Mediaworks' head of news Mark Jennings has resigned from the role.
Mark Jennings had been with Mediaworks since 1989. Photo: MediaWorks
Jennings joined MediaWorks TV in 1989, and was appointed director of news in 1994. In December 2014, he was appointed to lead the integration of MediaWorks' TV, radio and digital news operations into an unified news team, which launched as Newshub earlier this month.
Earlier today it was revealed that NineMSN editor-in-chief Hal Crawford had resigned to take on the "chief news officer" role at Mediaworks, and he will join the organisation "in the coming months".
In a statement released this afternoon, Mr Jennings said the company had become part of his DNA.
"It has been a wonderful place to work and I am truly grateful for all the opportunities it has given me. The bulk of my career has been at TV3 and I have had fantastic jobs and a fantastic time doing them. It is now time for me to move on and I am looking forward to throwing myself into my next project. I still have tons of energy and a real passion for news journalism. I want to thank all my loyal staff, they have made my job a total pleasure."
Mediaworks chief executive Mark Weldon said Mr Jennings had made a major and lasting contribution to New Zealand journalism.
"I believe that the timing of his departure, coming as it does after the successful launch of Newshub, and at the beginning of a new digital-led phase, works best for the company and for Mark personally. His legacy of strong and fearless journalism will continue to reverberate through the Newshub - he is leaving with significant momentum in our news brands."
Several journalists have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to Mr Jennings: