Local content is innovative, visible and valued by diverse New Zealand audiences
The Broadcasting Act 1989 established the Broadcasting Commission (NZ On Air). It provided for election broadcasting and restricted the scope for political intervention in the management or programming of TVNZ or RNZ. Limits on overseas shareholdings in New Zealand broadcasting companies were removed in 1991.
The role of the Broadcasting Commission (NZ On Air): Irirangi te Motu is to promote cultural and social objectives in broadcasting and other activities unlikely to receive sufficient commercial provision. Its statutory objectives are to:
- Reflect and develop New Zealand identity and culture by promoting programmes about New Zealand and New Zealand interests and promoting Māori language and culture.
- Maintain and, where considered appropriate, extend television and radio coverage to New Zealand communities that otherwise would not receive a commercially viable signal.
- Ensure that a range of programmes is available to provide for the interests of women, children, people with disabilities and other minorities, including ethnic minorities.
- Encourage the establishment and operation of archives of programmes that are likely to be of historical interest in New Zealand.
Its main aims are that:
- Value for money is secured for tax-payers.
- Fair, transparent and simple procedures serve funding applicants.
Te Māngai Pāho
Te Māngai Pāho, the Māori broadcasting funding agency, was established by the Broadcasting Amendment Act 1993 to provide funding to promote Māori language and culture through broadcasting. Te Māngai Pāho’s purchase decisions are guided by the Government Māori Language Strategy Policy objectives:
- To increase the number of people who know the Māori language by increasing their opportunities to learn Māori.
- To improve the proficiency levels of people in speaking Māori, listening to Māori, reading Māori and writing Māori.
- To increase the opportunities to use Māori by increasing the number of situations where Māori can be used.
- To increase the rate at which the Māori language develops so that it can be used for the full range of modern activities.
- To foster amongst Māori and Non- Māori positive attitudes towards and accurate beliefs and positive values about the Māori language so that Māori-English bilingualism becomes a valued part of New Zealand society.
Fund television and screen content for prime time and special interest audiences.
Fund New Zealand radio content.
Fund music archiving.
Fund news and information content for regional audiences.
fund selected access and special interest radio stations to deliver content for specialist and minority audiences.
Provide contestable funding opportunities.
Fund the recording and promotion of diverse NZ music for multiple audiences.
Fund spoken content for children, spiritual, Maori ad ethnic audiences on commercial radio.
NZ On Air fulfils these objectives by providing funds for broadcasting, production of programmes and archiving of programmes. Since July 2000 this funding has come from general taxation. Previously the Public Broadcasting Fee was levied on each household with a television set. In 2008, the statutory functions of NZ On Air and Te Mangai Paho (see below) were amended to allow both agencies to fund content intended specifically for reception on demand (for example, via websites).