A new survey of E tū members in the media sector has found widespread concern about pay, conditions, and the future of journalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, with more than 60% of respondents saying they do not see themselves still working as journalists in 10 years’ time.
The survey of 124 E tū members found 67% ranked the adequacy of pay as their most important concern. Salary data from the survey shows average pay across all experience levels sits below $90,000, at a time when comparable professions have pulled well ahead.
Respondents raised concerns about growing workloads, fewer journalists covering more ground, reduced depth and diversity of coverage, pressure on investigative journalism, declining work-life balance, and significantly better pay available in public relations and communications. The survey also highlighted ethnic pay disparity, misuse of casual and contractor arrangements, and a lack of training and mentoring for younger workers entering the industry.
E tū journalist and delegate Tom Eley says the pay gap is driving people out of the profession.
“Journalists are underpaid and undervalued by their organisations, with many asked to take on the role of photographer, videographer, writer and social media expert,” Tom says.
“Couple that with shrinking newsrooms and more threats against journalists, and it creates a stressful working environment that does nothing but ensure young or talented people leave the industry, further adding to that already existing problem.
“We cannot pay bills and make ends meet. We might do this job because we love it, but we also deserve to be paid what we are worth.”
The survey also found significant unease about the impact of artificial intelligence. Only 30% of respondents rated their employer’s guardrails for responsible and ethical AI use as good or excellent. Training on AI fared worse, with no respondents rating it excellent and just 10% rating it good. More than half rated protection from AI misuse as bad or terrible.
E tū Director Mat Danaher says the findings confirm what journalists have been saying for years.
“Journalism in this country is being hollowed out. Pay has fallen behind comparable professions, workloads are going up, experienced reporters are leaving, and the people coming in behind them aren’t getting the support they need. That’s not sustainable.
“This matters for everyone, not just the people in newsrooms. When there are fewer journalists doing more work for less money, the quality of public interest reporting suffers. The ability to fact-check politicians, investigate wrongdoing, and hold powerful institutions to account gets weaker.
“The survey results show strong support for E tū working more closely across the media sector, and that’s exactly what we intend to do. Through collective bargaining, journalists can push for better pay, stronger protections around AI, and a future where this work is treated as the essential profession it is.
“Aotearoa has talented, committed journalists. The challenge is making sure the industry actually values them enough to keep them.”
ENDS