One of NZ’s most powerful lobbyists says he’ll share his guide on MPs if RNZ shows him what they’re working on; a surprise, possible reprieve for three Today FM stars; Stuff finally opens up the paywall battleground. Plus, a top PR leader staunchly defends her industry.
Mark Unsworth is a colourful and popular character - a regular sight around Parliament with a heaving contact book and, undoubtedly, many war stories from his almost 30 years as a leading lobbyist. He’s been variously described, over the years, as New Zealand’s most powerful behind-the-scenes PR person and most experienced lobbyist.
Unsworth was a select guest during a lively celebration at the Beehive banquet hall recently, to celebrate Newstalk ZB broadcaster and journalist Barry Soper’s 42 years in the political press gallery.
Soper cast a light-hearted lob at Unsworth during his speech from the stage – “Who let the lobbyists in!”. That week, there had been regular and prominent headlines about the role of lobbying firms and the influence and access they had in the halls of power, driven by an insightful series by RNZ’s Guyon Espiner.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who was sitting at an adjacent table that Friday night, announced on the following Monday a review and possible regulation of the lobbying industry.
That evening, Unsworth sat smiling but, behind the scenes, he’d been striving to keep a major piece of his work out of the public spotlight.
Each political term, Unsworth, the co-founder and senior principal of lobbying firm Saunders Unsworth, produces a Guide to MPs, a comprehensive insight into the latest class of politicians, from the Prime Minister through to the freshest face MP.
The Guide includes information such as an MP’s family life, including names of partners and numbers of children, and personal hobbies and interests, their style of work, personality traits, and any other pertinent information. All yours - if you’re a Saunders Unsworth client - for the price of $950.
But that work has put him on a collision course with media over whether it should be publicly revealed – to the extent he has labelled Espiner’s arguments to have the guide released as “nonsense”.
Espiner, as part of his investigation, applied for a copy of the Guide under the Official Information Act (OIA), after at least one government department, Landcorp, purchased a copy in 2020. Media Insider also requested the guide from Landcorp under the OIA.
Landcorp has refused both requests and referred us to the Ombudsman if we wish to appeal.
However, Landcorp did release two additional emails to Media Insider - correspondence between itself and Unsworth, in which they discuss whether the Guide should be released to RNZ.
And this is where Unsworth’s colourful nature is revealed.
In an email to Unsworth, Landcorp senior legal counsel Kim Ellwood said they had withheld the Guide under section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Official Information Act - that its release would be likely to “unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied it”.
Ellwood told Unsworth that RNZ had complained to the Ombudsman about the refusal. She said RNZ considered that the Guide “was purchased by a public body, with public money and is information gathered about people who are supposed to advance the public interest”.
In response, Unsworth said Ellwood’s letter “explains the reason for a chat I had with the Ombudsman’s office yesterday”.
He said the Guide was not for the general public - “only clients of Saunders Unsworth”. It was also copyright, he said.
“The Ombudsman’s office was happy with my responses.”
He said he would not give approval for the release of the Guide to the Ombudsman’s office “but am happy for them to pop down the stairs and look at it”.
Unsworth then turned his sights on the request.
“Guyan’s [sic] arguments are nonsense. If you followed that line, then RNZ should hand over to anyone access to any investigation they are carrying out at any time about any political figure as they are ‘a public body with public money and its information about people who are supposed to advance the public interest’,” Unsworth wrote.
“If RNZ can promise that to both the Ombudsman’s office and myself that it will do that on a daily basis for me then I will waive the copyright and willingly sell them a copy of my profiles - once they become a client.”
I went directly to Unsworth this week and requested a copy of the Guide, but he politely declined the opportunity to highlight his in-depth work to a refined audience.
Aside from the arguments he presented in his email to Landcorp, he told Media Insider it was all about trust.
“Over the years it takes a great deal of time and effort to convince every new MP after an election to sit down and talk openly to someone they have never met before. One of the things I promise is that the info they give won’t be in the media.”
Nevertheless, his website does provide an example of the Guide - a 540-word profile on former Cabinet Minister Kris Faafoi. The mini-portrait was updated in 2020 and has been published on the website with Faafoi’s permission. No surprises there - it’s hardly a ruthless expose.
The profile describes Faafoi as “wonderful to deal with”.
“Quiet and thoughtful, polite, centre-right within the Labour caucus, keen on consensus politics. Not an attack politician and very respectful of authority. Sincere and friendly, great communicator. Exemplary performer.”
It outlines Faafoi’s family life, his history as a journalist and broadcaster, and his political background. “Faafoi has been the rising star of this Labour Govt, being the safe pair of hands the PM turns to when someone else has dropped the ball.”
The profile says his decision to give up the Labour Mana seat and move to Greytown “shocked a few people but he deserves a quieter life. Everyone is hoping this doesn’t signal an early exit from politics”.
Prescient words, of course. Faafoi resigned from politics in 2022, and is now ... yes, a lobbyist.
