Laura Tupou to become sole anchor of Newshub’s weekend show

Broadcaster Laura Tupou, the soon-to-be solo anchor for Newshub at 6pm on weekends. Photo / Supplied

Changes to Newshub’s weekend presenters team are underway, with the broadcast moving to a single person rather than a dual-presenter team.

Laura Tupou has been announced as the sole anchor and will start her solo gig on December 3 when she returns from a break.

However, the lone presenter model is due to start this weekend.

“The move to a single presenter on weekends reflects our changing needs as a newsroom as we allocate resources to best achieve our goals across the business - particularly given the weekend news bulletin has a sports heavy focus,” a Warner Bros Discovery spokesperson said.

It is unsure what will happen to Michael O’Keefe, a freelancer who has filled in on several of the show’s roles including co-anchor, who is also the goalkeeper for the Team Wellington football team and represented New Zealand in the Olympics in 2012 in the same sport.

Tupou started her role as the anchor in June of this year, only a few weeks before her co-anchor at the time Tom McRae said his goodbyes.

There will be no changes made to the TV3′s 6pm weekday newsreader team of Samantha Hayes and Mike McRoberts, the spokesperson said.