Brendon Burns

TVNZ’s latest financial results are constructed around ensuring the Government gets a dividend at any cost, says Labour’s broadcasting spokesman Brendon Burns.
 
Brendon Burns says TVNZ has focused its own reporting of results in the year to June 30 on the Government’s dividend of $4.87m, up from $1.47m on the previous year.
 
“While delivering any improved results in a tough recession has to be acknowledged, TVNZ did so after cutting more than 80 staff last year which carried into the latest results and contribute to it reporting an after-tax loss of $26m.
 
“Yes, the losses reflected non-cash adjustments to reflect progamme stock expenses and new tax depreciation rules, but they are still have to be carried by TVNZ. Meantime, revenue was down $14.1m,” Brendon Burns said.
 
“Given those losses and the fact that more staff are being shed this financial year, when will the Government recognise that this is not a sustainable strategy?
 
“TVNZ is answering its master’s call for dividends but Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman is becoming an emperor with no clothes,” Brendon Burns said.

“He refuses to consider a review of broadcasting competition rules which compound the recession’s impact on TVNZ and other free-to-air broadcasters. Meantime, the pay broadcaster Sky, which benefits from the ’no rules’ environment, reported an after-tax profit last week of $103m.”
 
Brendon Burns says the Government’s agenda is to strip staffing and costs from TVNZ and make it more attractive for sale as soon as possible if it managed to gain a second term in government.

The National/ACT government’s expensive taxpayer-funded pamphlet shows it under-estimated how angry and concerned Cantabrians are about losing control of their water allocation, says Labour’s water spokesman Brendon Burns.
The Christchurch Central MP says the pamphlet repeats all the half-truths about Environment Canterbury’s record on water management and tells a few of its own.
“The Prime Minister states we should be able to swim, fish and drink safely from our waterways and aquifers but fails to mention that he’s on-record saying he wants to see new water schemes in place next year in Canterbury. Environment Minister Nick Smith is now saying there is no way he can get new environmental controls in place before the next election.
“Meantime, Chinese-funded dairy corporate Synlait wants to double milk powder production at its Dunsandel plant and Fonterra is underway with plans for a plant to process 2m litres of milk a day at Darfield. We need new rules in place to protect our environment before such developments proceed to ensure our already poor record on water quality does not get worse.
Brendon Burns says the Government’s clumsy attempt to impose its growth agenda on top of Environment Canterbury’s own strategy to achieve sustainable outcomes has made water the number one issue in Canterbury.
“Having rammed through legislation in 36 hours to disembowel ECAN councillors and install its own Commissioners, the Government now has the gall to charge us for a pamphlet that ‘seeks our views’.
“The pamphlet also maintains the pretence that we might get back new elections for ECAN if we express our views when Nick Smith has already suggested moving to an elected water authority.”
Brendon Burns says the National/ACT government’s polling has clearly shown it that it’s made a major mistake in trampling on the democratic right of Cantabrians to decide who allocates and manages their water.

A Government options paper on public service broadcasting is considering major and worrying changes, including a shotgun marriage between Radio New Zealand and TVNZ’s non-commercial channels, says Labour’s broadcasting spokesman Brendon Burns.

Brendon Burns says the review, led by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and Treasury, is canvassing a range of options understood to include merging RNZ news services into TVNZ’s, through to integrating TVNZ’s non-commercial channels 6 and 7 with RNZ’s operations.

“The review carries huge risks, particularly to Radio New Zealand. Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman has also softened up Kiwis for potentially radical change in television by axing the TVNZ charter and requiring TVNZ to focus only on dividends. ”

Meantime, Bill English says there will be no renewal next year of the $79 million of funding TVNZ has had over five years to establish and run the commercial-free Channels 6 and 7 on the Freeview digital platform,” Brendon Burns said. ”

Public reaction to Dr Coleman’s freezing of RNZ funding, and to his pressure on the RNZ board to consider commercial sponsorship, has shown him New Zealanders still value public broadcasting, so now he’s looking at a shotgun marriage between RNZ and the bits of TVNZ that don’t make money.”

