NZBS students join global broadcast live from Christchurch
21 October, 2026
Students gain hands-on experience creating content for a global audience
Photo credit: Kerry Du Pont and NZBS students rehearsing at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha
Ōtautahi stories will be beamed around the world on Thursday, thanks to New Zealand Broadcasting School (NZBS) ākonga (students).
Second-year journalism, radio and screen production students are taking part in the second annual On Air broadcast, joining students from universities, colleges and schools around the world for a groundbreaking multi-channel global broadcast.
NZBS students will contribute an hour of live content to the ‘International Culture’ channel, broadcasting from locations including Ara's Madras Street television and radio studios, Hagley Oval and Christchurch’s One New Zealand Stadium.
NZBS is also contributing pre-produced content for the ‘Kids’, 'Sport' and ‘Film’ channels.
Run by the Media Talent Manifesto, On Air was first held in 2025. More than 1000 students, staff and volunteers put together 24 hours of live broadcasting across six continents, racking up more than 10,000 views on YouTube.
Students are involved in developing and scripting content, filming, editing, studio operations, presenting and social media.
“This is a chance for our second-year Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications students to take their work to the world. They’re involved in every stage of production, creating live and pre-recorded media content for an international audience,” said Programme Leader Karen Neill.
The content will be broadcast to YouTube on the MTM channel. It begins in Australia and moves to 25-30 locations across the globe, spanning 24 hours.
The NZBS hour will air live at 2pm on Thursday 22nd October.
If you miss the live broadcast, don’t worry – it will be replayed on Freeview Channel 200 at 1pm next Wednesday 28 October.
The broadcast is part of the NZBS Media Extravaganza, where second-year ākonga create live and pre-recorded news and entertainment content for television, radio, online, and social media.
From the classroom to live broadcasts seen around the world
At the New Zealand Broadcasting School, students learn by doing. Whether it's journalism, radio, screen production or digital content creation, ākonga gain industry experience and build the skills, confidence and connections needed for a career in media.