In a video link up, the NZ Minister for Broadcasting and Media, Kris Faafoi, has announced the establishment board working on the TVNZ-RNZ merger.

Former MP and New Zealand First broadcasting spokeswoman Tracey Martin will chair the board, with members including former MediaWorks chief executive Michael Anderson and current TVNZ board chair and Briscoe Group director Andy Coupe.

Other members include TVNZ’s Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver, NZ Rugby director and Māori Broadcasting Advisory Panel member Bailey Mackey, RNZ board chair and former Māori Television chair, Dr Jim Mather, ANZ Bank executive and RNZ board member Peter Parussini, former Kordia Group chair John Quirk and tech entrepreneur and augmented reality producer Aliesha Staples.

TVNZ and RNZ are expected to be fully merged by the middle of 2023, and the Minister says the new entity should be better placed to compete against the changing technology and global competition for both audiences and revenue.

He says New Zealanders must be “…able to continue to have access to reliable and trusted information, and that local content sits at the heart of the decision.

“A public media entity that is resilient, sustainable, and has the wherewithal to deliver independent, trusted, is absolutely key to that.”

All current programming will endure, but there will be a public media focus to give better reach to those audiences who are not well served, such as some ethnic communities and younger audiences who are accessing on-demand content.

Legislation to create the entity would be introduced to Parliament in the next few months, and the public would then have the chance to give feedback.