Ryall Tony: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Ryall Tony: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3744] 
Hon TONY RYALL (NZ National—Bay of Plenty) 
: 
 I rise in this debate on Part 2 to support the Opposition debate being led by our colleague Katherine Rich. Over the last 3 or 4 years Katherine Rich has diligently highlighted the inadequacies in the Government’s approach to the Television New Zealand Bill and that is the reason we are seeing the Government do a complete 180-degree turn on the break-up of Television New Zealand and a major rewrite of the charter for Television New Zealand. The problem with this Government of course is that there are a whole lot of Ministers in it who do not know anything about television. They have never watched it. The Prime Minister says she really does not watch a lot of television. Marian Hobbs says that the only time she watched television was in the 1970s and now we have Mrs Dalziel giving us a lecture that  
Backchat 
 screened on TV3 because it was made with private money. Obviously she does not watch a lot of television. She is probably spending a lot of time with her friend arranging for Ukrainian workers to come to New Zealand.  
Marian Hobbs was asked about her charter on the radio. She was asked: “Do you think public television has become better in the not quite 3 years that you’ve been here?”. The answer from Marian Hobbs was: “No. I wouldn’t claim that.” That was from the very Minister who is supposed to be in charge of this bill at its genesis.  
Let us look further at this bill. This bill includes that Television New Zealand in its objectives will reflect the regions of the nation as a whole. Marian Hobbs was asked in that same interview: “You also promised to for instance look at ways of supporting regional television. I haven’t seen any evidence of that.” Marian Hobbs replied: “No there isn’t any.” That was from the Minister who promised to do something about regional television. There is nothing there.  
The National Party will vociferously oppose the imposition of a charter on Television New Zealand. We are sick to death of the spa-pool liberals in the Government enforcing their values on the rest of the nation. Let me give members an example of what the spa-pool liberals in the Labour Government want to put in Television New Zealand’s objectives. I quote from paragraph (b)(ii) of the charter: “feature programming that contributes towards intellectual scientific cultural and spiritual and ethical development that reflects the diverse beliefs of New Zealanders promotes informed and many-sided debate and stimulates critical thought thereby enhancing opportunities for citizens to participate in community national and international life;”.  
Well that is what we get from Mike Hosking on  
Sunday 
 at 7.30. The fact is that this Government has the wrong values to be imposing any charter on the people of New Zealand. What is more this Government is spending tens of millions of taxpayers’ dollars to set up a Maori television channel and it is going to put Maori on the other two channels by dint of its charter as well. We are spending tens of millions of dollars to have a Maori television channel yet this Government wants to foist on us a charter that will make Television New Zealand run programmes that serve the interests of and information needs of Maori audiences including programmes promoting Maori language and programmes addressing Maori history culture and current issues on the other two channels as well.  
Is one channel not good enough? Do we have to have it on the other two channels as well? As far as I am concerned the spa-pool liberals opposite want to force this stuff down our throats at every opportunity they have. What I say to this Government is that this TVNZ charter is going to go. When the Government changes in less than a couple of years—if it can hold on as long as that—this charter is one of the first things that will get the chop. It will get the chop because it reflects an elitist view of what New Zealanders should watch. It reflects Marian Hobbs’ 1970s view which is: “Let’s have lots of  
Close to Home 
 and  
Kaleidoscope 
 on our television channels.” and it reflects the wishy-washy third-way irrelevance of Steve Maharey.