Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill

I move, That the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill be now read a third time. This is a bill that has been widely supported by this House through all its stages. This is testament not only to the quality of the bill but also to the status and reputation of Radio New Zealand as a cultural institution. This bill gives effect to the statutory review of Radio New Zealand’s charter, which establishes its functions and guiding objectives. The review brings about a revision of the current charter. This will better equip Radio New Zealand to meet the challenges and opportunities of a multimedia era.

With such transformative change taking place not only in New Zealand but on the global stage, it is crucial to the health and longevity of organisations in broadcasting and communications to be adaptive. This bill reflects that. Central to this bill is Radio New Zealand’s commitment to continue in its role as a publicly owned broadcaster while encouraging a wider reach through the raft of new media channels available. Essentially, the bill is catching up with, and providing support to, the work Radio New Zealand is already doing in ensuring New Zealanders have access to a range of new and archived content through podcasts, streamings, and other platforms.

I want to quickly summarise the main aspects of the bill. Our changes are about adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness to a new and rapidly changing media landscape. It largely proposes a more reader-friendly, less cumbersome charter for Radio New Zealand to operate in. This framework ensures that Radio New Zealand is fit for purpose, and the bill reflects its role as a responsive and adaptive public broadcaster operating in a multimedia landscape.

The charter now sets out Radio New Zealand’s purpose: a forum for cultural expression and for news and information. Additionally, it outlines how Radio New Zealand is to deliver its services through a diverse variety of content to a wide range of audiences. As I have said previously, New Zealanders are not abandoning one platform for another. Rather, they are using a variety of platforms to source more content overall. Radio New Zealand has recognised this changing media landscape and is leading the way on genuine media convergence. The broadcaster has made itself more accessible across a range of channels, be it via smartphone app, its website, or through the Sky Digital network. The recent addition of John Campbell’s multimedia version of Checkpoint speaks to this transformative change.

Radio New Zealand is working towards achieving its charter goal of providing quality and engaging journalism and current affairs to a wider range of New Zealanders across the country. Enhanced delivery platforms include streamed video, podcasts, and an extension to existing Freeview high-definition services. The revised charter supports Radio New Zealand’s multi-platform approach by saying that Radio New Zealand should take advantage of the most effective means of delivery for its content.

The bill amends other provisions in the Radio New Zealand Act relating to the charter and to Radio New Zealand’s role. One of these is the principles of operation, which ensure that Radio New Zealand is not influenced by the commercial interests of others. Another is the frequency of reviews carried out by this House. A review will begin only after the relevant select committee has completed its previous review and any changes have been agreed by the House.

At Radio New Zealand’s request, a Supplementary Order Paper was developed to more clearly define the bill’s provisions that Radio New Zealand remain commercial-free, or, in other words, without advertising or sponsorship. It still allows Radio New Zealand to promote its own services, but, most important, it means Radio New Zealand remains free to access, so we will not see its content disappearing behind a paywall. However, being commercial-free will not apply to Radio New Zealand in providing media services outside New Zealand, other than the existing Pacific service of Radio New Zealand International.

The Supplementary Order Paper recognised Radio New Zealand’s need to use new platforms to reach its audiences. It also gives the organisation some room to explore opportunities for strategic partnerships and audience-building through content without losing any integrity as a public service provider. It will provide the freedom for Radio New Zealand to take up commercial opportunities such as licensing its content for reuse by commercial providers, or its current presence on iHeartRadio and MSN New Zealand. The Supplementary Order Paper also amended what I saw as an old-fashioned and overly prescriptive provision relating to Radio New Zealand’s surveying of audiences, while clarifying that its research into the attitudes of non-listeners should be carried out at least annually.

