TVNZ/RNZ merger: Cabinet committee set to decide whether Simon Bridges will be chairman - will Jacinda Ardern reject it?

A recommendation for former National Party leader Simon Bridges to chair the board of the merged TVNZ-RNZ public media entity is set to go before a Cabinet committee next week, the NZ Herald understands.

However, the proposal being put forward by Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson could end up being scotched at that point by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

The Herald was told both Ardern and Robertson have concerns about putting a former politician of any stripe into key positions on the board of the merged company, which comes into being in March 2023.

The appointment has to get through the Cabinet Appointments and Honours committee before going to a full Cabinet.

Ardern chairs that committee, which considers significant Government appointments and is expected to consider Bridges next week.

There are concerns among some ministers about any move that gives rise to a perception of political interference in the new model.

It is understood Jackson is pushing for Bridges to get the role partly to puncture National’s criticisms of the planned merger, which will take effect from March next year. Bridges left Parliament in May to take up a role as chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber.

Jackson’s proposal also has former NZ First MP Tracey Martin as the deputy chair – Martin is the chair of the Establishment Board which is putting the merger into place.

The law change for that is still in select committee, which is due to report back in late January.

Under the change, from March 1, 2023, the staff and assets of RNZ and TVNZ will form Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media (ANZPM). Details on how it will operate in practice are still scant.

Bridges has so far not responded to requests for comment on the issue, but it is understood he has done interviews for it. Another former National MP, Chris Finlayson, is also understood to have been approached but had no interest in it.

National has vigorously opposed the merger, saying it is a waste of money and raising concerns about the risk of political interference in the new entity.

Its broadcasting spokeswoman Melissa Lee initially said it would depend how far through the merger was before deciding whether to unwind it if it got into government, but has since said it would unwind it regardless.

The bill to create the entity is currently before select committee – many submitters raised concerns about it, including other media.

One of the main concerns was that structuring it as an autonomous Crown entity will open it to the risk of political interference in its editorial operations, despite provisions to guard against that. Many argued that it should be structured as a Crown-owned company instead.

Other media also flagged concerns about the impact it would have on the wider media landscape, from impacting on commercial revenue to poaching staff and driving up salaries.

If Bridges’ appointment does make it through, it would be the latest in a string of appointments across party lines over the ages – a long tradition of trying to blunt political attacks by appointing someone from the other side to a key role.

Since 2017, Labour has appointed former PM Sir Jim Bolger as chair of its Fair Pay Working Group, former National minister Chester Borrows to its justice advisory group and Amy Adams to the board of Te Whatu Ora – Health NZ – all areas of reform opposed by National.

Back in 2001, the then Labour government appointed Bolger as chair of Kiwibank and then to KiwiRail in 2008.

After 2008, National appointed former Finance Minister Sir Michael Cullen to the board of NZ Post and also involved him in Treaty negotiations: less politically contentious positions.