Samantha Hayes

I had a chat to Newsable ahead of my first show tonight. It's a great podcast which I highly recommend you get amongst to keep up to date with the news. Just don't forget to also watch ThreeNews tonight at 6pm! And tomorrow... and the next day... and the day after that... I'll be there and I'm excited to hear what you think.

Newsable A podcast by Imogen Wells that serves your daily dose of exclusives, analysis and fresh perspectives on news.

It's been an emotional past week and with just a couple of days to reflect after the final Newshub bulletin I'm back in the studio tonight with our first hour long ThreeNews weekday bulletin. So, as I've been saying for eight years now, I'll see you at 6pm, I hope you can join us.

'A confronting time': Sam Hayes on her life-changing year In the last 12 months, the ThreeNews anchor separated from her partner, became a single mum, and lost her job. The news kept her sane.

As the Government moves to bring in new laws banning gang patches in public places, a chapter of Black Power has revealed plans to stop wearing them have been discussed for decades:

“One day the patch would become something of the past. And the Black Power movement of the future would be walking around in suits and ties. Knowing who they are. Knowing where they come from. Highly educated. Sophisticated. That's going to be the Black Power Movement of the future.”

My first story filed for ThreeNews and my first byline on Stuff. It’s been a big week.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350332012/gang-chapter-reveals-long-term-plan-remove-patches

The final day of Newshub is upon us with newsrooms in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch preparing to say good evening and goodbye.

It was back in the days before you could simply google something that I first walked into the Auckland newsroom as a 17-year-old on work experience with the cult evening news show Nightline.

In my first week, entertainment reporter Michael Beran called in sick. He was supposed to be interviewing American metal band Megadeth and producer Angus Gillies - who I still work alongside to this day - looked around the newsroom to find somebody, anybody, to step in. His eyes landed on me. So off I went, the work experience kid... and it changed my life forever.

The full article is at the link below:

'Beyond any of my wildest dreams': Sam Hayes reflects on her time at Newshub From work experience on Nightline as a 17yo to presenting the 6pm bulletin.

Mike and I had a long and raw conversation with The Spinoff founder Duncan Grieve about Newshub’s closure. You can listen to it on his podcast The Fold - I’m a big fan of this podcast in general - or read it here:

Sam Hayes and Mike McRoberts look back in awe and sorrow Sam Hayes and Mike McRoberts came up to The Spinoff for a candid, powerful conversation about the life and legacy of 3 News.

We found the tape today with my very first story from August 9, 2001. An interview with Megadeth for Nightline when I was 17-years-old. An extraordinary day that went on to shape the rest of my life and career

I love this headline: "Partners in prime"

It's been an honour doing prime time with you Mike. Here's to one last bulletin together

Partners in prime: Hayes, McRoberts on their final news bulletin – and send-off Special interview: News duo's last sign-off – 'It has to be genuine and in the moment.'

It's been an emotional week as we prepare to say goodbye to Newshub so this wonderful look back over the years was a wonderful reprieve. A great deal of effort went into making it - thank you nzherald.co.nz

Big hair and shoulder pads: All the Newshub faces since the '80s In 1989, TV3 launched its prime-time news bulletin, 3 National News.

It’s now official Newshub is being shut down by Warner Bros. Discovery and our final 6pm bulletin will go to air on Friday July 5th. We had hoped there would be some reprieve but that hasn’t eventuated. It is of course difficult news to digest and I’m so proud of how everyone is coming together to support one another.

Today has been a strange day in the newsroom, sombre, but with frequent bursts of laughter. Wonderful memories being shared and better times remembered fondly. A bit like a wake if I’m honest!

I am grateful for all I’ve been able to do and see during my time at Three. It’s given me a career packed with adventure, challenges and infinite wonder. I’m going to miss this place and all the people in it immensely.

My heart goes out to our team and to our industry colleagues at TVNZ who have also lost their jobs this week. I’m also highly aware of the many others facing redundancy across the motu and I’m thinking of them too. We’ve been reporting on the mounting numbers every night. It’s a frightening time for a lot of Kiwis.

To those of you sticking with us until the end, thank you for watching, your support now and always means the world to us.

Feeling so sad for our industry colleagues at TVNZ facing the loss of their jobs and much-loved shows. Having gone through this just last week, we know exactly how horrible it feels and we’re sending lots of aroha. Some exceptional journalists are facing the chop, and we will all be worse off for it. Television journalism does so many things. It allows us to tell Kiwi’s stories in a powerful way. To show the viewer the depth of feeling in an interviewee’s eyes, the scale of a cyclone’s destruction or a politician’s reaction when they’ve been caught short. It bring us together and gives those without a voice a way of making their needs heard. Journalism is the first draft of history and with the proposed loss of nearly 400 jobs in the industry there is so much of that history, so many of New Zealand’s stories, that I fear will now never be told.

