7. Question No. 7—Broadcasting and MediaMELISSA LEE (National) to the Minister for Broadcasting and MediaQuestion No. 7—Broadcasting and Media7. MELISSA LEE (National) to the Minister for Broadcasting and Media: Does he accept all the conclusions of the Sapere Report on Media Plurality in New Zealand; if not why not?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister for Broadcasting and Media): The independent report the member speaks of was commissioned by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to consider the state of media plurality in New Zealand. There are some recommendations that I think have merit and some that have less. For instance there is a recommendation that advertising restrictions for Christmas Day Anzac Day and Easter be lifted; I have trouble with that as I don't think the community would want to see that.Melissa Lee: What response does the Minister have to criticisms the Sapere report makes including submitters to the research calling the Public Interest Journalism Fund a 'giant game of musical chairs' and was leading to salary inflation"?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: They are expressions of people who submitted to the report not the conclusions of the report. I would also say that at a time when we are losing a number of journalists from our newsrooms it's important to make sure that as an important part of our democratic infrastructure we're supporting our fourth estate. We are doing that by making sure we fund New Zealand On Air to make decisions to support our fourth estate.Melissa Lee: Did the Minister influence or instruct the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to write to the Commerce Commission on 4 February 2022 asserting that a media bargaining imbalance exists in New Zealand when the ministry's own advice from Sapere in a November 2021 report stated that—and I quote—"no one thought there was a crisis for media businesses or the state of plurality in New Zealand"? Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The independent research came to their own conclusions; I don't agree with it and therefore I think the Ministry for Culture and Heritage was expressing the Government's opinion.Melissa Lee: Point of order. The question was did the Minister influence or instruct.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes the problem is that you added an extra leg on the other end which he has addressed. So you might want to ask that bit again.Melissa Lee: Noting that the Sapere report states New Zealanders are currently well served by plurality in the media will the Minister continue with his plans for the disestablishment of Radio New Zealand and Television New Zealand and the creation of a new public media entity? Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think if you look at audience trends—how they are watching and listening and consuming media—that our public media entities also have to make sure that they are fit for purpose. The Government is intent on doing that. It was a commitment we made at the last election. Melissa Lee: Considering the Sapere report states there is not a compelling case for a structural intervention by the Government to address the potential future risk of plurality in the market for national news and the Government spent over $300 million on media and broadcasting in 2021 will the Minister commit to the abolition of the Public Interest Journalism Fund and all publicly funded political reporting; if not why not? Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The Sapere report is independent and on the point that the member first made I disagree with it considering the answer that I gave earlier. If the member is saying that they want to get rid of all the funding that New Zealand On Air uses to support the fourth estate at the moment which makes sure that we have programmes like The Nation and Q+A and other shows that she has actually in her previous life taken advantage of then I think the media would want to know about that."