When TV3 chose to broadcast a documentary about poverty just four days before last year’s general election, it must have known it was being controversial. Such heavily political documentaries are rare in New Zealand, and it’s not surprising to find that there’s been a backlash from those who feel the programme may have influenced voting behaviour. The question of whether this is a good or bad thing is now being debated thanks to Tom Frewen’s uncovering of the behind the scenes story – see his item: NZ on Air Spooked by Political Interference. Frewen reveals that the state broadcasting funding agency NZ On Air was very displeased with TV3’s timing and it’s now investigating how it might prevent the political programmes it funds from being screened during elections.
The political response to this has been very strong, and is best covered in Claire Trevett’s item NZ on Air to stop docos in election lead-up. The agency’s moves are labeled as ‘heavy-handed’, ‘worrying’, and ‘censorship’. Attention is also being focused on the fact that the state agency includes political appointees, such as John Key’s electorate secretary, Stephen McElrea. Hence NZ On Air, which worried about its reputation for political impartiality being tarnished by its funding for the Inside Child Poverty programme by Bryan Bruce, is now ironically being accused of being National Party cronies.
The debate about preventing the media from broadcasting political items during an election campaign is an important one. In many ways it’s a re-run of the same issues about freedom of speech, democracy discourse, and state regulation of politics that we saw during the fight over the Electoral Finance Act in 2007. Only this time around, the (generally leftwing) proponents of state intervention and regulation of political discourse appear to have swapped sides and are now arguing for a more lassez faire approach. Clare Curran, for example, sums up a sensible position on the issue in her statement that ‘Surely it's a good thing that during an election campaign for there to be robust political discussion about issues’ – see: RNZ’s Film maker angered at NZOA pre-election move. So rather than having less political programmes during the election, perhaps we actually need a lot more. This is a point well made in Tim Watkin’s very good blog post, NZ on Air gets it back-to-front on political docos.
In general, Curran and other critics of NZ On Air’s intentions – such as Steven Price, The Standard, and Martyn Bradbury, are making very good and principled critiques of the proposals from NZ On Air. But you have to wonder if those same principled arguments would be made if the tables were turned, and TV3 had broadcast a documentary about, say, ‘welfare dependency’ a few days before the election. There can be little doubt that the Bryan Bruce poverty documentary – which should be seen as a welcome addition to electoral debate – was heavily political. This is a point well made in Karl du Fresne’s most recent blog post on the matter.
Also worth reading are David Farrar’s defence of NZ On Air and John Pagani’s call for the ‘political cronies’ in the agency to be sacked. For a humourous – but insightful – take on the topic, see Denis Welch’s Loose talk.
David Shearer has finally broken his silence over the Ports of Auckland industrial dispute, only to say that the Labour Party intends to remain silent. Essentially Shearer has chosen to re-adopt Labour’s infamous 1951 political position of being ‘neither for nor against the watersiders’. Similarly, one of Labour’s industrial spokespeople, Darien Fenton, continues to insist that her party is not taking a side in the class struggle on the wharves, but nonetheless elaborates on her concerns in a very carefully worded Red Alert blog post Labour and the POA. No Right Turn is less than impressed with Labour’s neutrality – see: Useless. Adam Bennett usefully reports on Shearer’s stance, along with that of other political parties in Big parties keep distance in port dispute. Other important items on the dispute are by Jenny Keown (Auckland wharfies find friends on city's boards) and Brian Rudman (The big issue behind port dispute).
Finally, other good items today include Fran O’Sullivan’s Shearer needs a slicker response on oil, Simon Collins’ Rich or poor? Poverty trap set at birth, study reveals in which it is shown New Zealand has very low social mobility, Ben Heather’s Red-zoners 'bullied' in Govt buyout, and Vernon Small’s Labour cuts staff numbers – which explains that Labour’s parliamentary state funding has been reduced ‘from $3.5m before the election to about $2.8m now’ leading to a downsizing in the number of spindoctors employed, and details are provided about other staff changes. [Continue reading below for a full list of the highlights of NZ Politics Daily]

NZ On Air dispute
Tom Frewen (Scoop): NZ on Air Spooked by Political Interference
Claire Trevett (Herald): NZ on Air to stop docos in election lead-up
Kate Chapman (Dom Post): Questions raised by Labour over NZ On Air's neutrality
RNZ: Film maker angered at NZOA pre-election move
RNZ: NZOA accused of political bias over poverty show
Newswire: Doco censorship called an 'affront to democracy'
Denis Welch (Opposable thumb): Loose talk
Tim Watkin (Pundit): NZ on Air gets it back-to-front on political docos
No Right Turn: National tries to control the media
Karl du Fresne: "Dropped in it" - NZ on Air and that Bryan Bruce documentary
The Standard: Nats to use censorship to keep public in the dark ahead of elections
Lew Stoddart (Kiwipolitico): Hearing no evil
Martyn Bradbury (Tumeke): Key's electorate chairman attempts to censor political docos at NZ on Air
Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Balance not censorship
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Election period taxpayer funded programmes
John Pagani (Stuff): We don't need political interference in TV
Ports of Auckland dispute
Jenny Keown (Stuff): Auckland wharfies find friends on city's boards
Adam Bennett (Herald): Big parties keep distance in port dispute
TV3/RadioLIVE: Shearer stays out of Ports dispute
Darien Fenton (Red Alert): Labour and the POA
No Right Turn: Useless
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Squashed
No Right Turn: Speaking out on Ports of Auckland
Waitakere News: Why Len Brown should intervene in the POAL Dispute
RNZ: Port agrees to stop work meeting if strike cancelled
Brian Rudman (Herald): The big issue behind port dispute
Herald: Editorial - Port row gives clue to asset sales solution
Cathy Odgers (Cactus Kate): Union Admits It Is Out of Mantrol
Christchurch
Ben Heather (Press): Red-zoners 'bullied' in Govt buyout
Cullen Smith (The Star): Shearer wants bipartisan response to quakes
RNZ: Labour leader visits quake-hit residents
Joe Bennett (Waikato Times): Rebranding Tony Marryatt
Other
Simon Collins (Herald): Rich or poor? Poverty trap set at birth, study reveals
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Shearer needs a slicker response on oil
Vernon Small (Stuff): Labour cuts staff numbers
Danyl Mclauchlan (Dim Post): Wither Red Alert?
John Hartevelt (Stuff): Orchestra tickets perk for director
Shane Cowlishaw (Stuff): Wellington council's catering bill $1000 a day
John Ryall (Dom Post): Wage law change will be draconian Treaty Settlement Process
Russell Tregonning (ODT): Opponents point out hazards of lignite plant
Joshua Hitchcock (Maori Law and Politics): Government Cuts Threaten
Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): Recession risk rises as cup joy fades
RNZ: Business confidence takes a knock
Roeland Van den bergh (Stuff): Economy sound, but risks abound, says bank
TVNZ: Kiwibank buys Gareth Morgan's company
Trevor Mallard (Red Alert): Another fortnight of Key’s kowtowing
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Mallard on Crafar
RNZ: Asset sales mooted to reduce Dunedin debt
Steffan Browning (frogblog): The Food Bill, not as sweet as first appeared
David Farrar (Stuff): Should there be term limits for list MPs?
Patrick Leyland (Progress Report): Farrar’s non-solution to a non-problem
Grant Duncan (Policy Matters): Maori seats: Why do they exist?
NZ Parliament: Looking back over 50 Parliaments
Newswire: Green MP on bike for planet
RNZ: Assistant Speaker elected head of global group
Clare Curran (Red Alert): How important is IP to our economy