1.July 2021 2.10 SIC ppr PIJF Projects National Jul 2021.pdf

AGENDA ITEM 2.10

PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM FUND: PROJECTS (NATIONAL)
FUNDING DECISIONS

RECOMMENDATION
That the Staff Investment Committee approves funding up to:
•  $98,533 to Kowhai Media for Being Teen,

•  $73,152 to Techday Ltd for Cybersecurity in Aotearoa,

•  $174,092 to BusinessDesk for How Good Is Our Public Service?
•  $181,118 to SunPix for Ifoga,

•  $204,970 to Red Sky Film & Television for Inside Child Poverty 10 Years On
•  $335,746 to The Spinoff for IRL,

•  $131,139 to SunPix for Maisuka
•  $217,325 to The Spinoff for Nē?
•  $433,000 to UMA Broadcasting for Paakiwaha
•  $236,930 to Aotearoa Media Collective for Party People
•

•  $806,135 to Newsroom NZ for The Detail,

•  $178,729 to Great Southern Television for The Hui: Summer Edition
•  $4,250 to Lifestyle Publishing for The Living Forest
•  $591,465 to Stuff for The Whole Truth,

and declines funding of:
•  see Annex A for a list of shortlisted proposals recommended for decline at full proposal stage.

15 shortlisted applications recommended for total funding of $3,709,584.
shortlisted applications recommended for decline seeking total funding of

under the Official Information Act

BACKGROUND
1.
In January 2021 Cabinet agreed to draw down $55 million over the next three years (2021 - 2023) from the
tagged contingency set aside by Cabinet for broadcasting initiatives. This funding will be administered by NZ
On Air to support the production of public interest journalism including Māori and Iwi journalism that is
relevant to and valued by New Zealanders.
2.
General Guidelines for the PIJF were published in April 2021. The principles set out in the Cabinet paper have
informed the design of the Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF). NZ On Air col aborated with Te Māngai
Released
Pāho on the design and delivery of the fund.
3.
The PIJF is structured to support journalistic capability across three funding pillars: Projects, Roles and
Industry Development.
STAFF INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING | 28 JUNE 2021 |
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ROUND OVERVIEW
4.
This first round of the PIJF sought applications to the Projects and Industry Development pil ars of the fund.
Information for this May/July 2021 funding round outlined the assessment criteria and funding priorities to
applicants.
5.
Applicants were first asked to submit five-page proposals by 13 May 2021, which were individually assessed
by panel ists. A hui was then held on 21 May to shortlist proposals. Shortlisted applicants then submitted full
proposals by 3 June. Fol owing further individual assessment, hui were held on 10 June and 14 June to
decide on the funding recommendations outlined in this paper.
6.
NZ On Air earmarked $9.6m to this first funding round, and received 122 first-stage applications collectively
seeking over $50m.
Round Overview - PIJF: Projects (National)
7.
The assessment panel for PIJF: Projects (National) included:
a.
b.
c.
d. Raewyn Rasch (Ngāi Tahu) - NZ On Air Head of Journalism. Former General Manager Māori and
Pacific programmes at TVNZ, executive producer of Seven Sharp, producer of Fair Go and Marae
Investigates, TV and radio journalist
e. Anna Currie - NZ On Air Funding Advisor
8.
Conflicts of Interests are outlined as below. Funding assessors did not have access to the funding application,
and were removed from the funding decisions for these applications.
a.
– two applications
employer has a formal relationship
with this submitter.
9.
Raewyn Rasch declared a potential COI for Newsroom applications as
who on occasion works for Newsroom. The Head of Funding reviewed this COI and deemed that this was not
a material COI and that Raewyn could provide impartial assessment of these applications.
10. The Projects funding pillar of the PIJF is for tightly defined projects delivered to a deadline, similar to those
under the Official Information Act
funded via the NZ Media Fund Factual stream. To this inaugural May/July 2021 PIJF round, NZ On Air sought
applications across two Project categories: 1) National audiences and 2) Local/Regional audiences.
11. This SIC paper assesses PIJF: National Project applications.
12. National Projects are those with a national audience focus that target content areas that are currently not
being fulfilled, are substantially unfulfilled or at imminent risk. Applicants were expected to provide a strong
case for how their project addresses ‘at-risk or missing’ public interest journalism.
13. Other specific assessment criteria for National proposals were the scale and size of a project’s national
audience, as wel  as
Released  the extent to which applications had co-investment as part of their finance plan.
14. In determining funding recommendations, alongside the individual merits of each application, the panel also
considered issues of duplication where it was prudent to decline applications at the first stage in order to
address this issue with the sector directly at the PIJF summit held on 9 June.
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15.  Of the 122 first-stage applications received to this PIJF round, 67 were National Projects col ectively seeking
over $22m.
16.  Two applications were declined for assessment because they did not meet NZ On Air’s standard threshold
for assessment. These application are listed in Annex B.
17.  The panel shortlisted   National Projects, and  full proposals were submitted for consideration. Following
assessment of these full proposals, 15 are recommended for funding approval. Individual assessments of the
15 funding recommendations are included below.

