Acknowledgements

Angus & Associates would like to thank all those who gave their time and support in contributing to this project, without which this important baseline measurement of the Current State of the New Zealand Media System would not have been possible:

• Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage Team Members
• Nicholson Consulting, who provided Māori data advice and support
• Media Sector Stakeholders
• Secondary Research Sources (research and media organisations whose published reports provided valuable contextual, comparative and baseline data).
• Members of the New Zealand public that participated in our Media Consumption Survey

Media stakeholders who participated in the research

• Pattrick Smellie, Editor, Business Desk
• John Spring, Beacon Media Group
• Glenn Smith, Radio Bay of Plenty Limited
• Richard Leung, Chairman, New Zealand Chinese Association Auckland Inc
• Hamish McNicol, Co-Editor, National Business Review
• Astrid Visser, Relationship Manager Team Lead, Toi Mai Ohu Ahumahi
• Dr Gavin Ellis, Honorary Research Fellow, Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures
• Shane Taurima, Chief Executive, Whakaata Māori
• Don Mann, CEO, Pacific Media Network
• Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley, Massey University
• Peter Newport, Managing Editor, Crux Publishing / Regional News Network
• Amber Easby, CEO, The Spinoff
• Brent McAnulty, Interim CEO, TVNZ
• Dr Merja Myllylahti, Co-Director of the AUT research centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD), Auckland University of Technology
• Stephen Stehlin, Managing Director, SunPix Ltd
• NZ on Air
• Warner Bros Discovery
• Paul Thompson, Stephen Parker and Glen Scanlon, RNZ
• Kupu Taea Research Group, SHORE & Whāriki Research Centre, Massey University
• Te Māngai Pāho
• Broadcasting Standards Authority
• Sky
• Google
• Venkat Raman, Editor & General Manager, Indian Newslink

Introduction

The Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Media System (‘the Strategy’) sets out Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage (‘the Ministry's’) vision, objectives, and priorities to support and provide direction to the broadcasting and media work programme over the medium term.

The Strategy identifies three main ‘outcome pillars’ - Vibrancy (a thriving, vibrant commercial media system), Trust (an independent trusted media system that reflects New Zealand’s values and serves the public interest), and Diversity (a diverse media system that contains many different voices) - and includes a set of potential indicators that may be used to monitor the health of New Zealand’s media system over time.

Angus & Associates – with the support of Nicholson Consulting, as Māori data advisors - was contracted by the Ministry to develop an Outcomes Monitoring Framework and to produce a Baseline Report. These outputs are intended to enable government to have a better understanding of the current health of New Zealand’s media system. This will inform future policy work and better support the sector towards long-term sustainability, and inform and guide future monitoring and reporting on New Zealand’s media system outcomes.

The Outcome Monitoring Framework and indicators are below:

Vibrancy

• Contribution to GDP
• Contribution to Employment
• Revenue & Profitability
• Market Value
• Diversity of Revenue Streams
• Business Confidence
• R&D and Innovation
• Sustainability Commitments
• Workforce Continuity
• Audience Engagement
• Audience Willingness to Pay

Trust

• Audience Trust in Media
• Media Literacy
• Audience Preference for NZ made Content
• Performance of Media Regulatory System
• Journalistic Professional Standards & Protection
• Capability and Commitment with respect to TeTiriti o Waitangi
• Organisations Receiving Support for Public Interest Journalism

Diversity

• Diversity of Ownership & Leadership
• Diversity of Workforce
• Source Diversity
• Content Diversity
• Consumption Diversity
• Social Inclusion
• Visibility of Te Ao Māori and Use of te reo Māori in Delivery of Content.

This Baseline Report provides evidence of the current state of the New Zealand media system and is based on the Outcomes Monitoring Framework outlined above. A separate Technical Report prepared for the Ministry outlines the methodology by which the Outcomes Monitoring Framework was developed and includes recommendations for its future refinement/development. The main inputs for this Baseline Report include available secondary data, findings from stakeholder interviews, and a media consumption survey of a representative sample of the New Zealand public. The indicators’ definition/measure and data sources can be found in the Appendix. Following the summary of baseline measures, the report is presented in three sections – covering the three outcome pillars of the Strategy.

Glossary

Summary of baseline measures

Pillar: Vibrancy

Pillar: Trust

Pillar: Diversity

Conclusions

This research was designed to provide a baseline measure against which to track the ‘health’ of New Zealand’s media system over time and in relation to the three outcome pillars (Vibrancy, Trust, and Diversity) identified in the Ministry’s 2022 Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Media System. The results will inform future policy work to better support the system towards long-term sustainability.

