RNZ boss resigns amid David Seymour criticism
From Q+A with Jack Tame by Q+A with Jack Tame
May 23, 2026 · 10 min
About this episode
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson announces his resignation amid criticism from David Seymour.
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson will resign after 13 years in the job, board chair Jim Mather announced this morning. Mather says while the decision for Thompson to resign at the end of 2026 was made in December of last year, the announcement has been pulled forward by "recent unhelpful external commentary about his future". Deputy prime minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who is also a shareholding minister in RNZ, has criticised the public broadcaster's board and chief executive in recent months, and speculated earlier in the month that Thompson "won't be answering the call at RNZ for much longer." David Seymour joins Jack Tame. Watch more of Q+A's interview with David Seymour on Sunday.
People in this episode
Host: Jack Tame
Guest: David Seymour
Topics covered
- RNZ leadership
- resignation
- political criticism
- media management
- David Seymour
Keywords
- RNZ
- Paul Thompson
- resignation
- David Seymour
- media
- leadership
- criticism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: RNZ, ACT Party
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