TVNZ Waka Up The Charter Without A Paddle

ACT New Zealand Broadcasting Spokesman Deborah Coddington today slammed the appointment of Hone Edwards to the position of TVNZ Kaihautu, labelling the move political correctness gone completely, utterly mad.

"This is at a time when a number of jobs at TVNZ are under threat, and staff are being told to cut production costs," Miss Coddington said.

"The position of Kaihautu is a requirement of the new Charter-driven era of cringing political correctness which has now infiltrated TVNZ.

"A Kaihautu has been described as `a person who calls the paddlers to order, steering the vessel in the right direction.' I call it a completely frivolous waste and misuse of taxpayers' money.

"Any sane person would have thought the Government had learnt its lesson from the ongoing sorry saga of MTS. Instead, they seem even more eager to throw money at politically correct causes such as this.

"In light of the Government's current difficulties in appeasing Maori over the seabed and foreshore issue, this smacks of Labour desperately attempting to keep Maori voters in the fold.

"This appointment is just another example of why the state needs to get the hell out of broadcasting," Miss Coddington said.

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