The baseline data captures a ‘moment in time’ in a dynamic system, where change is the norm and where members of the sector and their platforms/channels are constantly evolving to keep pace with new technology and audience needs and expectations. While results on some measures may cause concern – for example, audience trust in media, or social inclusion – it is not possible to conclude solely from the baseline data whether the system is in ‘good’, ‘poor’ or ‘indifferent’ health overall, nor what the future holds; for example, whether AI will be an enabler or an inhibitor of the media system; or whether audience trust will decline in response to ever more sophisticated disinformation, misinformation and algorithms that dictate what the audience sees and consumes.

Future measures will confirm the direction of travel on key indicators of system health; enabling the Ministry to identify issues that threaten the long-term sustainability of the system and to work with the media sector on solutions.

Outcome Pillar 1: Vibrancy

Contribution to GDP

Measure: Value that Media and Broadcasting sector contributes to GDP in NZ. Latest value: $4,199m

In 2022, the Media and Broadcasting sector contributed more than $4,199m to New Zealand’s GDP. This equated to 1.2% of New Zealand’s total GDP. Auckland led other regions by a significant margin in terms of contribution to GDP from the sector, at 58% of the total. Wellington (21% of the total) and Canterbury (6% of the total) followed.

In terms of the annual growth rate, contribution to GDP in 2022 was up 8.6% from 2021 – this is higher than the overall New Zealand growth rate of 5.3% pa.

Number and size of businesses in the sector

There were 7,886 businesses in the Media and Broadcasting sector in 2022, equating to 1.3% of all businesses in New Zealand.

The number of media and broadcasting businesses grew at a higher rate than the number of all businesses in New Zealand (8.1% and 4.8% respectively).

Almost all businesses (98.6%) in the Media and Broadcasting sector are SMEs.

Source: Infometrics Media and Broadcasting Sector Profile 2022

Contribution to employment

Measure: Number of jobs filled – latest value: 25,398

In 2022, the Media and Broadcasting sector filled 25,398 jobs, or 0.9% of total jobs in New Zealand.Workers in the Media and Broadcasting sector are more likely to be self-employed than workers in New Zealand as a whole, with a self employment rate of 45% compared with 16% for all New Zealand workers).

The number of FTEs in the Media and Broadcasting sector in 2022 was 22,668, equating to 0.9% of total FTEs in New Zealand. The year-on-year FTE growth rate was 4.6%. This is higher than the total NZ FTE growth rate of 3.4%.

As an estimate of labour productivity, in 2022 GDP per FTE in the Media and Broadcasting sector was $185,219 GDP/FTE, higher than total New Zealand labour productivity of $148,629 GDP/FTE.

Skills and qualifications

Approximately 63% of Media and Broadcasting sector workers are employed in Highly Skilled Occupations, significantly higher than the proportion for all workers in New Zealand (38%).

The largest broad occupational group is ‘Professionals’, accounting for 14,033 jobs (55%) of all employment in the sector. This is a higher proportion than for the New Zealand workforce as whole, where Professionals make up 25% of the total.

Employers in the Media and Broadcasting sector ideally require people with a degree level qualification (63%), compared with 38% of the total New Zealand workforce.

Media and broadcasting sector employment

Source: Infometrics Media and Broadcasting Sector Profile 2022. Note: Employment figure is comprised of primary employment only.

Revenue and profitability

Measure: Proportion of organisations reporting increasing/static/decreasing revenue & profitability – latest value: Not available 
Measure: Advertising revenue – latest value: $3,389m

Findings from both secondary research and stakeholder interviews indicate that many media organisations are experiencing declining or static revenue and saw profits decline in 2022. While there is revenue growth in some areas (including niche and specialist content providers or those with a strong business focus), even profitable businesses are experiencing difficult times, with unpredictable revenue and a pessimistic marketplace. A fall in advertising revenue (COVID and non-COVID related) has had a direct impact on profitability and is felt especially keenly by businesses with high and fixed overheads. Non-profits and businesses which are wholly or partially dependent on donations are finding it increasingly difficult to reach the critical mass needed to remain viable.