GENERAL ASSESSMENT & STAFF OPINION
Being Teen

Kowhai Media

$98,533
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Synopsis
18.  Being Teen follows a cohort group of 10 teenagers from different backgrounds and circumstances over the
course of a year. In doing so this project takes an inside look at the lives, hopes, dreams, desires and challenges
of New Zealanders entering adulthood. This project is text and photography-based longitudinal journalism for
New Zealand Geographic.
19.  A set of stories totalling around 25,000 words, 40 photographs and range across some 40 to 50 pages of a
special issue of New Zealand Geographic magazine and suite of stories on a special focus content hub on
NZGeo.com (outside of paywall).
General Assessment
20.  This project will provide an insight into the lives of NZ teenagers at a time when COVID and a range of other
factors are changing the world they are stepping into. This type of longitudinal journalism is rare due to its
cost and timeframe, which is why assessors felt the project fitted the definition of at-risk  public interest
journalism (PIJ).
21.
under the Official Information Act

The 10 teens wil  be chosen to ensure they are demographically representative of their cohort by ethnicity,
geography and income and represent a spread of ages between 13 and 19. The participants will be recruited
through approaches to community organisations, iwi, schools, advocacy, arts and youth groups.
22.  Parental permission will be required,  and  the  participants  will be fully briefed on the implications that
appearing in the article may have for them. Social media will be strictly monitored when stories are published
on social media and New Zealand Geographic does not allow comments on its website.
23.  New Zealand Geographic will follow the UNICEF guidelines and the Ara Taiohi code of ethics for working and
reporting on young people. This means a teen may decline questions, skip questions, change their mind about
including particular c
Released  omments on the record and end their interviews at any time.
24.  An extra level of editorial oversight will be added with an eye to the ramifications of the story for the
participants. External expert consultation may be sought if, for instance, a participant wants to share details
of their mental health, to ensure publication does not adversely affect the teen.
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25.  A journalist and photographer wil  spend about six half-days over the year with the participants capturing a
range of occasions etc. that are a part of that participants’ everyday lives.
26.  New Zealand Geographic will appoint two advisors to sit outside the journalistic process to ensure the needs
of the participants are met.  One advisor is
  a  Māori
photographer with experience advocating for children and a second will be a teen peer advisor.
27.  The project plans to produce a set of stories around 25,000 words and 40 photographs that wil  replace half
of the New Zealand Geographic magazine in a special issue pitched as a record of what young adulthood looks
like in 2021.
28.  It will be reproduced online as a set of stories on NZGeo.com within a special-focus content ‘hub’ which will
satisfy the PIJF requirement for free access to content. NZGeo.com is also provided free to every school in
Aotearoa by the Ministry of Education.
29.  It will be promoted via social media and individual posters featuring the teens and a short summary of their
story wil  be distributed as bil stickers to engage the youth audience.
30.  The budget request is for
with a NZ Geographic platform contribution of
.
Staff Opinion
31.  There is very little media given over to giving voice to teenagers and New Zealand Geographic is a publication
with a long track record of this type of project with experienced writers and photographers on the team. The
longitudinal nature of the project provides potential to create insight that could be impactful and is deserving
of the budgeted cost.
32.  Assessors were unanimous in their support of this project and its intended rangatahi audience. One assessor
noted, “The proposal subject matter is difficult and aimed at one of the key audience subjects which this fund
is designed to target.”
33.  There is a risk around exposing the participants to the public gaze. We believe the applicants are well aware
of those risks and have done a great deal to mitigate them. To not take the risk would mean the stories could
not be told and the opportunity for a generation to have their voices heard and hopeful y be better understood
would be lost. Staff recommends that this project be monitored closely alongside the applicant to ensure the
stringent procedures to protect the participants are followed as per the proposal and any deviation is raised
immediately with NZ On Air.
34.  The application meets the criteria of the PIJF and will provide culturally and demographically diverse content
that  speaks to an underserved rangatahi  audience.  Funding is recommended,

under the Official Information Act

Cybersecurity in Aotearoa


Techday Ltd

$73,152
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Released

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Synopsis
35.  Cybersecurity in Aotearoa is a series of 48 text-based stories and interviews focusing on issues of cybersecurity
in Aotearoa published for Techday’s network of websites (SecurityBrief New Zealand, CFOtech New Zealand, IT
Brief New Zealand, bizEDGE New Zealand, ChannelLife New Zealand, FutureFive New Zealand).
General Assessment
36.  Techday is a kiwi-owned media business providing expert writing around Information Technology (IT) and
provides freely available digital content via six websites and associated e-newsletters targeting specific topics
i.e. Security.
37.  Content will be available freely via Techday’s websites along with social media promotion. Techday has a
formal content sharing and licensing agreement with RNZ.
38.  Techday’s current content is news focused predominantly on international stories. The application proposes
contracting expert journalists to investigate the cybersecurity issues facing New Zealand providing longer form
stories with time for research.
39.  The stories will be broken into three different types. Interviews with key players in government and local
cybersecurity experts i.e. the Computer Emergency Response Team, investigative stories looking at historic
and recent cybersecurity breaches and jargon-busting stories and resources to help educate New Zealanders
around the issues.
40.  Depending on the topics, the stories will be syndicated out to three or four of Techday’s websites reaching
1,200 to 6,000 per story but could also be picked up by other media including RNZ in the first instance.
41.

