Maiki Sherman returns to election coverage with Māori Television after TVNZ exit

Award-winning political journalist Maiki Sherman is returning to the election frontline, joining Māori Television (Whakaata Māori) for its Whakatau 2026 coverage just months after her high-profile departure from TVNZ.

Whakaata Māori has confirmed Sherman is being brought in to support its coverage of this year’s general election, including a series of live events.

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“We can confirm Maiki Sherman is being engaged to support our Whakatau 2026 election coverage,” the broadcaster said in a statement to The Post, adding that further details about its election plans would be released in due time.

The move does not make Sherman the broadcaster’s political editor. Instead, she is being engaged specifically as part of Whakaata Māori’s election operation, putting one of the country’s most experienced political reporters back into campaign coverage ahead of the vote.

The role marks a significant return to frontline political journalism after an extraordinary few months in which her departure from TVNZ, intense public scrutiny and one of the country’s top journalism awards arrived in rapid succession.

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Video: ACT leader David Seymour speaks to reporters during a parliamentary media stand-up on April 28, where he praised Ani O’Brien’s Substack and accused mainstream media of failing to report allegations. (Screenshot / parliamentary media stand-up / ACT Party)

Sherman left TVNZ in May after saying the pressure surrounding her position had made the role untenable. Her departure followed controversy over an incident at an after-hours function in Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ office the previous year, where Sherman was alleged to have directed a homophobic slur at Stuff journalist Lloyd Burr.

Later, Sherman acknowledged making an offensive comment and said there was no excuse for her language.

She said the remark came after “deeply personal and inappropriate remarks” were directed at her, while confirming she had apologised following the incident.

The controversy turned into a firestorm during a period at Parliament. Sherman was suspended from the parliamentary precinct for five days by Speaker Gerry Brownlee after attempting to interview National Party whip Stuart Smith in an area reporters were not permitted to enter.

Days later, Sherman announced she was leaving TVNZ, saying the level of scrutiny she had faced had placed enormous pressure on her and made continuing in the job impossible.

Her exit also unfolded against a wider political and media battle over how allegations against her had entered the public arena.

Image: Ani O’Brien is a New Zealand fringe micro-blogger publishing her writing to Substack and is known for opinion pieces, media criticism and commentary on politics, culture and public affairs. (Substack)

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As thisquality previously reported, ACT leader David Seymour publicly praised Substack writer Ani O’Brien after she published allegations involving Sherman, at one point declaring it “Ani O’Brien Day” and accusing mainstream media of allowing a “conspiracy of silence” around the incident.

The episode prompted criticism over whether Sherman had been given an adequate opportunity to respond fairly before the claims were published.

O’Brien said she never called for Sherman to be sacked and described the incident as an “open secret” within political and media circles. She argued New Zealand’s media culture had normalised “career-ending moral scrutiny” for public figures and said the same standards were now being turned inward.

The resignation also sparked debate across social media over media standards and the Whale Oil-era smear tactics operating outside traditional editorial processes.

Image: Maiki Sherman shared photographs from the 2026 New Zealand Media Awards, where she was named Political Journalist of the Year. One image shows her posing with the award following her win. (Maiki Sherman / New Zealand Media Awards)

Sherman’s career took another dramatic turn just two weeks after leaving TVNZ when she was named Political Journalist of the Year at the 2026 New Zealand Media Awards.

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Accepting the honour to loud applause, she acknowledged the unusual timing of winning the award so soon after resigning from one of the most prominent journalism jobs in the country.

The award became another defining moment in a period where conduct, journalism and reputation were all being debated publicly.

Image: Maiki Sherman accepts the Political Journalist of the Year award at the 2026 New Zealand Media Awards, a recognition judges said reflected her ability to take audiences inside major political stories while holding those in power to account. (Maiki Sherman / New Zealand Media Awards)

In June, thisquality reported on Sherman moving forward following the award, after she shared images celebrating the achievement and signalled that she was focused on the next chapter of her career.

That next chapter is now beginning to take shape.

Whakaata Māori, which began broadcasting as Māori Television in 2004, operates under legislation created to support and promote te reo Māori and tikanga Māori through broadcasting. The organisation describes itself as New Zealand’s national indigenous media organisation.

The new addition at Whakaata Māori gives its 2026 election operation a journalist with extensive experience inside the parliamentary press gallery and across Māori and mainstream broadcasting.

Sherman previously worked across Māori media and Newshub before joining TVNZ, eventually becoming the first wahine Māori to lead the broadcaster’s political team. Now, after one of the most turbulent periods of her career, she is heading back into election coverage.

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