Today’s move to amalgamate RNZ and TVNZ is yet another wasteful and pointless move by the Government for the future of the media sector, National’s Broadcasting & Media spokesperson Melissa Lee says.

“The Government has spent the last several years wasting millions of dollars on countless reviews, consultations and reports, only to now arrive at this mediocre conclusion.

“The decision today is notably lacking details, including how much it is going to cost taxpayers. This is yet another example of wasteful spending from this Labour Government.

“There are significant differences between RNZ and TVNZ and it is bizarre that Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi thinks their amalgamation is the best answer for the future of our media sector, or a priority for spending taxpayer money.

“Merging RNZ and TVNZ into an unaccountable publicly funded monolith will only harm their long-term value to the taxpaying public.

“New Zealand needs more quality voices in our media sector, not fewer. This decision will only hurt media growth in New Zealand.

“Minister Faafoi has been dropping the ball in immigration and in justice, and now it’s absolutely clear he’s dropped the ball with this pointless and costly merger.

“The Minister and his Government are not fit for the challenges of our broadcasting and media sector, and they certainly aren’t looking out for the interests of taxpayers. New Zealanders deserve much better.”