Grave Concerns over the future of New Zealand’s Media landscape.

A few days ago, the Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson came before the EDSI Committee to outline his reasoning for the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill. In short, what he did instead was criticize TVNZ for not being on board with his bizarre plans to spend $370million. The committee received more than 900 submissions on the Minister’s plans with many expressing serious concerns over his proposals. Many are concerned at the impact the new Public Media Entity monolith may have on the future of commercial media in our country.

This past week I’ve been putting concerns to the Minister himself in the House.

I suggest you watch for yourself. His answers are a joke and it’s clear he’s dropping the ball for the future of our media landscape.

Question Time 27 September 2022

Question Time 28 September 2022

Question Time 29 September 2022

Some have expressed dismay at the thought of hundreds of millions being spent to establish this new Entity and then to keep it afloat for the years ahead without value to the taxpayer. This massive cost could instead clear the cancer patient waiting list funding desperately needed medications with more left over to tackle the worst surgical wait list in the past decade affecting tens of thousands of New Zealanders in need.

Others still are concerned at the potential loss of independence for the new Entity, being established as an Autonomous Crown Entity that must have regard to the policies of the Government of the day, as opposed to the limitations set on RNZ and TVNZ at present. In the words of Dr Gavin Ellis and Sir Peter Gluckman, the merger legislation “is so incomplete and raises so many issues that it would be unsafe to enact it in its present form”.  It is vital the Minister understands these plans are simply not fit for purpose and he needs to go back to the drawing board. RNZ and TVNZ, are cherished institutions for many New Zealanders. They both have some faults that need to be addressed but the solution is not throwing good money after bad while debt borrowing levels continue to rise in our country.

The future of New Zealand’s media landscape is being put at severe risk by the Minister’s plans because they will reduce plurality in the market. New Zealand on Air have confirmed they’ll be handing over a lion’s share of their funding to the new Entity taking away contestability to other platforms across New Zealand.

New Zealand needs to have a serious conversation about the future of our media landscape. We need to have a frank, open and honest conversation about what, if any, public media platforms we should have in New Zealand. We need to discuss how much the state should be involved in content funding and decision-making and above all, we need to have this conversation openly with full public transparency rather than millions spent on businesses cases, Ministerial working groups, and secretive reviews. Whether intended or not the Public Interest Journalism Fund has been an unmitigated disaster for perception of media trust in New Zealand and the implications of a giant publicly owned media entity that could end up succeeding it’s mandate will only further diminish that trust. With the new Entity we have next to no details as to what the entity is, how it will operate, who will run it and what the real costs will be long term.

Bluntly, New Zealanders cannot be expected to support the new Entity on a ‘wing and a prayer’. We need to see real reasons and real facts to decide. We don’t need high level talking points and wishful thinking when media sector jobs in New Zealand and trust in the fourth estate are on the line, let alone $370million and counting in wasteful spending.

It’s time the Government took a step back and pauses their plans for the future of the New Zealand media.

Who’s with me?