Profitability has declined; we have high overheads and a high break-even point. A drop in revenue has a disproportionate impact on our bottom line. If revenue is $1 or $5 million, we still have to pay journalists the same. 
(Commercial Media Business)

Newspaper business is essentially a break-even operation. We have had to diversify to make a profit. 
(Local Media)

10 years ago, our revenue was triple. Profits were 3 to 4 times what they are now. 
(Commercial Media Business)

Source: Annual Reports 2022

Advertising revenue

The ASA Advertising Turnover 2022 Report states that advertising revenue across main media was $3,389m for the 12 months ended 31 December 2022, an increase of 6% compared with the previous year ($3,195m).

Source: ASA Advertising Turnover Report 2022

Market value

Measure: Market capitalisation of publicly listed company: Sky – latest value: $403m
Measure: Market capitalisation of publicly listed company: NZME – latest value: $173m

As of October 11th, 2023, the market values of publicly listed media companies on the New Zealand market are:

• Sky - $402.787m (Last updated: 16/10/2023, 4:14pm)
• NZME - $172.879m (Last updated: 16/10/2023, 3:46pm)
• Warner Bros. Discovery - US$25,276m (Data retrieved: 16/10/2023, 4:33pm)

Note: There is no data available for the NZ share of Warner Bros. Discovery’s market value.

Diversity of revenue streams

Measure: Proportion of organisations having more than one revenue stream – latest value: not available

Findings from both secondary research and stakeholder interviews indicate that many media organisations have more than one revenue stream.

Revenue streams and models vary by organisation and can include a single source of revenue or a mix of two or more. Revenue streams, in addition to the main ones listed below, include donations, advertising levies, sponsorships, commercial partnerships and contracts, philanthropists, Meta funding for podcasts and paid written content.

Diversification has included branching out across platforms and investing in non-media related businesses.

Source: Annual reports 2022 and JMAD NZ Media Ownership Report 2022.

Business confidence

Measure: Business confidence = % optimistic and % pessimistic – latest value: not available

Feedback from stakeholders indicates that pockets of business optimism exist, including confidence and a belief in the resilience and steadfastness of the media sector. This is offset by pessimism at a micro (viability of the sector) and macro (economy, government, funding) level.

Many stakeholders interviewed for the baseline research expect that business will get worse and hope the Government will support the sector during this period of transition and disruption, to prevent widespread unemployment and to maintain a robust, diverse and democratic media sector.

Commercial media organisations with a niche or specialist focus (content or audience), who embrace technology and AI, and who pride themselves on the strength of their content, reporting and a loyal customer base, have most confidence in their business. Others have confidence in the strength and resilience of the media sector, which has proven itself to be nimble and creative in challenging and changing environments in the past. The immediate and long-term impacts of AI (such as Chat GPT) are still unknown, though there is optimism that if harnessed, used, and controlled well, AI has the potential to (help) sustain the media industry.

This optimism is offset by low business confidence among those who have grave concerns for the long-term viability of commercial media in New Zealand. Business pessimism is driven by concerns about equity in the media system, including loss of digital advertising expenditure to international platforms, journalists not being recognised or compensated for shared content they produce, and competition with ‘citizen journalists’ for revenue.

R & D and innovation

Measure: Proportion of media organisations having a stable/increasing expenditure on R&D – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of media organisations having adopted at least one new initiative re. product/service development, technology, etc. – latest value: not available.

Stakeholders confirm that the media sector is (mostly) receptive to and quick to embrace new ideas and technology. Being nimble and keeping pace with change are critical to the sustainability and vibrancy of the sector. Most organisations acknowledge that R&D and innovation are necessary for businesses to remain relevant and viable.

However, low business confidence means some businesses are reluctant to over-commit or invest; at the same time, acknowledging that businesses who do not innovate and diversify are at risk.

Examples of R&D and Innovation are prevalent across the media sector, including using and developing new technology (and AI), business models and revenue streams, taking shared responsibility for workforce continuity, support, and training and inter-sector collaboration, partnerships and sharing resources.

Innovation is also seen in:

• Diversity of delivery and access to content through global, digital platforms.
• A move from linear consumption models to digital, streaming, podcasts, and social media.
• Using technology to track and improve engagement. Time and money have been invested in Websites and Apps to bring businesses into the digital age and to set them up for opportunities later.
• Use of AI to support content production. Also, input from ‘citizen journalists’ to generate and supplement content.
• Use of technology for search engine optimisation, data integration and content management systems.
• Improved visual presentation and appeal and marketing promotions.

Sustainability and commitments

Measure: Proportion of media organisations having a formal sustainability programme/strategy – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of media organisations having made progress on the sustainability programme/strategy stated – latest value: not available.