At least three of Today FM’s high-profile hosts may still have a lifeline with MediaWorks, with an option for new audio roles at the business.
It is understood Duncan Garner, Polly Gillespie, and Lloyd Burr are all in MediaWorks’ sights as podcast hosts - although there is scepticism in some quarters about the company’s longer-term commitment to the format.
Each would certainly offer different perspectives, on a range of topics.
Garner, who hosted the 9am-12pm slot on Today FM, famously described - live and on air - his pending redundancy as a “betrayal” and in a video interview with the National Business Review this month he indicated legal action against MediaWorks was possible.
He described the two hours he was given to provide feedback over the proposed Today FM closure as a “fraud”, and he put MediaWorks’ private equity owners on notice.
“You can’t send your Aussie bankers over here and run roughshod over New Zealand workers. If you are going to do that, then you’ll run into the New Zealand law ... and they might well do.”
In an accompanying column for the NBR, Garner wrote: “We rely on advertising and the market went soft late last year, so these faceless Aussies show up, pay lip service to New Zealand employment law, pay lip service to proper consultation in good faith, and then walk away thinking that’s a done deal, station is dead, staff will go quietly.
“How you treat people matters. Clearly not in the world of the MediaWorks board, but in life it actually does.”
News that Garner may have a new opening in the business is somewhat of a surprise - he and the others will no doubt be seeking some firmer, longer-term commitments if they are interested. Signing up for a new podcast deal may put the kibosh on any legal moves.
A MediaWorks spokeswoman said: “We have nothing to share just now.”
MediaWorks is still facing legal action on several fronts - as Media Insider has revealed over the past several weeks, group legal action is being led by Auckland employment lawyer Charlotte Parkhill while several staff, including Gary McCormick, have also called in legal guns, on an individual basis.
A rather extraordinary - and defensive - column this week from the chair of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand.
Under the clearly sarcastic headline ‘Evil public sector communicators are multiplying at record rates’, Heather Claycomb valiantly explains why her industry is not - as she describes - “spinning lies, writing propaganda, blocking media, creating diversion tactics and pocketing big salaries while doing very little work”.
She’s taken exception to those perceptions and reports of recent revelations that the number of public communications staff has grown 50 per cent under the Labour Government.
“Like clockwork, several times a year there is a media story criticising the supposedly burgeoning number of communications jobs in New Zealand’s public sector,” Claycomb writes.
She goes on to defend her industry, the numbers employed, their work ethic and responsibilities, and why 24/7 communications, the rise of social media channels and major events - a pandemic, a terrorist attack, natural disasters - have all conspired to put “incredible pressure on teams”.
“All I ask is that next time you hear media or a politician criticising the number of communications jobs in the public sector, remember the real people doing the mahi. They are not ‘evil’. They are some of the most professional, hard-working, self-sacrificing, patriotic Kiwis you’ll ever meet.”
Fair enough. No doubt there are many PR teams facing tough deadlines and pesky clients and journalists - those of us who are left anyway (the number of journalists in New Zealand has roughly halved since 2008, while communications staff numbers are indeed blossoming, and that’s without even counting contractors).
But the “patriotic” and “incredible pressure” points all seem a bit out there.
It reminded me of the brilliant quote by former Australian cricketer and World War II pilot Keith Miller. Many years after Miller retired from the game, broadcaster Michael Parkinson asked him about pressure on the cricket field.
“I’ll tell you what pressure is,” Miller told Parkinson. “Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse. Playing cricket is not.”
New Zealand doesn’t enjoy - or endure - the ferocity of the competitive media wars that are prevalent in markets such as the US, the UK, and Australia.
While some people still think Rupert Murdoch plays a leading role here, the truth is, he sold out of his New Zealand holdings years ago and never seemed too interested - financially or emotionally - anyway. His New Zealand editors were never on his calling list.
But a new battleground featuring New Zealand’s two biggest digital news publishers, the NZ Herald/NZME and Stuff, is finally opening up.
Four years after the Herald launched its Premium digital subscription service, Stuff, as widely predicted, has followed suit.
Stuff confirmed one of New Zealand media’s worst-kept secrets last night - a digital paywall for at least three of its regional and metropolitan mastheads: The Press in Christchurch, the newly minted The Post in Wellington; and The Waikato Times.
Readers wanting to access news and content from those three regions will, from tomorrow, need to pay a digital subscription to access the specific websites, while the overall Stuff mothership remains free.
The new strategy, unveiled at a function at the Beehive, raises a number of intriguing points:
NZME’s response will be equally interesting.
Over the past two years, the company has been clear in wanting to transform the New Zealand Herald into ‘New Zealand’s Herald’ - essentially extending the big digital numbers it has in Auckland and much of the North Island (its traditional print strongholds) into Wellington and the South Island.
Does the Herald now pivot slightly, and free up more local journalism in the capital and Christchurch, to offer an even more attractive alternative to Stuff?
