The end-of-year sitting of Parliament witnessed a robust exchange between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Leader of the Opposition Christopher Luxon on Wednesday.
Luxon took aim at the government’s controversial plan to merge TVNZ and Radio New Zealand, with the prime minister declining to give a direct answer to a pointed question by Luxon whether “she’s already decided to cancel the merger and, if so, why won’t she just front up and say so?”
Instead, Ardern fell back on reiterating her standing instruction to her ministers and MPs to review their spending priorities.
“I stand by exactly what I said, which is that over the summer period I’ve asked my colleagues to make sure that as we go into 2023 we have an agenda that is clearly focused, as it has been in 2022, on supporting New Zealanders through the economically volatile situation we’re in,” Ardern replied.
But she also added the rider that “public broadcasting is facing significant challenges, and solutions will be required.”
But Luxon pressed on and wanted to know if “she told [Minister of Broadcasting and Media] Willie Jackson that she’s decided to cancel the merger yet?”
Ardern reiterated that she had “asked all members of the Cabinet to go away and ensure that we are focused on key portfolios for 2023.”
Luxon wondered if the proposed merger “was such a good use of taxpayer money.”
Ardern argued TVNZ was projected to lose revenue to the tune of $ 100 million a year within five years.
She said the intervention was needed to save taxpayers’ money.
When asked to spell out the benefits of the merger, Ardern said: “Revenue is declining. There is an expectation that taxpayers, if they wish to still have public broadcasting, will need to invest in both Radio New Zealand – as we already do- but increasingly TVNZ.”
Ardern added that taxpayers needed the flexibility to ensure that “they [TVNZ] are able to reach audiences and grow their revenue.”
Minister of Broadcasting and Media Willie Jackson was conspicuous by his absence in the House.
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