Media Insider: David Seymour and Guy Williams clash at press conference; Bank execs at Shane Jones’ private party; Shortland St revival - is the screen production rebate also safe?

‘When I grew up... comedians were funny’ - Act leader hits back at TV personality; The corporate, banking and PR Who’s Who at Shane Jones’ Waitangi party; Sky CFO’s departure; Shorty St revived - is the screen production rebate safe? Top mag returns to NZ; Rachel Glucina’s new role; TVNZ logo oopsie.

Comedian Guy Williams gatecrashed a David Seymour stand-up press conference at Waitangi this week and, according to Seymour, the encounter has given him a “newfound appreciation for the real journalists”.

Waitangi has always thrown up the unpredictable for politicians - Steven Joyce infamously had a dildo bounce off his noggin; Don Brash endured splattered mud. On Wednesday, Seymour fended off Williams’ verbal barbs and responded with his own.

The pair clashed several times, with Williams accusing Seymour of “spinning shit” and the Act leader pushing back: “When I grew up as a kid in this country, comedians were funny. They were clever, they were witty. What’s gone wrong?”.

ACT party leader David Seymour at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds with Guy Williams on the far right. Photo / Dean Purcell

Seymour was talking to reporters following his Waitangi speech. As he answered a question about his use of a Shakespeare quote, Williams interjected.

Seymour: “Pouring poison in one’s ear is a quote from Hamlet about putting mistruths in people’s minds, and I believe that’s what people have done about my [Treaty Principles] Bill”.

Williams: “A lot of people are saying that’s what you’re doing. You’re spreading misinformation”.

Seymour: “Can you give me an example?”

Williams: “You’re trying to say that Māori are causing divisions and racist - it seems like that’s what you’re doing”.

Seymour: “No, I’ve never said that at all”.

Williams pushed further, insisting Seymour had said it many times - “don’t lie to me”.

Seymour: “I’ve never said that at all. That’s why you’re not a real journalist. These guys are.

“What I have said consistently is the idea that the Treaty formed a partnership between races... is inherently divisive as an idea.”

Williams took on Seymour again a few minutes later. “You’re saying I’m not a real journalist, but even I can see through this bullshit. You’re spinning shit”.

Seymour: “It’s worse than that. You’re not even a real comedian”.

Williams: “OK, well, that’s fair. But.. I feel like you’re setting the narrative and then saying everyone who argues with you is an idiot when really people have been very clear about their arguments. You’re being dismissive because you want to control the narrative. You’re not in it for ideas, you’re in it for asset sales and for creating division to win political votes. That’s what I think.”

Seymour: “When I grew up as a kid in this country, comedians were funny. They were clever, they were witty. What’s gone wrong?”.

Williams: “I think I’m all right”.

Seymour: “Yeah, I know. You’re the only person who thinks that”.

Williams: “When I grew up, politicians were a bit more honest”.

Comedian Guy Williams, far right, joined the media and questioned Act leader David Seymour at Waitangi this week.

Seymour said Williams had given him a new appreciation for journalists, joking about having to turn to Herald columnist Simon Wilson to ask a question.

Seymour and Williams clashed a third time when the comedian asked whether the politician was joking when he said he was improving the mana of the Treaty.

“I would have thought a comedian would know what a joke was, but maybe that’s where you’re having troubles,” Seymour said.

He wrapped up his press conference with a final dig. “All right, folks, well, it’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve got a newfound appreciation for the real journalists”.

As Seymour walked off, microphones stayed live, recording Williams’ reaction to what had just unfolded.

“Is that how it normally goes? Was I bad? Thank you and thanks to you at the back as well. Thank you. Thanks, David. What the f*** was that?”

On social media platforms, the reaction to the encounter fell mainly in line with political allegiances.

“Whoever Guy Williams is, he is a total loser,” wrote businessman Nick Mowbray on X.

Another X user said they had a new appreciation for Williams. “I love that he was standing up for the Treaty of Waitangi.”

Some journalists gave their own verdict.

”Wasn’t expecting to get David Seymour v Guy Williams on the Waitangi livestream. Sadly for the comedian he has underestimated how sharp Seymour is in front of a camera ... it was brutal,” wrote AAP Pacific editor Ben McKay.

Don’t be surprised if the exchange forms part of Williams’ new comedy series, New Zealand Tomorrow, for which production company Kevin and Co has received $999,870 in NZ on Air funding.

In that sense, producers won’t mind the attention the encounter is receiving - it will be intriguing to see how it is eventually presented.

The Act party got in early, posting a video of the press conference on YouTube yesterday under the headline ‘David vs the Media - Guy Williams WRECKED’. It also posted the video on X, highlighting the “rantings of former comedian Guy Williams”.

