Thompson, RNZ’s CEO for 13 years and a previous president of the worldwide Public Media Alliance, was because of leave on December 31.
In a declaration today, Thompson stated he felt it was best for himself, his household and RNZ to leave.
It has actually seen concerns raised about whether his position was tenable and demonstrations prepared by personnel unions.
The broadcaster’s primary monetary officer Hilary Parker resigned all of a sudden in October.
The $11.8 m loss is more than 25 times the $470,000 RNZ had actually anticipated to lose for many years to June.
RNZ has actually commissioned an independent evaluation of how it got its financial resources incorrect.
RNZ chairman Brent Impey – who was designated to the Board of Directors in 2024 and ended up being chair in July – stated Thompson had actually reacted to a tight spot “with courage and integrity”
“As I said on Tuesday, I have considerable empathy for him as a chief executive who was provided with inaccurate financial information. He has responded to a difficult situation with courage and integrity.
“We want him all the very best.”
Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith said it “was the best thing to do”.
His office said there was no indication of him stepping in over RNZ’s governance decisions at this stage.
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour, a shareholding minister in RNZ, also welcomed the decision.
“I hope the board will show thoroughly on this current duration and make their next visits really thoroughly.
“The chief executive is responsible for the performance of the company, and RNZ has fallen well short of what taxpayers have a right to expect.
“Individuals who suffer most from that underperformance are the hard-working personnel and the general public who money it.”
Earlier this week Thompson was questioned by Checkpoint’s Lisa Owen if he should quit early but pushed back saying, the government had reduced RNZ’s funding.
“We believed we were dealing with that. We weren’t.”
In a statement to staff today, Thompson said it had been a privilege to lead RNZ.
“The last couple of weeks have, naturally, been hard. As Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief I take obligation for the monetary concerns we are handling. It is an unfortunate note to end on. I will add to the independent evaluation to assist guarantee RNZ robustly analyzes what failed and recognizes enhancements.”
He said he was proud of work to modernize the organisation, “consisting of leading on trust, diversifying and growing audiences and material, enhancing journalism and getting in touch with more New Zealanders than ever before”.
He said public media played a vital role and urged staff to keep up “the excellent and essential work”.
Present Head of News Mark Stevens will take control of as Acting CEO from Tuesday.
Discover more from PMN S.P.O.R.T.S - A PRIME MEDIA NETWORK BRAND
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
