Ten 7 Aotearoa, formerly Police Ten 7, ends after 20 years

Ten 7 Aotearoa, formerly known as Police Ten 7, is being canned after 20 years on Kiwi screens.

It comes after the reality police show underwent an independent review in 2021 to "understand changing viewer expectations" amid racism claims.

At the time, then Auckland councillor Efeso Collins said all the show was doing "is monetising people's poor and vulnerable experiences”.

After the review, the show changed its name to Ten 7 Aotearoa in April last year, introducing a format "style and refresh".

"Presenter Sam Wallace joined as a co-host and more filming was introduced to give a more representative picture of policing across the motu. The 2022 iteration also had a broader focus on crime prevention and education," a statement from TVNZ reads.

However, it was today announced the show has failed to garner enough ratings to continue.

"The topical nature of this content means it’s only available on digital platforms after the initial broadcast for a short time, making it difficult to sustain the viewership needed across both broadcast and digital as more of our audience migrates online," TVNZ’s Director of Content Cate Slater said.

"As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to conclude the programme. We’re excited to give fans an opportunity to mark its legacy with three hour-long specials."

The show ran for a total of 750 episodes across 29 seasons. There were 963 arrests as a result of the series, and 4607 cases were featured.