One Good Poll

Bank, PR execs and journos enjoy Shane Jones’ party

Just a week ago, NZ First’s Shane Jones described banks as “woke-riddled, corporate undertakers” - furious with them for “de-banking” legitimate mineral businesses and vowing to end what he calls their climate change activism.

“They are the new corporate gatekeepers, imposing moral priorities under the cover of saving the planet upon regional communities,” he said. “Not only are they inflicting their luxury beliefs on our farming industry but they are actively de-banking mineral firms.”

A BNZ spokesperson earlier told the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan that the bank had announced in 2019 a commitment to reduce its exposure to coal, in line with the Government’s Net Zero 2050 target.

But all of that was cast to the side on Tuesday, as several of New Zealand’s major bank executives and a cast of other corporate executives, journalists, PR leaders, members of the diplomatic corp and locals rolled up to Jones’ Kerikeri house for his annual Waitangi party.

Westpac chief executive Catherine McGrath, BNZ executive Dean Schmidt, and ANZ executive Peter Parussini were all there, along with other senior bank industry names including Jessica Mutch McKay (ANZ), and Cliff Joiner and Shelley Mackey (BNZ).

“Three of the four big banks were in attendance, paying homage to the matua,” one senior PR figure told Media Insider. “Pretty timely for them!”

However, there appeared to be little time for any meaningful work talk - the mood was festive, reported a number of attendees. It was a “good buzz” after the “political shitstorm” of the previous week, one attendee said.

Another communications leader said: “It was a really great opportunity for a bunch of people who cross paths during the year to get together - politicians, executives, CEOs, quite a few corporate comms people and Kerikeri locals, just enjoying a night of dance and catch-ups with old mates over a few drinks.

Shane and Dot Jones hosted their annual Waitangi party this week - the theme was 'The Great Gatsby'.

“It was a beautiful spread that Shane and Dot put on. It was a really fantastic event and a great gateway for many people into the more serious business of Waitangi Day.”

The theme of the party was ‘The Great Gatsby’.

“Half the people made an effort,” said one attendee.

Included in the spread this year were monster crayfish. The beer and wine poured freely.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters at Shane Jones' party in 2024. He was there again this week.

Politicians included Jones’ boss, NZ First leader Winston Peters, wearing his newspaper-patterned shirt which is becoming a tradition for this event. Attendees say he sat in a special VIP area for the evening, with somewhat limited access for anyone wanting to bend his ear.

Senior National MPs Paul Goldsmith, Mark Mitchell and Gerry Brownlee were all there as well as Labour’s Greg O’Connor and Act’s Karen Chhour.

Members of the diplomatic corp were there, including the Australian high commissioner.

Lobbyist Mark Unsworth wore a sombrero - Jones has been in the spotlight for recent comments in Parliament targeting Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March, who was born in Mexico. Jones had earlier said he was hoping to enjoy a shot of tequila with the Mexican ambassador to help clear the air.

Other business figures included the Financial Services Council chief executive Kirk Hope and Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen.

The number of journalists this year was down on other years.

TVNZ’s Andrew Saville and Helen Castles were there - they are friends of the Joneses.

Andrew Saville and Helen Castles.

Other journalists included NZ Herald senior writers Audrey Young, Fran O’Sullivan and David Fisher, and political reporter Adam Pearse, along with Richard Harman (Politik website) and Craig Hoyle (Sunday Star-Times).

Senior communications and PR people included Sky TV’s Chris Major, Auckland Airport’s Libby Middlebrook, Fletcher’s Christian May and Sherson Willis’ Trish Sherson.

Sky CFO departure

Speculation is rife of a fallout at the highest levels of Sky TV’s executive team.

That’s the natural conclusion from close observers following the resignation - with immediate effect - of Sky chief financial officer Ciara McGuigan this week.

Ciara McGuigan is leaving Sky TV with immediate effect.

McGuigan is a highly respected CFO - she started with Sky last March after being poached with fanfare from TVNZ - and is also renowned as a vocal person. She is unafraid to say what she thinks.

Equally, Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney is one of the media industry’s most impressive leaders - although she and the company are facing major headaches right now over an ailing satellite.

Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney has apologised to customers for recent satellite issues: "I am very sorry."

Sky is facing an unprecedented number of customer complaints - hundreds of people have been losing TV reception because of the satellite issues. The customer service response, similarly, has not been up to scratch with technicians often failing to show up for pre-arranged visits.

McGuigan has departed just two weeks before the publicly listed company announces its half-year financial result - an event usually fronted by the chief executive and the chief financial officer.

