The Media and Communications Minister says cutting funding for NZ on Air and the Film Commission isn't on the table.
The Government is asking for feedback on five proposals, aiming to help local media go up against international competitors.
One includes merging the Commission and NZ on Air.
Paul Goldsmith says the two categories are becoming far less distinct - and a merger could even give both more funds.
"Rather than having two organisations doling it out - if you had one, that could be a more efficient way of doing it. We're not suggesting changing the overall funding levels, that's just how it's administered."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the Ministry of Culture Inheritage has proposed a major
overhaul of our media regulators and their funding agencies. The
discussion document the Ministry has released talks about merging New
Zealand on Air and the Film Commission, replacing the Broadcasting
Standards Authority with a new regulator, and requiring international streaming
services to invest in local content. So the Minister of
(00:22):
Media and Communications as poor Godsworth, then poor Godsworth joins me, now,
Holli Paul, So why merge the Film Commission and New
Zealand on Air?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, look at the proposal that will put me out.
I mean, ultimately they grew out of you know, the
world where you had separate big movies and you had
one group looking after movies on the big screen and
then another group which was focused on television and radio.
And as all your listeners will understand, those two distinct
categories are merging. Where were you know, TV and filmer
(00:56):
and series and digital stuff on streamers are all sort
of very much in the same space. There are obviously
differences in terms of the quality of feature films, but
it's merging, and so there's a good argument to say
in Meny, other countries have joined those two historic things together.
There are real challenges about how you do that. But
(01:16):
so that's the question I'm putting out.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
For Well, would it mean less money available for content
makers because you've taken two organizations and merged them into one.
You've taken two parts of money merged into one.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well no, Well hopefully it'll be more because there'd be
a little bit less overhead rather than having two organizations
doling it out. If you had one, you know, it
could be a more efficient way of doing it. We're
not suggesting changing the overall funding levels, it's just how
it's administered.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, how much money do you want the likes of
Netflix to invest into local shows? Well?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, I mean I think it's another thing that all
around the world people are grappling with. In the past,
you've had a local TV stations are being required or
expect to do some development of material and programming here
in the country. That doesn't happen with sort of Apple
TV necessarily or Prime. And there's a whole range out
(02:10):
out there who are doing well, and so the question is, well,
what's the best mechanism to encourage them to be also
developing some stuff in new Zealand, but also putting New
Zealand material on their site and making giving it some
providence and there's a wide variety.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Can you actually force streaming services to make New Zealand
shows movies? I mean if they don't want to.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Have to, well, yeah, there are various ways of doing it.
You could sort of have an expectation around percentage being available,
you could have you know, there are different ways of
doing it, and that's what the discussion document is designed
to flush out. We don't want to be overly prescriptive
(02:54):
and we want to work out what's the best way
to ensure that. I mean, what's the public interest in
all of this is that you know, in a world
where you've got the world at your fingertips, which is
great for consumers. Everybody loves it. In fact, you can
see anything anywhere. But we also do want to ensure
that our New Zealand stories are available and can be
tracked down and reasonably prominent. Which is one of the
(03:15):
other basic things we're doing or suggesting is you know,
when you buy your new smart TV, you plug it
in and these acts come up in terms of various
things like Netflix and so forth. We want to ensure
that the New Zealand apps A TV and ZED and
so forth are actually there, and quite frequently now when
buy TV they're not and it's quite difficult to work
(03:36):
out and people struggle with that. So some of those
basic things that actually make a difference for the New
Zealand media landscape is what we're trying to do.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
The venues bargaining bill is on hold. Why is that?
We were you bullied by Google?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
No? Is just simply that the Australians, who you know.
I think it makes very good sense for us to
be broadly in steck with have just before Christmas announced
a different approach that they're going to take. They're going
to put out a discussion document. I'm going to be
meeting with the Minister hopefully next week to talk about it.