Staff Opinion
42.  This series of 48 long-form stories provides timely information around an issue of increasing concern globally.
43.  Assessors acknowledged there is a current critical shortage of cyber security journalism. One assessor noted
that it will remain “highly salient with a pressing need for public (and perhaps corporate) education.”
44.  There was concern the budget was high for a text-based application and NZ On Air.
45.  While the application does not address a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi or te reo Māori, the content does
affect all of Aotearoa and staff could work with the applicant to ensure that effects of cybersecurity on diverse
audiences are covered and collaboration with Māori media is encouraged.
46.  While the proposal talks about long-form stories there’s no definition of what that would mean in practice.
under the Official Information Act
Techday’s current stories sit around 500 words and staff intends to provide a clearer PIJF definition moving
forward of what constitutes long-form (e.g. 1000 words or more). At 1000 words the current budget would be
considered reasonable. Staff intends to work with the Techday team to meet this long-form scope.
47.  Techday already has strong credibility in this area and the expertise to deep dive into issues mainstream media
do not, providing critical PIJ. Funding is recommended

How Good Is Our Public Service?
BusinessDesk


$174,092
Released
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

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Synopsis
48. How Good Is Our Public Service? is a project encompassing 10 – 30 stories, photos and interactive graphics
that assesses the quality, size, organisation, capabilities, and composition of New Zealand’s public service. This
project will involve multiple stories and interactive graphics for BusinessDesk.
General Assessment
49. The project is to provide a comprehensive series of at least 10 and up to 30 stories that provides in-depth
analysis of the New Zealand public sector including text stories, infographics, data maps and visualisations
developed by an experienced team of journalists over 15 weeks.
50. The series will outline the current state of the public service in terms of size, leadership, composition etc.,
assess the key policy agencies, the regulators and appraise the research and scientific capability, public service
leaders, policy analysts, career progression and operational capability.
51. This series will sit in front of the normal paywall for Business Desk. The mapping and baseline information
produced will be available online as a resource for other organisations including the media to use.
52.
53. The series will be launched at a Wellington event with budget assigned for promotion.
Staff Opinion
54. Staff discussed whether this was something that BusinessDesk would do as a matter of course but they argue
that due to the complexity and in-depth nature of this project it would not be produced without PIJF support.
55. There is no doubt this proposal meets the requirement of the PIJF in terms of holding power to account and
in filling a gap no other media is currently filling. While it could be argued this is the role of the Parliamentary Press
Gallery, that coverage is generally focused on politicians and only covers the public sector matters of the day.
56. The analytical nature of this proposal carries some public perception risk if the coverage is seen as too
aggressive or targeted (e.g. the performance analysis of identifiable CEOs). Staff provided this feedback to
BusinessDesk who assured them that broad context on sector performance vs. targeting individuals was the
intention of this coverage. Given the good reputation of BusinessDesk, staff believes they understand this risk and
the risk to their own reputation in not providing fair and balanced reporting. Additionally, the public sector has a
responsibility to act on the public’s behalf and the public has a right to know if they are performing well.
57. Assessors agreed the proposal provided important PIJ but there was concern at the lack of clarity around the
amount of content that would be produced (10 – 30 stories) and the size of the budget if only 10 stories was
generated. Further to this, assessors felt that if BusinessDesk delivered only 10 stories then would this suffice for
under the Official Information Act
genuine accountability.?
58. Staff queried the 10 –  30 stories scale to try and gauge greater detail around likely output and lengths.
BusinessDesk responded with the following information:
“… if we create profiles of every substantial government entity and outline their budget, key responsibilities and
internal success metrics, we’d be looking at 50-200 pieces of content for that alone. However, we may also
discover that this subject is boring, or they are al  the same, in which case there would not be a lot of value added
and we would not do it. But you’ll appreciate the metric is crude. An investigative feature article shouldn’t be
compared with a 300-word news
Released   story based off a media release … Here’s how I see the investigation
potentially playing out:”
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Min.
Max.
Min.
Max.
pieces  pieces
words
words
Current state of the public service – 2000 words
5
10
10,000  20,0000
Assessment of the key policy agencies – 1500 words
6
10
9000
15,000
Assessment of the regulators – 1500 words
3
8
4500
12,000
Assessment of research and scientific agencies – 1500 words
5
10
7500
15,000
The policy analysts – 1500 words
5
10
7500
15,000
Operational capability – 1500 words
5
10
7500
15,000
The leaders – 1500 words
5
10
7500
15,000
Key entity descriptions – 450 words
50
200
22,500  90,000
Interactive graphic explaining public sector and entity linkages
1
5

Photos
15
100

59.

60.  The innovation around interactive graphics is laudable; however, staff notes it adds

. The rationale is justified in terms of ensuring the stories are palatable and engaging for the general
public, but staff note that this is an aspect of the project that will be monitored closely to gauge its execution
and efficacy in regard to viewer engagement. Any future or ongoing investment in a similar scope of work for
BusinessDesk will be considered in light of this project’s performance.
61.  The lack of certainty around the likely amount of content to be provided makes it hard to cost this proposal
accurately

. However, as BusinessDesk point out – this is a relatively crude measure
that does not consider the potential number of content pieces within each story and the word length scope.
Until this team is able to start researching this project, that scope remains uncertain. There is no doubt the
research required to do this project is high and requires considerable expertise. The outcomes could equal y
be seen as vital to public interest. Funding is recommended.

Ifoga



SunPix


$181,118
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work



Synopsis
under the Official Information Act
62.  Ifoga is a video-based series, 4 x 22’ stories investigating the ongoing stories of Pasifika who have suffered
abuse in state care. The primary platform for this project is TP+, with secondary platform support from E-
Tangata, Māori Television, and Pacific Media Network (NPRT).
General Assessment
63.  So far there has been little to no media coverage of the ‘Royal Commission of Inquiry: Abuse in Care’ as it
relates to Pacific peoples. The proposal meets a number of important criteria of the PIJF especially in giving
voice to an intensely Pacific story and holding power to account.
Released
64.  Assessors flagged there could be an issue around a possible conflict of interest (COI) of the main journalist
who is also a
and was on the

where
no doubt heard the stories that wil  form the basis of this series. Staff intend
to seek clarification on this prior to contracting.
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65.  The key personnel,
have great experience from their
many years delivering Tagata Pasifika (TP). The TP team has already recorded some interviews but will need
to secure the consent of four victims to ensure the project can go ahead, which would need to be a condition
prior to contracting. They have the cultural understanding required to ensure all programme participants are
treated with respect.
66.  The proposed output of 4 x 22’ would deliver something close to a one-and-a-half-hour documentary for a
budget of
.
Staff Opinion
67.  Staff notes that Terror At Lake Alice a six-part podcast for Stuff investigating the physical, mental and sexual
abuse at Lake Alice Psychiatric Facility received funding of $105,610 in the 2020-10 round. However, the focus
of that project was centred around the Māori boys who were disproportionately affected and therefore issues
of duplication were lessened knowing that the focus of Ifoga is around the impact on Pacific peoples.
68.  This proposal shows good platform collaboration to ensure content is shared widely via E-Tangata, Māori
Television, Pacific Media Network Trust and TP+. There was some discussion around why this important
content could not be delivered within the existing scope of TP,  but it was pointed out that TP’s current
magazine style programme does not lend itself to this type of content. It should also be noted that the graphic
and disturbing nature of the stories would not be suitable for family viewing on a Sunday morning.
69.  Assessors were generally supportive of the project and the cultural capability of the applicants. One assessor
was keen to point out “I understand the photo that has been submitted in this proposal and its significance in
recognising a uniquely Pasifika response ..  The staff are seasoned practitioners with the ability to deliver.”
70.  This is important PIJ that TP are not funded to currently deliver. It speaks to a number of criteria both for PIJF
and NZ On Air including empowering minority voices, holding power to account and uncovering issues of public
interest. Funding is recommended

Inside Child Poverty 10 Years On

Red Sky Film & Television                           $204,970
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

under the Official Information Act
Synopsis
71.  A 1 x 45’ documentary for Three. 10 years on from his landmark documentary which put the words “child
poverty” into the nation’s vocabulary, investigative journalist Bryan Bruce reviews what has or has not been
done to improve the lives of our nation’s most deprived tamariki.
General Assessment
72.  Inside Child Poverty 10 Years On revisits a documentary that was aired 10 years ago and went on to have a
genuine impact on p
Released  ublic policy and public understanding of child poverty. It will be aired in

in prime time on Three
.
73.  While reporting and indeed measurement of child poverty has improved over the past 10 years the proposal
argues that many Government policies put in place have not seen critical analysis especially in the light of
COVID-19 and its ongoing effects.
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74.  Discovery NZ will contribute
licence fee and a promotional campaign. This is lower than the usual
NZ On Air would expect for a high-end quality documentary for linear. Staff notes that the
PIJF does not require the same platform contributions as NZ On Air expects for its baseline funding.
75.  The project will provide for two internships for young journalists seeking entry into investigative journalism.
76.  Assessors were unanimously in favour of funding this project with one emphasising, “I believe this proposal
has the unique advantage of an existing benchmark against which to measure progress (or the lack of it).”
Staff Opinion
77.  Assessors discussed whether this project – given it is the type of TV documentary project that NZ On Air has
funded in the past – should come into the PIJF or into a general Factual funding round. Staff spoke to Discovery
about this, and they emphasised that this kind of project was important to them but that they would prioritise
applications such as
in the general round
and felt this was better suited to the PIJF given the topic.
78.  This is a high-quality proposal from a highly experienced team and is a text book example of public interest
journalism subject matter. Given the large scope of the project and its importance staff believes the budget is
justified.
79.  The  project  has  a  Māori  producer  capable  of  ensuring  Te  Tiriti  o  Waitangi  and  te  reo Māori  are  handled
appropriately.
80.  The project has the potential to be as impactful as its predecessor and the topic remains as critical to New
Zealand as it did 10 years ago. Funding is recommended.

IRL

The Spinoff
  $335,746
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Synopsis
81.  IRL explores the real-world consequences of online life through in-depth investigative features and personal
stories.  8 x 3,000-5,000 word long-form investigative written features, with custom imagery and/or data
visualisation, to be released monthly, and 15  x 1,000 word written features with custom imagery, to be
released fortnightly for The Spinoff.
General Assessment  under the Official Information Act
82.  The series wil  focus on the personal realities of technology and how people behave when technology mediates
the spaces between them covering topics such as online radicalisation, social-media mob justice, online crime,
online reputations, online business, online addictions etc. Individual stories will be contextualised with experts
in the various topics.
83.  The Spinoff has delved into digital culture before but says the complexity and depth of this project puts it
outside their business-as-usual mahi and could only be delivered with PIJF funding.
84.  The budget of
would put the cost per story at an average of
but at the higher end of the
application’s estimated scope, a 5,000-word story would come out at
a word, which is not unreasonable
Released
in comparison to similar projects in this round.
85.  The primary platform will be The Spinoff, although they point out they have copy-sharing agreements with
RNZ, BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald. The stories will have a dedicated landing page. Its primary audience
target will be 15-35.
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86.  The production team includes
and
along with the
recruitment of a full-time senior editor, a writer/researcher and a part time project manager. The proposal
outlines that all these positions will be filled “fol owing The Spinoff’s inclusive approach to employment, and
all will be employed specifically for IRL.”
87.  The proposal spoke at length of The Spinoff’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but the proposal has no
concrete commitments apart from the line “we wil  actively seek out people whose lives have been affected by
technology with a particular focus on marginalised groups notably Māori and Pasifika Communities that are
on the wrong side of the  digital divide, while featuring rangatahi who are creative and heavy users of
technology.”
Staff Opinion
88.  Staff noted that additional content outputs (15 “as-told-to" stories providing opportunity to engage with
marginalised communities) are mentioned in the body of the proposal but were not included explicitly in the
deliverables. Staff will confirm this with The Spinoff prior to contracting.
89.  Two of the three assessors were in favour of the proposal despite reservations about its lack of concrete detail
in terms of meeting Te Tiriti commitments. It was proposed by some of the assessors that The Spinoff push to
hire Māori and Pasifika staff to meet its intended objectives stated in the proposal. Staff will update The Spinoff
on the assessors’ feedback if funding does go ahead.
90.  This  topic is worthy PIJ and the format and platform are  suitable for the demographic.  Funding is
recommended subject to confirmation of content outputs.

Maisuka



SunPix


$131,139
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Synopsis
91.  Maisuka  investigates the rise of Type 2 diabetes in the Moana adolescent population. This is a 1 x 44’
documentary for TP+.
General Assessment
92.  This documentary tackles a serious problem facing the Pacific community and impacting Aotearoa.  The
proposal quotes figures that New Zealand’s health system spends more on the disease than it does on cancer,
under the Official Information Act
and it is predicted to rise from the current $2.1b to $3.5b in social cost within the next two decades.
93.  As well as raising the alarm, this show will seek to promote Pacific solutions and has

94.  Tagata Pasifika (TP) has the community connections and the cultural understanding to be able to tel  this story
and will use a variety of personal experiences along with expert analysis to bring home the enormity of the
issue.
95.  The production team has proven experience in
, and
. A Pacific
Released
director is still to be recruited.
96.  The documentary will feature on TP+ with secondary platform  distribution including via Pacific Media
Network, E-Tangata and Māori Television.

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Staff Opinion
97.  All assessors were in favour of the project and discussed (similar to Ifoga) whether TVNZ would be prepared
to broadcast this within TP
. Another assessor queried the
but it was agreed that the platform collaboration would help to
mitigate this. Staff will encourage Sunpix to engage with TVNZ on including Maisuka within TP.
98.  This proposal meets the criteria of both the PIJF and NZ On Air and provides critical information in the public
interest both for the wider audience and in particular Pasifika communities. It could provide a lifesaving wake
up call to many who are at risk from Type 2 Diabetes. Funding is recommended.

Nē?

