Guest Post: Why the appointment of Jason Winstanley to RNZ is massive

A guest post by Fish Across Face:

When outgoing RNZ Chief Executive Paul Thompson addressed the Select Committee hearing on the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill in February 2024, he began his submission with a remark about how timely the various media representatives’ appearances were.

He reminded all present that the Port Hills bush fires were burning as he spoke, and he was proud of the fact that dozens of journalists were covering the story.

Exactly why a relatively small conflagration required dozens of journalists to cover it escaped me. Certainly, there would be half a dozen on the ground from the main media outlets, but dozens? What conclusions (other than climate change being the villain) would these fearless reporters come to, that would be different to their colleagues? 

I thought, there goes a man of the State.

And indeed, there he does go. After 13 years as CEO of RNZ, including 5 during which its radio arm experienced sustained and serious decline, Mr Thompson is leaving, to be replaced by Jason Winstanley, another experienced and well-liked executive. 

But Jason is from the private sector. He is NZME’s “Chief Audio Officer” (programme director in the old money). When he arrives at RNZ, he will bring with him purpose, intent and imagination – but from the real world. 

Because of this, I imagine he will measure, re-deploy or delete under-performing assets, and with what will be easy money-saving efficiencies, possibly even go old-school and poach from his former sector. There won’t be any mutinies; there are simply no jobs elsewhere. 

As an aside, I also suspect Winstanley’s appointment was arranged at the same time as new RNZ Chair Brent Impey agreed to his new position; one simply would not undertake either job without a trusted partner – both roles are essentially interdependent. 

Soon-to-be former NZME Chief Audio Officer Winstanley may not stay within the lane of Chief ExecutiveOfficer. These positions can be the same thing, and new (ish) CAO Pip Keane will be looking over her shoulder, as will her comrade John Campbell. Whilst Keane is an extremely experienced producer, going back to Holmes days, producers aren’t programmers, and she was John’s during his Campbell Live days. This is important, because that show turned viewers off with its constant, negative advocacy journalism leading up to the 2014 General Election (which John Key won handsomely), and Keane was the gatekeeper for all of it. Campbell Live ended only eight months later.

The cancellation was simply because of low ratings; Mr Campbell told New Zealanders every night that their country was a hellhole, and it was all their fault. They hated him for it and changed channels. 

Fast forward to 2026 and Campbell and Keane are back. Their installations at RNZ are a giant FU to the Luxon government, but one way or the other, Impey and Winstanley will fix this, from Morning Report all the way down. 

Neither man is a seat warmer.

Make no mistake; Jason Winstanley’s appointment is significant; and it’s not just that we now have two proven, professional heavy hitters from the commercial sphere in charge of state owned RNZ (between Winstanley and Impey they have over 70 years’ experience). 

It means the current administration is not doing nothing; they are slowly changing the most left-aligned organization in the country from within, and nobody (except the NZH’s Media Insider) seems to understand how important it is. John Key’s government only trimmed RNZ’s funding. This is systemic.

In 12 months, Radio New Zealand National will be nothing like it is now. If Luxon’s government can do that to this hallowed organization without anybody feeling the needle going in, wait till you see what they do next. 

I’m kind of impressed.