Philip Polkinghorne pitches his own book; TVNZ and Sky battle for Olympics rights; TVNZ boss opens up on finances; Can F1 and Brad Pitt turbocharge NZ’s film box office?
Murder-accused-then-acquitted Philip Polkinghorne has been pitching a book about his experiences, some of it believed to have been written as he sat in the High Court in Auckland for his eight-week trial.
The former eye surgeon has written a letter to at least one New Zealand publisher, saying he has been working on an untitled manuscript, outlining his experiences following the death of his wife, Pauline Hanna, in March 2021.
Polkinghorne was acquitted of her murder last September, following an eight-week trial in the High Court.
Polkinghorne has said in a letter he has already completed six chapters of the book, relating to the weekend his wife died, as well as others on the High Court, ESR, pathology and improvements in justice.
As of several weeks ago, he still had chapters to write on Hanna, himself and Madison Ashton, an Australian sex worker and Polkinghorne’s former lover who refused to testify at the trial.
It is understood Polkinghorne has told at least one publisher that his writing style reflects his own publishing career - restricted to scientific papers and so more akin to a textbook. That style is not exactly appealing, Polkinghorne has said, but it did provide context.
Polkinghorne has sought help on the book as he completes the project, but publishing sources are unaware of any company that has so far taken up the opportunity.
One source suggested a self-published book might be an option.
Publishing firms approached by Media Insider this week either did not wish to comment or said they had not been approached.
Polkinghorne’s lawyer Ron Mansfield KC did not wish to comment.
In September, journalist and author Steve Braunias - who covered the case extensively for the NZ Herald - wrote of Polkinghorne: “He spent a lot of time typing with two fingers – we have so much in common – on a laptop. Long paragraphs would come and go; the screen kept moving down as he made terrific progress. He asked me one day for the name of my book publisher. The next day I said to him, ‘You asked me that because you’re writing a book, aren’t you?’ He said that a good title would be Guilty Until Proven Innocent."
Braunias’ own book on the case, Polkinghorne ($37.99), will be released on July 15 with publisher Allen & Unwin teasing “an extraordinary encounter that will leave readers stunned”.
The company hasn’t said if that encounter is with Polkinghorne himself, or if he has participated in any interviews for the book.
“The death of Pauline Hanna in her home in Remuera, and the arrest of her husband, eye surgeon Dr Philip Polkinghorne, led to an epic trial that played out like a scandalous exposé of rich Auckland life,” says a promotion for Braunias’ book.
“Braunias pieces it all together and presents it as an unforgettable opera - including an extraordinary encounter that will leave readers stunned.”
TVNZ will have the technology to introduce pay-per-view and subscription television within 12 months, giving it a much stronger launch pad from which to bid for sports rights and one-off events.
In an exclusive Media Insider – The Podcast interview, TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell has indicated the state broadcaster is bidding for rights to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 – New Zealand is one of the territories for which rights have yet to be confirmed.
In Australia, Nine has the rights to the 2028 Games as well as the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, and it is possible the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could be packaging up the rights for both sets of Games for a New Zealand broadcaster.
TVNZ last held Olympics rights in 2008, for the Beijing Games. More than 2.6 million Kiwis watched the Games in their opening weekend that year.
“This is an outstanding result,” said TVNZ’s then head of television Jeff Latch.
“New Zealanders love the Olympics – they love getting involved in worldwide sporting events and supporting our Kiwi athletes. And there is no better way to share in those great Olympic moments from here than to watch them on television.”
Since then, Sky has had the rights for the 2012 London Games, 2016 Rio Games, 2020 Tokyo Games (TVNZ had secondary free-to-air rights) and 2024 Paris Games.
Sky said last year that a total of 2.82 million people – 57% of New Zealand’s population – watched the Paris Olympic Games.
TVNZ’s new digital investment and five-year strategic plan gives it the opportunity to have a pay-per-view or subscription TV offering, although O’Donnell is at pains to point out it will always be an ad-funded and free TV network first and foremost.
But the new technology means it could package up a major event, offering a certain number of free hours of coverage, alongside subscriber channels of specialist sports.
“If you look at something like the Olympic Games, for example, the ability for that to be brought to New Zealanders so they can watch it free but the ability for us to compete for those rights means that we need to find some different revenue options as well,” O’Donnell said.
“That might be an option that you’d think about – an Olympics Pass, for example.”
Asked directly if TVNZ was bidding for the Olympics, O’Donnell said: “There’s quite a few sports rights in the market at the moment. We haven’t been shy about our ambitions around that. We put our best foot forward.
“I don’t have anything to share with lots of sporting rights available in the market at the moment.”
We’ll take that as a yes.
Sky confirmed yesterday it was also vying for the Olympics rights.
“Sky is participating in the current IOC rights discussions,” said a spokeswoman.
“All our content partnerships need to make financial sense for Sky, both in their own right and as part of the overall mix of sport that we bring to our customers, and we are having constructive discussions on that basis.
“We think it’s healthy to have choice in the local media ecosystem, particularly as sports codes need broadcast partners from grassroots right through to high-performance competitions.
“Most of the headline-making sport in New Zealand and a high-performing range of entertainment content is on Sky.”
Media Insider revealed earlier this year that 1News at 6 newsreader Simon Dallow might call it quits later in 2025.
O’Donnell did not wish to be drawn on that speculation, but confirmed succession plans were in place across the business.
On Dallow’s talent, she said: “Simon’s an incredibly highly trusted presenter – that’s something that we constantly see in all of the research that we have as well. He’s always been very clear that he reads the news and that is his job ... that is full credit to a really strong presenter, particularly in that news space, as well to deliver the story and let the individual be able to make up their decision on what they want to take out of it.”
TVNZ will post an operating profit of almost $5 million for this financial year, Jodi O’Donnell reveals in the podcast - a big turnaround on its performance 12 months ago.
O’Donnell won’t say if that means a dividend for the Government. Media Minister Paul Goldsmith has made clear it wants to see dividends in the next two to three years.
TVNZ’s financial year runs to June 30.
Last year, it posted an after-tax loss of $85 million - including a non-cash impairment of $62.1m - and an EBIT (operational earnings) loss of $28.5m.
With a forecast operational profit of almost $5 million this year, the company has been successful in finding its targeted $30 million in cost savings and revenue increases over the past 12 months.
A big week ahead for Formula 1 fans – and those who have been drawn to the sport as a result of the Netflix series Drive to Survive – with the release of F1: The Movie.
The movie, starring Brad Pitt as a down-and-out-but-soon-to-be-back F1 driver, is set to help turbocharge the 2025 New Zealand cinema box office.
These days, of course, many movies are being released on streaming platforms soon after their theatrical release, reflecting audience demand and habits.
But Flicks editor Steve Newall said F1: The Movie – shot with special Imax cameras – promises to be a cinematic experience.
“If you’re contemplating seeing this film and you’re an Apple TV subscriber and you think you can wait to watch it at home, I think that’s a terrible mistake,” Newall said. “The only thing missing is the smell of the track.
“I’m as excited as anyone to see those cameras speeding around the track at 200 miles an hour.”
F1: The Movie is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who also directed Top Gun: Maverick. Just swap out Tom Cruise for Pitt, and Newall is expecting echoes of the aviation blockbuster.
Those comments were also reflected in Rolling Stone magazine’s review.
“They practically feel like companion pieces. Kosinski could have called this Form’ One: Maverick and no one would have blinked," reviewer David Fear said.
Newall said: “One thing that I’m curious about is whether you can consider an F1 movie an IP movie or not. Is Formula One like Minecraft? Is its brand going to bring people to the screen beyond [those who have] mere passion for motorsport, when it starts to utilise all of its social media power and brand power as an official production?
“It’s got the potential to cross into a couple of different parts of the moviegoing audience.”
Newall thought younger audiences might relate more to Damson Idris, who plays Pitt’s F1 teammate, than Pitt himself.
“The modern success of Formula One with youth is something that still surprises me a little bit, to be honest. They’ve been very, very successful at engaging a much younger audience than maybe the stereotypes of motorsport would suggest.”
The movie, which opens in New Zealand next Thursday, has had generally positive reviews. The Independent gave it just two stars out of five - it called it a Pitt “vanity project” - but both The Guardian and Empire gave it four stars, with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw labelling it “surreal and spectacular”.
“For Formula One fans, the sheer accuracy of F1’s depiction of the sport will be giddy-making; for agnostics, the races may feel a touch repetitive, and the level of detail may go over some heads," Sophie Butcher wrote for Empire.
“But whatever your relationship to the sport, the magnitude of what Kosinski and co have accomplished is undeniable. Fasten your seatbelts and see this on the biggest screen you possibly can.”
The Little White Lies website described Pitt’s “scintillating form in this shameless PR exercise, which also happens to be one of the year’s most purely entertaining cinematic experiences".
“As evidenced by Netflix’s wildly popular docudrama Drive to Survive, [the sport] is engineered to continuously fuel its own hype machine," Adam Woodward wrote for the website.