Stakeholders describe how Sustainability - in the broadest sense - is important and practiced across the media sector, though community and environmental sustainability commitments can be undermined by business and workforce sustainability in hard economic times (like now).

All organisations interviewed had developed formal (mandated KPIs and annual reporting) or informal strategies (initiatives and practices) to support business sustainability and financial responsibility (protecting ‘assets’ for future generations). Being sustainable also meant supporting the journalism profession, maintaining professional standards, supporting staff (and people) and wellbeing in the workplace, as well as community and environmental responsibilities.

Māori media organisations express concern about the sustainability of maintaining and increasing Te Tiriti o Waitangi capability, the use of te reo Māori and balanced Māori content, by Māori for Māori, if funding is withdrawn.

Source: Annual reports 2022. Note: Sustainability Commitments meaning ‘commitment to and participation in sustainable practices for the wellbeing of the organization’s people, the wider community and/or the environment’.

Workforce continuity

Measure: Proportion of media organisations involved in a (cadetship) training programme/initiative – latest value: not available
Measure: Number of journalism training opportunities/initiatives (course, training programme, funding) – latest value: not available.

Stakeholders confirm that the media sector is facing workforce challenges.

Many businesses are finding it difficult to attract and retain staff and have implemented improved working conditions, with flexible and reduced hours, to help to address this.

The size and diversity of the pipeline are both of major concern and are seen as a shared responsibility at a sector level (for conditions, protections, support, on the job experience), with government (for funding) and Career Associations (for education and learning) to attract and retain talent.

A more optimistic perspective is that there is still a good pool of talent available and the capacity to recruit people offshore.

Workforce continuity challenges

• The pipeline of young people choosing journalism as a profession is decreasing
• Many journalism graduates choose other professions
• There are fewer local journalists
• Journalism is seen as harsh and new staff need support to hone their skills and to thrive in a fast paced and stressful environment
• Long term funding is considered unsure, detailed planning is lacking and there is little, if any, targeted funding for wider ethnic groups (Pan Asian/Chinese), disabled people or rainbow communities
• The range of journalism training opportunities has reduced.

If current attrition rates continue, it is thought that this will have negative long-term implications for the professionalism of the sector and the quality of work published.

Audience engagement

Measure: Proportion of population engaged in any form of media in past 7 days – latest value: 99%
Measure: Proportion of population having read/watched/listened to any news on TV, in print, online or on the radio – latest value: 93%

Almost all New Zealanders have engaged with (at least one form of) media for news and/or entertainment in the past 7 days. More than 9 in 10 have engaged with news at least once in the last week and almost 70% do so at least once a day.

Media engagement activities

• Watched television or any types of videos: 83%
• Used online news/social media: 83%
• Listened to any types of radio, podcast/music: 762%
• Read a newspaper or magazine: 42%
• None of the above: 1%

Media engagement demographics

• Those aged 18-39 years are less likely to watch TV/videos (88%) or to read newspapers or magazines (31%), while those aged 60+ years are more likely to do so (97% and 57% respectively).
• Those aged 30-49 years are more likely to use online news/social media compared with other age groups.
• Those aged 70+ years are less likely to use online news/social media (69%) or to listen to radio/podcasts (69%)
• European New Zealanders are more likely to watch TV/video (95%), while Māori, Pacific and Asian New Zealanders are less likely to do so (90%, 87% and 89% respectively)
• Asian New Zealanders are more likely to use online news/social media compared with other ethnic groups.
• Pacific Peoples are less likely to read newspapers/magazines (33%).
• Those aged 50+ years are more avid news consumers when compared with other age groups, with 59% reading/watching/listening to news more than once a day.
• Young people aged 18-29 years are more likely to ‘never’ access any news (5%) or access news less often than once a week (9%).
• European New Zealanders are more avid news consumers than people in other ethnic groups, with 46% reading/watching/listening to news more than once a day, compared with 40% of all New Zealanders.

How often do you read, watch, or listen to any news?

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Audience willingness to pay for news

Measure: Proportion of population having paid for news services in the past 12 months – latest value: 31%
Measure: Proportion of population willing to pay for news content or news service that they value – latest value: 31%

3 in 10 New Zealanders have paid for one or more news services in the last 12 months. A similar proportion (31%) are willing to pay for news they value, while a larger proportion say they are not at all willing (36%) to pay for news services.

Which of the following have you done in the last 12 months?

