The first survey of commercial radio stations in New Zealand was released on May 22 with Newstalk ZB No 1 and a weekly cumulative audience of 647,000. On the same day of the survey release Minister for Media and Communications the Hon Paul Goldsmith announced budget cuts to the national broadcaster RNZ of $18m over four years, or $4.6m a year. RNZ, according to the NZ Herald (subscription required) will release their own listening figures this Tuesday, May 27.
Top rating breakfast host for Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking, who has a 20.5% share of audience 10+, had already used his platform to ask why RNZ needed so much public money after an interview New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and NZ First Leader Winston Peters had done with RNZ presenter Corin Dann. The conversation was not going to Peters’ liking and alongside accusing Dann of political bias Peters had said:
“Sooner or later, we’re going to cut that water off too, because you’re an abuse on the taxpayer. You’re not hearing both sides of the story.”
That action had come sooner rather than later with Minister Goldsmith saying:
“RNZ has had funding increases in recent years, most notably a boost of $26 million a year in 2023, on top of a previous increase of $7.3 million per year in 2020.
Budget 2025 reduces RNZ funding by approximately $18 million over four years, or $4.6 million a year, equivalent to approximately 7 per cent of its annual Crown operating Budget of $67 million.
This savings initiative recognises that government-funded media must deliver the same efficiency and value-for-money as the rest of the public sector.
I expect RNZ to improve audience reach, trust and transparency. I am confident the organisation can do so while operating in a period of tightened fiscal constraint.”
The GfK Commercial Radio Survey for NZ showed radio listening in 2025 in a strong position. Total weekly reach has increased by 2%, with a 3.5 million weekly listeners recorded for just the second time ever. Mai FM, The Rock and Breeze also fared well. Mai FM were top for people aged 18-34, The Rock for people 25-54 and Breeze was second behind Newstalk ZB overall in all audiences 10+ and weekly cumes. Mai FM, The Rock and Breeze are all MediaWorks owned stations, NZME owns Newstalk ZB.
Michael Boggs, NZME Chief Executive Officer said:
“What we’re witnessing in audio audience growth across many global markets is mirrored here in New Zealand. When great content reaches listeners on their terms, across any device they choose, it creates a powerful connection, which is compelling for advertisers. These results are a testament to audio’s enduring and evolving relevance in people’s lives.”
Chief Executive Officer of MediaWorks, Wendy Palmer added:
“Three quarters of NZ continue to listen to commercial radio each week and this is in-part due to the continued growth in accessibility of our content. Device based listening has grown 7.7% since last year, with over 900,000 Kiwis listening on a device each week.”
The RNZ cuts, and that there seems to be community support for the decision, will be watched with interest in Australia with the Labor party’s comprehensive win at the recent Federal Election and a new Minister for Communications, the Hon Anika Wells.
GfK Total NZ Commercial Network Rankings Survey 1 2025 results are below.
