It's All About The Comms

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.

It’s All About the Comms is the official podcast of PRINZ — the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand. In this first episode, host Paul Patton sits down with award-winning journalist Lisette Reymer, Senior Journalist for Three News and former Newshub Europe Correspondent.
Lisette’s new memoir, No, I Don’t Get Danger Money, takes readers behind the scenes of some of the most extraordinary news moments of recent years. True to her promise, she shares the wild, confronting, and often hilarious stories that never made it to air. Catapulted into her Europe Correspondent role at just 26, she covered a relentless run of major global events—from the war in Ukraine to the death of Queen Elizabeth and the political flashpoints that defined the decade.
In their conversation, Paul explores the realities of life on the road, the pressure of live reporting, and the toll of working in conflict zones. Lisette offers a candid look at the human side of journalism: the chaos behind the camera, the emotional weight of telling other people’s stories, and the moments that shaped her as a reporter.
For PR and communications professionals, this episode delivers practical insight and straight-up honesty. Lisette shares what makes a pitch stand out, how she manages overflowing inboxes, what she values in a PR partner, and how comms people can better support journalists working under tight deadlines.
Engaging, insightful, and full of moments you won’t hear on the six o’clock news, this episode launches a monthly series of conversations with the people shaping Aotearoa’s PR and media landscape.
This episode was kindly produced with the support of Crescendo, specialists in audio recording, sound design, music production, and dedicated audiobook and podcast studios.