MEDIAWATCH: Culture War Winston’s attack on RNZ as ugly as his attack on Trans people and Tracey Martin

Labour wants Christopher Luxon to step in over Winston Peters’ comments on RNZ funding

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says it is time for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to step in after comments by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters about RNZ’s funding.

Meanwhile, ACT Party leader David Seymour has sought to downplay Peters’ remarks, pointing out the NZ First leader alone does not have the power to defund RNZ – that lies with Cabinet.

In a fiery interview on RNZ’s Morning Report show on Wednesday, Peters objected to questioning over his party’s proposal to define in law the term “woman” as “an adult human biological female” and “man” as an “adult human biological male”.

Towards the end of the interview, Peters accused the broadcaster of running the line of his opponents: “You’re paid for by the taxpayer and sooner or later we’re going to cut that water off too, because you’re an abuse on the taxpayer”.

The NZ First member’s bill is not government policy, and it will only be debated in Parliament if it is pulled at random from the ballot.

Winston has become unhinged, either through dementia or culture war froth.

His vile attack on RNZ alongside his deplorable threat to their funding as well as his abuse towards Corin Dann requires The Prime Minister to step in and reprimand Winston for threatening to defund RNZ…

Labour calls for PM to step in

Speaking to reporters at Parliament, Hipkins said it was unacceptable for a minister to threaten an independent media organisation’s funding because he objected to how he was being interviewed.

“Threatening a media entity that is statutorily independent, with cutting their funding because you don’t like the way you’re being interviewed is utterly unacceptable for any minister, even more unacceptable when that person happens to be the deputy prime minister.”

Hipkins said Peters’ comments were inconsistent with the Cabinet manual and contrary to the spirit and word of law governing RNZ.

“Ministers don’t have to participate meekly in an interview. If they don’t like the direction it’s going on, they’re absolutely entitled to push back on an interviewer,” Hipkins said.

“But where I think Winston Peters absolutely crosses a very bright line is where he says, because I don’t like the way you were interviewing me, we’re going to cut your funding.”

He said Luxon needed to enforce the expected standards of his ministers and “at the very least” make it clear to Peters that it should never happen again.

“Threatening to cut funding is a form of censorship. It is totally and utterly wrong.”

…the shock at how far Winston went wasn’t just political, it was across the media spectrum as well…

Politicians have a right to complain about media, but Winston Peters crossed a line – Thomas Coughlan

“Your job is to be an interviewer, your job is when you have me on, you hear what we’ve got to say, when the Greens are on, you hear what they’ve got to say, when the National Party’s on you hear what they’ve got to say, but not you – when it’s our turn you’re interjecting all the time when they come on it’s a very placid lovely interview, isn’t it?,” Peters said.

Peters may argue that he was simply giving his own opinion about how journalism might best be practised – any politician, after all can have a view on anything.

But you could equally argue that that statement reads a lot like a direction from a minister (the Acting Prime Minister no less) to the state broadcaster of the kind the Act does not allow.

At first blush, they seem far more serious than the comments that landed Labour Minister Kiritapu Allan in hot water in 2023 – and those made by Willie Jackson about TVNZ the same year (both issued apologies for the remarks).

The comments about a funding cut were not a direct threat, but anyone at RNZ listening to the interview could easily infer that if Peters didn’t like what he was hearing, the broadcaster might have its funding reduced.

On to the second issue, whether the interview was fair.

In my view, it was.

…Corin Dann is one of the most straight bat journalists we have, accusing him of bias and abusing him is bullshit, it’s the antics of a drunk uncle being a prick.

The hypocrisy of Winston’s pearl clutching over ‘bussy’, while he is threatening to cut funding to the journalists asking him valid questions on his vile policy is so enormous, Shane Jones will be advocating to fast track mine it!

Culture War Winston’s attack on RNZ as ugly as his attack on Trans people and Tracy Martin!

Let’s not forget this demand to define woman is driven by culture war froth, not any real threat and it’s a naked attempt to erase Trans people.

Let’s also not forget the disgusting manner in which Winston threw the ever brilliant Tracey Martin under the bus…

Tracey Martin hits back at Winston Peters after fiery RNZ interview

…you may hate trans people with the level of derangement that NZF Hate Troll Rhys Williams does, but who in NZF would actively shit on the mana of the mighty Tracey Martin?

Hold your heads in shame that the culture war virus has taken over the once proud NZFirst.

Ugh.

David Seymour’s assurance that Winston can’t cut RNZ funding because Paul Goldsmith is the Minister is like being reassured you don’t have to worry about Lord Voldemort because the Death Star will be taking care of your problem.

This is hateful abuse from a Politician called out on his Transphobia for political gain stunt.

Winston threatened to cut RNZ funding because he was asked hard questions about a spiteful political stunt. If you are seriously cheering this, you have mutated into something very dark and you need to have a cup of tea and a lie down.

This isn’t normal.

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