Abstract:
The Commerce Commission is currently reviewing the proposed merger of Fairfax NZ Limited and NZME, which would see nearly 90% of New Zealand’s newspaper market held by a single company. However, it is unclear that the review process is designed to ensure that any changes in media ownership result in the right kind of important public consequences: the preservation of the constitutional role of the media. In this paper I seek to analyse what the merger process reveals about New Zealand’s legal commitment to protecting the public role of journalism. Ultimately, I conclude that there is a failure to promote diversity in the news media and ensure the right kind of consequence – a thriving democracy.