[2] She was a journalist in London, England, for ten years, where she wrote about politics and crime for a local newspaper, and worked for BBC's News Online service.
In the 2004 Qantas Media Awards, Hayman won the Environment and Conservation category for her article "DOC to remove hundreds of baches".
[4] In 2015, Hayman was appointed deputy editor, Canterbury and Otago region by her then-employer, Fairfax Media.
[5] In 2017, Hayman was executive producer of a true crime podcast, Black Hands, which explored the 1994 Bain family murders.
The series topped the podcast charts in New Zealand, Australia, Britain and Ireland.