away from the swaggering centre of Australia news media. At TV3 he had a brutal learning curve, coming from a purely digital newsroom out of the public eye, to lead a TV-centred team with big stars and personalities. He oversaw the creation of the Newshub brand, the launch of The Project and The AM Show and an increasingly desperate atmosphere as he and his CEO Michael Anderson pleaded for government intervention to save the channel and newsroom. So far, no dice – the channel is officially for sale, and while there are rumoured to be a number of strong bidders, no announcement has been forthcoming. Crawford describes his time there was essentially a long series of crises, but almost grew to enjoy the adrenalin of it. Beyond MediaWorks, we discuss the rise and evolution of Facebook, whether ad-funded media has a future and what has happened to TV ratings over the past ten years. Few people in our media are smarter, or speak more freely – listen below or through your favourite podcast provider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Duncan Greive is joined by Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher to discuss the media monster's growth from an experimental website, to its queasy peak and the current more purpose-driven iteration. Along the way she revealed a number of fascinating insights into the reality of running a news organisation at scale in 2019, including the fact that of the 150,000 comments readers attempt to post each month, a full third are rejected for violations. This brutal task is accomplished by human moderators – in striking contrast to the laissez faire attitude of Facebook. Plus her thoughts on the sale of Three, the ComCom decisions and the proposed RNZ/TVNZ merger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices