5 May 2023
Brian Mullane
[FYI request #22453 email] Tēnā koe Brian
I refer to your request received on 14 April 2023, which has been considered under
the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
As background, Discovery New Zealand is a subsidiary of Warner Bros.
Discovery that operates several television channels in New Zealand. MediaWorks TV
operated as a subsidiary of
MediaWorks New Zealand until 2019/2020 when
television operations were sold to
Discovery, Inc. and rebranded as Discovery New
Zealand. Neither Discovery New Zealand nor MediaWorks TV are or were public or
Crown companies, each are privately owned and independent from the Government.
Please find a response to each part of your request below:
1. How much money did NZ government pay Discovery to help them get
established in New Zealand?
My office does not hold any information in relation to this part of your request.
However, I refer you to several publicly available websites which provide information
on funding provided to media outlets:
Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage
•
https://mch.govt.nz/media-sector-support
Irirangi Te Motu New Zealand on Air:
•
https://www.nzonair.govt.nz/funding/#funding-decisions
Te Māngai Pāho
•
tmp.govt.nz/en/funding/funding-decision-search/television/
I should also note that no single agency or Minister would hold exhaustive records of
what funding may or may not have been provided to a third party.
2. What concessions, i.e. tax or any other, were offered to Discovery to clinch the
deal for them to buy Mediaworks?
My office does not hold any information in relation to this part of your request.
3. What ongoing payments and concessions were paid or made available to
Discovery and when will/did they stop?
My office does not hold any information in relation to this part of your request.
4. How long before the 2020 election did government start negotiating with
Discovery?
My office does not hold any information in relation to this part of your request. Please
note, I became Minister for Broadcasting and Media in June 2022.
5. How much money in total has been paid to all New Zealand media, over and
above the inital $55 million.
I refer you to question one.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of my
response to your request. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Hon Willie Jackson
Minister for Broadcasting and Media
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