Fears more job cuts on the way for TVNZ as broadcaster aims to find $30m

Thursday, 1 August 2024

TVNZ staff gather in support of their co-workers who are currently facing job cuts as part of a cost cutting exercise by the organisation.

TVNZ has announced it needs to find an additional $30 million.

The news has sparked concerns that more job cuts could be on the way for the state-owned broadcaster.

In March, TVNZ axed current affairs flagship shows such as Sunday and Fair Go.

TVNZ has announced that it needs to increase its annual earnings by $30 million, prompting the union to express “concerns for public broadcasting”.

On Thursday, TVNZ staff were told that the state-owned broadcaster needed to find $30m – either by increasing revenue or reducing costs.

The announcement has sparked fear amongst union members, who are said to be worried that further job losses are on the horizon.

Earlier this year, TVNZ staff gathered in support of their co-workers who were facing job cuts as part of a cost-cutting exercise by the organisation.

In March, it was announced that around 68 jobs were set to be lost across TVNZ under a proposal that axed current affairs flagship shows Sunday, Fair Go, Midday and Tonight.

E tū union negotiation specialist Michael Wood said the latest development showed “a worrying trend at TVNZ”.

“E tū members at TVNZ and across media have been campaigning hard to ‘Save our Stories’ so that New Zealanders continue to have access to media that informs and holds power to account,” Wood said.

He said union members were concerned that as TVNZ looked to reduce costs, even larger cuts than had already been seen might be on their way.

After TVNZ first proposed cuts in March, the broadcaster was ordered to enter mediation with the union and was left facing the Employment Relations Authority.

E tū won and the ERA found that TVNZ had breached its obligations.

Woods said the “good news” about the latest proposal was that there was now a “proper process in place to have union members at the table and involved in discussion about possible change at a much earlier stage”.

He said the union would take this process seriously.

“An ongoing move towards a digital future at TVNZ is a reality, however we will fight hard to ensure that as this change happens, TVNZ fulfils its obligations to New Zealanders by ensuring that it produces high quality content, by skilled and experienced media workers.

“TVNZ, and the Government as the sole shareholder, cannot and must not use this process to walk away from news and current affairs, and telling the stories that matter to New Zealand.”

Wood said that more prospective cuts at TVNZ demonstrated the need for rapid Government intervention to save the media landscape.

“Decent journalism is an absolute necessity in a well-functioning democracy. That’s why TVNZ needs to be supported as a public broadcaster.

“It makes no sense to allow such a crucial tool for information and accountability to gradually wither away as the traditional commercial model for media becomes less financially sustainable in the digital age.”

A spokesperson for TVNZ said the changes came as part of a Digital+2030 strategy.

“We’ve been transparent with our people and publicly that we need to deliver $30m in savings.

“At this stage, we’re seeking ideas from our people for strategic changes we can make across TVNZ so we can continue to deliver for New Zealand audiences in an efficient and cost-effective way,” they said.

The spokesperson added that Thursday’s announcement was not a proposal and no decisions had been made.

“In this challenging media landscape, we must consider all options to ensure TVNZ is a sustainable media business.

“We don’t have the answers yet and it’s something we will work through as a business with our people over the coming months.“