Last night, New Zealand bid farewell to Sunday, the show that has been telling stories important to Kiwis for more than 22 years. 

After an emotional goodbye on air, which saw Miriama Kamo and the team look back at the archives and revisit a range of stories covered over the past two years, many have taken to social media to share touching - and honest - sentiments, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark. 

As Sunday aired its final episode after 22 years, Helen Clark weighed in on the changes to New Zealand media. Photo / Getty Images 

Taking to X, Clark weighed in on the April 9 decision where TVNZ announced that Fair Go and the Midday and Tonight news bulletins would close in mid-May as part of a series of cutbacks, the organisation announced Sunday’s cancellation one day later, resulting in the loss of up to 68 roles. 

She wrote: “Sad to see last episode of Sunday current affairs programme on TVNZ: the victim of an unwillingness & /or incapacity to think outside the box on funding of long form current affairs programming. Who will tell NZers’ compelling stories now? Shameful. [sic]” 

 

 

Award-winning journalist Jack Tame also shared his thoughts on the decision, stating it is a “profound loss”. 

Tame has been vocal about the recent cuts in New Zealand media, which have seen major changes at TVNZ and the closure of Newshub. Tame said in an opinion piece for the Herald in April: “The traditional TV companies might be poor, but without something meaty in place of Newshub, Sunday and Fair Go, our society and our democracy are poorer too.” 

As for the team behind Sunday, Kamo led the tributes for the show by sharing a video to her Instagram page that showed Sunday staff walking through a guard of honour, with staff from the wider TVNZ newsroom clapping them out of the building after recording the final show. 

“How the TVNZ newsroom fam rolls. A beautiful surprise at the end of the recording of our final show. I’d been brave throughout, until this,” she wrote. 

Kamo has fronted the show for more than 13 years. Her work on the show, in conjunction with Marae, won her Best Reporter - Maori Affairs at the 2019 Voyager Media Awards. 

 

 

 

Following on from the show’s leading wahine, Tania Page, Sunday’s correspondent, followed suit, confessing the team “started as colleagues and end as friends”. 

The reality of her heartache at the ending of the show could be seen in a short video she posted to Instagram. In it, the journalist, who has worked on the show since 2018, could be seen cuddled up on the couch, holding her hand to her face, looking solemn as she watched the final episode at home. 

The caption read: “Watching the last Sunday with Tania Page is heart wrenching. Ngā mihi nui, hei konā.” 

 

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere, reporter Conor Whitten took to Instagram telling his followers that working on the show was “the privilege of a lifetime”. Whitten joined Sunday in 2023 after working as a senior political reporter for Newshub. 

Mava Moayyed, who worked as a producer behind the scenes on the show for four years before transitioning to an on-camera journalist role in 2022, approached the final episode of the much-loved show with a fun post. 

Sharing an image of her grinning, she poked fun at Whitten, jokingly writing: “The last one. Conor ruining every take. Not me though.” 

 

 

Senior journalist Mark Crysell decided to capture the moment and shared a snap on his social media from on stage when the team, who work in front of the camera and behind, gathered on set to say their final farewell. 

Crysell, who had worked on Sunday since 2003, also shared a sentiment on Instagram thanking Kiwis for tuning in before confessing it “feels like a woefully inadequate way of expressing gratitude & love to everyone I worked alongside & those who trusted me to tell their stories since 2003″ He signed off writing, “Drink it while it’s fizzy.” 

Elsewhere, New Zealanders have shared their heartache at the show’s cancellation, with Brodie Kane writing on Instagram that she “Can’t fathom” the loss of the show. She continued: “This show has often had the power to change laws and every week it changed people’s lives”. 

The Hits host Matty McLean also took to Instagram to share a snap from the final episode writing: “God, we’ll miss having Sunday to tell these stories.” 

Mark Crysell shared a selfie from the final Sunday episode, while media personality Matty McLean paid tribute to the show. Photo / Instagram 

Sunday has held a longstanding spot on TVNZ’s network since it first hit screens in 2002. The show replaced 60 Minutes in the 7.30pm Sunday night slot, it was moved to a 7pm slot in 2012 and was cut down to 30 minutes. A 2014 review had Sunday return to an hour-long episode per week. 

Covering an array of stories, including the abduction and escape story of Alex Batty, the show featured stories from local and international correspondents including Moayyed and Crysell and was hosted by award-winning journalist, Kamo. 

Sunday won a New Zealand Television Award last year for Best Current Affairs Programme. It was up against Newsroom Investigates, Paddy Gower Has Issues and Te Ao with Moana.