New Zealand Media Minister Goldsmith appoints Brent Impey as new RNZ chair
New Zealand Media Minister Paul Goldsmith appointed former MediaWorks chief executive Brent Impey as chair of the board of public broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ). Goldsmith said the appointments will reinforce the board over the next three years to support a financially sustainable, trusted state broadcaster.
RNZ Business · Lillian HanlyAccording to RNZ Business, Paul Goldsmith's appointment announcement came at a moment of increasing debate over the public broadcaster's financial sustainability for the next three years. Brent Impey's appointment as former MediaWorks chief executive, drawing on commercial broadcasting and digital reform experience, is being watched closely by the sector for the government's broadcasting reform priorities.
Massey University Media Studies professor Trish Bolton assessed that the appointment is critical for the balance between editorial independence and governance efficiency, while New Zealand Journalists Union representative Marie Wallace said broadcasting staff will share their views on the appointment process with the ministry. Opposition spokesperson Willie Jackson stressed the need to preserve RNZ's editorial autonomy.
Goldsmith said two additional board members were also appointed and that year-end budget talks will revisit RNZ's funding framework. Comparative governance reports with Australia's ABC, the BBC and Ireland's RTÉ are expected in the coming quarter. This piece is not investment or political advice.
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