Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:628;Page:735] 
4.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Broadcasting 
: Is he satisfied with the way TVNZ is giving effect to its charter; if so why? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Broadcasting) 
: 
 I am satisfied that TVNZ is making progress in the transition towards the charter. It has made reasonable steps over the last 2½ years in that direction. That is not much longer than the average time it takes to go from an idea to putting that idea to screen. 
Sue Kedgley 
: When did he see or become aware of the memorandum from the former chief executive of TVNZ Ian Fraser to the October 2005 TVNZ board and does he agree with Mr Fraser’s assessment that TVNZ has become virtually indistinguishable from other commercial channels that it carries levels of advertising that are higher than any other public service broadcaster in the world and that its current programming is “profoundly incompatible with any recognisable model of public broadcasting”; if not why not? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I have not read the paper because its contents in full are something I have been made aware of only today and I will try to have a proper read of it when I have time. The board of course was the recipient of that paper. I understand that it was prepared for board members during one of their planning sessions as something from the chief executive for them to think about. I am aware that the advertising levels are higher than any other public service broadcaster and that is no surprise; TVNZ has to earn more commercial revenue than any other public broadcaster. I am aware that there is a need for changes in the programming. That is what a transition is about. It has been going for 2 years and I think as we move forward we will see more changes. [ 
Interruption 
] Eight years is short to us. 
Maryan 
 Street 
: Can the Minister give examples of how TVNZ is making the transition to a charter organisation? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I will give three broad examples. Television New Zealand has implemented a number of charter-focused activities like the Talk Television programme where TVNZ moves around the country and talks directly to communities works with independent production associations to ensure they have a better relationship with the producers of programmes and it has had more Pacific Island programming on its channels. Secondly we might look at the area of the quality and variety of New Zealand programmes: programmes like  
Frontier of Dreams 
  
Holly’s Heroes 
  
Artsville 
 and  
Revealing Gallipoli— 
all very good programmes; and thirdly we might look at the area of continuing purchase of the range of the best overseas programmes that come from companies like Warners and Granada. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: How can the Minister have any confidence in TVNZ’s charter performance when departing chief executive Ian Fraser was moved to write in his memo in October this year that: “We have not yet measured any significant increase in viewer satisfaction nor any marked public conviction after more than 2½ years’ experience with the charter that we are more of a public broadcaster than we were before it was introduced.”; and when will the Minister admit that his current public broadcasting model is doomed to failure? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As I said I have not read the paper yet so I cannot comment on what Mr Fraser may or may not have said. But I will go back to my first answer to the first question. This is an organisation that has to carry quite a large commercial burden compared with other public broadcasters around the world. It is in a period of transition. That will take some time given the amount of money that goes into the public part of the organisation but the transition is working well and I hope it will continue that way. 
Hone Harawira 
: E tikaana te korero kei Te MangaiPaho te putea hei utu inga kaupapa whakapahoMaorii Te Reo Tataki a kahore Te Reo Tataki e rarauakeitonaakeputea? 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
Is it true that Television New Zealand relies on Te MangaiPaho funding to resource its Maori programming rather than accessing its own budget? 
]  
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: For Maori broadcasters I would imagine the question was referring to. The answer therefore is yes. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. By way of assistance to our interpreter if I could give our translation of the supplementary question: is it true that Television New Zealand relies on Te MangaiPaho for funding to resource its Maori programming rather than accessing its own budget? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: So that is a supplementary question? 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: That was Mr Harawira’s question which the interpretation did not really get to the gist of. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I will let it go this time but would the member please intervene at the appropriate time. 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No. 
Sue Kedgley 
: How can he seriously claim that a channel where advertising uses up a quarter of every hour and breaks up its programmes every 6 to 8 minutes where local content will next year shrink to 36 percent the same level it was at before the charter was introduced and where charter programmes that do not maximise ratings are to be scrapped or scheduled at odd hours is in any way a success story or meeting charter objectives? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Until the Minister of Finance decides to give me a bucket of more money to put into public television there will be advertisements on the public broadcaster. The prediction of 36 percent of broadcasting of course is not something that has yet been put in place. For example last year with the windfall money that it received back the $11.4 million it has commissioned a wide range of New Zealand programmes that are not yet on air. In relation to the ratings for this organisation of course the ratings are very good with an average of 86 percent of New Zealanders watching each week. 
Heather Roy 
: Does the Minister agree with Television New Zealand’s claims that it would be inappropriate for Bill Ralston to appear before the Finance and Expenditure Committee inquiry into recent events at Television New Zealand and about potential conflict between commercial and charter objectives particularly given that Mr Ralston always has such a lot to say in the media and he himself is keen to appear? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: That of course is a matter for the board to decide not me. 
Heather Roy 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. My question specifically asked whether he agreed with Television New Zealand’s claim; not whether he thought it was appropriate. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No that is not a point of order. The Minister addressed the question; he does not have to give an opinion. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is he concerned that next year Television New Zealand will be placing a much higher priority on commissioning charter programmes that maximise ratings and either canning charter programmes that do not maximise ratings or consigning them to inhospitable places on the schedule unless they are sure bets; and is that another example of the successful transition to implementing charter objectives? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: It is for Television New Zealand to decide how it spends its money but in principle I would say that we have asked it to be a mainstream—if I can use that word—television broadcaster reflecting the needs in broadcasting of all New Zealanders. Therefore the majority of its programmes will be targeted at a large audience. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is the Government committed to providing a strong and sustainable public broadcasting environment for New Zealand that meets the obligations of the Television New Zealand charter; if so when will he admit that the hybrid model is failing to deliver and seriously investigate the three options proposed by Mr Ian Fraser in his memorandum to the board—namely turning Television One into a non-commercial channel or making it semi-commercial or developing several digital public service broadcasting channels? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Yes the Government is committed to a strong sustainable public broadcaster. There will be changes in the future of course such as the introduction of digital television. That will contain changes in all sorts of content because there will be specialist channels under that kind of regime. So yes a lot of changes are before the television broadcaster and we are looking forward to them. They will all be consistent with public broadcasting.