Television New Zealand (TVNZ) – State Media Monitor

Television New Zealand Limited (TVNZ), the nation’s flagship public broadcaster, traces its roots to the 1980 union of government-owned Television One (now TVNZ 1) and South Pacific Television (now TVNZ 2). A Crown-owned entity, TVNZ operates five free-to-air channels—TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, DUKE, plus the on-demand streaming service TVNZ+ and the trusted news arm 1News.

Media assets

Television: TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, TVNZ Duke

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

TVNZ remains a Crown-owned commercial entity: its board is appointed by the Minister of Broadcasting for three‑year terms, and the company answers to the Crown while remaining commercially driven.

A widely debated merger between TVNZ and Radio New Zealand—into a new entity called Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media—had been on the cards since mid‑2022. However, due to shifting government priorities under Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, the merger was officially shelved in February 2023.

As of January 2024, Jodi O’Donnell holds the helm as Chief Executive Officer, having stepped up from her previous role as Chief Revenue Officer. In April 2025, Nadia Tolich was appointed Chief News and Content Officer, marking a significant editorial leadership change within TVNZ’s news division.

Source of funding and budget

TVNZ continues to rely predominantly on advertising, roughly 90%–commercial funding, with only a sliver of income from government support.

In the fiscal year ending June 2021, TVNZ generated NZ$ 339.9 million (US$ 228 m) in commercial funding, according to its annual report. In the 2022 fiscal year, the figure nudged upward to NZ$ 341 million (US$ 213 m). In the 2023 financial year, however, revenues slipped to NZ$ 327 million (US$ 202 m), reflecting the downturn in traditional advertising markets and intensifying competition from global streaming platforms.

In FY 2024, TVNZ’s operating revenue slipped further to NZ$ 288.9 million, a year-on-year fall of almost 12%, with results weighed down by a NZ$ 62.1 million impairment; still, digital ad income rose by just over 8% even as traditional television advertising fell. By the first half of FY 2025, revenue totalled NZ$ 152.7 million, with digital streams growing by about 16% year-on-year to contribute more than a quarter of total income, even as overall revenue edged down by 1.9%.

Editorial independence

TVNZ operates under the Television New Zealand Act of 2003, which enshrines its editorial independence. There is no evidence of government interference in its news or programming agenda.

TVNZ has a complaints procedure in place that allows viewers to submit feedback about the TVNZ programming and rules that oblige the broadcaster to respond to these complaints within 20 days.

August 2025