Is RNZ’s small slice of the funding pie a subtle punishment?
Announcing a $15 million dollop of Government funding for public media, Broadcasting Minister Clare Curran made the claim that, ‘‘public media in New Zealand is poorly funded’’, adding the $216 million currently allocated to broadcasting this financial year ‘‘is clearly inadequate’’.
She may be right but, strangely, the country’s mostpopular public service broadcaster, Radio New Zealand, received only a small $4.5 million slice of that extra funding to help it reach more people in different ways, such as online.
It might be churlish to suggest the minister is punishing RNZ for its recent refusal to take up the idea of also running a full-scale television service but some observers could see it that way.
Instead, the minister has dished out $4 million to NZ On Air to make more local content and $6 million to a new Innovation Fund to drive programming for Ma¯ ori and Pacific Islanders, children and the regions.
Splitting the $15 million three ways seems a little wasteful when just one organisation, preferably NZ On Air whose job