Decision on RNZ/TVNZ merger proposal delayed

The Government is understood to have pushed back a decision on whether to merge RNZ and TVNZ as a result of a number of Cabinet ministers requesting more detail on the proposal.

Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi had previously said he expected to make an announcement on the future of public media this side of Christmas, most recently at an event in Parliament last Tuesday.

Last month, Faafoi did not deny he intended to take a proposal to merge RNZ and TVNZ to Cabinet, describing a ‘‘leak’’ of the proposal as unhelpful.

But NZ First leader Winston Peters said last week that the party did not have enough information to back such a proposal.

Faafoi confirmed the Cabinet did discuss public broadcasting policy on Monday but said there were a ‘‘few ‘i’s that need to be dotted and ‘t’s to be crossed’’ before Cabinet could make decisions.

‘‘We will come back in the new year and hopefully deal with some of these.’’

Faafoi said the issues were ‘‘complex’’.

‘‘There are a few questions that some of my colleagues want to have answered to make sure we have got it right.’’

There have been indications since August that a merger of RNZ and TVNZ was being seriously considered.

RNZ reported last month that was the option recommended by a governmental advisory group on public media, and the proposal would be for the new merged entity to have a ‘‘mixed funding model’’ that saw it receive funding from both the Government and advertising.

A commercial-free publicservice television channel is expected to be part of the plan.

Lobby group Better Public Broadcasting cautioned last month that it would not be a simple task to ‘‘glue public service and commercial priorities together in the same institution without significant compromises’’.