Deep concerns as TVNZ signal more significant changes – Etu
E tū, the union representing TVNZ workers, is raising significant concerns over the broadcaster’s proposed sweeping changes, which could reshape not just TVNZ, but Aotearoa New Zealand’s wider media landscape.
E tū Negotiation Specialist, Michael Wood, has called for full and meaningful engagement as these proposals are considered, emphasising the potential risks to both TVNZ and the country’s media ecosystem.
“The scale of change being proposed here is enormous,” Michael says.
“This is not just a transformation within TVNZ, but one that could have far-reaching consequences for the entire media sector. These changes must be worked through with great care, and E tū and its members will accept nothing less than genuine engagement from all parties involved.”
While E tū acknowledges the necessity of shifting towards a digital future, the union is deeply concerned about the potential loss of TVNZ’s core strengths, particularly its skilled staff and capacity to deliver in-depth, quality journalism.
“We support the move towards a more digital service, but this must be done in a way that preserves the essence of what makes TVNZ valuable. It’s crucial to safeguard the ability to investigate and report on the stories that matter.
“Cutting back on text-based content while simultaneously removing successful video programmes like Fair Go and Sunday raises serious questions about the direction of these changes. If TVNZ is serious about a video-first strategy, they need to invest – not simply slash resources.”
A key concern is the proposal to outsource jobs, potentially overseas.
“Outsourcing jobs threatens TVNZ’s most important asset – skilled, experienced staff, with deep institutional knowledge. Outsourcing not only risks losing these skills but can lead to higher costs and a weaker organisation. We’ve seen this play out in other sectors, and it’s not a path we should go down.”
E tū is also questioning the Government’s role in pressuring TVNZ to deliver a dividend during such a pivotal moment for the organisation.
“It’s difficult to understand why the Government would maintain pressure for a dividend in this environment. TVNZ is undergoing major upheaval, and it would be wise for the Government to reconsider its expectations while these significant changes are being negotiated.”
E tū members will hold a union meeting on Thursday to fully discuss the proposals and decide the next steps.
The terrible and gutless retreat from Fourth Estate Journalism that the TVNZ Quislings are about to enforce upon NZ are cowardly and beneath the mana of the craft of journalism.
By dumping the open sourced news site 1News, we will be a more pitiful information desert.
Allowing Discovery to strangle off the NewsHub website was bad enough, allowing TVN to do it is a self mutilation too far.
The only reason TVNZ are moving everything behind their on demand + site is to sell advertising between the videos.
This has nothing to do with their obligations to the Democracy they are supposed to be serving. Instead they will become a gated community that provides little Fourth Estate oversight while turning their viewers from citizens into consumers.
The TVNZ Board are pitiful and have failed in their obligations to News Journalism.
Last nights debate was not exclusive or behind a paywall. We handed the stream out live to other media companies so that the people could utilise the content as citizens rather than paying consumers.
If TVNZ is in the battle for its life, slashing their 1News website will quicken that death.
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Too late the hero. New Zealand doesn’t have the cultural capacity or capability to support Public Service Broadcasting. If you’re lucky you might get an internship at Reality Check Radio.
Yep it’s a baaaad omen for the forth estate and in this digital world seems a crazy stupid thing to do
“slashing their 1News website will quicken that death”
Hopefully…..
One can always rely on at least one traitor with a devious, negative narrative.
When we lose public broadcasting we lose. In any fascist overthrow, the beginning of the end of it always starts with the destruction of free to air public media.
Unbiased, clear and direct free to air public media is as essential to breathing for the citizens of any democracy. When that’s gone, we’re fucked and not in that good way.
Our Gooberment should pile on the cash with no expectations of getting it back just to keep us informed in these heady times. Anything else is indicative of deeper, more devious intentions.
Buy hey! C’Luxon, Sleazemore and Whinny the Trojan Maori are in power so nothing to worry about there.
I owe these people nothing.
For the last decade or so TVNZ has operated as the propaganda wing of the Left/Green block. Above all, they’re race obsessed which actually makes them the fascists.
Excellent news. Dear TVNZ: die faster.
It won’t be missed.
Martyn – The problem is TVNZ still thinks they have Star Power, i.e. their “Stars”, the presenters they paid huge salaries, will save them…if you want to save money TVNZ…get rid of them
TVNZ has been regarding its viewers as consumer marks to be exploited on behalf of its advertising clientele for three decades.
I find it hard to mourn for a dysfunctional corpse as the battle was lost long ago.
Richard Christie – 100% right
Hopefully.
Good riddance…..just a propaganda mill for the mainstream pollies……
So once they’ve gone, who & what’s the nation left with?
What’s the nation left with? Less mind numbing crap like 7 Sharp. What’s TVNZ offer anyway that’s really good? Fuck all really. Mind you, Country Calendar is awesome but I’d watch that on Netfix if they produced it.
TV1, supposedly TVNZ, is more like TV-Auckland. So not much loss to us in the South. Anyway, so many other sources of info these days, by the time you see 6 o’clock, you know it all already.
FFS. How many dumb arses are there out there? TVNZ like RNZ should exist without question. We’re a democracy and as part of that democratic infrastructure we must have free to air public television, radio and a dedicated website all of which should be advertising free and free to access and engage with 24/7/365. Killing access off those services like some of you mopes suggest is precisely the opposite of what we in fact should be doing. Can’t you see that? Can’t you understand the vital importance of having free to view media? Are you that fucking dumb?
The fucking media, including here, is full of fucked up whack jobs promoting banal freakish far right gibberish as our Rome burns under our dumb farting arses. They whine about not knowing then they whine when they must learn then they really start to whine when they realise that something must be done to protect themselves from what they’ve been trying to ignore and by then it’s too fucking late. It’s exactly that mentality that got us Baldylocks and the two greedy Dumbos. I mean what the fuck is that about?
TVNZ and RNZ are essential but where they fail is for the want of YOUR involvement. Your steerage and commitment. Like voting actually. We must by law enrol, largely so that advertisers know just how to learn to exploit demographics but we don’t need to vote! That’s fucking nuts! What if no one voted! No one turned up at the polling booths? What would happen then? An autocracy. A fascist state. A communist state with linear governance. Just ask North Korea how that works out for them?