Minister for Media and Communications

The Minister for Media and Communications^[a] is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the government's broadcasting and media policies, including the diversity and accessibility of broadcast content, broadcasting standards, the regulation of the print media, and the oversight of state media corporations TVNZ and Radio New Zealand.^[2] The current Minister is Paul Goldsmith, a member of the National Party.

Minister for Media and Communications
Coat of arms of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand
Incumbent Paul Goldsmith since 24 April 2024
Television New Zealand Radio New Zealand
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Executive Council
Reports to	Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	1 July 1936 (as Minister of Broadcasting)
First holder	Michael Joseph Savage
Salary	$288,900[1]

History

In 1936 the First Labour Government decided that broadcasting would be run by the state. As a result a government minister in charge of Broadcasting was appointed and new legislation (the Broadcasting Act 1936) was passed that abolished the existing New Zealand Broadcasting Board and established the new National Broadcasting Service in its place. A Director of Broadcasting was appointed and a Broadcasting Advisory Council formed as a result of the act to advise the minister.^[3][4] The Labour Party had specifically sought to broadcast parliamentary debates via radio as a means of allowing the public to listen and make their own judgment of events, rather than relying solely on the press, whom Labour were distrustful of.^[5]

Later the minister oversaw the introduction of television into New Zealand and became responsible for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC).^[6]

Between December 2016 and October 2017, the broadcasting portfolio was disestablished, with portfolio responsibilities shared between the Minister for Communications and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.^[7] The position was recreated from October 2017 with a title change reflecting a broader scope. The Minister is advised by officials from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.^[2]

Under the Sixth Labour Government, the focus of the portfolio was on creating a new Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media entity which would have been formed by merging TVNZ and Radio New Zealand into a single state broadcaster.^[8] The plan was later scrapped.^[9]

List of ministers

The following ministers have held the office of Minister of Broadcasting.^[10]

Key

  Labour   National

No.		Name	Portrait	Term of Office		Prime Minister
As Minister of Broadcasting
	1	Michael Joseph Savage		1 July 1936	27 March 1940		Savage
	2	Peter Fraser		27 March 1940	21 January 1941		Fraser
	3	David Wilson		21 January 1941	8 April 1944
	4	Fred Jones		8 April 1944	13 December 1949
	5	Frederick Doidge		13 December 1949	19 September 1951		Holland
	6	Ronald Algie		19 September 1951	12 December 1957
							Holyoake
	7	Ray Boord		12 December 1957	12 December 1960		Nash
	8	Arthur Kinsella		12 December 1960	20 December 1963		Holyoake
	9	Jack Scott		20 December 1963	15 February 1967
	10	Lance Adams-Schneider		15 February 1967	22 December 1969
	11	Bert Walker		22 December 1969	8 December 1972
							Marshall
	12	Roger Douglas		8 December 1972	12 December 1975		Kirk
							Rowling
	13	Hugh Templeton		12 December 1975	12 February 1981		Muldoon
	14	Warren Cooper		12 February 1981	11 December 1981
	15	Ian Shearer		11 December 1981	26 July 1984
	16	Jonathan Hunt		26 July 1984	24 August 1987		Lange
	17	Richard Prebble		24 August 1987	4 November 1988
	-	David Lange acting minister		4 November 1988	8 November 1988
	(16)	Jonathan Hunt		8 November 1988	2 November 1990
							Palmer
							Moore
	18	Maurice Williamson		2 November 1990	10 December 1999		Bolger
							Shipley
	19	Marian Hobbs		10 December 1999	23 February 2001		Clark
	-	Steve Maharey acting minister		23 February 2001	27 March 2001
	(19)	Marian Hobbs		27 March 2001	15 August 2002
	20	Steve Maharey		15 August 2002	5 November 2007
	21	Trevor Mallard		5 November 2007	19 November 2008
	22	Jonathan Coleman		19 November 2008	14 December 2011		Key
	23	Craig Foss		14 December 2011	8 October 2014
	24	Amy Adams		8 October 2014	20 December 2016
		No separate appointments		20 December 2016	26 October 2017		English
As Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media
	25	Clare Curran		26 October 2017	7 September 2018		Ardern
As Minister of Broadcasting and Media
	26	Kris Faafoi		7 September 2018	14 June 2022		Ardern
	27	Willie Jackson		14 June 2022	27 November 2023
							Hipkins
As Minister for Media and Communications
	28	Melissa Lee		27 November 2023	24 April 2024		Luxon
	29	Paul Goldsmith		24 April 2024	present

See also

• Television in New Zealand
• Radio in New Zealand

Works cited

• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

Notes

1. The portfolio was previously Minister of Broadcasting, Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media and Minister of Broadcasting and Media.