Following the announcement that Bauer Media NZ had been closed by its parent company, ANZA’s chief executive Lindsay Mouat is urging the Government to safeguard New Zealand’s remaining media.
The announcement that Bauer Media is closing its NZ operations immediately “should be setting off alarm bells with regulators for the future of local media, if they weren’t ringing already,” says Mouat.
“There is the very real risk that the future of media in this country is a mix of only existing Government owned assets, global online platforms and a small number of niche news offerings,” said Mouat. “We believe this would be an unacceptable outcome for New Zealand. Without diverse media, there are obvious risks for society.”
ANZA is urging Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister, Kris Faafoi to broaden the focus of the recently established review of the Government owned media assets, Radio New Zealand and TVNZ, to that of New Zealand media more widely. “The ACCC’s Digital Platforms report released in 2019 provides an excellent place to start,” says Mouat.
Recognising that time is critical, we call on the Government to urgently investigate and implement steps that can be undertaken in the short-term to support local media while this occurs, says ANZA.
