AGENDA ITEM 5.6
PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM - PROJECTS
NZ MEDIA FUND
RECOMMENDATION
Act
That the Board approves funding of up to:
•
$1,919,913 to SunPix Ltd, for
Tagata Pasifika
OVERVIEW
1.
In January 2021 Cabinet agreed to draw down $55m over the next three years (2021 - 2023) from the
tagged contingency set aside by Cabinet for broadcasting initiatives. This funding will be administered by
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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 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
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Industry Development. This third round of the Public Interest Journalism Fund sought applications to the
Projects and
Roles pillars of the fund. Information for th
is Sep/Dec funding round outlined the assessment
criteria and funding priorities to applicants.
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4.
Applications for
Project funding (circa $7m allocated) were sought in the following areas:
• News and Current Affairs Projects – including children’s and youth news
• Investigative journalism projects
• Projects that improve the overall quality, provision and/or sustainability of PIJ
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5.
The criteria for
Targeted Roles in this round (circa $2m al ocated) were developed in response to industry
feedback and learnings after Round 2 which had focused purely on content-creation roles. Round 3 sought
to encourage roles that
supported the production and sustainability of high-quality public interest
journalism but weren’t necessarily content creating.
6.
This round invited applications from a number of journalism and current affairs ‘legacy’ projects annual y
funded by NZ On Air baseline factual funding, and projects recently funded via one-off additional
Government funding.
7.
These projects were considered in a ful y contestable process under the same eligibility and assessment
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criteria as other applications. With an additional circa $4m from NZ On Air baseline factual funding added
to this PIJF round to acknowledge that it was likely that some returning journalism projects would be
funded and that accommodations should be made to maximise the number of new projects that could be
supported via the PIJF. This decision was made following stakeholder consultation from the sector in
February and was signalled to the sector in
our response to the stakeholder report (page 6).
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8.
The ‘legacy’ projects for consideration in this round include
Tagata Pasifika for consideration by the Board
and six others considered and approved by SIC including
Q + A, Newshub Nation,
The Hui, Stuff Circuit and
Newsroom Investigates, and
Kea Kids News.
9.
There was a two-stage application process for Round 3. Applicants were first asked to submit five-page
proposals by Thursday 30th September, which were individual y assessed by panel ists. A hui was then held
on Friday 8th of October. Shortlisted applicants then submitted ful proposals by Tuesday 26th of October.
Fol owing further individual assessment, a hui was held on Tuesday 2nd November to decide on the funding
recommendations outlined in this paper.
10. The assessment panel for the PIJF Round 3 included:
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•
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.
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•
Glenn Usmar - Associate Head of Funding (Systems), NZ on Air. Former Programme Manager for Rialto
Channel, Sky TV, and Programmer at TVNZ.
•
Gabriel Thomas - Journalism Manager, NZ On Air. Former executive producer of The Nation and
Firstline, producer Newshub Live at 6.
•
Fairooz Samy - Journalism Funding Advisor, NZ On Air. Current Media Studies PhD candidate at Victoria
University of Wellington.
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11.
The
assessment panel recommended 35 for funding at a total of $9,254,433. These projects are listed in full in
the
5.8 Staff Investment Committee / Delegated decisions.
GENERAL ASSESSMENT & STAFF OPINION
Tagata Pasifika SunPix Ltd
$1,919,913
under
Key People
Role/s
Relevant Past Work
Synopsis
12. This is a returning current affairs series, 51 x 23’ and 2 x 90’ for 9:30am Saturdays on TVNZ 1 with a repeat
play on Sunday morning.
Tagata Pasifika presents current affairs, talanoa, sports, issues, events, and
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entertainment relevant to the Pacific Islands communities. It has additional distribution on Whakaata Māori
(Māori Television), tpplus.co.nz, Prime, and Pasifika TV.
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General Assessment
13. Since 1987,
Tagata Pasifika has provided a forum for Pacific viewpoints and a reflection of the varied
communities who make up Moana Pacific in Aotearoa New Zealand.
