The Strong Public Media programme was tasked with supporting the creation of a new public media entity that would disestablish Television New Zealand (TVNZ) and Radio New Zealand (RNZ) to create a new public media entity, Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media (ANZPM). On 8 February 2023, the Government announced that work on establishing ANZPM would stop.
Strong Public Media proactive releases
What was achieved?
While the decision has been made not to progress with a new public media entity, aspects of the work will have future benefits. Through consultation on a draft Charter for public media we now have a much more informed view of what New Zealanders want from their public media and an example of modernised public media legislation.
We also have a fully formed business case that evaluates multiple options for strengthening public media in New Zealand, which will continue to be referenced as a basis for future public media options.
Both TVNZ and RNZ have a better understanding of their road forward in the current media landscape, and the challenges and the opportunities ahead of them to serve New Zealand communities.
Business Case Phase (February 2020 – March 2022)
The Business Case phase of the programme saw the development of a Business Case that tested the viability of a new single public media entity in Aotearoa New Zealand and was overseen by a Business Case Governance Group.
The Business Case exploring the viability of a new public media entity (PDF 3.3MB)
The Business Case Phase was funded by reprioritising existing funding within Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Establishment Phase (April 2022 – March 2023)
In February 2022, Cabinet made the decision to create a new public media entity. From there, the Establishment phase saw work on designing ANZPM, its operating model, the change process to create it and supporting the legal disestablishment of RNZ and TVNZ and legal establishment of ANZPM. This phase of the was overseen by an Establishment Board.
Cabinet Minute CAB-SUB-0034: Establishment of a new public media entity (PDF 460 KB)
Also see Establishment Board Terms of Reference.
The Establishment phase was funded by $38.300 million in Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage and administered by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage over three financial years (1 April 2022 to 30 June 2024).
With the programme closure $24.86 million unspent funding will be returned to the centre for other Government priorities.
Cost of the programme
The costs disclosed below are draft and subject to audit. Some final invoices have yet to be received and have been estimated. The final audited results for the 2022/23 financial year will be available in the Ministry's annual report, expected to be published in early October 2023.
Total Cost for the Strong Public Media programme |
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To design, build and create a new public media entity
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The total cost for the Programme from 2019 (including the costs for the business case) to end March 2023 is $19,604,000 |
| Business Case phase | $6,101,000 |
| Establishment phase | $13,503,000 |
Total cost for contractors |
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Specialist services were required to do the level of design, build and change needed to create a new public media entity. Manatū Taonga is a small Ministry of 189 people, with no existing programme management office and individual contractors were hired to complement the Ministry’s capabilities. |
The total cost spent on contractors from 2019 to end March 2023 is $6,480,000 |
| Business Case phase | $3,271,000 |
| Establishment phase | $3,209,000 |
Total cost for consultants |
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A range of consultants were engaged on the programme from January 2020. This includes specialist business case and design support from PWC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and Deloitte. Consultants were also contracted for research and evaluation; Charter stakeholder engagement; specialised legal and financial services. |
The total cost spent on consultants from 2019 to end March 2023 is $5,416,000 |
| Business Case phase | $1,422,000 |
| Establishment phase | $3,994,000 |
Total cost for reimbursements to RNZ, TVNZ and NZ On Air |
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Outside of contractors and consultants, the Crown-owned companies RNZ and TVNZ were reimbursed for their establishment activity and expertise beyond usual RNZ/TVNZ operations. This included travel and accommodation for RNZ/TVNZ to support the programme by attending meetings, change workshops and readiness checks in Wellington and Auckland.
The Crown entity NZ On Air, were also engaged at times to support the programme through content and funding expertise. |
The total cost spent on other professional services from 2019 to end March 2023 is $3,154,000
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| Business Case phase | $66,000 |
| Establishment phase | $3,088,000 |
Total cost for Business Case Governance Group and the Establishment Board |
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Total cost for the Business Case Governance Group and the Establishment Board |
$394,000 |
| The Business Case Governance Group was appointed in March 2021 and oversaw the development of a Business Case to consider the viability of a new public media entity in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Business Case Governance Group were a Ministerial advisory group paid according to the Cabinet Fees Framework. The Business Case Governance Group concluded in late 2021. | $125,000 |
| The Establishment Board were a Ministerial advisory group, appointed on 21 April 2022 with a term to June 2023 and were tasked with overseeing the design and change required for a new public media entity. They were paid according to the Cabinet Fees Framework and concluded their work in March 2023. | $269,000 |
Establishment Board after decision to halt ANZPM |
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The Board costs above include a final meeting of the Establishment Board on 16 February to sign off final documentation and a meeting with the Minister for Broadcasting and Media on 6 March. |
$16,360 |
Total cost for staff |
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Ministry staff were seconded to the Strong Public Media programme on a fulltime and part-time basis through the course of the Programme. This included staff in legal, policy and communications roles. When the programme was stopped, seconded staff returned to their substantive roles in the Ministry and assisted in additional closedown activities for the programme. |
$1,352,000 |
| Business Case phase | $294,000 |
| Establishment phase | $1,058,000 |
Total cost for travel |
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Travel costs for the programme included monthly Establishment Board meetings which alternated being held in Wellington and Auckland. Travel for face-to-face change workshops and readiness checks for RNZ and TVNZ were held in both Auckland and Wellington. |
$120,000 |
| Business Case phase | $34,000 |
| Establishment phase | $86,000 |
Total cost for meetings and venue hire |
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Meeting space and venue hire was required for Board meetings and face-to-face change workshops that took place outside of Wellington. |
$51,000 |
| Business Case phase | $11,000 |
| Establishment phase | $40,000 |
Total cost for overheads |
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Total overhead costs across the life of the Strong Public Media programme. Overhead costs capture the services and support provided by the Ministry’s Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Facilities teams as well as general Legal advice and Ministerial support. This also includes:
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$2,637,000 |
| Business Case phase | $868,000 |
| Establishment phase | $1,759,000 |
What work is government doing to support the media sector?
Manatū Taonga has continued work on initiatives to support the delivery of high-quality content, news, and entertainment for all New Zealanders. These include:
- The development of legislation to support New Zealand news organisations to negotiate with big online digital platforms, such as Google and Meta to pay a fair price for the local news content they share and host on their platforms.
- The implementation of The Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Media system to provide a foundation for future policy decisions and a way to assess the effectiveness of various media policy, regulatory and funding initiatives.
- The Public Interest Journalism Fund which allocated $55 million to provide targeted, short to media-term funding for public interest journalism (implemented through NZ On Air).
- The Content Regulatory Review, led by DIA (Department of Internal Affairs), to ensure freedom of expression and digital content is ‘safe’ for New Zealanders.
- Māori Media Sector Shift, led by Te Puni Kōkiri, which explores how the sector can continue its success long into the future given a fast-changing digital landscape and changing audience demands.
When Government announced that work on the TVNZ/RNZ public media entity will stop, additional support for the media sector was announced, including:
- Providing extra funding to RNZ to both secure its financial stability and to expand and strengthen its public media role.
- Exploring ways to ensure TVNZ plays a more public broadcasting role.
- Ensuring funding is provided for public broadcasting across any platform, including funding through NZ on Air.
Updated on 5th April 2023