Paid news activities and willingness to pay for news by demographics

• European New Zealanders and Pacific Peoples are more likely to have not made any form of payment for news services and they are also less likely to be extremely willing to pay for news services.
• Māori are more likely to have paid for digital-only newspaper/magazine subscriptions on news websites and apps; they are also more likely to be extremely willing to pay for news services.
• Asian New Zealanders are more likely to have paid for digital and print, or digital-only newspaper/magazine subscriptions on news websites and apps; they are also less likely to be not at all willing to pay for news services
• Young people aged 18-29 years are more likely to be willing to pay for news services compared with other age groups.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Outcome Pillar 2: Trust

Audience trust in media

Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘news reporting is trustworthy’ – latest value: 57%
Measure: Number of news/information sources trusted by more than half of the population – latest value: 8 out of 15
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘news reporting is fair and balanced’ – latest value: 48%
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘media organisations are trustworthy’ – latest value: 43%

Just over half of New Zealanders agree that ‘news reporting is trustworthy’ (57%). The level of agreement drops for ‘news reporting is fair and balanced’ with 48% agreeing. A smaller proportion again agree that ‘media organisations are trustworthy’ (43% agree).

A significant minority of New Zealanders (21-26%) disagree that news reporting is trustworthy, that it is fair and balanced, and/or that media organisations are trustworthy.

Trust by demographics

• Those aged 18-29 years are less likely to trust the fairness and balance of news reporting (38%) and media organisations (37%), compared with other age groups.
• Asian New Zealanders are more likely to trust news reporting (67%), its fairness and balance (59%) and media organisations (57%), compared with other ethnic groups.
• While radio is the most trusted news source for most age groups, TV (publicly-owned FTA OD and commercial FTA) is the most trusted source for those aged 18-29 years.
• The most trusted source of news varies by ethnicity. While for European and Pacific Peoples, it is more likely to be radio, it is more likely to be publicly-owned FTA TV for Māori and NZ news websites/apps for Asian New Zealanders.
• Social media is the least trusted news source for all age and ethnicity groups.
• Accuracy (‘It gets the facts right’) and balance (‘It presents a balanced view’) are the most important elements which make a news source trustworthy - this view is shared among all age and ethnicity groups.
• Compared with other ethnic groups, Māori and Pacific Peoples are more likely to say that seeing their community and people like them in the reporting and the use of visuals (photos, video, etc.) make a news source trustworthy.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Media literacy

Measure: Proportion of population feeling confident in deciding if the information they see/read online is true or false – latest value: 80%
Measure: Proportion of population ‘extremely/very concerned’ about disinformation – the media issue most concerned about amongst those listed – latest value: 54%
Measure: Proportion of population feeling exposed to ‘a lot’ of media algorithms - the media issue most exposed to amongst those listed – latest value: 25%

4 in 5 New Zealanders say they are confident deciding if the information they see or read is true or false.

Around half are extremely/very concerned about media-related issues i.e., disinformation, misinformation, harmful content, media algorithms and AI-generated 
content, but smaller proportions feel they have been exposed to these a lot (between 12 and 25%, depending on the issue).

Media literacy by demographics

• Younger audiences are more likely to be confident than older audiences when deciding if information is true or false. Those aged 30-39 are more likely to be ‘extremely confident’, while those aged 60+ years are less likely to be ‘very confident’.
• Māori are more likely to be ‘extremely confident’ compared with other ethnic groups.
• While ‘disinformation’ is the issue of most concern for most age groups, ‘harmful content’ is also among the top 2 for those aged 30-39 and 50-59. For those aged 60+, the issue of most concern is AI generated content.
• While Māori are most concerned about ‘misinformation’, the top concern for Pacific and Asian New Zealanders is ‘harmful content’.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Audience preference for New Zealand-made content

Measure: Proportion of population feeling confident in recognising NZ made content – latest value: 86%
Measure: Proportion of population always choosing NZ made content – latest value: 19%

The majority of New Zealanders are confident they can recognise New Zealand made content.

2 in 5 prefer New Zealand made content over internationally made content (they always or sometimes choose it), and of this group, around half always choose New Zealand made content (19% of the population in total).

Preference for New Zealand made content

Always choose NZ made content: 19%

Sometimes choose NZ made content: 23%

Where the content is made does not matter: 36%

Sometimes choose internationally made: 12%

Always choose internationally made content: 5%

Don’t know: 4%

Media preference by demographics

• Those aged 70+ are less likely to be extremely confident in recognising NZ made content.
• While Māori are more likely to feel ‘extremely confident’ that they recognise NZ made content (19%), Asian New Zealanders are less likely to be so (6%).
• While Māori are more likely to ‘always choose NZ made content’, Asian New Zealanders are less likely to do so.
• Those aged 30-39 are more likely to ‘sometimes choose NZ made content’, while those aged 60-69 are less likely to do so.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Performance of media regulatory system

Measure: Proportion of media organisations rating the performance of media regulatory system as average or above – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of audience rating the performance of media regulatory system as average or above – latest value: not available.

