Coddington Deborah: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Coddington Deborah: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3751] 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON (ACT NZ) 
: 
 I shall take us back to why we even need this bill. Television New Zealand was not broke. There was no need to fix it. There was nothing in the State-Owned Enterprises Act that stated that Television New Zealand had to return such a huge dividend to the Government. When Television New Zealand was making $60 million in profit it could have returned just $1 million of that and kept $59 million for making good programmes. But Labour and —I have to say—National appointed chairmen of Television New Zealand who used the enterprise as a cash cow for the Government which vacuumed all the profits out of Television New Zealand and returned them to itself. 
So what do we have now? We have a bill that will introduce this Government’s agenda of social engineering. This Government had appointed a chairman who was a very good friend of the Prime Minister and who was going to be there to implement social engineering— 
Hon Member 
: Who? 
DEBORAH CODDINGTON 
: I refer to Ross Armstrong who fell from grace but who was the ideal person to carry through that social engineering. At the moment we have another very good friend of that other minority party—I cannot remember its name but it forms part of the coalition—Progressive thank you very much. He is a very good friend of that party—an acting chairman—who will also implement that social engineering.  
This charter is a shocker. ACT will be supporting the Greens’ amendment that will insert the word “independent” in front of “New Zealand film and television industry” because without it that clause is a stalking horse for the appropriating of property rights. That amendment will at least go some way to protecting the property rights of those independent producers who need it to raise money to make the programmes they can make without going cap in hand to New Zealand On Air or to politicians—not that the amendment will make much difference at all to this charter. Who will police this charter? What happens if it is not implemented? Will we have “thought police” running around looking at things like “national identity”? This Government is obsessed with national identity. Why cannot we decide as individuals what our identity is? Why do we have to have the State constantly passing legislation that talks about national identity?  
We go down to clause 16(2)(b)(ii) which talks about “programming that contributes towards … spiritual and ethical development” The State I remind members of this Committee is meant to be secular. The State should not be going anywhere near the promotion of spiritual and ethical development. Whose ethical and spiritual development are we talking about in that clause? ACT New Zealand opposed an amendment to the Radio New Zealand charter that would have brought in spiritual development for the very reason that the State under the separation of powers is meant to be secular. We see that provision being sneaked in here in this charter and it is the beginning of a slippery slope. We are seeing it also with other legislation like the Land Transport Management Bill which has to have regard to the same things.  
Further on down the clause is a provision to promote Maori language and culture. What facets of Maori culture are we talking about here? Are we talking about Alan Duff’s facet of Maori culture? Are we talking about the  
Once Were Warriors 
 facet of Maori culture which produces child brutality and brutality against women? There is absolutely nothing in this charter that clearly defines what is meant by these nebulous politically correct post-modernist relativist bits of wording in this charter.  
This charter is also an absolute insult to the people who currently work for Television New Zealand because it presupposes that they are not already informing entertaining and educating New Zealanders—not already featuring New Zealand films drama comedy and documentary programmes or not already doing programmes about New Zealand’s history heritage and natural environment. Those things are already happening. Current affairs is already promoted to a very high standard but this charter presupposes that that is not happening.  
If we go down to clause 16(2)(b)(ix) we see that Television New Zealand will “include in programming intended for a mass audience material that deals with minority interests;”. Will we see programmes like  
Casablanca 
? Members should look at the wording of that provision.