And I just think it makes sense to take a
(04:11):
stock and see exactly how the Australians will and how
the rest of the world responds to that, and then
New Zealand can follow if it makes sense. And I
think that's a better way of doing it rather than
just bearing off in our own direction. Good.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I thank you Paul Goldsmith, the Media and Communications MINISRI.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
So the Ministry of Culture Inheritage has proposed a major
overhaul of our media regulators and their funding agencies. The
discussion document the Ministry has released talks about merging New
Zealand on Air and the Film Commission, replacing the Broadcasting
Standards Authority with a new regulator, and requiring international streaming
services to invest in local content. So the Minister of
(00:22):
Media and Communications as poor Godsworth, then poor Godsworth joins me, now,
Holli Paul, So why merge the Film Commission and New
Zealand on Air?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, look at the proposal that will put me out.
I mean, ultimately they grew out of you know, the
world where you had separate big movies and you had
one group looking after movies on the big screen and
then another group which was focused on television and radio.
And as all your listeners will understand, those two distinct
categories are merging. Where were you know, TV and filmer
(00:56):
and series and digital stuff on streamers are all sort
of very much in the same space. There are obviously
differences in terms of the quality of feature films, but
it's merging, and so there's a good argument to say
in Meny, other countries have joined those two historic things together.
There are real challenges about how you do that. But
(01:16):
so that's the question I'm putting out.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
For Well, would it mean less money available for content
makers because you've taken two organizations and merged them into one.
You've taken two parts of money merged into one.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well no, Well hopefully it'll be more because there'd be
a little bit less overhead rather than having two organizations
doling it out. If you had one, you know, it
could be a more efficient way of doing it. We're
not suggesting changing the overall funding levels, it's just how
it's administered.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, how much money do you want the likes of
Netflix to invest into local shows? Well?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, I mean I think it's another thing that all
around the world people are grappling with. In the past,
you've had a local TV stations are being required or
expect to do some development of material and programming here
in the country. That doesn't happen with sort of Apple
TV necessarily or Prime. And there's a whole range out
(02:10):
out there who are doing well, and so the question is, well,
what's the best mechanism to encourage them to be also
developing some stuff in new Zealand, but also putting New
Zealand material on their site and making giving it some
providence and there's a wide variety.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Can you actually force streaming services to make New Zealand
shows movies? I mean if they don't want to.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Have to, well, yeah, there are various ways of doing it.
You could sort of have an expectation around percentage being available,
you could have you know, there are different ways of
doing it, and that's what the discussion document is designed
to flush out. We don't want to be overly prescriptive
(02:54):
and we want to work out what's the best way
to ensure that. I mean, what's the public interest in
all of this is that you know, in a world
where you've got the world at your fingertips, which is
great for consumers. Everybody loves it. In fact, you can
see anything anywhere. But we also do want to ensure
that our New Zealand stories are available and can be
tracked down and reasonably prominent. Which is one of the
(03:15):
other basic things we're doing or suggesting is you know,
when you buy your new smart TV, you plug it
in and these acts come up in terms of various
things like Netflix and so forth. We want to ensure
that the New Zealand apps A TV and ZED and
so forth are actually there, and quite frequently now when
buy TV they're not and it's quite difficult to work
(03:36):
out and people struggle with that. So some of those
basic things that actually make a difference for the New
Zealand media landscape is what we're trying to do.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
The venues bargaining bill is on hold. Why is that?
We were you bullied by Google?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
No? Is just simply that the Australians, who you know.
I think it makes very good sense for us to
be broadly in steck with have just before Christmas announced
a different approach that they're going to take. They're going
to put out a discussion document. I'm going to be
meeting with the Minister hopefully next week to talk about it.
And I just think it makes sense to take a
(04:11):
stock and see exactly how the Australians will and how
the rest of the world responds to that, and then
New Zealand can follow if it makes sense. And I
think that's a better way of doing it rather than
just bearing off in our own direction. Good.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I thank you Paul Goldsmith, the Media and Communications MINISRI.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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