Newshub
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TVNZ 1
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Fair Go
Re: News

The announcement today that Newshub in its entirety could shut down at the end of June is heartbreaking. I first walked through the doors of our Auckland office 22 years ago as a 17-year-old on work experience. I’ve been here for the past 18 years, many of my colleagues a lot longer than that - a handful since day one 35 years ago. It’s a newsroom brimming with talent and enthusiasm, and I just feel so incredibly sad for everyone today. I love making live television. I love doing the news… and so we’ll keep doing it until the lights go out - see you tonight at 6pm.

I’ve been getting lots of feedback from my book posts on Instagram - which I love! They’re all in my Sam’s Book Club highlight reel but to make them more readily available I’m going to start popping them on here too.

A Court of Thornes and Roses by
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Recommended by Newshub Australia Correspondent Emma Cropper who said book two of this series was her favourite book of all time. A HUGE call which meant despite fantasy not being my thing, (I like modern fiction and crime thrillers) I had no choice but to dive into book one. Nicola Harvey from our hair and make up team kindly loaned it to me - it turns out there are a lot of fans out there and I now understand why.

I’ve never been one of those people who reads a book in one sitting. I like to meander through, reading a few chapters each night over a couple of weeks. I read in three days. It’s done. I couldn’t help it. I’m sure if I googled it, someone, somewhere is already making it into a series or better yet a feature film. It was unputdownable and fun. Books should be fun!

I’m starting book two tonight thanks to Heather Newcombe, my hairdresser, who stopped by TV3 on her day off to make sure I didn’t have to wait till next week to continue. Thank you Heather!

Standby for a review of A Court of Mist and Fury in another few days. Remember Emma said book two - which I am mere moments away from embarking upon - was her favourite book OF ALL TIME.

Update: Emma has now finished the series and says book five is her new favourite. I can’t keep up. I’m excited. Have I joined a cult?

Anyone else getting Pirates of the Caribbean vibes or just me? Perhaps Seaweed Washed Ashore by High Tide onto Driftwood would be a good title. Na! This is actually my favourite image from the whole AWW shoot. Thanks Guy Coombes Photography

I’ve been intentionally and unintentionally off social media for most of the summer break during which time this cover story came out with The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine. A huge thank you to the entire team behind it for looking after me during the process. Being open and vulnerable is scary, but I wanted to be honest about how immensely difficult 2023 had been for me personally. It was also greatly fulfilling professionally & I’m so very lucky to be surrounded by all the wonderful people I work with at Newshub. This is the story of how I fell apart and am still slowly putting myself back together. It’s on shelves for another week or two so go pick up a copy x

NZ Govt announced: Unprecedented plans for Deputy PM role, new minsters revealed Follow our updates here.

Oh oh… got the giggles again

Newsreader Sam Hayes loses it on air over cow-cuddling story The normally composed Hayes had to apologise.

Thank you Taranaki Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to help celebrate business excellence in your region. Congratulations to all of 2023’s winners and well done to all the entrants for putting themselves forward to be part of the judging process. Next year might just be your year!

Very excited to be heading to New Plymouth tomorrow to MC the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Almost exactly a year ago I was in Palmerston North for the Manawatū Business Chamber Awards - another fantastic night celebrating local businesses. I always appreciate getting out of Auckland and into NZ’s beautiful regions. See you soon Taranaki and please send me your recommendations for what to see and do while I’m there. Last time I climbed Taranaki Maunga but that won’t be on the cards this time!

So a little bit of a life update.. Jay and I have separated.

It’s been a tough few months, the most challenging time of my life in many ways. I’ve come to learn it’s not a linear process either, some days it gets a little bit brighter, but others are still really hard.

Marlow and Amaya, now four and two, are the most beautiful little people I could ever imagine. I adore them. They remain at the centre of our world and everything we’re doing is to make sure they feel loved and supported.

It’s a difficult time and I really appreciate our privacy being respected as we quietly navigate all that comes with this big life change.

Sam x

A pinch myself moment to be anchoring our election night coverage alongside my friends and fellow journalists Newshub Political Editor Jenna Lynch, AM host Ryan Bridge & former Newshub political editor & Paddy Gower Has Issues host Patrick Gower.

We have a stellar lineup of political heavyweights joining us to break down the results as they roll in. It’s going to be a lot of fun with a good helping of mayhem as we decipher who the nation has chosen to lead us through the next three years.

Join us this Saturday night from 7pm on Three and streaming on ThreeNow & www.newshub.co.nz

I have to say it’s bloody good to be back reading the news with this guy. We’ve shared this desk for more than seven years (can you believe it!) and every day is still full of joy, mutual respect & a deep passion for the news.

I’ve been working on an investigation with Patrick Gower into the forestry log that killed 11-year-old Oliver Shone on a Gisborne beach in January. No one has been held accountable for his death, something his Grandmother just can’t understand. She wants justice for Oliver and so do we. I wanted to know where the logs on that beach came from and what I found as I followed the Waimatā River upstream was confronting.
Our story is tonight (Wednesday 31 May) on Paddy Gower Has Issues at 7.30pm on Three or streaming on ThreeNow