14. The primary platform for
Tagata Pasifika is
TVNZ. It is also broadcast on Whakaata Māori on Sundays at
4.30pm and on Prime on Mondays at 4.30pm giving it a potential reach of more than 100k per week. The
Prime placement started last October and the producer reports the network is pleased with its performance
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in the slot.
Tagata Pasifika also airs on Pasifika TV (PCBL) currently beaming to 20 South Pacific Broadcasters.
15. Highlights of the 2021 season have included being the first NZ media to cross live to Samoa during the
Samoan election crisis, technically producing the world-wide television broadcast of the Government Dawn
Raids Apology, continuing to broadcast throughout COVID-19 lockdowns and scoring more than 70,000
views on the
Te Maeva Nui (Cook Island festival) on TP+.
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19. One story that demonstrates the impact and importance of
Tagata Pasifika in its community and via its
reach on social media is that of Junior Tofa, a young Samoan boy who became trapped in New Zealand
during lockdown and then contracted rheumatic fever. Requiring $65,000 for urgent heart surgery neither
the New Zealand nor Samoan governments would take responsibility for him, and a Give-a-Little page was
set up. The campaign had little traction until
Tagata Pasifika ran his story and within four days, the goal had
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been surpassed. It now sits at $78,132. The story was not picked up by other media.
20.
Tagata Pasifika’s demographic profile for linear television is strongest in the 60+ and 50-59
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21. The linear broadcast is supplemented by extra daily news on tpplus.co.nz which has 47k subscribers. The
site’s advanced search capability provides audience access to a
Tagata Pasifika archive resource from the
last 10 years with more than 4,000 stories online. SunPix has been further bolstered by the funding of digital
text journalists for tpplus.co.nz from PIJF Round 2 Role funding and the funding of two digital-first
documentaries (
Ifoga and
Maisuka) from PIJF Round 1.
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22. The format remains the same as 2021 with two 90’ special episodes celebrating Pacific music with the Pacific
Music Awards and Pacific achievement and excellence with the SunPix Pacific People’s Awards now in its 7th
year. Despite COVID-19 the 2020 Pacific Music Awards live-stream of 2.5 hours was viewed by more than
62k. While awards shows do not generally sit within the criteria for the PIJF, it was decided their cultural
value in celebrating stories of Pacific success could be seen as vitally important and of public interest to
Pacific audiences.
23. While anchored by a live studio-based format, the show in 2022 wil continue to demonstrate currency by
crossing to outside broadcasts from events that engage its audience. It will also continue to focus on Pacific
languages especially Realm languages (Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau) which are the most vulnerable. Act
24.
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Staff Opinion
27. SunPix has built a collaborative network of content providers in the Pacific to ensure it can engage with local
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reporters both here and in the Pacific. This has been particularly important during COVID-19 lockdowns in
covering such events as the Samoan constitutional crisis and elections.
28.
Tagata Pasifika has one of the most experienced teams in Pacific journalism.
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29. SunPix contributes to the growth of Pacific Journalism and has a relationship with the Pacific Co-operation
Foundation and has hosted interns from Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, PNG, and Tonga and also takes interns from
the AUT School of Communication Studies and Southern Institute of Technology. It is also one of the
partners in the
Te Rito industry development
project to host journalism cadets in 2022.
Tagata Pasifika’s contribution to journalism extends wel beyond the minutes on screen.
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30.
31.
staff
believes the programme’s reach via social media in particular is an important indicator of a programme that
remains relevant and engaging to its target audience. S
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32. Staff also note the positive addition of Prime as another broadcast partner for content alongside TVNZ,
Pasifika TV and Whakaata Māori, further strengthening
Tagata Pasifika’s strong multi-platform offering.
33.
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34.
Tagata Pasifika continues to provide a vital service to its communities, demonstrated by how Government
agencies relied on it to inform Pacific communities during the COVID-19 crisis and turned to it to help with
the Dawn Raids Apology Broadcast. It negotiates the delicate balance between various ethnicities, Pacific
geo-politics, multiple languages, and serious issues facing Pacific People all while engaging its audiences
with traditional warmth, humility, and positivity.
Funding is recommended up to $1,919,913.
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Document Outline
