TVNZ Vet Ends Breakfast Stint

TVNZ’s new-look Breakfast show in 2026 won’t include co-host Jenny-May Clarkson.

After 20 years with TVNZ, her final broadcast will be on November 21.

She follows the exit of another TVNZ vet, news anchor Simon Dallow.

Here’s the media release:

Jenny-May Clarkson to leave TVNZ Breakfast

TVNZ has today announced that it will be refreshing Breakfast in 2026 and that Jenny-May Clarkson will be leaving her role as co-host.

TVNZ’s announcement brings to a close an extraordinary two-decade stint with TVNZ. Her final broadcast will be on 21 November 2025.

Jenny-May began her TVNZ career in 2005 as a netball commentator. She has taken on a variety of high-profile presenting roles over the years, including most recently as a presenter for Breakfast, a position she’s held since 2020.

She is one of the longest-serving presenters and the first Wahine Māori to be appointed to the Breakfast co-host role — proudly representing her Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Kahu heritage throughout her time on screen.

“Jenny-May is a talented broadcaster who has shown an amazing ability to connect with audiences and capture raw emotion on screen, showing empathy with communities often in tragic situations, like through TVNZ’s award-winning Cyclone Gabrielle coverage,” Chief News and Content Officer Nadia Tolich says.

“She’s broadcast live and breaking news, helmed Commonwealth Games coverage and played a pivotal role in delivering domestic Netball free-to-air once again.

“I know New Zealanders will miss her presence on the Breakfast couch each morning and we all appreciate the effort she has given to this role.”

Reflecting on her time at Breakfast, Jenny-May says: “It’s been an incredible journey and I’m grateful to our audience who have welcomed me into their homes each morning.

“It’s been a privilege and an honour to be part of compassionate broadcasting — creating space for all voices, and being trusted to hold those conversations with empathy, humility, and respect.

“This was always a privilege, never a right. I leave with gratitude, proud of what we’ve achieved together, and thankful for the trust and support of our viewers over the past six years.”

TVNZ will commence a process to appoint a new Breakfast presenter.