There are multiple bodies regulating broadcast content in New Zealand, underpinned by media organisations' own ethics, professional standards and codes of conduct. Of concern to professional media organisations are content producers and sharers who operate outside of the ‘mainstream’, as they are not governed by regulatory regimes and their unprofessional ‘practices’ can mislead and impact on trust.

Impending reforms in the regulatory space - a centralised regime, to protect New Zealanders from harm, and uphold New Zealanders’ rights to freedom of expression, that preserves the freedom of the press, and is consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles - are welcomed by media organisations, as the current system and Broadcasting Act is seen as outdated.

Reforms are especially welcomed by Māori Media organisations who feel there is little to support and recognise Māori in the current legislation or regulatory frameworks, which have been developed to reflect a traditional Pakeha legal and societal context.

Journalistic professional standards and protection

Measure: Existence of journalism professional standards – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of journalists feeling concerned about their safety/wellbeing – latest value: 46%

There is no sector specific or professional body representing (or protecting) journalists and nothing to distinguish ‘qualified’ from ‘citizen’ journalists. There is no code of ethics, standards or code of conduct at a sector level and audiences have no way of distinguishing journalism from opinion.

Journalists can join the E-Tu Union, which represents commercial printers, journalists, and broadcasters, where all members must observe the Journalist Code of Ethics in their professional activities.

Professional journalists abide by their own (and/or their employers’) ethics and professional standards to provide high quality, accurate and balanced content. While full time employees are protected by their employers, freelancers have fewer protections and must rely even more on their personal ethics, professional standards, and partnership relationships with media organisations.

Some in the sector are advocating for the establishment of ‘professional standards’, to verify content from professional and authentic sources. Others counter by claiming this may undermine the independence of the sector and freedom of speech.

Capability and commitment with respect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Measure: Proportion of media organisations making progress in demonstrating capability and commitment with respect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of journalists agreeing that Te Tiriti o Waitangi applies to journalism in Aotearoa/New Zealand to some extent – latest value: 93%

Stakeholders believe that progress is apparent, but that there is still work to do for the sector to consistently (and respectfully) demonstrate capability and commitment with respect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

There is widespread recognition and belief that capability with respect to Te Tiriti is essential, and that this will, over time, become embedded and enshrined in how all New Zealand media businesses operate. Some businesses claim Te Tiriti principles are mandated and embedded into how they work. Public Media and Regulatory and Funding organisations are governed by legislation and have clear mandates relating to the articles of Te Tiriti and incorporate them into their organisation's practices and operations.

Secondary research identifies that, while the majority of journalists agree that Te Tiriti o Waitangi applies to journalism in Aotearoa/New Zealand, only 31% agree that “we should think about how it relates to any story we write.”

Response of journalists surveyed about whether the Te Tiriti o Waitangi applies to journalism

• On everything, we should think about how it relates to any story we write: 31%
• On most things, such as any story that involves legislation, politics, culture or an aspect of society in which the Treaty is referenced: 43%
• On some things, such as stories for Māori about Māori issues: 16%
• On very few things, such as stories about the Treaty itself: 3%
• Not at all – it has no relevance to journalism: 2%
• Don’t know: 5%

Source: Worlds of Journalism Study 2.0. Journalists in Aotearoa/ New Zealand

Organisations receiving support for Public Interest Journalism

Measure: Number of media and broadcasting organisations receiving support for public interest journalism (funded by various sources i.e., private sector, Government, philanthropy) – latest value: not available

Serving the public interest is key to a trusted media system. There are many initiatives worldwide that focus on facilitating media and broadcasting for public interest, i.e., the International Fund for Public Interest Media (partnership between government, philanthropic, and corporate actors collectively), Australia’s Public Interest Journalism Initiative2 (philanthropically funded), the UK’s Public Interest News Foundation (a registered Charity) and the BBC UK’s Local Democracy Reporting Service. In the New Zealand context, Crown Entities like NZ On Air and Radio New Zealand have historically provided contestable funding. Most recently in response to the economic impact of the Covid pandemic, there were two temporary schemes to support public interest reporting, the Public Interest Journalism Fund and the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme (the LDRS was modelled on the BBC example).

