Board chairman Dr Jim Mather confirmed on Friday morning that Thompson - who is both chief executive and Editor-in-Chief of the public broadcaster - had informed the Board last December that he would leave at the end of 2026.
The Board had planned to make the news public in the second half of this year but shared the news with RNZ staff today, "as there has been recent unhelpful external commentary about his future".
Deputy Prime Minister and ACT party leader David Seymour spoke earlier this month, taking swings at RNZ management and saying, "it's really critical that we are ensuring that we get better people on the board, and those people will change the management".
Seymour - who is a shareholding minister in both RNZ and TVNZ - also accused TVNZ of being "politically motivated".
Dr Mather said that, given current circumstances, Thompson and the Board agreed it was appropriate to make the announcement earlier to avoid further conjecture and distraction.
"This was Paul's decision alone. Over his 13 years in the role, he has been an outstanding Chief Executive who has led a challenging transformation of RNZ into a multimedia public media organisation that now reaches more people than ever before.
"His commitment to high quality public media and to an independent and relevant RNZ will leave the organisation in good stead. The Board is grateful for his excellent service and appreciative that he let us know late last year of his plans."
Thompson said it was the right time for him to step away from the role.
"I'm incredibly proud of what RNZ has achieved and the value it now brings to the public it serves. The end of the year is the right time for a change for both me and RNZ.
"I've loved working alongside people who are passionate about the purpose of public media, and I know the organisation is in a strong position to continue this important work."
The RNZ Board will recruit for a new chief executive once the new Chair and Board members are confirmed.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |  |
