It's All About The Comms

Claudia Macdonald started her career as a journalist in Dunedin. She went on to spend eight years in the UK working with corporate and financial clients at Shandwick, one of the world's largest PR agencies at the time. Then, in 1995, she took a role at Auckland ad agency DDB with a brief to build a PR offering from scratch.
What followed was 29 years, one agency, and a legacy that few in this industry can match.
Mango Communications, launched in 2000, grew from a one-woman band into one of NZ's largest and most-awarded full-service PR agencies, with clients including McDonald's, Samsung, Nestlé, American Express and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa. Along the way, Claudia collected multiple Cannes Lions, two PRINZ Supreme Awards, and in 2021 became just the 18th person ever to receive PRINZ Life Membership.
In this episode, Claudia talks candidly about the hard yards of building and sustaining an agency through financial crashes and industry upheaval, championing wāhine in a profession that once had very few in senior roles, and what it means to lead, mentor, and eventually hand over the reins.
She's leaving on her own terms. And she has plenty to say.

In this episode of It's All About the Comms, host Paul Patton is joined by Shayne Currie—award-winning journalist, former editor of the New Zealand Herald, and now Editor at Large at NZME, where he writes the weekly Media Insider column.

Shayne is one of the few people who both shape New Zealand's media agenda and write about it. In this conversation, he's direct: what makes a story genuinely newsworthy, why most pitches from communications professionals miss the mark, and how to build relationships with journalists that actually hold.

If you advise organisations on media, manage communications, or pitch stories as part of your work, this episode will change how you approach it.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

With thanks to Crescendo, our podcast production and sponsor partner.

A new episode of It's All About the Comms is live, and Mary doesn't hold back.
Host Paul Patton sits down with Mary Lambie — award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and founder of Socius Media—for a candid conversation about what it really takes to communicate well when the stakes are high, and the cameras are on.
Mary brings over 30 years of television and radio experience to the table, sharing behind-the-scenes lessons from the newsroom and her work coaching senior executives and public figures. She talks about why corporate speak and over-rehearsed talking points backfire, what actually makes a media interview land, and how PR professionals can better prepare and support their spokespeople.
The conversation also covers how communication is shifting in the age of AI, and Mary reflects on her journey from broadcasting to business and media strategy — including what she took away from stepping back in front of the cameras again on Celebrity Treasure Island.
If you work in media relations, leadership comms, crisis response, or reputation management, this one's for you.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or via the PRINZ website.
With thanks to Crescendo, our podcast sponsor and production partner.

Episode three of the PRINZ podcast, It’s All About The Comms, features Mark Knoff-Thomas, CEO of the Newmarket Business Association and ​PRINZ Communicator of the Year 2025.
Host Paul Patton sits down with Mark for a timely, thought‑provoking conversation about what ethical, values‑led communication looks like outside the traditional PR world—especially when reputation and public trust are on the line.
Mark shares the realities of leading communications for a complex business community and takes listeners inside one of the year’s most talked‑about reputational moments: a major media error that sparked a national debate about editorial responsibility, accountability, and how to respond with integrity under pressure.
The episode also dives into crisis communication in the context of public safety campaigns, the role communicators play in building confidence during uncertainty, and how town centres like Newmarket are navigating the current economic headwinds facing Auckland retail.
This is a must‑listen for PR and communications professionals who care about trust, advocacy, media accountability, and real‑world leadership communication—with practical insights you can apply to your own work straight away.
👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or via the PRINZ website.
With thanks to Crescendo, our podcast sponsor and production partner.

The second episode of the PRINZ podcast, It's All About the Comms, showcases what happens when strategic communications becomes a force for cultural change.
Host Paul Patton speaks with Sarah Munnik, Partner at Pead and winner of the 2025 PRINZ Supreme Award, Restoring Mana: The World’s Largest Haka for Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.  This campaign brought 6,400 New Zealanders together at Eden Park to perform the world's largest haka for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.
What started as a funding crisis became a masterclass in purpose-driven PR.
The campaign didn't just raise over half a million dollars. It reclaimed a Guinness World Record, united a nation, and compelled Guinness to permanently change its criteria, ensuring that only Māori can lead future haka records. It's the kind of cultural impact most communicators spend their careers chasing.
Sarah takes us inside the strategy: how to build stakeholder trust at scale, navigate cultural responsibility with integrity, and keep impact—not ego—at the heart of every decision. She shares hard-won lessons for PR professionals who want to create campaigns that resonate beyond the news cycle.
Judges called it "joyful, inclusive, and a standout example of public relations harnessing cultural pride for positive change." If you work in communications, engagement, or reputation management, this conversation will challenge how you think about what's possible.