Short answers, pulled from the story.
TVNZ was established in February 1980 through the merger of two government-owned television networks: Television One and South Pacific Television, which was renamed TV2. Until January 1989 it was paired with Radio New Zealand under the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand.
TVNZ paid the Crown over $250 million in dividends between 1989 and 1999. During this period the broadcaster held roughly two-thirds of the overall audience share under CEO Julian Mounter.
The TVNZ Charter was introduced in 2003 by the Fifth Labour Government when TVNZ was restructured as a Crown entity. It required the broadcaster to maintain commercial performance while fulfilling public service objectives including local content, news, and Maori representation. The Charter was abolished in 2011 following the election of the National Party-led government under John Key.
On the 8th of February 2023, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the proposed merger of TVNZ and Radio New Zealand into Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media would be scrapped due to a shift in government priorities toward cost of living issues. The two broadcasters had together spent NZ$1,023,701 on the proposal before it was cancelled.
The TVNZ Archive contains over 600,000 hours of television spanning almost 55 years of New Zealand broadcasting history. Guardianship was transferred to the Crown on the 1st of August 2014, with Budget 2014 providing $24.4 million for the transfer and ongoing management. Nga Taonga Sound and Vision was appointed as the initial archive manager.
TVNZ cited financial difficulties caused by competition from large internet streaming companies such as Netflix and YouTube, alongside a decline in advertising revenue. In early 2024 the broadcaster proposed 68 job cuts, roughly 9 percent of its staff, and by November 2024 proposed cutting 90 roles while creating 41 new ones to achieve NZ$30 million in cost-savings.