Minister for Media and Communications

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Minister for Media and Communications
Coat of arms of New Zealand.svg
Flag of New Zealand.svg
Paul Goldsmith (cropped).png
Incumbent
Paul Goldsmith
since 24 April 2024
Television New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Style The Honourable
Member of Executive Council
Reports to Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1 July 1936
(as Minister of Broadcasting)
First holder Michael Joseph Savage
Salary$288,900 [1]

The Minister for Media and Communications [a] is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the government's broadcasting and media policies, including the diversity and accessibility of broadcast content, broadcasting standards, the regulation of the print media, and the oversight of state media corporations TVNZ and Radio New Zealand. [2] The current Minister is Paul Goldsmith, a member of the National Party.

Contents

History

In 1936 the First Labour Government decided that broadcasting would be run by the state. As a result a government minister in charge of Broadcasting was appointed and new legislation (the Broadcasting Act 1936) was passed that abolished the existing New Zealand Broadcasting Board and established the new National Broadcasting Service in its place. A Director of Broadcasting was appointed and a Broadcasting Advisory Council formed as a result of the act to advise the minister. [3] [4] The Labour Party had specifically sought to broadcast parliamentary debates via radio as a means of allowing the public to listen and make their own judgment of events, rather than relying solely on the press, whom Labour were distrustful of. [5]

Later the minister oversaw the introduction of television into New Zealand and became responsible for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC). [6]

Between December 2016 and October 2017, the broadcasting portfolio was disestablished, with portfolio responsibilities shared between the Minister for Communications and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. [7] The position was recreated from October 2017 with a title change reflecting a broader scope. The Minister is advised by officials from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. [2]

Under the Sixth Labour Government, the focus of the portfolio was on creating a new Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media entity which would have been formed by merging TVNZ and Radio New Zealand into a single state broadcaster. [8] The plan was later scrapped. [9]

List of ministers

The following ministers have held the office of Minister of Broadcasting. [10]

Key

   Labour    National

No.NamePortraitTerm of OfficePrime Minister
As Minister of Broadcasting
1 Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage Portrait (cropped).jpg 1 July 193627 March 1940 Savage
2 Peter Fraser Peter Fraser.jpg 27 March 194021 January 1941 Fraser
3 David Wilson David Wilson MLC.jpg 21 January 19418 April 1944
4 Fred Jones Fred Jones 1935.jpg 8 April 194413 December 1949
5 Frederick Doidge Frederick Doidge.jpg 13 December 194919 September 1951 Holland
6 Ronald Algie Ronald Algie, 1950.jpg 19 September 195112 December 1957
Holyoake
7 Ray Boord Ray Boord.jpg 12 December 195712 December 1960 Nash
8 Arthur Kinsella Arthur Kinsella, 1961.jpg 12 December 196020 December 1963 Holyoake
9 Jack Scott Jack Scott, 1958.jpg 20 December 196315 February 1967
10 Lance Adams-Schneider Lance Adams-Schneider, 1957.jpg 15 February 196722 December 1969
11 Bert Walker No image.png 22 December 19698 December 1972
Marshall
12 Roger Douglas 8 December 197212 December 1975 Kirk
Rowling
13 Hugh Templeton Hugh Templeton.jpg 12 December 197512 February 1981 Muldoon
14 Warren Cooper Warren Cooper 1983.jpg 12 February 198111 December 1981
15 Ian Shearer No image.png 11 December 198126 July 1984
16 Jonathan Hunt Jonathan Hunt 1986.jpg 26 July 198424 August 1987 Lange
17 Richard Prebble Richard Prebble, 1993 (cropped).jpg 24 August 19874 November 1988
- David Lange

acting minister

David Lange (cropped).jpg 4 November 19888 November 1988
(16) Jonathan Hunt Jonathan Hunt 1986.jpg 8 November 19882 November 1990
Palmer
Moore
18 Maurice Williamson Maurice Williamson at the NZ Open Source Awards, 2007.jpg 2 November 199010 December 1999 Bolger
Shipley
19 Marian Hobbs Marian Hobbs.jpg 10 December 199923 February 2001 Clark
- Steve Maharey
acting minister
Steve Maharey, 2008.jpg 23 February 200127 March 2001
(19) Marian Hobbs Marian Hobbs.jpg 27 March 200115 August 2002
20 Steve Maharey Steve Maharey, 2008.jpg 15 August 20025 November 2007
21 Trevor Mallard Trevor Mallard.jpg 5 November 200719 November 2008
22 Jonathan Coleman Jonathan Coleman crop.jpg 19 November 200814 December 2011 Key
23 Craig Foss 14 December 20118 October 2014
24 Amy Adams Amy Adams politician (cropped).jpg 8 October 201420 December 2016
No separate appointments20 December 201626 October 2017 English
As Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media
25 Clare Curran Clare Curran.jpg 26 October 20177 September 2018 Ardern
As Minister of Broadcasting and Media
26 Kris Faafoi Hon Kris Faafoi.jpg 7 September 201814 June 2022 Ardern
27 Willie Jackson Willie Jackson.jpg 14 June 202227 November 2023
Hipkins
As Minister for Media and Communications
28 Melissa Lee Melissa Lee (cropped).png 27 November 202324 April 2024 Luxon
29 Paul Goldsmith Paul Goldsmith (cropped).png 24 April 2024present

See also

Works cited

Notes

  1. The portfolio was previously Minister of Broadcasting, Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media and Minister of Broadcasting and Media.

References

  1. "Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination 2016" (PDF). www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Broadcasting and Media". Broadcasting and Media. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  3. "Control by Minister". The Evening Post . Vol. CXXI, no. 135. 9 June 1936. p. 5. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. "Broadcasting Portfolio". Nelson Evening Mail . Vol. LXX. 1 July 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  5. Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: A biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland, New Zealand: Reed Methuen. pp. 193–4. ISBN   0-474-00138-5.
  6. "Television in New Zealand; TV emerges in New Zealand". NZ History online. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  7. "Our Ministers | Ministry for Culture and Heritage". 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  8. "New details revealed as Cabinet agrees on RNZ, TVNZ public broadcasting decision". RNZ . 29 January 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  9. "Watch: TVNZ/RNZ merger scrapped, income insurance and hate speech laws delayed". RNZ . 8 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  10. Wilson 1985, pp. 89–97.