Controversial television presenter Paul Henry says he has charged a fraction of what he usually would to bring Kiwis a programme about what life will be like after the coronavirus lockdown.

Three announced today that Henry would host a "hard hitting" show, remotely interviewing people about where the country is as it comes out of alert level 4 and what lies ahead.

Rebuilding Paradise with Paul Henry will cover business, global impacts on New Zealand, moral conundrums, health, changes to human behaviour and what the country's future may look like.

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Some critics suggested on social media that the show may be inappropriate given Mediaworks staff have been asked to take a 15 per cent pay cut.

"I am not doing this programme for free because to do it for free would be to create a false economy and it would literally be to steal someone's job," Henry said.

"But I'm doing it for a fraction of what I would have charged to do a programme like this two to three years ago when I was in employment."

During an interview on Magic Talk Henry said he also took a cut of 15 per cent.

"It's a fraction of what I would normally get out of bed for. I'm sorry - a fraction minus 15 per cent."

Henry also made reference to the staff at MediaWorks who refused to take the paycut.

"Alright you could throw a bone maybe to a few of the people that haven't on the basis they might be in the situation where maybe they're on the breadline anyway.

"But how do you live with your fellow workmates if you haven't taken the 15 per cent paycut and you know they have? We've all got to pull in the same direction."

Henry said he had approached Mediaworks with the concept for the programme just two weeks ago and the team had pulled it together incredibly quick - considering the country is in lockdown.

He said some people will love having him back on their screens and "some people will consider it to be worse than the pandemic itself".

"People love to hate me but as long as they love to do it, that's fine.

"At the end of the day, I'm not doing this for me, with the exception that it is a challenge and I like challenges."

Henry said the show is about "rebuilding paradise".

"The pandemic has been bloody awful, but it's handed us an extraordinary opportunity and it's an opportunity we've proved we're up for," he said in a statement.

"In a few years, I want us to be a country that looks back and says that was a s.... time, but look how well things turned out."

Henry said New Zealand has a "fantastic foundation" to build a "brilliant future".

He would be interviewing people such as economists and politicians - and the future of Air New Zealand would be covered.

"Air New Zealand is one of the businesses most badly affected at this stage but it's a business we can't allow to fail because even though we don't know exactly what our future is going to look like ... what we do know is that we are going to need a national airline.

"That's very important to look at and say 'how can this airline survive in a way that can help us in the short term but prepare us for the long term'."

Director of News at Three Sarah Bristow said the company was excited to have Henry back in the newsroom.

"With Paul's talent, experience and wit we can have positive discussions about our future and how we can all contribute to it. This show is going to provide Kiwis with a fantastic new way of thinking about what's to come."

Rebuilding Paradise with Paul Henry will air Monday to Thursday at 9.30pm for 30 minutes, on Three, premiering on April 20.