The Spinoff



$217,325
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work



Synopsis
99.  Nē? is a podcast and written series, exploring hot issues within te ao Māori through an informed and
dynamic Māori lens. This project includes 25 x 30’ podcasts released fortnightly, and 50 x written features
released weekly on The Spinoff.
General Assessment
100.  This is a multi-part current affairs series focusing on te ao Māori issues made by an all-Māori team led by
. Topics wil  vary but the lens through which they are viewed wil  be Māori.
101.  The research done for the podcast episode will then inform a written feature.
102.  The Spinoff claims that this is at-risk or missing PIJ on the basis that there is no regular current affairs podcast
solely dedicated to Māori issues and perspectives.
103.  All assessors were in favour of the project with one stating that “the use of Nē? As a working name is great
because it has both a col oquial and formal application in terms of storytel ing from a Māori perspective. This
proposal offers a strong editorial and staffing component.”
104.  The budget of
will be spread across 25 podcasts and 50 written features
Staff Opinion
under the Official Information Act
105.  To ensure a strong reach to Māori audiences, the assessors felt the project could be encouraged to collaborate
with iwi radio. This will be recommended to The Spinoff prior to contracting.
106.  This  proposal  has  the  ability  to  deliver  strong  PIJ  content  to  Māori  audiences  while  giving  mainstream
audiences a glimpse into te ao Māori and Māori whakaaro. Funding is recommended.

Paakiwaha

UMA Broadcasting


$433,000
Released
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

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Synopsis
107.  This is a proposal to expand the existing Waatea News Current Affairs show Paakiwaha by increasing the
number of shows each week and broadcasting every working weekday morning. It also proposes to have more
journalists and two hosts.  480 hours live broadcast p.a. 10 repeat broadcasts per show, 960 podcasts to
Soundcloud, 1,200 posts to Waatea website and social media platforms.
General Assessment
108.  NZ On Air has funded Paakiwaha (48 x 2 hour weekly current affairs show in English that plays Mondays
10.00am to midday) since 2003. The last year we funded was FY2019-20

The annual funding amount is usual y $75,000.
109.  This proposal expands the programme from one day a week to five, moves it to the prime breakfast slot (7am
to 9am) and adds two journalists and a second host, essentially creating a Māori “Morning Report”. The show
will also now be bilingual.
110.  The addition of journalists will lift the current format which relies on phone interviews to enable live and on
the spot coverage as well as kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) interviews and it aims to present four to six
stories per hour.
111.  Content wil  be published online to the Waatea news website, via live-streaming, podcast channels, social
media platforms, YouTube and mobile phone apps. Iwi stations wil  be able to pick up content via the Te
Māngai Pāho funded Punga network and Burli news hub.
112.  Paakiwaha will collaborate with the 21 iwi radio stations, along with regional news providers Waipareira
Digital, E-Tangata, RNZ, The Hui, Māori Television and TVNZ’s Te Karere.
113.

Staff Opinion
114.  All  assessors were strongly in favour of the project.  One stated “Costs associated with the budget are
consistent with industry standards. the time shift to a prime breakfast slot over an extended timeframe of 1-5
programmes per week meets a growing demand for a Māori centric approach to news.”
115.  There was some concern about the sustainability of the programme beyond the life span of the PIJF and
expectations to continue annually funding it at that higher cost base. NZ On Air and TMP wil  need to discuss
how this funding could potentially carry on beyond the PIJF if its performance is strong.
116.  This application provides good PIJ content delivery via wide and demonstrated avenues of collaboration. The
move to ensuring it is a bilingual show is a strong embodiment of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and it is an important
under the Official Information Act
and overdue step forward for Māori radio and online news and current affairs. Funding is recommended.

Party People

Aotearoa Media Col ective

$236,930
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Released

Synopsis
117.  Following on from a primarily self-funded pilot series, Party People brings scrutiny and review to politics while
preserving the upbeat conversational approach to political analysis.
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118.  This is a 26 x 45’ audio and video series for RNZ as the primary platform with secondary distribution via Tūranga
FM and Radio Waatea.
General Assessment
119.  The proposal follows a successful podcast series last year that focused on Māori politics with a proposal to
extend the series into video as well this year. For the pilot series, R

120.  The second series proposes a specially designed roundtable multi-camera set up to provide as-live edited video
to the podcast giving the audience the opportunity to see the nuances of the discussions.
121.  Party People is planned to air

122.  The proposal contained letters of support from RNZ, Tūranga FM and Radio Waatea who will all air the video
and podcast respectively.
123.

