Minister stands by RNZ+ plan

Plans to set Radio New Zealand up as a standalone TV channel in competition with Government-owned Television New Zealand and other commercial news outlets are still on the agenda, says Broadcasting and Communications Minister Clare Curran.

But Curran hinted the TV component of the Government’s RNZ+ proposal was still some time away, saying it would be an ‘‘evolutionary’’ process and dependent on funding.

Curran has been under fire over events leading up to the abrupt resignation of star RNZ executive Carol Hirschfeld as the Government looks to pump tens of millions of dollars into public broadcasting, mostly centred on the Government’s RNZ+ model.

The controversy has rocked the broadcaster and highlighted tensions over the proposal.

Labour’s election platform promised to throw $38 million at RNZ in an ambitious plan to turn the state broadcaster into a ‘‘fully multiplatform non-commercial entity including a free to air television service’’.

That would pit it against TVNZ, Newshub and other media players for audience share in an increasingly fragmented and competitive media market.

But Curran rejected suggestions it would be competition to other news and current affairs providers because RNZ + would not get advertising revenue.

Final funding for RNZ+ is subject to the budget round, which is under way.

Budget sensitivity meant she was unable to discuss whether the full amount of $38m was still on the table, Curran said.

Hirschfeld was forced to resign after misleading her RNZ bosses over the nature of a coffee meeting with Curran in December. The RNZ executive told her bosses it was an accidental meeting, but texts showed it had been planned for weeks.

Her secrecy has fuelled suspicions Curran was seeking out allies to push her linear TV model against pushback from the RNZ board, which has made no secret it sees the future of public broadcasting being more focused on digital.

Hirschfeld was seen as an enthusiastic ally of moving RNZ to a TV platform.

Curran yesterday likened her plan to the failed TVNZ7 model, which got funding from the previous Labour Government of about $15m a year.

The channel was scrapped as a failure under National, though against opposition from academics.

RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson has suggested a broader vision under the RNZ+ plan, focused on a ‘‘strong, independent multimedia RNZ’’, but suggests there are no plans for RNZ to become a ‘‘full-blown TV broadcaster’’.

RNZ already operates a limited TV channel, with some programmes, like Checkpoint, livestreamed and run on YouTube. Audience numbers are tiny, though some ventures – like RNZ’s The 9th Floor series – have been a critical success across both digital and television platforms.