Television New Zealand (TVNZ) chief executive Jodi O’Donnell has told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan she didn’t want to cut any shows, but it had been a day of hard decisions.

“It’s only a proposal at this stage," O'Donnell said. 

"We have spent the seven months working across the business trying to find cost savings,” she said

However, it hadn’t been enough, she said.

“We need to do something more significant. So we’ve had a look at all our options. I’ve been open about the fact there are no ‘sacred cows’ and we need to find ways to stop doing some things because we need to cut costs."

O'Donnell said TVNZ was investing more than $40 million into news and current affairs: “So we absolutely believe in the future of news and current affairs.”

She said, though, TVNZ’s operating model was more expensive than the revenue it was making.

We need to find ways to stop doing some things because we need to cut costs.

Pressed on specifically which programmes would be cut - including possible changes to Shortland Street - O’Donnell said any show could be affected: “We’re looking at everything.”

“We’ll constantly be looking at things to keep our operating model in line with our revenue.

“We are a commercial business. That’s the remit we need to work with.

She said TVNZ’s decision-making was partly based on which shows would work in a “digital world”.

O’Donnell confirmed TVNZ did not consider cutting 1News down to a half hour.

"What we see with the one-hour news bulletin, it’s an incredibly profitable hour of broadcasting and it also delivers incredibly strong on our digital platform."

She said there had been a continual decline in advertising revenue across this financial year.

“Our competitors these days are not [Newstalk ZB] or Sky or Warner Brothers, but they are Google and Meta. These are multi-trillion dollar organisations.

“Ninety cents in every dollar spent in digital news advertising is going offshore. That’s 10 cents left for the likes of New Zealand Media and Entertainment, TVNZ, Stuff - any of the local broadcasters, and that’s a challenge.

“I mean you still can’t advertise on television on Sunday morning at the moment. That’s how outdated that [Broadcasting] Act is.

“I think, particularly in this environment of trust, it’s important that is really clear and it’s still independent."

She said she was ambitious about TVNZ’s digital future.

“We offer a broad range of content. Local is still an incredibly important part of that. As we build out that platform, that’s the challenge we have in front of us."

There were no other cuts planned, she said.

E tū specialist negotiator Michael Wood talked about what was talked about during the meeting, what the mood in the room was, the state of journalism and union plans to fight the proposed cuts.

Fair Go reporter Garth Bray said his colleagues had been given an opportunity to put forward their own proposals for the future of the show.

“We’re going to do what we can to come up with a better plan because we want to keep Fair Go going,” Bray said.

1 News reporter Simon Mercep leaves the TVNZ building after the meeting.

During a press conference on the 100 days of the new Government, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was asked to comment on the job cuts at TVNZ.

Luxon said it was a "pretty tough time" being a TVNZ employee today.

He noted how media organisations here and around the world were struggling amid consumers finding news and content in different ways, with revenue models "breaking down".

He did say he had met many other organisations who had had to restructure due to tough economic conditions over the past two years, saying that was why he was determined to lower inflation.

Luxon said he was not interested in owning more media assets, saying it wasn't good for democracy. He committed to supporting state media as the Government currently did.

"It's unlikely we're going to have any further ownership of media assets," he said. 

He wouldn't comment on whether TVNZ should go commercial free. Luxon said they were conversations to have "a long way down the road".

Asked if the cuts were damaging to democracy, Luxon spoke of how it was tough to take for staff and their families. He didn't not address whether it was damaging for democracy. He noted again how similar impacts were being felt across sectors.

Luxon said he hadn't spoken to minister David Seymour about his recent comments about TVNZ, which included specific criticism of one of its journalists while Seymour held a shareholding interest in TVNZ.

TVNZ has released a statement confirming the proposed cancellation of Midday, Tonight, Fair Go, and Sunday.

The proposed cuts will result in a net reduction of up to 68 roles across all business areas (9 per cent of the broadcaster's full-time employees).

TVNZ Chief Executive Jodi O’Donnell says it’s been a difficult day for TVNZers with some incredibly tough conversations for many around the business, including the newsroom.

“Midday, Tonight, Fair Go and Sunday are programmes with a long and celebrated legacy at Te Reo Tātaki. The proposals we have presented in no way relate to the immense contribution of the teams that work on these shows and the significant journalistic value they’ve provided over many years. Unfortunately, we need to reduce our costs to ensure the business remains sustainable. These aren’t decisions we make lightly, and significant analysis has gone into the proposals," O'Donnell said.

"We remain committed to delivering the most trusted and watched News and Current Affairs for New Zealand audiences, and what that looks like will change as we shift to a digital-first model. Our priority is our people and supporting them through this process.”

A TVNZ spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that a proposal has been presented to the team which could result in the cancellation of Fair Go."