Labour leader Chris Hipkins says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters could be "breaking the law" with his comments surrounding the independence of media.
But Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has rejected that suggestion, saying his deputy "wasn't giving direction" to state broadcasters with his remarks.
This week, Peters appeared to suggest TVNZ and RNZ could fall under the new government’s remit that Crown Entities communicate primarily in English.
He has also appeared to refer to the $55m Public Interest Journalism Fund as "bribery".
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Hipkins pointed out the fund was set up when Peters was last deputy prime minister, and said he supported it at the time.
“He’s all over the show.”
But the Labour leader also claimed there was the "potential" the new deputy prime minister is breaking the law.
“His comments around TVNZ and RNZ, effectively giving them public instruction on what they should be doing, almost certainly falls foul of the laws that are very clear that ministers shouldn’t interfere in their editorial decisions.”
Hipkins added Peters' comments were “very concerning”.
“I think it is more concerning our new prime minister doesn’t think that they’re sufficiently serious to warrant any intervention on his part.
“In fact, if Christopher Luxon is going to show leadership as prime minister, he should be stamping down on these straight away.
“They’re wrong, they’re baseless, they’re false and they’re actually very dangerous to the integrity of our democratic system.”
Luxon responds to Peters' comments
Prime Minister Luxon fielded questions about Hipkins' comments this afternoon at his first post-Cabinet press conference in the job.
He told media: "I haven't actually heard what he said, because I've been trying to focus on sorting the government out, but what I'd say to you is he wasn't giving direction with those remarks, and I think people would admit that that was the case."
Luxon said he wouldn't invoke the same language around "bribery" that Peters had used but that he didn't support the Public Interest Journalism Fund in any case.
“I understand the frustration with the fund, as many New Zealanders do," he said.
"It was not the way that I would have expressed it, but I understand the frustration with the fund as many New Zealanders do as well."
He added that: "We have three parties in this government. There will be different personalities. There were different ways of expressing things that may not be the way that I would express everything all the time."
Luxon said he believed the programme led to "perceptions" of bias, "rightly or wrongly".
Law expert gives his take
Media law expert Andrew Geddis told 1News that Peters cannot direct TVNZ to do anything.
"Melissa Lee is the shareholding minister in TVNZ, and as such the only one who can issue 'directions' to the company," he said.
Geddis also said the new government cannot order or require broadcasters to change how te reo Māori is used in broadcasts.
"TVNZ also has a positive statutory obligation to 'provide high-quality content that ... encompasses both New Zealand and international content and reflects Māori perspectives," said Geddis.
He continued to say that it is not unheard of for government ministers to try to apply pressure to media so they operate in a way that suits government ideology, a point the previous Minister for Broadcasting Willie Jackson was vocal about.
"What he saw as a need for TVNZ to include more 'public interest broadcasting' in its schedule. As such, the line between 'interfering' and 'setting out expectations' is a very fuzzy one indeed," said Geddis.
'Some sympathy' for board members' comments
Following Peters’ comments, an NZ On Air board member resigned after labelling the new deputy prime minister as “malicious” and the “worst of this gang of thugs” in a social media post.
Hipkins said it was right for the board member to resign, but said he has “some sympathy” for the comments the board member made.
“That doesn’t mean they were acceptable for him to make for the role he [has held].”
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