Matt Heath is leaving Radio Hauraki’s breakfast show to become the new co-host of Newstalk ZB’s Afternoons programme. Video / Radio Hauraki
One of music radio’s top names is switching the tunes for talkback – Matt Heath is leaving Radio Hauraki’s breakfast show to become the new co-host of Newstalk ZB’s Afternoons programme.
Heath – who has one of the most diverse media and entertainment CVs as aradio and TV personality, writer, producer, actor, singer, creative and commentator – will co-host the new-look Afternoons show with Tyler Adams, media firmNZME announced today.
Radio Hauraki host Matt Heath will start as a new co-host on Newstalk ZB's Afternoons show on Monday, October 7. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Adams has been producing the Afternoons show, hosted by Simon Barnett and James Daniels, for several years – Barnett, who announced earlier a shift to More FM, and Daniels signed off for the final time last Friday.
The new ZB co-hosts will start on Monday, October 7.
An emotional Heath announced his departure from Radio Hauraki on air this morning – his move spells the end of his 11-year radio relationship with great mate and co-host Jeremy Wells.
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“I love you man,” a tearful Heath told Wells on air this morning.
“Every day you make me laugh. You’re bloody brilliant mate. Not seeing you every day will be a huge gap in my intellectual and emotional life. Hopefully we can find some time for a few lunches at Prego in the future.”
Earlier, Heath told Media Insider: “He [Jeremy Wells] was happy for me, but sad. There’s going to be a few tears.
“We’re both sad because we’re both very, very good friends. Working with him has been such an amazing time – we’ve worked together for 10 years on this breakfast show, and we’ve never had an argument.
“It’s always great to see him in the morning - he’s such a beautiful human being. So that’s hard to leave. It’s almost like a break-up. It’s almost like a divorce from both Jerry and Radio Hauraki. There are so many great people.”
Matt Heath and Jeremy Wells in a Radio Hauraki publicity photo.
But he’s also excited about the move to ZB. He acknowledges the “massive” change the new role represents.
“It’s big. It’s a different role to what I’ve done before. There’s a lot more talking, so no songs to hide behind. I’m looking forward to having fun, but also going deeper into some issues.”
He hadn’t been looking to move unless something as “challenging and awesome” as the new ZB role came along.
“I’m very, very grateful being offered the chance to show people what I can do upstairs, in the rarefied air of Newstalk ZB,” he said. ZB’s studios sit on the first floor at NZME in central Auckland; the entertainment stations, including Hauraki, are on the ground floor.
Heath - who will now switch out early morning wake-ups for more sociable and family-friendly hours (he has two teenage sons) - is no stranger to the more serious side of media.
His appetite has been whet as a regular commentator on the likes of Heather du Plessis-Allan’s Drive show and on ZB’s Weekend Collective. He’s also been a regular columnist for the NZ Herald and has this year published a top-selling book, A Life Less Punishing.
“There is a deeper side to me, than maybe what I do in some parts of my career, when I’m just going for the gags.”
He would be approaching the role with an “open heart”.
“I guess all I can be is me - the best version of me. I can’t be anyone else. The Hauraki audience has been very, very loyal, and audiences have really enjoyed the times when we’ve gone deeper.”
Heath is currently appearing as a team captain on Game of 2 Halves on Sky TV and he is also a key member of the sport entertainment brand Alternative Commentary Collective.
Those roles will continue.
Heath also has a background in film production and was lead singer for Kiwi rock band, Deja Voodoo.
Newstalk ZB's Tyler Adams will co-host Afternoons on Newstalk ZB.
More than a dozen top names are believed to have been in the running for the ZB role.
Heath said he was looking forward to teaming up with Adams, a “top guy”.
Adams, who will relocate from Canterbury to Auckland for the role, has more than a decade’s experience as a senior reporter at Newstalk ZB and has covered some of New Zealand’s most significant news events including Pike River and the Christchurch earthquake.
He has also served as a producer and fill-in host for Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings and as executive producer and fill-in host for Newstalk ZB Afternoons.
“I’m super excited to team up with Matt,” says Adams.
“I’ve admired his creativity, intelligence, and roguish sense of fun for a long time. We’re both eager to dive into the conversations that matter most to everyday Kiwis. Expect lively debates, unconventional perspectives, and, most importantly, plenty of laughs along the way. I can’t wait to bring a fresh vibe and new energy to Newstalk ZB Afternoons.”
NZME chief audio officer Jason Winstanley described the new combination as “fantastic”.
“I know Matt and Tyler will perfectly complement our talented line-up of hosts across all day parts. They are both smart, talented broadcasters and they have terrific ideas and an infectious energy, which I know our audience will enjoy.”
A new co-host for the Hauraki breakfast would be announced in due course, said Winstanley.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