The Media stakeholders interviewed mentioned the importance of government agency initiatives as well as other (contestable) investment / funding available from non- government organisations or the private sector.

Stakeholders are largely welcoming and supportive of funding and investment for media and broadcasting representing the public interest. Many regard it as essential to support democracy and equitable access to news across New Zealand. Media stakeholders say the most recent schemes provided vital income, off-set costs, allowed for the expansion and retention of reporting teams, and supported local democracy coverage. Funding is also thought to have increased cultural competency in the sector, by raising awareness and funding staffing appointments and training. There is optimism for initiatives such as the Te Tiriti Cadetships which have reflected community needs and diversity.

An example of an initiative funded by the private sector and accessed by New Zealand media stakeholders is Google’s News Equity Fund, a global commitment to provide financial support and opportunities to news organisations that primarily serve underrepresented communities. Their aim is to strengthen inclusion, further empower a diverse news ecosystem, and specifically support small and medium sized publishers creating original journalism for underrepresented audiences around the world.

Outcome Pillar 3: Diversity

Diversity of ownership and leadership

Measure: Number of ownership categories currently active – latest value: 4
Measure: Proportion of females in management roles – latest value: 58%

Findings from the JMAD NZ Media Ownership Report 2022 show that ‘the general makeup of media ownership in Aotearoa New Zealand remains unchanged’ with four types of active ownership categories - crown-owned, independently owned, private equity owned, and shareholder owned.

Categories of ownership (with examples)

Crown-owned

RNZ, TVNZ, Māori Television Service

Independently owned

Allied Press, Asia Pacific Report, Crux, National Business Review, Newsroom, Scoop, Stuff, The Spinoff

Private equity owned

MediaWorks

Shareholder owned

Warners Bros. Discovery, NZME, Sky TV, Spark Sport.

Management roles occupied by females

The Worlds of Journalism Study 2.0. Journalists in Aotearoa/New Zealand report shows that females are well represented at all levels in journalism, including management roles. Females account for more than half of the middle and top management roles.

Source: Worlds of Journalism Study 2.0. Journalists in Aotearoa/ New Zealand (based on ‘middle’ and ‘top’ management roles).

Diversity of workforce

Measure: Proportion of females in workforce – latest value: 46%
Measure: Proportion of Māori/Pasifika/Asian workforce – latest value: 11%/5%/12%

The proportion of females in employment in the Media and Broadcasting sector was 46% in 2022. This is the same as it was in 2018 but slightly up on 2021.

The latest data on ethnicity of workers in the Media and Broadcasting sector (dated 2018) shows that the majority are of European ethnicity while Māori, Asian and Pacific Peoples make up 11%, 12% and 5% of workers, respectively.

Source: Infometrics Media and Broadcasting Sector Profile 2022.

Source diversity

Measure: Proportion of media organisations delivering content via multiple channels and/or platforms – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing they have sufficient choice of news sources to inform them about their local community/about other ethnic or community groups – latest value: 68%/58%

Most media organisations interviewed reported that they deliver content via multiple channels and/or platforms, to keep pace with audience demand and to survive in a fast-changing and increasingly competitive environment.

From an audience perspective, two thirds of New Zealanders agree that ‘they have sufficient choice of news sources to inform themselves about their local community’.

Older audiences (those aged 60+) are more likely to agree that they have sufficient news sources to inform themselves about their local community. There is no statistically significant difference by ethnicity.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Content diversity

Measure: Proportion of media organisations producing multiple of types content – latest value: not available
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘there’s enough NZ content/content representing other ethnic/community group/s available to me’ – latest value: 77%/51%
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘there’s high-quality NZ content/content representing other ethnic/community group/s available to me’ – latest value: 66%/46%

Findings from secondary research show that many media organisations produce multiple types of content.

From an audience perspective, over three quarters of New Zealanders agree that ‘there is enough New Zealand content available’. A smaller proportion (66%) agree that there is enough high-quality New Zealand content available.

Breakdown of responses

• There is enough New Zealand content: 77%
• There is high-quality New Zealand content: 66%
• There is enough content representing other ethnic/community group/s: 51%
• There is high-quality content representing other ethnic/community group/s: 46%

Younger audiences (those aged 18-29) are less likely to agree that there is enough NZ content, and that there is enough high-quality NZ content. There is no statistically significant difference by ethnicity.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Consumption diversity

Measure: Proportion of population engaged with multiple types of media for news and/or entertainment in the past 7 days – latest value: 91%
Measure: Proportion of population having used multiple sources to find or access news– latest value: 80%

91% of New Zealanders have engaged with multiple types of media in the past seven days.