Brendon Burns says the review must ensure that there is no risk of more ‘slash and burn’ that cuts the jobs of more broadcasters and journalists, and cripples RNZ as our only non-commercial public broadcaster. “Dr Coleman has cabinet colleagues with backgrounds in commercial radio who see little value in public broadcasting and its role in providing a national voice. They want to sell TVNZ and gut RNZ.

“RNZ does an outstanding job at very modest cost. We don’t need RNZ journalists with cameras over their shoulders submerged in a new, cash-strapped ‘radio with pictures’ organisation. If it is flung together, without consensus, it will have a short and unhappy life. The RNZ ethos must be guaranteed. ”

New public service broadcasting arrangements also require an enduring link to TVNZ for base news material and its archives. If the funding options include plundering New Zealand on Air, that will reduce local content on TV One and Two, TV3 and Prime, and make pay television ever more compelling.”

Brendon Burns says Kiwis have every reason to be apprehensive as the Government has shown it does not have a high regard for non-commercial broadcasting. “These changes need wide-ranging debate, not just a cabinet tick-off. The Government must show from the start that it’s prepared to listen.”

New Zealanders deserve to know why their Government did not support a UN resolution which affirms the rights of an estimated billion people whose supplies currently are not safe to drink, says Labour water spokesperson Brendon Burns.

New Zealand was among 41 nations which abstained on the resolution put overnight at the UN General Assembly, with the votes of 124 countries seeing it passed.

“The resolution was non-binding in affirming that it is a human right to have safe drinking water and sanitation,” Brendon Burns said.

“It’s worth noting that while the UN is debating the rights of people around the planet to fresh water, 1 in 6 New Zealanders continue to drink water that is not safe or not tested.

“The National Government has put a three year moratorium on meeting the World Health Organisation’s minimum guidelines for safe drinking water. It has also frozen now for 11 months the funding Labour put in place to assist small communities to meet WHO recommendations.”

Brendon Burns says the UN resolution is sponsored by Bolivia, where the Government came to power after street riots threw out the previous administration, which was trying to privatise the nation’s water supplies.

“The National/ACT Government is currently trying to ram through a bill which would allow councils to privatise water supplies for 35 years.

“This has led to public warnings from health authorities that the government’s policies could cause major outbreaks of water-borne illness,” said Brendon Burns.

“These are some of the issues that the UN resolution attempts to address by upholding the right of everyone to have safe drinking water and sanitation. Labour believes that should include New Zealanders.”

Labour broadcasting spokesperson Brendon Burns has tabled a petition in Parliament this week recording the support of more than 2500 people for Radio New Zealand as the Government directs it to “reconfigure” services.

Brendon Burns said today he started an e-petition after Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman instructed the Radio New Zealand board to change its mindset and start considering options such as turning National Radio off between midnight and 6am, ending FM coverage in some areas and finding sponsorship for Concert FM.

“An e-petition is a valid expression of opinion but it cannot be tabled in Parliament,” Brendon Burns said. “That’s why the Parliamentary petition I tabled yesterday actually comes from former RNZ board member Alison Timms and requests the House to note that 2640 people have signed the e-petition.

“The petitions affirm that Radio New Zealand is a national institution adding daily to the lives of New Zealanders and to the fabric of our society. We say that Radio NZ deserves Government’s support and encouragement, not an ongoing freeze and directives which can only mean reductions in output and quality.”

Brendon Burns said Jonathan Coleman should take note of his own Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill, which he introduced a year ago and which was due to come into force on 1 January this year, but which continues to languish on the Parliamentary order paper.

“Perhaps that’s because the Minister’s own bill pledges to retain Radio New Zealand without advertising or sponsorship, but within months of its introduction, Dr Coleman was telling the board to think about sponsorship.

“This is the same Minister who promised a year ago to ‘release a new Broadcasting Work Programme shortly, the content of which is consistent with our manifesto commitments’,” Brendon Burns said.

“No such Broadcasting Work Programme has ever been released, showing the Minister’s ability to deliver is about as convincing as his support for Radio New Zealand.”