Kedgley Sue: Television New Zealand Bill — In Committee 
Kedgley Sue: Television New Zealand Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3832] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 There is an expression: “The devil is in the detail” and it is certainly true in these two very boring-looking schedules. The exact detail as the representative of New Zealand First outlined is all of those assets that will be transferred into this stand-alone State-owned enterprise called Transmission Holdings Ltd—the transmission arm of Television New Zealand. There was a great eruption on the other side of the Chamber when Mr Catchpole suggested that the intention was to ready that company for sale. The Labour members shrieked “What rubbish!” but not one single member from the Labour Party has spoken in this debate to tell us why the Government at the last minute and in the eleventh hour is separating off the transmission arm of Television New Zealand into a State-owned enterprise. The reason is not in the explanatory note. There is no explanation and frankly that is quite astonishing. This must be the only stand-alone State-owned enterprise that is being set up without even an explanatory note or without one member of the Government bothering to tell us why they are doing it. It is quite scandalous frankly.  
The Green Party is very sad at having to take such a strong line because we strongly support public service television. We were great supporters of the charter because we think it is crucial that we have a broadcaster committed to promoting a New Zealand identity New Zealand voices and so forth. We want to see a Television New Zealand as strong financially independent and robust as possible with a healthy income stream with the ability to earn revenues from various activities and be a politically independent member of the fourth estate. So we are very sad because on the one hand we strongly support that but on the other hand we believe that the eleventh-hour amendment to separate off the transmission arm of Television New Zealand—which has never been explained—will undermine the intention of this bill to make Television New Zealand editorially driven and no longer totally preoccupied with advertising and revenue. That is its whole goal.  
What will it do now that the golden goose—the dividends from the transmission arm—have gone? Where will the revenue come from? Obviously Television New Zealand will have to chase advertising so that will undermine the very objectives of this bill. When it is not chasing advertising it will be worrying whether its political masters will be giving it $10 $11 or $12 million for the next year or whether some programme it has made has annoyed or offended a Minister a Prime Minister or someone in Government to such an extent that that revenue or direct Government funding will no longer come the following year. If it is not this Government then it will be the next Government and if is that next Government it will not be giving any direct funding to Television New Zealand. So what will that company do then? Where will it get its revenue from then? Will it be just from advertising? Well that is in direct contradiction to the aims and objectives of this bill.  
Marc Alexander said that this is the “Thank God for United Future Bill!” because that party had stepped in to force the separation of the transmission arm. I can tell members that there is not one member in the independent industry I have spoken to who supports what United Future and Labour have done. Not one person I know understands why on earth at the eleventh hour those parties have done this and why they are going to undermine the very noble objectives of this charter and this bill. I think it is very sad and New Zealand First is absolutely right. The Minister of Finance intervened with the help of United Future so that we could ready the transmission arm—the 540-odd transmission sites around New Zealand—for sale. There is no other possible explanation for why this would have happened. No explanation has ever been given by Government members for this odd action.