Media in New Zealand

The New Zealand media consists of many different kinds of communication media, including television, radio, newspapers and magaziness, film and websites. Most of these are privately owned by international corporations, although there are state-owned and funded television and radio stations. The New Zealand media is not routinely censored except in relation to libel and contempt of court. The dominant language in all media is English although there are television channels, radio stations, newspapers and magazines in a range of other languages. The content of the New Zealand media is a mix of entertainment, news, sports and opinion. Television and radio are dominated by imported content, particularly from the United States and the United Kingdom. The print media have a much higher percentage of New Zealand content, but most newspapers and some magazines include content syndicated from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Television

Television was introduced to New Zealand in 1960, and there are currently 11 national free-to-air channels, if freeview is counted as free-to-air. There are also 22 regional stations catering to a wide range of audiences, two pay television networks and one network only available through the digital receivers of one of the pay TV networks.

Radio

New Zealand radio is dominated by several commercial networks and National Radio, which is a state-owned service playing content unvailable on the commercial networks such as classical music. There is also a student radio network, BNet, and various stations owned and controlled by local Māori. In addition, some frequencies are freely available for local transmission.

Newspapers

New Zealand once had several daily newspapers in each major city, but as in other countries the medium was damaged by radio and then television, and each city now only has one daily newspaper. There are no truly national newspapers although the "New Zealand Herald" and to a lesser extent the "Dominion Post" are both available outside their core areas. There are several weekly newspapers with a national scope, including two tabloids. There are also numerous low-budget weekly newspapers catering for particular suburbs or for subcultures including the gay and farming communities and various ethnic groups.

Magazines

Magazines cover a wide range of topics, including current affairs, music, food, home decor, gardening and celebrity gossip. Many overseas magazines are available in New Zealand, particularly those from Australia.

Film

The New Zealand film industry is small but successful, boasting directors such as Peter Jackson and Jane Campion. The New Zealand Film Commission funds films with New Zealand content.

Websites

There is a lively New Zealand blogosphere as well as popular news sites such as the New Zealand Herald website, Scoop and stuff.co.nz.

Ownership

The New Zealand media is dominated by a small number of companies: TVNZ (five free-to-air television channels, three of them freeview); MediaWorks NZ (two free-to-air channels and a radio network); Fairfax Media (numerous newspapers and magazines); APN News & Media (several newspapers and radio stations); and Sky Network Television (a pay TV network and a free-to-air TV station).

TVNZ is state-owned, as is National Radio, Māori Television and TAB Trackside. The other companies are all overseas-owned.

Censorship

Films, videos, publications and some video games are classified and sometimes censored by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. Issues of bias and inaccuracy in the print media are dealt with by the New Zealand Press Council, and the Broadcasting Standards Authority deals with complaints regarding television and radio. The Advertising Standards Authority takes complaints about advertising.

New Zealand's censorship regime is fairly light-handed, with violent and sexual content regularly shown on free-to-air television late at night. Nor is there political censorship. However libel laws are strict by international standards, following the British model. In addition, the Electoral Finance Act severely restricts political advertising in election years.

Linguistic minorities

World TV Ltd broadcasts in various Asian languages, while Triangle TV and Access Radio both run programmes in languages other than English. There are also several Polynesian-language radio stations, and various newspapers and magazines in non-English langauges, particularly those of Asia and Polynesia.

Māori media

In the late 1980s, the Waitangi Tribunal found that the government of New Zealand had an obligation to nurture the Māori language. As a result, most areas have at least one Māori-owned (iwi) radio station, and there is also a Māori television channel which broadcasts mostly in the Māori language. The style and content of the iwi stations varies considerably. George FM broadcasts on an iwi licence but has very little Māori content except in the middle of the night, while other stations are more like community radio. One of the most successful is Auckland-based Mai FM, which has a hip-hop and R&B focus. Few iwi stations broadcast primarily in the Māori langauge, but all take some steps to promote the language.