Remember what Budget 2025 did for the news media?
The government provided $6.4 million over four years to hire journalists in heartland New Zealand for reporting on councils and courts.
There was no colour bar on who would benefit.
At the same time, RNZ’s budget was cut by $18m over four years – $4.6m a year – around 7 percent of its current $67m allocation.
Minister for Media and Communications Paul Goldsmith said the savings would recognise that government-funded media needed to deliver the same efficiency and value as the rest of the public sector.
RNZ is not alone in having to respond to budget cuts.
In recent years, New Zealand’s media sector has faced significant staff cuts, with hundreds of jobs lost across major outlets like NZME, Stuff, TVNZ, and Newshub.
These restructures reflect declining advertising revenue, competition from digital platforms, and efforts to streamline operations.
State-owned TVNZ last year announced redundancies as part of a major restructure, including cuts to news and current affairs teams.
PoO does not know which news media keep Lady Tureiti Moxon informed about these developments, but we hear she was among around 20 “civil society submitters” who presented evidence to the United Nations review by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
According to a media statement from the National Urban Māori Authority, they grouched that “Māori communities are enduring an unprecedented period of accelerating state-driven racism and harm”.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, on the other hand,
… portrayed Aotearoa New Zealand as a fair and well-functioning system.
The media statement said a three-hour session on day three of the review revealed deep tensions between the Crown’s representation “and the realities reported by Māori, whaikaha disabled and migrant communities”.
It also reveals hostility from a Turkish fellow to the New Zealand Government’s disinclination to legislate against “hate speech”
At one point, Mr Kut from Turkey, one of the Rapporteur’s for the State Party (Aotearoa New Zealand) leading the review, took exception to the Justice Minister’s refusal to legislate against hate speech.
“I have always had an issue with this argument that hate speech could be countered by more speech, which, to be frank, does not work,” Mr Kut said.
“If there is hate speech on the other side, it becomes a fight, not a peaceful resolution. Hate speech is not the right to offend.” The member drew attention to the power of government to regulate hate speech. “We all know that it’s all a matter of political will.”
Surprise, surprise.
The Turkish Constitution formally guarantees freedom of speech, but in practice, this right is severely restricted through a broad range of legal measures, judicial practices, and government pressure.
Individuals, including journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens, risk civil or criminal suits, job loss, fines, and imprisonment for criticizing the state or government. The situation has led to widespread self-censorship.
The Turkish Penal Code contains several articles which are used to prosecute critics, including those criminalizing “insulting the President” (Article 299), “insulting the Turkish nation and state institutions” and “incitement to hatred and hostility”
A 2022 “disinformation law” introduced provisions that can lead to prison sentences for disseminating information deemed “misleading” by the state.
Human rights organizations such as Freedom House classify Turkey as “Not Free” regarding civil liberties and internet freedom.
Our Justice Minister – according to the aforementioned media statement – spoke to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on human rights issues.
He spoke of media freedom as part of democracy without disclosing recent funding cuts to Māori media that will reduce Māori ability to scrutinise the State, weakening, not strengthening the democratic voice of Māori communities.”
The sort of democratic voice that presses for the right to circumvent the electoral process and entitle iwi to appoint representatives to local authorities, eh!
But the more bemusing aspect of this press statement is its implication of discrimination against Māori media.
Is the National Urban Māori Authority oblivious to the swathe of budget cuts and staff layoffs that has been devastating for all parts of this country’s media?
At the same time, RNZ’s budget was cut by $18m over four years – $4.6m a year – around 7 percent of its current $67m allocation.
Minister for Media and Communications Paul Goldsmith said the savings would recognise that government-funded media needed to deliver the same efficiency and value as the rest of the public sector.
RNZ is not alone in having to respond to budget cuts.
In recent years, New Zealand’s media sector has faced significant staff cuts, with hundreds of jobs lost across major outlets like NZME, Stuff, TVNZ, and Newshub.
These restructures reflect declining advertising revenue, competition from digital platforms, and efforts to streamline operations.
State-owned TVNZ last year announced redundancies as part of a major restructure, including cuts to news and current affairs teams.
PoO does not know which news media keep Lady Tureiti Moxon informed about these developments, but we hear she was among around 20 “civil society submitters” who presented evidence to the United Nations review by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
According to a media statement from the National Urban Māori Authority, they grouched that “Māori communities are enduring an unprecedented period of accelerating state-driven racism and harm”.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, on the other hand,
… portrayed Aotearoa New Zealand as a fair and well-functioning system.
The media statement said a three-hour session on day three of the review revealed deep tensions between the Crown’s representation “and the realities reported by Māori, whaikaha disabled and migrant communities”.
It also reveals hostility from a Turkish fellow to the New Zealand Government’s disinclination to legislate against “hate speech”
At one point, Mr Kut from Turkey, one of the Rapporteur’s for the State Party (Aotearoa New Zealand) leading the review, took exception to the Justice Minister’s refusal to legislate against hate speech.
“I have always had an issue with this argument that hate speech could be countered by more speech, which, to be frank, does not work,” Mr Kut said.
“If there is hate speech on the other side, it becomes a fight, not a peaceful resolution. Hate speech is not the right to offend.” The member drew attention to the power of government to regulate hate speech. “We all know that it’s all a matter of political will.”
Surprise, surprise.
The Turkish Constitution formally guarantees freedom of speech, but in practice, this right is severely restricted through a broad range of legal measures, judicial practices, and government pressure.
Individuals, including journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens, risk civil or criminal suits, job loss, fines, and imprisonment for criticizing the state or government. The situation has led to widespread self-censorship.
The Turkish Penal Code contains several articles which are used to prosecute critics, including those criminalizing “insulting the President” (Article 299), “insulting the Turkish nation and state institutions” and “incitement to hatred and hostility”
A 2022 “disinformation law” introduced provisions that can lead to prison sentences for disseminating information deemed “misleading” by the state.
Human rights organizations such as Freedom House classify Turkey as “Not Free” regarding civil liberties and internet freedom.
Our Justice Minister – according to the aforementioned media statement – spoke to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on human rights issues.
He spoke of media freedom as part of democracy without disclosing recent funding cuts to Māori media that will reduce Māori ability to scrutinise the State, weakening, not strengthening the democratic voice of Māori communities.”
The sort of democratic voice that presses for the right to circumvent the electoral process and entitle iwi to appoint representatives to local authorities, eh!
But the more bemusing aspect of this press statement is its implication of discrimination against Māori media.
Is the National Urban Māori Authority oblivious to the swathe of budget cuts and staff layoffs that has been devastating for all parts of this country’s media?
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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