I am pleased that the Supplementary Order Paper was supported by all parties in the Committee of the whole House. The review and subsequent changes to the charter confirm the service, range, and breadth of content New Zealanders expect from their public radio. This Government is committed to lifting the performance of the public sector and to ensuring the best value for money for the New Zealand taxpayer. This bill speaks to that and will ensure the health and longevity of Radio New Zealand. It will have greater freedom to explore new media platforms and extend its reach, in turn providing greater value for every dollar spent on Radio New Zealand content. The Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill, including the amendments introduced by the Supplementary Order Paper, goes a long way in bringing this entity up to date and in providing the tools that will ensure its resilience in a fast-changing landscape.

Can I thank all of those who have contributed to the process, including members of this House and members of the public who commented on the draft charter, and, of course, the members of the Commerce Committee. For many decades Radio New Zealand has played a vital role in New Zealand’s broadcasting landscape. I am pleased that this amendment legislation will help position it to meet the needs of New Zealand people for many more years to come. I commend the bill to the House.

This is a historic day. It has been a historic day on a number of counts. We saw a bill pass through its third reading earlier today that abolishes zero-hour contracts, which is a historic occurrence. With this bill, the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill, we have the third reading, finally, of a bill that has been sitting on the Order Paper since 2009.

It is a simple bill. It follows a statutory requirement to review the Radio New Zealand charter every 5 years. The review of the charter that we are talking about in this bill tonight began in 2005, so that is 10 years ago. The statutory requirement is to have that charter reviewed at 5-yearly intervals. So right now, given that this legislation was introduced following a review that started in 2005, we should be on to not the next review but the one after that. We have actually skipped two reviews. I think that is a fairly extraordinary occurrence because, ultimately, not only has the Minister not seen through the fulfilment of a statutory duty but also we have got a review that has happened that is 10 years old. Yes, there was a substantial amendment that the Minister put to the Committee of the whole House with no ability for there to be a select committee process and discussion around it. In fact, tonight the Minister has made, really, the only comments on that substantial amendment that we have heard from the Government. Really, it has been a bit of a shambles. It has been an extraordinary passage. It is probably, since this Government has been in power, one of the bills that has sat on the Order Paper for the longest before it has actually been through all of its readings in the House.

Labour supports the bill because it is a review of the Radio New Zealand charter. It was a review, as I said, that began in 2005 under the previous Labour Government, so of course we support it. What we do have concerns about is that what it really shows is a lack of commitment by this Government to public broadcasting and to the important processes that we need to keep putting in place. We needed to have done not only a review from 2005 but also two more reviews since then so that we can be reassured that what we are seeing in this bill is as up to date as possible. I think that the people listening at home tonight should be aware of that.

The Minister has been full of praise for Radio New Zealand, but what the Minister does not say is that Radio New Zealand is under more and more pressure to deliver quality content in a funding environment that is going backwards. It has recorded a deficit this year. It has been in a funding freeze since 2009, which ultimately represents a cut in its funding of around 25 percent. Radio New Zealand is doing its best, and is doing very well under the circumstances, at providing quality services in such an environment, but people should be very aware that it is operating in a very difficult environment. It is making that transition towards becoming a multimedia broadcaster and operating on multimedia platforms, and it has made that transition very well with the new Checkpoint programme largely because of the talent it has and the vision that its chief executive, Paul Thompson, has for the organisation. But it is doing that in a very difficult environment, and one that this Government has no desire or intention to improve, when it comes to New Zealand’s important and only public broadcasting platform, which is doing its best to become a multimedia platform.

This is why it is so curious that the board chair refused to go to the Government in this Budget round and ask for extra funding. It is curious and sad, and members of the Commerce Committee were moved to ask whether Radio New Zealand has given up. I do not think Radio New Zealand has given up, but I think it is operating in very, very difficult circumstances. Everybody listening tonight should be aware of that, and should be asking questions as to why that is so and what this Government is going to do about it.

The bill before us tonight follows, as we know, a review of the Radio New Zealand charter in 2005.

Debate interrupted.

The House adjourned at 6 p.m.