Editorial
The Government Says NIX To Digital
As we all know, we live in a digital age -- well all of us except the Prime Minister of New Zealand that is.

Proving herself just as capable of making irrational knee-jerk reactions as the previous government, Prime Minister Helen Clark showed just how backward-thinking she can be by announcing that the plug has been pulled on the country's state-owned TV broadcaster's (TVNZ) plans to move to a digital TV network.

Duh!

While I'm sure this move must give some kind of sadistic satisfaction to the arty-crafty, lentil-knitting culture mavens who have long demanded that Television New Zealand become a visual version of National Radio or the USA's PBS, this ruling is the equivalent of flushing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars right down the toilet.

The evolution of modern communications is moving at an every-increasing pace and digital TV isn't just a good idea -- it's a necessary shift if any broadcaster is to maintain a profile in the marketplace. To deny TVNZ the essential ability to maintain technical parity with its peers is nothing short of signing its death warrant as an earner for the government's coffers.

Not only will Clark's ill-conceived decision decimate any possible dividends to government, it will also mean that the asset value of TVNZ will rapidly erode to a mere fraction of its current figure.

If Ms Clark thinks she's punishing TVNZ for mis-handling the Hawkesby affair then she's sorely deluded. All she's doing is ripping hundreds of millions of dollars out of the pockets of innocent tax-payers.

Ms Clark -- if you believe that New Zealand needs a public service TV broadcaster then sell TVNZ now -- while it still has some value. With just a small fraction of the proceeds of that sale the government can then set up a purpose-built operation to achieve those public service goals. And, for a tiny percentage of current the operational budget of the existing TVNZ operation, you will be able to set up studio facilities and lease one or two of the hundreds of channels that digital TV will offer.

Yes, I'm afraid my worst suspicions have been confirmed -- New Zealanders have elected yet another government that doesn't have a clue about the fabric from which a knowledge-based economy will be woven.

I wonder if Ms Clark's Edwardian approach to TVNZ's operations will extend to her forbidding them to dabble in the Internet as well? Will we see a forced closure of TVNZ's websites for fear they involve "digital" technology?

Don't scoff... stranger things have (just) happened!

My apologies for once again getting somewhat political -- but with the convergence of TV and Internet I feel this issue is relevant to us all

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