4 in 5 have used multiple sources (channels/platforms) to find and access news and the majority have followed multiple types of news content.

Proportion of New Zealanders who have consumed media in past seven days

91% of New Zealanders surveyed have engaged with multiple types of media for news and/or entertainment in the past 7 days.

• None: 1%
• 1 type of media: 9%
• 2 types of media: 18%
• 3 types of media: 43%
• 4 types of media: 29%

Sources used to find news

80% of New Zealanders surveyed have used multiple sources to find or access news.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Social inclusion

Measure: Proportion of population seeing their community and people like themselves in NZ media content – latest value: 54%
Measure: Proportion of population feeling represented in NZ media content – latest value: 46%
Measure: Proportion of population finding it easy to contribute their story/viewpoint to NZ media content – latest value: 39%

More than half of New Zealanders (54%) agree that ‘they see their community and people like them in New Zealand media content’.

The level of agreement is slightly lower (46%) when it comes to feeling represented in New Zealand media content, and only 39% agree that it is easy to contribute their story/viewpoint to New Zealand media content.

Asian New Zealanders are more likely to find it easy to contribute their story/viewpoint to New Zealand media content.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Visibility of Te Ao Māori and use of te reo Māori in delivery of content

Measure: Value of Māori content production (NZ on Air, TMP and NZFC funding) – latest value: $28.4m
Measure: Proportion of organisations reporting static/increase of visibility of te ao Māori in their delivery of content – latest value: not available 
Measure: Proportion of organisations reporting static/increase of use of te reo Māori in their delivery of content – latest value: not available 
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘it’s easy to find Māori content’ – latest value: 55%
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘there’s enough Māori content available’ – latest value: 59%
Measure: Proportion of population agreeing that ‘there’s high-quality Māori content available’ – latest value: 47%

More than half of New Zealanders agree that it is easy to find Māori content and that there is enough Māori content available. A slightly lower proportion (47%) agree that there is high-quality Māori content available.

Māori are more likely to agree that ‘it’s easy to find Māori content’.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

NZ on Air, TMP and the NZFC collectively distribute approximately $28.4m to Māori film and TV productions annually*.

*Source: The Māori Content Review and Funding Analysis (2015-2020).

Māori audience snapshot

Trust in media

Relative to the overall sample, Māori are less likely to trust international news sources.

Overall sentiment towards news reporting is somewhat more negative for Māori than for the overall sample. Māori are less likely to consider news reporting to be trustworthy, and less likely to view media organisations as a whole as trustworthy.

When considering the factors that contribute to trust in media, Māori are less likely to prioritise whether or not the source gets the facts right, or presents a balanced view, and more likely than the overall sample to prioritise whether the content is Māori made.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Media literacy

Relative to the overall sample, Māori are more likely to consider that they have been exposed to ‘a lot’ of disinformation and harmful content.

Māori report high levels of concern about harmful content, dis/misinformation, algorithms and AI content.

Source: Media Consumption Survey.

Preference for New Zealand-made content

Māori are more likely to express a preference for New Zealand-made content over internationally-produced content.

Visibility of Te Ao Māori and use of te reo Māori in delivery of content

Māori are more likely to agree that it is easy to find Māori content, and that this is of sufficient quality compared with the total sample.

Source: Media Consumption Survey

Appendix – indicators’ definition/measure & data sources

1. Sustainability Commitments meaning ‘commitment to and participation in sustainable practices for the wellbeing of the organization’s people, the wider community and/or the environment’.

2 Examples of sustainability program/strategy can be found in some media organisations’ annual reports such as TVNZ, NZME, RNZ and Sky.

3 Having access to news meaning ‘having read/watched/listened to any news on TV, in print, online or on the radio’.

4. Media Literacy meaning ‘the ability to critically analyse stories presented in the mass media and to determine their accuracy or credibility’.

5. As part of the Media Consumption Survey, the media issues listed included disinformation, misinformation, media algorithms and AI generated content and the question asked about how concerned the audience is about each issue; the issue most concerning is the subject of this measure (‘disinformation’ for the baseline measure).

6. As part of the Media Consumption Survey, the media issues listed included disinformation, misinformation, media algorithms and AI generated content and the question asked about how much the audience feels exposed to each issue; the issue to which the audience feels most exposed is the subject of this measure (‘media algorithms’ for the baseline measure).