Why the hell is it that because some NZers “like” listening to Radio NZ, or watching taxpayer funded TV, they think this is sufficient reason to take $233 million from other NZers to pay for it? That one may merely “like” something or other is never going to be a rational reason to say that others should therefore give you that which you “like”.
I might “like” driving around in a Porsche Carrera. Yet it would be considered madness if I was to say that because I “liked” such a thing, that all other NZers should give it to me. Yet this is basically what those who support taxpayer funded radio and TV entertainment are saying.
Take Radio NZ. About 250,000 NZers per weekday on average like listening. Therefore they demand that the remaining 3,750,000 (roughly) NZ citizens who do not listen should fork out the money to pay for it. Where the hell is the morality in that, let alone the logic?
I pay a monthly fee to Sky so that I can watch the TV I wish to. I don’t ask anyone else to pay the fee for me, and I wouldn’t dream of asking them to. If I want to watch Sky TV that’s my business and my choice and my expense. Why then should I have money taken from my disposable income by politicians so that they can set up public broadcasting networks to keep a minority sector of the voting public happy in their parasitical state?
And don’t get me started on the racist extravagance that is Maori TV.
We’re borrowing $300 million a week to keep the government afloat, and part of that goes towards providing radio and television services? Why? Just crazy.
In these times of austerity, those wanting public broadcasting should be made to pay a fee that covers the expense involved. Here’s where the money is spent (annual budgets per broadcaster/ service)-
Television – $174 million
• $82 million contestable NZ on Air funding (includes $15.1 million Platinum Fund)
• $58 million for Maori television (includes $25 million Te Mangai Paho contestable)
• $18 million for TVNZ 6 and 7
• $5 million for Freeview
• $2 million for Parliament TV
• $9 million for other (Pacific transmission, archiving, digital, NZ On Screen, etc)Radio – $59 million
• $36 million for Radio New Zealand
• $11 million for Maori radio
• $5 million for New Zealand music
• $3 million for National Pacific Radio Trust
• $4 million for commercial and community radio
Outrageous that citizen taxpayers should be compelled to pay for this. It should be financed by subscriptions, or closed down.
TrueblueNZ 
So $69m in total for race based TV and radio and we still have to endure Maori intros and news on other stations and channels as well.
We must be good people and pronounce native lingo correctly but to hell with treating English the same.
They can fund themselves with the millions they have been paid out.
LikeLike
I agree, totally. On paying for it themselves- when in Oz I subscribed to a radio station. No ads (except for brief plugs for sponsors of each genre, at the end of each DJ’s 2hr block). It worked well. To my knowledge, everybody was happy.
LikeLike
Hang On ! Is that how much it costs per year ?
LikeLike
Angus- Yes, those figures are the annual budgets for the items specified.
(fixed the text a bit)
LikeLike
Just think about the massive number of troughers who earn an “income” from that money. Russell Brown and his now defunct Media 7 show, all those pinko actors like Robyn Malcolm and Antony Starr paid out of NZ on Air cash, all of those CTU “economists” who show up on Radio NZ . . . What a rort.
LikeLike
Damn right, and that is why the best way to kill the left off as a political force is to demand small government. With no access to other people’s money, leftists will whither on the vine.
LikeLike