Pre-eminent broadcaster and now TVNZ board member, Paul Henry. Photo / Michael Craig.
A raft of documents - including a text exchange between Paul Henry and Paul Goldsmith - have been released by The Treasury.
Top broadcaster Paul Henry sought the approval of Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith to host The Chase television show during discussions about his appointment as a TVNZ board member.
The Treasury has today released a raft of documents in relation to the appointment of new TVNZ directors, with some of them heavily redacted.
However, they appear to reveal that the Government rejected officials’ advice to reappoint at least one existing director whose term expired on June 30.
The Treasury also released a text message exchange between Henry - one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent broadcasters - and Goldsmith in March, in regards to his possible appointment to the TVNZ board.
“Hi Paul. Sorry to bother you,” wrote Henry on March 18.
“I have been asked to host a 4 part show for TVNZ that will be recorded in Sydney, and my involvement will be over by mid June.
“I just wanted to run it past you. I would not want it to be a problem re the board position. If you see any issue at all, I will decline the hosting role. Great to catch up the other day. Paul.”
Goldsmith replies 82 minutes later: “Should be fine”.
The text exchange occurred almost two weeks before nominations officially opened for TVNZ board roles.
In a report on March 12, The Treasury recommended the call for nominations period between March 31 and April 14, with the Minister to agree to a shortlist of candidates for interviews by May 17 and due diligence interviews by The Treasury in early June.
TVNZ announced Henry as the host of the very short New Zealand season of The Chase on June 4. A screening date has yet to be announced.
On June 24, Media Insider revealed Henry would be appointed as one of TVNZ’s new board members - a move confirmed by Goldsmith’s office in a press release later that morning.
The move promises to shake up TVNZ. As Media Insider reported at the time, the appointment of Henry is not so much a cat amongst the pigeons as a lion unleashed on a pedestrian promenade.
“I am aware Mr Henry is set to host The Chase New Zealand," Goldsmith said in the press release at the time.
“However, I am advised any perceived conflict can be effectively managed.”
Yesterday, Media Insider further revealed - with news that The Traitors NZ was returning to Three thanks to partial funding from NZ on Air - that Henry was also in line to host that show once again.
However, TVNZ has yet to comment on whether it would be happy for one of its board members to host a show on a rival network.
Henry has not returned a message.
“Paul’s keen to do it,” said The Traitors production company South Pacific Pictures managing director Andrew Szusterman, while also adding there was no official announcement on who would be host.
However, it’s clear SPP wants Henry.
Szusterman said Henry was contracted to SPP and he saw no issues with him also being a TVNZ director.
It was hardly a precedent, he said, with TVNZ broadcasters featuring in roles on rival commercial radio networks and vice versa.
There had been no discussions with TVNZ at this stage.
“I would say that it shows a real maturity in the New Zealand market where we’re not so hooked up on that kind of stuff,” said SPP chief executive Kelly Martin.
“We can’t afford to say to people, you can only work on this network or that network. We’re not big enough.
“He’s on the [TVNZ] board, so if there are any issues, he can pick it up at a board meeting.”
Today’s release of documents from The Treasury shows that three TVNZ board members were up for reappointment on June 30.
Officials recommended the reappointment of at least two of them - John Quirk, and someone else whose name has been redacted. The other two board members up for reappointment were lawyer Linda Clark and Meg Matthews.
Quirk was the only one of the three to be announced on June 24 by Goldsmith to be reappointed. Based on The Treasury’s belief that the optimum number of board members is seven, it means there still remains one vacancy.
Goldsmith’s office has been approached for comment on the process, including the timeline.
The Treasury reported to Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Goldsmith in March that given TVNZ’s strategic focus on its transition to digital, it would be important to ensure the board had the right capabilities to oversee the execution of its major investment in this area “and to progress on TVNZ’s plans to drive digital revenue growth”.
“The board has seen significant change and disruption over the past few years. Five out of the seven on the board, including the chair, are in their first term. Four of these directors commenced in July 2023, with the most recent joining in September 2024. TVNZ has had four chief executives since 2021.”
Under the headline “strengthening board capability”, The Treasury further states: “The upcoming appointment round will be seeking a minimum of two new directors for the TVNZ board.
“The chair has indicated that expertise in digital technology, media industry knowledge and financial management is pivotal in reinforcing the board’s collective capabilities.
“It is Treasury’s view that to successfully continue the organisation’s financial recovery, candidates with strong financial management skills should be a key focus during the upcoming appointments process.
“Furthermore, you have expressed a preference for the board to acquire expertise from the international media landscape, particularly from Australia, to enhance its skill set.”
All eyes, then, on who will be next to join the board of chair Alastair Carruthers, deputy chair Ripeka Evans, John Fellet, John Quirk, Aliesha Staples and Henry.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
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