While Moloney praised McGuigan in a press statement this week, Sky has refused to explain her sudden departure.

McGuigan was quoted in a follow-up PR statement: “I have enjoyed being part of the Sky crew and have decided that now is the right time to move on”.

Media Insider understands there may have been some sort of relationship breakdown at executive level. We asked Sky a number of specific questions, including the status of the working relationship between the CEO and CFO.

A spokeswoman responded: “The statements Sophie and Ciara made this morning are all we have to say about her resignation”.

Shorty St’s revival; Is the SPR safe?

The stars of Shortland St were out in force at Event Cinemas in Auckland’s Newmarket on Tuesday night for the launch of the new-look season of New Zealand’s longest-running soap.

It starts its 34th year on Monday night in its reduced, three-days-a-week format and now with the added financial support of NZ on Air - with a $3 million public grant - and the 40% domestic screen production rebate. The Government has expanded the rebate’s scope to accommodate Shortland St.

That all helps reduce the financial burden on TVNZ, which is understood to have been paying up to $20 million a year for the show until now. The exact new TVNZ number is unclear, given the show has also made a number of production costs, but it will be still stumping up millions.

Shortland St returns on Monday, with a new format and new public funding that helped save the show.

NZ on Air chief executive Cameron Harland, TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell and producer South Pacific Pictures chief executive Kelly Martin gave short speeches on Tuesday - they all paid tribute to Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith for his support of the show.

Harland said the rebate move was an “extraordinary” change: “We are really lucky to have a minister who is as engaged as he is in the sector”.

The screen production rebate is certainly a vital lifeline for the New Zealand screen and production industry - supporters speak of the benefits it draws in, in terms of economic development, tourism, and screen and production industry talent.

There continue to be murmurings that the Government may be looking at the rebate as part of its Budget decision-making this year.

“The rebate schemes are demand-driven and require regular top-ups, so consideration of ongoing funding for the schemes is, as in previous years, part of Budget discussions,” Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Media Insider.

Goldsmith, who also holds the media and communications portfolio, said: “I have stated publicly we are committed to having ongoing rebates. Any future budget decisions will be made by the Minister of Finance”.

Shortland Street cast member Michael Galvin (Dr Chris Warner) checks Paul Goldsmith's blood pressure.

Willis said the Government provided significant support for the screen production rebate scheme in its first Budget, including $67m to top up the domestic rebate scheme and $114m for the international scheme.

“This support recognised the economic value of the screen production sector to New Zealand, the highly competitive international environment for this kind of activity and the desire to keep New Zealand on the map as an attractive place for film-making.”

Act has been opposed to the rebate for some time, whereas the screen industry is quick to highlight the benefits and economic profits it helps bring into the country.

Screen producers guild Spada president Irene Gardiner said the industry appreciated the support for the rebate from successive governments.

“Without the rebate we wouldn’t get big international productions working here, having an incredibly positive impact on our economy.

“Two different recent research surveys have shown that for every rebate dollar spent, $6 comes back into the New Zealand economy, and that’s across accommodation, travel, hospitality, catering, etc - not just screen businesses.

“The rebate also significantly helps our domestic sector, especially as our producers move more into international co-productions.

“The recent change to the rebate to enable it to be used with NZOA funding has helped make money go further, in very challenging times for local production.

“We always welcome any thoughts on making the rebate work even better for the screen industry and for New Zealand than it does now.”

NZ on Air/Film Commission merger

Work is under way on a proposal to merge two of the New Zealand screen sector’s funding agencies.

“The merger of New Zealand on Air and the New Zealand Film Commission is a matter under active consideration and we’ll make announcements in due course,” Media and Communications Paul Goldsmith said.

Magazine returns to NZ shelves

The magazine industry in New Zealand is enjoying somewhat of a post-Covid revival.

Now one of the world’s most recognised titles, Cosmopolitan, is returning to New Zealand shelves, after an almost six-year hiatus.

Bi-monthly title Cosmopolitan Australia will reappear in Aotearoa from February 24, along with its racy sealed section and centrefold.

Katarina Kroslakova of publishing house KK Press.

“New Zealand’s always been part of the contractual discussions with Hearst International, so I always wanted to expand to New Zealand,” said Katarina Kroslakova, owner of publishing house KK Press.

“I just wanted to do it at the right time and in the right way.”

The Sydney-based publisher has close professional and personal links with New Zealand - her stepfather is from Hamilton and she and her family make regular trips.

Kroslakova reintroduced Cosmopolitan to the Australian market in August, with success. She says the title has been printing up to 35,000 copies across the ditch - they will add another 8000 copies to their print run for New Zealand distribution at an initial cover price of $5.95.

