Davis Kelvin: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDavis Kelvin: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 20 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3480. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]KELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau): Tēnā rā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. I a mātou e kōrero ana mō tēnei mea te reo irirangi e hiahia ana ahau ki te tū ki te mihi atu ki tērā o ngā whānau kei roto i a Mangamuka. I tērā Mane kua kaingatia tō rātou teihana irirangi e te ahi. Arā ko tērā teihana reo irirangi ko Tautoko FM. I te Mane kua pahure ake nei i ahau e haere ana ki te wāhi rererangi o Kerikeri ka pahure ahau i taua teihana. Kīhai i pau te ono hāora i muri atu kua kāpurangia e te ahi. Nā reira ka tuku atu ahau i ōku mihimihi ki tērā whānau nā rātou i whakapau i ō rātou kaha ki te hāpai i Te Reo Māori i ngā take Māori ki a Cyril Chapman mā ngā mihi aroha atu ki a rātou.[Thank you indeed Mr Speaker. While we are speaking about this radio thing I want to rise and acknowledge one of the families living in Mangamuka. Last Monday their radio station Tautoko FM was consumed by fire. As I was travelling to the aerodrome of Kerikeri this Monday just gone I went past that station. Not quite 6 hours afterwards and fire razed it. So I want to extend my sympathies to that family who worked hard to elevate the Māori language and Māori matters to Cyril Chapman and them loving concerns to them.]Just while we are speaking about the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill I want to acknowledge Mangamuka and the whanau who on Monday had their iwi radio station burnt to the ground. On Monday afternoon I passed over Mangamuka Bridge and Radio Tautoko was on the left. It was not some 6 hours later that a fire razed the whole station to the ground. I just want to extend my thoughts to the whanau there at Tautoko FM—in particular to Cyril Chapman a man who has been involved in running that stationfor a number of decades and I believe that they have made the commitment to have their station up and running again as soon as possible. I think it is important just to acknowledge Tautoko FM and the whanau there. For a number of decades Mangamuka has done such a great job in uplifting our Reo and our culture.In 1996 Christopher Phillips an American lamented the fact that anytime he turned on the media he was dissatisfied with the way people engaged in supposed intellectual discourse. More often than not he said he heard browbeating and one-upmanship. There was intellectual snootiness. People were using knowledge as a cloak and shield rather than using it to diffuse enlightenment. And he said that democracy hinges on an enlightened citizenry. These days the content of many commercially driven radio stations tends to be more infotainment than information. They tend to be going for the 30-second sound bite and in some cases it is not even a 30-second sound bite; it is a 3 to 5-second sound bite. Citizens of New Zealand are becoming deprived of real meaningful broadcasting where opinions and information are disseminated and where people can hear people politicians sportspeople and other members of the community putting forward their points of view. That is why this bill through which the Radio New Zealand charter is going to be amended is a great bill.I would like to refer to a couple of points in new section 8 of the Charter the “Purpose” in particular the point that says: “Freedom of thought and expression are foundations of democratic society and the public radio company as a public service broadcaster plays an essential role in exercising these freedoms.” Another point in the “Purpose” says: “The public radio company provides reliable independent and freely accessible news and information.” Those purposes I can only commend. The charter’s “Delivery” says: “In achieving its purpose the public radio company must endeavour to provide services of the highest quality which—(b) inform entertain and enlighten the people of New Zealand:” and that endorses the quotation from Christopher Phillips in 1996. It also says under the “Delivery” that Radio New Zealand needs to “(d) foster critical thought and informed and wide-ranging debate:” We are often bereft of wide-ranging debate in broadcasting. We have heard that a number of people whose opinions are often politically cloudedare just out there and we do not actually get to hear wide-ranging debate; we just get to hear certain reporters’ jaundiced views of the world.I would just like to go to the first reading of this bill and throw a bouquet to Jonathan Young. I like what he had to say. He said: “this charter not only speaks to the necessity of those with political or commercial interests not exerting their influence in appropriate ways but also just as important places on broadcasters the serious responsibility to maintain their editorial independence and integrity in the execution of their responsibilities and duties.” He also said: “Radio New Zealand does not make the news but reports it; does not create opinions but accurately reflects the views and opinions of New Zealanders in a legitimate and appropriate way.” But I would just like to contrast that with the then - Minister of Broadcasting the Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman and his silly contribution which said: “This bill languished under the last administration”. It is funny how your words can come back to haunt you because if this bill languished in his opinion under the previous Labour administration then what do we call 7 years’ sitting on the Order Paper gathering dust if that is not languishing? He said: “whereas this Government”—his Government—“is committed to fulfilling its legislative responsibilities.”This makes it sound like there was a sense of urgency around this bill. We know that after 7 years that was definitely not the case. “This should have been done but the previous Government just never got around to doing it. This is an unfair situation for Radio New Zealand”—well if it was unfair 7 years ago imagine what the situation is like for Radio New Zealand right now. I mean this charter was meant to be amended every 5 years. It was meant to be amended in around 2010. It has now been 10 years since it was amended and this is a Government that is saying it is doing all it can. The previous Minister of Broadcasting—this is again the Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman—said the previous Labour Minister of Broadcasting had other priorities. Well the Minister of Broadcasting in the last Labour Government probably did have other priorities. He was a hard-working Minister.“It is highly desirable that the related legislative process be concluded as soon as possible”. Well let me tell you if 7 years is this Government’s idea of “as soon as possible” then we wonder whether the Budget surplus is also going to come to fruition as soon as possible or in terms of this bill go through the rest of the stages—the Committee stage and the third reading. Are we just going to have to wait until tomorrow? As my colleague Phil Twyford says every time this Government says that it is going to do something it is always: “We’re on the cusp. We’re on the cusp of something great.” Well maybe we are just on the cusp of this bill being passed. “It is highly desirable that the related legislative process be concluded as soon as possible to ensure that Radio New Zealand can operate with an up-to-date and clear public service mandate.”Another member who is a Minister now Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga in a similar vein said: “This bill is an example of the Labour Party resting on its laurels and not getting legislation through this House. It is a brave move to take on this legislation and move it quickly through the House.” Seven years in anybody’s opinion is not moving quickly. We have concerns about the budget freeze for Radio New Zealand because the honourable Minister back in 2009 had all these plans and everything was going to happen. He wanted to do this; he wanted to do that. And then the Government froze the budget which we know through inflation and over time is essentially a budget cut for Radio New Zealand. We hope that in tomorrow’s Budget after one more sleep we will find out that Radio New Zealand is actually going to get some more money in its coffers so that it can fulfil its charter. Kia ora.