Jackson WillieAOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND PUBLIC MEDIA BILLFirst ReadingHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister for Broadcasting and Media): Thank you Mr Speaker. I present a legislative statement on the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill.DEPUTY SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Thank you Mr Speaker. I move That the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee to consider the bill. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 10 November 2022 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting except during oral questions during any evening on a day on which there's been a sitting of the House and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House and outside the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 193 195 and 196.I'm excited to introduce the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill today. The creation of this new entity will strength the delivery of New Zealand's public media services for future generations. That is our key objective: that public media in Aotearoa New Zealand is strong and that it endures. With increasing levels of misinformation around the world a rapidly changing media landscape and declining commercial revenues projected New Zealand needs strong independent public media more than ever. It's critical to the functioning of a healthy democracy. We need a public media entity that can inform entertain and educate in a uniquely Kiwi manner. We need strong independent journalism that holds Government and those in power to account. We need all the people and voices of Aotearoa to be represented not just on our screens but in the development and delivery of our public media content and services. We need a public media entity with the flexibility to meet audiences where they are utilising the platforms New Zealanders are choosing. We need a sustainable funding model that ensures our public media doesn't just survive but can thrive in its pursuit of public media outcomes.This bill provides a foundation to deliver exactly that. It will create Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media which builds on the best of RNZ—Radio New Zealand—and Television New Zealand. It will keep what audiences currently value but it will be focused on future possibilities and we will be better placed to take those opportunities. Both TVNZ and RNZ are providing high-quality content and strong independent journalism. They have professional and dedicated staff who are taking on the challenge the media sector currently faces. However they were set up for a different world one that was focused on traditional linear broadcast methods within the constraints of their existing legislation. Though they have done what they can to change modernise and adapt to meet the significant challenges facing the sector a change is needed and this bill sets the foundation for Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media to flourish in the future.Current audiences will still be able to enjoy the same services they do now via linear TV and radio with current commercial-free offerings remaining commercial-free. What's critical is that new audiences those not engaged with current public media including our young people will also be catered for. Underserved audiences will have a better chance of seeing and hearing themselves and finding content that engages them. This is not an aspirational idea but a function the bill requires the entity to provide for to ensure our system is fairer our culture better reflected and all New Zealanders are being represented. I want to be clear that this means there will be a variety of content just as there is across TVNZ and Radio New Zealand now. Some will have mass appeal; some will be more niche. And we need it to be available to people on the platforms and technology they're now using—so on TV and radio and smartphones and laptops and streaming services and in any other ways that might develop.The bill establishes a single multi-platform public media entity. The entity will be an autonomous Crown entity with complete editorial independence. I'd like to touch briefly on some of the main features of this bill. Editorial independence has to be at its core. New Zealanders must have confidence in this entity's ability to provide an independent voice hold power to account and be a trusted source of news and information. The bill also recognises and respects the Crown's responsibility to give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It sets out the charter under which the entity will operate to ensure it delivers benefits for all Kiwis. The charter takes a principles-based approach to set clear expectations. The entity will be held to account on the delivery of its charter. We want to see collaboration. The entity will not work against or in isolation to the rest of the media sector and has a broader obligation to collaborate. It will be a mixed funding model which makes the entity more sustainable and ensures we get the most out of the Crown's investment.Crown funding has been substantially increased to provide funding stability and certainty: an extra $109 million in Crown funding. Finally the bill will also provide transitional arrangements. These will see RNZ and TVNZ staff assets and contracts transferred to the new entity when it is formed next year. This bill makes me excited for the future of public media in New Zealand. The possibilities of Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media are endless when it has its audiences at heart a consistent focus and flexible modern legislation. Kia ora anō tātau.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.