Samantha Hayes considered leaving TV3 but stayed to see out a milestone

Samantha Hayes reveals why she stayed at TV3. Photo / Janna Dixon

Samantha Hayes has revealed she considered leaving TV3 when numerous shows were cut and her close colleagues left in droves.

At the end of 2015, Mediaworks - the parent company of TV3 - began cutting current affairs shows and farewelling the likes of John Campbell and eventually, Hilary Barry in the process.

Hayes stayed through it all but in an interview with Woman's Day, she has admitted there were brief moments where she considered leaving too.

"I lost a lot of my dear colleagues when 3D and Newsworthy finished. It was really hard going for a while there," she said.

But still she stayed. Partly because TV3 is her "second home", but also because she was about to mark her 10-year anniversary at TV3.

"I think perhaps in the back of my mind, I knew the 10-year anniversary was coming up. I liked the idea of making it."

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Bright eyed & bushy tailed. It's my 10 year anniversary at @tv3nz so I've taken a wander down memory lane. This was my very first night presenting Nightline. I was petrified & but oh so excited.

A post shared by Samantha Hayes (@samanthahayes) on Sep 25, 2016 at 2:58pm PDT

It turned out to be a good call; Hayes, who celebrated that anniversary this September, has taken over from Hilary Barry as co-anchor of Newshub with Mike McRoberts and says the environment at TV3 has changed for the better.

"The newsroom at the moment is a fantastic place to be - there's a new momentum and energy. Things have definitely settled down."

As for what the next 10 years will bring, Hayes said while she doesn't know where she will be, she knows she'll still be in journalism - if she can help it.

"I can't imagine a world where I'm not a journalist. I don't know where I'll be but I hope I'm still working in the news. I learn something new from every story and almost everyone I get to meet."