The Australian and New Zealand editions would carry the same content - some cover lines might be tweaked.

“We’re just incorporating amazing New Zealand stories organically into our issue as it is,” says Kroslakova.

“My passion is encouraging people to buy magazines and to buy print media and to read - to have that beautiful experience. I really want to encourage the 16, 17, 18-year-olds to get into the habit of buying magazines, because once they develop that love, then they’ll have it for the rest of their life, which is exactly what happened with me.”

She said beauty, fashion and travel would play a key role in the magazine’s content.

“I think we’re in the era of too much. The phone is just such a distraction and it’s such a punish. We originally wanted to launch Cosmo because of one really compelling statistic in Australia, and that was that women’s lifestyle magazines are up 30% in print readership of the age bracket of 18 to 35.

“I think it is simply just, please take some time out, sit somewhere comfortable, have a drink, have a cuppa or a gin and tonic, whatever tickles your fancy, and just chill.”

She says print also has the “air of credibility”.

“I love it... we don’t use AI. We don’t use bots. We use real people and we use real experts and we use real journalists and we’re investing that much in our business.”

The latest Cosmopolitan Australia magazine.

She said the magazine’s sealed section was carefully considered. “We’re not doing it in a dirty way but to be kind of fun.”

The latest Australian issue features actor Josh Heuston as the poster centrefold. “It’s massive. It brings back that lovely nostalgia and that lovely sense of fun when we all used to have giant posters on our walls.”

The return of Cosmopolitan is another bright spot for the local magazine industry.

Are Media NZ general manager Stuart Dick said his company - which publishes the Listener, NZ Woman’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly, Your Home and Garden and Kia Ora magazine - had enjoyed a strong profit result last year in challenging market conditions.

“We are most proud of our overall business performance,” he told Media Insider in December.

“After a busy few years of launches and new things, 2024 was focused on core performance of copy sales, advertising revenue, and subscriptions. I am very proud of our team for exceeding targets for all of these.”

Are Media NZ general manager Stuart Dick.

And in The Australian last week, Are Media chief executive Jane Huxley also spoke of the vibrancy of the market.

“Segments of the market are growing,” she said of the Australian titles, “but obviously the mass market titles are not. Stabilising is a better word for those, but there are certainly spots in the market that we do see growth in. If I look first at our own stable, we are seeing very steady growth in the luxury market.

“That is evident with things like the recently relaunched Elle magazine going from two to four issues a year, the continued stability of Marie Claire.”

In Australia, she said, there was still a “massive invisible market” of women aged 34+. “Magazines are a critical way to reach that audience and such a compelling way to reach them. The work that we do at agencies is really around our omnichannel brands.”

Rachel Glucina’s new role

Former NZ Herald and Herald on Sunday gossip writer Rachel Glucina, now based in London, has been appointed the president of The New Zealand Society UK.

Glucina, who left the Herald in 2015 to join MediaWorks and start the Scout entertainment brand, has been in the UK for a number of years - she would take up her new role next month, the society announced yesterday.

“In addition to her leadership role within the New Zealand Society UK, Rachel plays a key part in promoting Brand New Zealand on the global stage, collaborating with companies, governments, and trade entities across the UK and the EMEA region,” it said. “This year, she will work closely with the Black Ferns as they defend their title in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.”

Glucina said in the announcement that the new role was a “great honour and privilege”.

”For 98 years The NZ Society has been supporting the international New Zealand community in the United Kingdom and promoting and maintaining the rich trade relationship between our two countries.

“I am proud to be leading this prestigious organisation into its centenary as we continue this tradition of strengthening Anglo-New Zealand common bonds.”

TVNZ’s logo oopsie

A very eagle-eyed and “stunned” viewer wondered whether TVNZ had quietly introduced a new form of sponsorship for its flagship 6pm news bulletin this week.

Sponsorship logos were imposed three times over a news story on Tuesday evening about the use of AI for safety at a Canterbury swimming pool.

The logos were for the company World Travellers.

The sponsorship logo appeared in error during a news story on TVNZ's 6pm bulletin.

TVNZ said the logos appeared in error on the news bulletin, in place of the usual 1 News logo.

“Unfortunately, a sponsor logo attached to a Breakfast promo appearing in the next ad break snuck in, over-riding the expected format,” said a TVNZ spokeswoman.

“This was a technical error. Our position remains that while we work with sponsors for certain stories appearing on Breakfast and Seven Sharp, we do not accept sponsorship for stories in 1News at Six.

“For us this distinction balances our commercial needs with maintaining trust in our reporting.”

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.