Staff Opinion
124.  All assessors were strongly in favour of the project. One stated,  “I would support this proposal first and
foremost on the basis of the success of the pilot and the calibre of the team that wil  produce the second series.
There is a strong commitment from RNZ (which self-funded the pilot with AMC) and a video strategy that should
attract a reasonable audience. A left-right-mediator format can be engaging and the proposed participants
should build a good fol owing. Behind the banter wil  be an informative programme that fil s the PIJF mandate.”
125.  The PIJF guidelines generally state the fund is not available for national political reporting (which is currently
well covered by mainstream media) it does,  however,  provide a caveat around where a gap in terms of
targeted audiences can be identified. In this instance, with the largest cohort of Māori politicians in Parliament,
the need for culturally led critical analysis has never been greater and is not met anywhere else.
126.  The project meets the goals  of PIJF in providing Māori  and  Iwi  journalism  made  by  Māori  about  Māori
perspectives, issues, and interests prioritising the needs of Māori. Funding is recommended.





under the Official Information Act

Released

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The Detail


Newsroom

     $806,135
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

under the Official Information Act

Synopsis
135.  The Detail is a daily podcast aimed at a younger audience who accesses content through non-traditional
channels. It is designed to explain the stories behind the headlines and give listeners context, and a deeper
understanding of notable events. This is a 99 x 20’ podcast series (18 months) by Newsroom for RNZ.
General Assessment
136.  The Detail has been running for three years and was original y funded under the RNZ Innovation fund. This
Released
month it marked its 400th podcast episode. RNZ data show episodes of The Detail have been downloaded
more than three million times and it now sits third in terms of RNZ programme downloads behind Morning
Report and Nine to Noon.
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137.  The Detail promotes itself as the “news explained”, providing expertise from journalists and experts to help
the audience make sense of the big stories. Audio podcasts are accompanied by text stories available on the
RNZ, Newsroom and Stuff websites.
138.  NZ On Air funded 6-months of The Detail for $311,269 in the 2020-10 round. This shortened time frame was
due to the fact that
NZ On
Air decided in February 2021 that existing funded journalism series (such as The Detail and Regional Media
projects) should come into the PIJF for future funding to ensure that al  applications were assessed under the
same processes and guidelines.
139.  This application provides for 322 episodes of 22’ duration between

140.  The application points to a growing audience especially among what it calls ‘hard to reach millennials’.

141.  The primary platform distribution is Newsroom with additional platforms of RNZ and Stuff as well as third
party distributors including Apple and Spotify.


142.  The MOU provides an understanding of the level of co-operation and editorial control allowed for in the
relationship and both Newsroom and RNZ have robust editorial capability along with reputations to maintain
which should maintain journalism of the highest calibre.
143.  The applicant acknowledges a lack of diversity in its team and while it says it tries hard to include diverse
voices in the series, it says a lack of diversity in major newsrooms is an ongoing issue. It has included a
budget line to assist implementation of a strategy to second reporters to The Detail or meet the cost of
freelance journalists from diverse cultural backgrounds.
144.

Staff Opinion
145.  Most assessors acknowledged the podcast had delivered high quality PIJ. One commented, “The Detail is a
successful venture that fits squarely in the public interest journalism frame. Newsroom and Radio NZ,
together with Stuff ensure it has a broad reach. The personnel involved are highly experienced, with proven
track records in broadcasting and podcasting.”
under the Official Information Act
146.  However, assessors pointed to a complete lack of a demonstrated commitment or reference to Te Tiriti
throughout the proposal. This would be detail sought prior to contracting.
147.  This is a quality podcast that has delivered over a number of years. Audiences take time to build up and the
continued growth of this podcast is evidence that given time audiences will build a following.
148.  The MOU with RNZ is only for the 2021 calendar year as is the letter of support and we would need to
ensure that RNZ will remain supportive of the project across 2022. There is no supporting documentation
around the continued involvement of the Stuff platform and that maybe because that is provided via a
content sharing arran
Released  gement with RNZ and Stuff.
149.  The assessors were also concerned in the precedent of continued funding for The Detail beyond the two
years of the PIJF and felt this project should be decided at NZ On Air Board level as they believed it was a
governance issue, and at that budget level (close to the >$1m threshold for Board decisions) they were not
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in a position to provide a definitive recommendation without clear support from the NZ On Air Board.
Funding is recommended

The Hui: Summer Edition
Great Southern Television


$178,729
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Synopsis
150.  A summer edition of the Māori current affairs programme to be broadcast over The Hui’s usual hiatus every
Monday at 8:30pm. The Hui: Summer Edition will be uploaded directly to Facebook, and will be uploaded and
shared on Newshub's web and social media platforms.
General Assessment
151.  The proposal is to produce on 5-8-minute-long current affairs story focused from a Māori perspective.
152.
The Hui shifted to digital-first
distribution on its Facebook page ahead of the linear playout in 2020 after in an attempt to reach a broader
and younger-skewing audience demographic.
153.  These stories wil  be produced by junior up and coming reporters
and
under
the part time supervision of reporters from The Hui.
154.  The proposal states that now The Hui is a digital-first programme, the Summer series will maintain its
audience. It says Māori audiences are entitled to year-round current affairs at a high-level.
155.  Due to the social media platform nature of this content and the relative youth of the presenters, The Hui
believes the Summer edition will have a stronger reach into the hard-to-reach younger audience.
156.  Newshub has indicated it is prepared to use shorter versions of the items potentially providing an even
greater audience.
Staff Opinion
157.  All assessors were strongly in favour of this proposal with one noting “I am not a particular fan of "summer
news programmes" as they traditionally tend to consist of a mash-up of previously run highlights. This
proposal is not that because it offers fresh material. I am very supportive of the notion of using this time to
under the Official Information Act
identify and support relatively new talent to the industry.”
158.  The proposal both upskills two young reporters and provides content during a period when all other current
affairs shows are off air. Facebook is capable of delivering a strong audience especially with Māori.
159.
airing on social media is high compared to similar-
scaled projects,  but  this is tempered by the fact it is also providing training for two reporters who are
transitioning into current affairs. Funding is recommended.

