Highly experienced, award-winning news leader Sarah Bristow to join NZ Herald

Highly experienced, award-winning broadcast news leader Sarah Bristow is joining the NZ Herald team as Head of Content and Strategy – Video and Audio, New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) announced today.

Bristow has spent more than 20 years working in journalism and news media in New Zealand and Australia. Most recently she was part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s executive team as Newshub Director of News, winning multiple Voyager and New Zealand Television awards in her tenure. She has also held Executive Producer roles at The AM Show, Paul Henry, Breakfast at Channel Ten in Australia, and leadership roles at TVNZ, Radio NZ and Newstalk ZB.

In her new role she will lead NZ Herald’s digital video and audio strategy, continuing to expand its audience and increase engagement across NZME’s digital platforms.

Murray Kirkness, NZME Chief Content Officer, says Bristow’s vast experience and capabilities across both television and radio news will be invaluable in supporting NZME’s strategic vision.

“We are thrilled to welcome someone of Sarah’s calibre to NZME and to the Herald newsroom. With a strong focus on being digital-first, we are committed to expanding our NZ Herald digital news offering whether that’s through our online video news content, growing our podcast offering, or increasing our online presence through other platforms.  There is a huge amount of opportunity for us to extend what is already a trusted, quality offering for our audiences and our advertisers, and Sarah’s experience will be invaluable in driving us forward even further in this space.”

Sarah Bristow says: “I am thrilled to be joining the team at NZME in such an exciting role and I can't wait to begin driving the company's bold video and audio ambitions. At such a challenging time for our industry and with the devastating loss of Newshub, it's important to me that I use my skills and experience to support the future of journalism, and I’m really looking forward to joining the Herald team next week.”

Carolyn Luey, NZME Chief Digital and Publishing Officer, says: “NZME is strongly focused on being New Zealand’s leading news destination and keeping Kiwis in the know, and our NZ Herald platforms play a big part in us reaching 9 out of 10 Kiwis. We are committed to being at the absolute forefront of innovation and creation, and our digital-first strategy is testament to that. 

“We have exceptional talent across our NZME team and I’m confident that our focus on expanding our digital offering with more trusted, high-quality video and audio news content to complement our current online and print offering is a winning formula for the future,” says Luey.

Today’s announcement follows a number of high-profile appointments at NZME including Michael Morrah as Senior Investigative Reporter and team leader at NZ Herald, and Ryan Bridge as host of Newstalk ZB’s Early Edition. 

Bristow will commence her role at NZ Herald on Monday 8 July.