Wong Pansy: Television New Zealand Bill — In Committee 
Wong Pansy: Television New Zealand Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3833] 
PANSY WONG (NZ National) 
: 
 Madam Chair I thank you for taking affirmative action to award the call to me—an Asian ethnic minority female MP—over a handsome young Pakeha MP like Phil Heatley. This type of speech is good for bonding between our team members.  
I rushed back from the airport to take a call in this very important debate because the taxi driver who drove me from the airport to Parliament asked me a series of questions that I had no answer to. I promised him that I would pose the questions and I assured him that the Labour MPs would surely take a call to answer his queries. He said: “Mrs Wong ask the Labour Ministers or MPs why they are passing this bill in Parliament. Isn’t Television New Zealand doing very well? Is their hidden agenda to sell off Television New Zealand?” The taxi driver continued: “Mrs Wong ask the Labour Ministers or MPs why they are always hell-bound to pass legislation that invariably doesn’t work in practice and whenever there is a challenge in court then everything gets tangled up in legal niceties?” He talks a lot of common sense. Taxi drivers understand. Television New Zealand was doing very well and what did this Labour Government do? Once again it has interfered in a State-owned enterprise that used to work very well. I am very concerned that the schedule removes Television New Zealand from the State-owned enterprises category. It means that TVNZ no longer has to operate as a professional successful company.  
I want to recall an incident that happened in the Commerce Committee about 2 years ago. Television New Zealand appeared in front of that committee during a financial review. I remember the newly appointed but now ex-Chairman of Television New Zealand Dr Ross Armstrong saying that every time he turned on TVNZ he seemed to see these American programmes and that was why he was a bit concerned about its delivery on local content. At that stage I said: “But Dr Ross Armstrong in your 6-monthly report as the Chairman of TVNZ you actually stated that you were very proud that local content had exceeded 67 percent.” 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: I ask the member to stick to the schedules. 
PANSY WONG 
: This is to do with removing Television New Zealand from schedule 1 which is about State-owned enterprises. I said: “How can you claim in your statement that Television New Zealand is delivering 67 percent local content and then complain?” He said he must have turned on the television at the wrong time.  
I am trying to say that it worries me—and it should worry the public—that Television New Zealand is to be removed from the State-Owned Enterprises Act. That really means that it does not have to operate in a very businesslike competent manner. It also implies that there is lots of room for interference from the Labour Government. As my colleague Katherine Rich said in the same schedule debate what if the Labour Government says: “Hey we really don’t want this State-owned enterprise to broadcast answers or whatever by the Hon John Tamihere.” He appears to be the only one in the Labour caucus who can think and speak for himself. The rest apparently have to check with advisers to Prime Minister Clark.