Released
The Living Forest

Lifestyle Publishing

$4,250
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

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Synopsis
160.  What happens when you see the forest as a living entity? Wilderness Magazine visits three iwi in New Zealand
to understand their relationship with the ngāhere (forest). The project is predominantly written journalism
and wil  be published in Wilderness magazine and on wildernessmag.co.nz. A 2,500-word feature story, a 45
sec video and accompanying photos.
General Assessment
161.  This proposal is for a single story that encompasses the views of three iwi about their relationship with the
ngāhere (forest) and natural world.
162.  While the reporter is Pākehā, she has demonstrated in past work that she is capable of cultural sensitivity and
given that the readers of Wilderness magazine are predominately Pākehā, she will also be aware of the issues
they will be curious about. To demonstrate her determination to provide a col aborative approach with iwi to
tell their stories, she has committed to traveling to meet with her talent face to face. While this is not standard
journalist practise Wilderness Magazine has deemed it appropriate in this situation.
163.  The proposal outlines three iwi, Te Roroa and its relationship with kauri in the Waipoua forest, Whanganui
and its relationship with the Whanganui River and Ngāti Waewae on the West Coast to discuss its relationship
and guardianship of pounamu.
164.

165.  Wilderness’ readers access the magazine primarily through the printed magazine, with
subscribers (as
of May 2021).

Content is freely available via the website.
Staff Opinion
166.  Assessors were all in favour of the project. This proposal provides important cultural insights to an audience
that might not normal y be exposed to a Māori world view.
167.  The applicant has gone to significant lengths to ensure cultural sensitivity especially to conduct interviews
kanohi te kanohi (face to face) and to hire a te reo consultant which would put the cost of this exercise beyond
their normal business as usual. Funding is recommended.

under the Official Information Act
The Whole Truth

Stuff


$591,465
Key Personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work

Released
Synopsis
168.  The Whole Truth is a fact-checking project designed to protect public health. Published on Stuff, this project
will include 20 animated videos, as well as 20 visual stories created for social media and accompanying text.
Further distribution platforms include Māori Television and PMN (Niu FM and 531pi),
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General Assessment
169.  This project builds upon the COVID-19 vaccine fact-checking project currently under way - and made possible
by funding
. This funding has ceased,  and  Stuff  would  like to  continue
broadening the scope beyond vaccination to al  matters concerning the wel -being of vulnerable communities.
170.  The content provided wil  be 20 animated videos, fronted by experienced broadcasters. Each video wil  be
between 1-2’ minutes in duration, and each will reflect one of 40 written posts. 20 visual stories will be created
specifically for publication on social media. Each of these reflects one of the 20 animated videos. 40 written
posts, each between 300 and 500 words will be published on a bespoke site within Stuff and in its newspapers.
171.  This written and visual material will cover areas including, but not limited to pregnancy and maternal wel -
being; nutrition; mental health; healthy homes; vaping; recreational drugs; and physical activity.
172.  While the project will call out harmful and misleading information it will be careful to keep a positive tone as
the applicant believes evidence shows antagonistic content has been seen to be less effective in combating
misinformation.
173.  The applicant says while the project will be similar in approach to the COVID-19 project, this version will
provide more comprehensive translation of content into languages of the Pacific, a broader scope of subject
matter, tackling armful misinformation in a variety of guises, opening up new audiences, and an established
fact-checking team with proven reporting, production and publication processes on a similar project.
Staff Opinion
174.  Most assessors were in favour of the project with one noting, “This proposal addresses a pressing need. The
falsehoods surrounding health have risen exponentially since the pandemic began. The Stuff solution, wel
supported by MTV and PMN, has the potential to counter this with facts. The Covid-19 fact-checking funded
by the Google News Initiative is a good guide to what can be expected from funding this initiative. The
project has merit in approaching subjects from an informational rather than news-based point of view.”
175.  The cost of this project is high, but the resources needed to fact check and translate complex information
into social media sized content is difficult. However, given the use of existing staff it is hard to pinpoint the
costs that are incremental to Stuff business as usual.
176.  The level of misinformation in communities is extreme and this project is one attempt to tackle the issue.
Funding is recommended
  A
under the Official Information Act

ANNEXES

Annex B: A list of all PIJF: Project (National) applications submitted over the two-stage process.

Released

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