Seymour said of RNZ\u2019s chief executive, Paul Thompson: \u201cLook, that guy\u2019s got an awful lot to answer for, and I suspect that he won\u2019t be answering the call at RNZ for much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Act leader and deputy prime minister, who in his associate finance capacity is a shareholding minister for RNZ, suggested a management reshuffle would follow a board overhaul. \u201cWe have appointed most of the people on the board and replaced and refreshed them,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a few more appointments to come. I think it\u2019s really critical that we\u2019re ensuring we get better people on the board, and those people will change the management.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrightson, who is among those soon to depart the RNZ board, said: \u201cThere\u2019s a robust relationship, of course, between public media and the government of the day. But I found those comments distasteful and unnecessary, and I don\u2019t think that picking off individuals is the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking as part of a wide-ranging conversation for the Spinoff podcast Gone By Lunchtime, she said: \u201cPersonally, I was offended. Mr Seymour won\u2019t mind, that\u2019s all right. He\u2019ll probably swing back at me, you know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In discussing \u201ca non-commercial broadcaster with Crown funding, albeit at arm\u2019s length, whose job is to take on the government of the day\u201d, said Wrightson, \u201cI think that you would be careful around the comments that each of us would make about the other.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for that anticipated swing back, approached by the Spinoff, Seymour said in a statement: \u201cThe government appoints the board on behalf of the taxpayer, who is the shareholder. Ms Wrightson shouldn\u2019t be surprised that we do that with purpose. I wish her well for her endeavours after she moves on from the board of RNZ.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Out of order\u2019 \u2013 Peters<\/p>\n
Jim Mather, chair of the RNZ board, had earlier responded to Seymour\u2019s comments by stressing that RNZ\u2019s editorial independence is \u201cfundamental and non-negotiable\u201d. Mather, whose tenure will soon expire, said <\/a>in a statement: \u201cAny suggestion that board appointments are intended to influence management outcomes or editorial direction is inconsistent with the arm\u2019s-length framework that underpins public trust in RNZ.\u201d<\/p>\n He said: \u201cCommentary that publicly links board changes, management tenure or editorial appointments to political perspectives risks undermining confidence in RNZ\u2019s independence and the integrity of its journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to parliamentary questions about the incident, which emerged as the parties of government launched repeated salvos against the media, Christopher Luxon refused to criticise Seymour. He said: \u201cThe minister explained his comments well. I\u2019m quite confident that he did not at any time direct RNZ or TVNZ.\u201d<\/p>\n The minister for media and communications, Paul Goldsmith, later told reporters: \u201cI don\u2019t think some of [Seymour\u2019s] comments were helpful in relation particularly to the board. We appoint the board, and it\u2019s typically the role of the board to make decisions around management.\u201d<\/p>\n New Zealand FIrst leader, Winston Peters, despite previous broadsides at both RNZ <\/a>and TVNZ<\/a>, was not leaping to support Seymour. He said of his cabinet colleague\u2019s comments last week: \u201cThey were out of order, especially if you\u2019re a shareholding minister in that context,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can have our criticisms about organisations, but that\u2019s no way to go about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wrightson, who concludes her role with RNZ at the end of June, said: \u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed my time on that board\u00a0 \u2026 To be able to assist with its strategic direction and providing the kind of screen around it so that it can do its job, I think that\u2019s really important for board members of public media entities.\u201d<\/p>\n Of the changes at RNZ over recent years, she said: \u201cIt had been running on the smell of an oily rag for years and years. I was quite shocked when I walked in to see the state of the technology and the state of the systems and the entrenched nature of some of the discussions. So it really needed a big modernisation project. That\u2019s nearly finished. Moving into the building with TVNZ in Auckland in a couple of months will be a good thing as well. So I think the future is bright.\u201d<\/p>\n The decades-old case for regulator reform<\/p>\nJane Wrightson, who has just retired as retirement commissioner, will soon finish her stint on the RNZ board.<\/p>\n