Breakfast's Peter Williams Says Goodbye

Peter Williams has been farewelled from Breakfast - the first of three hosts to leave the TVNZ show before the end of next week.

Williams, Breakfast's newsreader, is leaving along with hosts Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross as part of a TVNZ shake-up that will see Hilary Barry and Jack Tame hosting the show from September 19.

Christie leaves the network on Friday, with Chalmers-Ross departing the following week. Tim Wilson will fill-in as host next week.

Christie and Chalmers-Ross today paid tribute to Williams, who has been on Breakfast "on and off" for 18 years and signed off from his last broadcast today.

Christie called it a "sad week on Breakfast ... It's the end of the road for a few of us as far as this show goes ... we're going to celebrate this morning by humiliating you ... by playing old footage".

Unlike Christie and Chalmers-Ross, Williams is staying on as a weekend newsreader.

Christie has said he would "take a break and assess the new commercial opportunities in the fast-evolving media landscape".

And Chalmers-Ross said she was "excited about the opportunities on the horizon - and the prospect of turning off my 3am alarm".

Brodie Kane will also join Breakfast as a sports reporter, and weather presenter Sam Wallace is staying put.