https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...HBG2PM73ORPNM/

Balance, any hopes you had of National putting the sword to the media are quashed.

Winnie and Seymour will probably be a handbreak on anything too drastic that Goldsmith might propose.

National can still perhaps pitch themself as the 'good guy' in that scenario, but just couldn't get it over the line because hey ho that is MMP.

Speaking to Media Insider from London, less than 24 hours into the role, the new minister’s language is assertive and assured - and supportive of the media sector generally - even if it’s light on specific details.
“First, in the media space, is how do we ensure that we continue to have a strong and economically sustainable local media for the obvious reasons - it’s so fundamental to our democratic makeup - and recognising the challenges that they’ve got and the decline in advertising revenue.”The most useful thing “we can try our best to do”, he says, is to even the playing field alongside the international tech giants, “recognising that it’s not a straightforward matter”.
There was no single solution but the Government would work “systematically through various things that can even things up, somewhat”.
While the National-led coalition has been previously lukewarm and occasionally downright opposed to the previous Government’s Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill - legislation that would force the likes of Meta and Google to pay for the journalism that helps sustain their business models - Goldsmith is more conciliatory.
“People make a very strong case for it [the Bill]; I’m certainly open to it, but I’m going to have to take a little bit of time to get some advice, and it’s something that we need to go through with the channels of government. But I’m certainly open to it ... [and] a full consideration of that.”