Radio New Zealand - which was known as the Radio Broadcasting Company - first went to air in 1925. Photo: RNZ / Robert Whitaker
To mark the milestone of 100 years, RNZ is launching new scholarships - Centenary Scholarships - to support up and coming journalists.
The programme includes five scholarships worth up to $8000 each, with scholarship recipients also offered an internship in an RNZ newsroom, mentoring from a senior journalist and training with RNZ's Director of Editorial Quality.
The scholarships will go towards covering one year of tuition fees and will be applied to the 2026 academic year.
A scholarship will be allocated to each of the five main journalism courses in the country, which have been identified by RNZ and Journalism Education Association of New Zealand (JEANZ). These include the University of Canterbury, New Zealand Broadcasting School, Massey University, Auckland University of Technology and Hamilton City Campus Wintec.
RNZ chief executive and editor-in chief Paul Thompson said he wanted RNZ to continue being there when it mattered to Kiwis.
"The scholarships reflect RNZ's ongoing commitment to the craft of journalism and the importance of bringing through the next generation of journalists.
"It's not easy to be a journalist in 2025, the world is swimming in content and opinions, yet this makes the work journalists do more important than ever.
"Verified professional reporting and informed analysis are a tool we can all use to make sense of the noise," Thompson said.
JEANZ president Greg Treadwell said the Centenary Scholarships were a wonderful initiative from RNZ.
"Journalism educators around the country will welcome the opportunity to be part of celebrating 100 years of public broadcasting and look forward to having the successful applicants in class.
"It's more than a great opportunity for the students, though. It's an important affirmation of journalism as a career at a time when it is under extreme pressure financially and politically."
He said public broadcasting helped in the fight against "forces trying to divide us".
"Here's to the next 100 years," he said.
To be eligible for the scholarships the applicant must be studying journalism or have journalism as a major in New Zealand only.
The scholarships are one-off as part of RNZ's centenary celebrations.
More information about the scholarships can be found here.
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