Certainly, the Herald marketing team was quick off the mark this week, with some guerilla billboards popping up in Wellington ahead of Stuff’s announcement. And Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher couldn’t resist a response on Twitter.
All good fun for now, until the serious stuff starts.
Former ASB chief executive Barbara Chapman was overwhelmingly voted back in as a director of NZME at this week’s annual shareholders meeting.
Chapman - the chairman of NZME’s board - received more than 95 per cent votes in favour of her term being renewed and she and directors were personally thanked by one shareholder from the floor. He had bought NZME shares when they sat at a lowly 20c in 2020. (NZME’s shares closed at $1.07 yesterday).
NZME CEO Michael Boggs presented the company’s market and outlook position, saying that despite an uncertain operating environment and weaker advertising in the first quarter of 2023 compared with 2022, the business was still on track for an EBITDA in the range of $59 million-$64 million this year.
He said NZME was implementing tight cost controls across the business.
The outlook slide presented to shareholders (below) revealed the soft real estate market had contributed to around 60 per cent of the company’s revenue reduction in the first three months of 2023. On a more positive note, overall advertising bookings for May reflected an “improving trend”.
Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson says he was sorry to see Māni Dunlop leave Radio New Zealand this month.
“I was disappointed – she is a young talent. I support Māori talent, I support all talent. It was lovely to see her there. She certainly made her mark,” Jackson told Media Insider.
He said it was not for him to say whether Dunlop - who hosted RNZ’s Midday Report but resigned after missing out on the Morning Report role - should have been appointed to the primetime slot.
“I wasn’t on the selection panel. But you know I’ve been a supporter of hers through the years. I understand that there were strong contenders. I’ve been very clear through the years that I want to see more Māori in primary roles at RNZ and I’ve been assured by management over the last couple of years that they’re making real efforts to achieve that. I’m comfortable with where they are at.”
He said RNZ still had some way to go, especially with Māori programming, but CEO Paul Thompson had made some “real effort in terms of turning things around”.
Pākehā announcers were all now making an effort with te reo Māori, Jackson said, and this made him proud.
At Dunlop’s farewell function, her partner Kiri Allan – a Government Minister alongside Jackson in Cabinet - reportedly fired up at RNZ about its treatment of Māori reporters and urged the public broadcaster to look at its culture. She subsequently apologised. RNZ has yet to release a transcript of her comments.
At the same time, several high-profile announcers, including Karyn Hay, have been off-air at RNZ with no explanation.
Jackson said he was aware that some presenters were off-air but he had not been briefed.
“I thought I might have done but I haven’t had a briefing. I am always happy to know but I don’t demand to know. If someone wants to give me a call on that, fine. RNZ’s business is their business. They make their own decisions. I don’t get briefed on every single thing they do, and I don’t really need to.”
Many thanks to the readers who responded to the Media Bias poll, published last week. It showed the NZ Herald was the least biased, in terms of political coverage, of eight major media brands. It certainly prompted a fair amount of feedback.
Judy Waldvogel of Tauranga believes both state broadcasters are “very left-leaning at the moment”. “Much of TVNZ and RNZ really seem the mouthpiece for the government with their extensive coverage, much of it positive despite some of the major problems the government has contributed.”
Brian Hedley: “If media were critical observers and systems thinkers, we could have more confidence in the media being fair, balanced and presenting the whole story – not their politically influenced superficially observed version of events. We need better training and more objective analysis from our media. There are some standout journalists but not organisations.”
Harm Barkhuizen: “The results of this poll say it all. The media is left-biased, with even the Herald showing this. There is just no source of unbiased objective reporting. Most [are] trying to shove the socialist agenda of this useless Labour government down our throats.”
Kathie Wilkes: “I am really shocked that there is a perception of the Herald as neutral as it clearly is right-leaning, as is Newshub. Having just had a discussion with friends this afternoon after we had all read the article it was interesting to hear everyone’s views. General consensus is that Newstalk and The Platform are directed at an older white demographic who tend to be more right-wing. Having voted both National and Labour at various times, we felt we were a good, unbiased cross-section who never get asked to contribute to surveys! We are a group of 10 people who range between 30 and 70. Climate change is a concern to everyone in our group.”
For our NZ Herald Premium subscribers, we’re hosting a special, live political panel discussion on nzherald.co.nz from 12pm this Monday.
I’m moderating a panel of three of our top broadcasters and journalists – Heather du Plessis Allan, Simon Wilson and Barry Soper.
It should be lively and interesting – six months out from the election, we’ll explore all manner of topics including the performances of Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon, and myriad social and political issues including the state of the economy and possible tax policies.
We welcome your questions. Please fire them to me directly (shayne.currie@nzme.co.nz), or see nzherald.co.nz on Monday morning for more details. The live panel discussion starts at midday, and you can watch it live on the website.
This week’s text encounter is with comedian, broadcaster and beer and chips businessman Leigh Hart.
* 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.
'[This is]...an incredibly difficult decision, felt deeply across our small organisation.'