Breakfast hosts Jenny-May Clarkson and Chris Chang shared a heartfelt moment as they opened the show this morning, after it was announced Clarkson would be leaving the show.
After 20 years with TVNZ, and five as co-host of Breakfast, the former Silver Fern said she was leaving with gratitude and pride.
Her final appearance on Breakfast will be on Friday, November 21.
“It has been an absolute honour and a privilege to be invited into your homes every single morning,” Clarkson said.
“I am going to miss that… But I’m not going to miss getting up at three o’clock in the morning.”
Her co-host, Chris Chang, told Clarkson she had been an “amazing partner in crime”.
“I just have the utmost respect for you, as a person above anything else, because, while there are great broadcasters here and we work with some of them, none of that really matters at the end of the day.
“It’s about family, and doing what’s best.
“I just think you’re an awesome person, and it’s been a real pleasure.”
Clarkson is one of TVNZ’s longest-serving presenters and the first wahine Māori to be appointed to the Breakfast co-host role, representing her Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Kahu heritage throughout her time on screen.
TVNZ Chief News and Content Officer Nadia Tolich said: “Jenny-May is a talented broadcaster who has shown an amazing ability to connect with audiences and capture raw emotion on screen, showing empathy with communities often in tragic situations”.
TVNZ said it plans to refresh Breakfast in 2026.
