The Public Interest Journalism Fund bought Labour the willing favour of NZ’s corrupt legacy private sector media. For TVNZ though, already under govt ownership, they only had to write them a “Letter of Expectation”.

When Willie Jackson took over as Labour’s Broadcasting Minister he wasted no time in writing a “Letter of Expectations” to TVNZ and to its subset organisation TV One.

After the usual platitudes about “independent media”, among other things Mr Jackson’s letter specified in section “Government Priorities” and subsection “Sector Specific Expectations” that-

“The media system plays a key role in protecting and promoting te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. The Crown accepts that it has an obligation to take reasonable steps to actively protect and promote te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori, [Maori language and culture] including through broadcast media.”

(Readers can download the full document at the link below).

Now you know why TV One News, originally established to bring NZ taxpayers impartial news reporting, is a morass of unintelligible language and “Maori” events of little interest to its wider audience. Willie told them to do it.

Of course Willie’s letter will not have been the first to carry such instructions. These “Letters of Expectation” appear to be an annual event. So there would have been many more issued during Labour’s six year reign.

Today though we have a new government and a new Broadcasting Minister. Melissa Lee is one of the smarter National party Ministers and has a bit of clue as to what is really going down in this country in terms of media.

Look forward to seeing her “Letter of Expectations” to TVNZ/ TV One, and given the promises made by the coalition govt before the election, it should put paid to the nonsense created by Willie Jackson’s instructions.

Of course there are many more things that Melissa could do, including selling TVNZ off. PM Luxon of course will not allow her to do this. At the very least though they should re-write the broadcaster’s charter.

At the moment it is an overly long rambling expession of typically confused and contradictory progressive thinking. It needs to be pared back to maybe 150 words or even one paragraph stating the broadcaster’s main objective is to bring the NZ public unbaised, truthful and accurate news.

However it should also specify the broadcaster, being taxpayer owned, has no role in affecting cultural change or driving political direction.

When they fail in meeting this requirement, as they inevitably will, then the govt will have good cause to shut them down. They’re only a political con job on the public of New Zealand anyway, fake news, and we do not need them.

Download Willie Jackson’s “Letter of Expectations”