“If you’re looking for a serious window into the high-stakes, cut-throat world of Formula One, you certainly won’t find it here.”
Official box office figures show A Minecraft Movie is the highest-grossing film in New Zealand so far in 2025, with ticket sales of $10 million.
That’s followed by local hit Tinā, with $6.4m, and Wicked (released in November 2024) with $6.3m.
Two other high-performing movies – Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch – sit atop the weekly box office list right now, and have both collected about $3.8m at the box office.
It’s a tough time economically and people might not have as much discretionary income for a night at the movies, but with Jurassic World, Avatar and Superman movies to come, data analytics company Vista expects a surge in moviegoers.
“Year-to-date, the New Zealand box office is tracking approximately 4% ahead of last year’s,“ Vista Group global head of data science and analytics William Caicedo told Media Insider.
“While we’re currently about 8% behind 2023, recent months have seen a steady stream of successful releases, and the upcoming slate is generating strong buzz and anticipation. This gives us real optimism for how 2025 will shape up compared to previous years.
“Notably, A Minecraft Movie has already outperformed last year’s top title, Inside Out 2, in gross earnings. Meanwhile, local title Tinā ranks No 2 in year-to-date grosses and has surpassed last year’s heavy hitter Despicable Me 4 at the New Zealand box office.
“The success of Tinā highlights the strong appetite among New Zealand moviegoers for diverse, locally-made stories, not just Hollywood blockbusters."
Legendary movie producer John Barnett is certainly hopeful the F1 movie does well, and has also been delighted with the success of Tinā.
“Tinā has done very well. It was very well-distributed, and also people didn’t know when they were going to be seeing it [at home], so I think that makes a difference. I think it caught up on an audience that wasn’t expecting something and it really worked.
“It’s a universal story. That’s what [filmmaker] Miki Magasiva wanted to make – a universal story. He didn’t want to make a Samoan story or a Palagi story. It’s a woman who’s been through a traumatic incident, who rebuilds her life, and it’s got real heart.”
Barnett said if F1: The Movie drew around $2m at the box office, it would be doing well. “It’s not necessarily going to be a date movie. It might be Brad Pitt, but it’s a sport flick.”
For Barnett, Tinā‘s performance has been heartening, even though it’s likely to shortly pass one of his own famous movies at the box office.
Tinā sits on box office takings of just under $6.4m and in sixth place on the list of the highest-grossing New Zealand movies of all time, just behind Barnett’s Whale Rider, which drew just under $6.5m.
“Good on them, I’m pleased. Most of the films in the top 10 were made at least 10 years ago.”
The highest-grossing New Zealand movie is Hunt for the Wilderpeople, with a local box office take of more than $12.2m.
The publishing industry is celebrating an increase in readership across a broad range of newspapers and magazines. NZME, which publishes the NZ Herald, Stuff and Are Media were all in celebratory mode yesterday.
The Herald’s weekly audience (digital and print) is now at a record 2.377 million, up 83,000 people on the previous quarter. In print alone, the Herald’s daily readership rose 1000, to hit the magical 500,000 mark again.
“It’s a plethora of good news,” Herald editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness said.
The Herald is the country’s biggest newspaper and the Herald on Sunday is the country’s biggest Sunday newspaper.
Stuff and its owner/chief executive Sinead Boucher said the company had seen significant growth in its digital, print and magazine audiences over the past three months, strengthening its lead over competitors. In Nielsen’s separate monthly online news ratings, Stuff is now at 2.328 million.
Are Media is also celebrating a boost in readership across its six titles with Kia Ora magazine up 4% to 468,000 readers – its highest-ever recorded readership – the Woman’s Weekly up 3% to 419,00 readers; The Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ) up 8% to 343,000; Woman’s Day up 3% to 329,000; The Listener up 4% to 215,000; and Your Home & Garden up 3% to 113,000.
“Readers continue to seek out these titles for inspiring, informative and trusted local content, and magazines continue to stand out as an attention-rich, engaging platform where content is not only seen, but absorbed,” Are Media editorial director Sarah Henry said.
“On average, readers of Are Media magazines spend over 100 minutes with a copy of their favourite magazine”.
Are Media general manager Stuart Dick said he was thrilled with the results. “It’s a clear signal that audiences are drawn to quality content and storytelling they can trust.”
Private weather forecaster WeatherWatch has surpassed an extraordinary milestone itself – 100,000 subscribers on YouTube.
As founder and boss Philip Duncan points out, that’s well ahead of the Government-owned MetService (4.99k) and Niwa (8.35k). It’s also 1000 ahead of Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
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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