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Media Insider: NZME shareholder meeting - Steven Joyce set to become chair, Jim Grenon to join board; what to expect at today's meeting
Media Insider: NZME shareholder meeting - Steven Joyce set to become chair, Jim Grenon to join board; what to expect at today's meeting

NZ Herald

time8 hours ago

  • Business
  • NZ Herald

Media Insider: NZME shareholder meeting - Steven Joyce set to become chair, Jim Grenon to join board; what to expect at today's meeting

All eyes will then be on the new-look board's first strategic moves, including the future direction of property portal OneRoof; whether the company wants to resurrect talks with Stuff to buy its paywalled websites, including The Post and The Press; and the establishment of an NZME editorial board 'to assist and advise the editorial team'. Joyce will - subject to shareholders confirming him and Grenon as new directors, as expected - take the reins as chair from Barbara Chapman, who will retire at the end of the ASM. NZME owns the NZ Herald, NewstalkZB, BusinessDesk and OneRoof; inset: NZME chair Barbara Chapman and shareholder Jim Grenon. Chapman, a former chief executive of ASB, has been subject to much of the wrath of some agitating shareholders over the past several months. Grenon, who now holds 13% of the company, is today expected to meet, for the first time, the NZME executives who have felt the brunt of his criticisms of the company over the past three months. He has highlighted concerns over the financial performance and operation of the company. 'It is concern about operational aspects of NZME that is driving this change,' he told the Herald in a statement in March. 'The editorial content is very much a side issue, but the quality of the journalism does impact everything else in the business and is also the board's ultimate responsibility. 'The new board intends to improve on the journalism, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, less selling of the writer's opinion and appealing to a wider political spectrum.' Influential major shareholder Roger Colman will also be at the ASM today, from Australia, as will be minor shareholder and former National Party leader Don Brash, from Tauranga. The meeting starts at 2pm. 'Best media board in Australasia' Colman said yesterday the new-look board would be the best media board in Australasia, citing the experience of the likes of Joyce, Horrocks, Turner and Pan. He said it was important to thank Grenon and NZME's biggest shareholder, Australian fund Spheria Asset Management, without whom the board changes would not have happened as quickly. Former National Party Cabinet Minister Steven Joyce. Photo / Nick Reed Now, he is keen to ensure the directors work in unison. 'It is important that these board members' relationship with Jim, and Jim's relationship with existing board members, is up to scratch. 'Everybody's on good behaviour - it's a question of how this is going to work, right?' NZME announced in March that Jarden was undertaking a strategic review of its property platform OneRoof. The media firm, which also owns the NZ Herald, Newstalk ZB, BusinessDesk and a suite of music stations and regional news titles, said it had launched the review to accelerate OneRoof's growth and realise its 'full potential in delivering value for shareholders'. Opportunities included the potential separation of OneRoof 'to enable raising external capital, either public or private, to surface its value'; 'potential pathways to value recognition and monetisation'; consolidation opportunities; and 'additional resourcing and extra capacity opportunities'. 'A progress update on this independent review will be provided as part of NZME's half-year results later in the year.' Editorial board NZME has already announced an editorial board will be established. Lawyer, blogger and former ZB Plus editor Philip Crump, who had originally been touted as one of Grenon's board directors, will be a member of the board. The scope of the board, including exactly how it will operate, and other members, have yet to be announced. Former National Party leader Don Brash. Photo / George Novak Meanwhile, Brash, whose group Hobson's Pledge had an advocacy advertisement turned down by NZME last year, told the Herald on Monday that he was planning to attend today's meeting. 'Whether I ask questions, I guess depends a bit on how the AGM evolves. 'I mean, clearly I'm pleased with the changes which have been announced. I've been subscribing to the Herald for a long, long time, and we were very disappointed - I was very disappointed personally - by the fact that we had some difficulty getting some advocacy ads run in the Herald. 'We thought they were legal and accurate. I'm hopeful that the change will make them more open to running advocacy ads as long as there's no legal problem.' He said he was aware NZME had changed its policy, so that advocacy ads could run in future inside the newspaper, rather than on the front page or 'wrapping' the newspaper. 'The unwillingness to carry ads on the front page always amuses me. You're happy to carry ads for an Australian appliance company day after day.' He said he may well reinforce the point that advocacy ads should be permitted. 'It is important that voices can be heard as long as they are in fact legal. 'We don't want anything obviously illegal or inappropriate but I don't think anything Hobson's Pledge has said or is likely to say will be breaking the law.' Brash said he was intending to book a full-page advocacy ad in the Weekend Herald next Saturday - it was not connected to Hobson's Pledge and would be announced later in the week. A newspaper 'for everybody' Amplifying Brash's comments, Colman said a newspaper had to be 'for everybody'. 'There's a pendulum - it swings left to right at various elections all the time. Sometimes the conservatives are in power, sometimes the progressives are in power. The paper's got to cover all bases.' Roger Colman addresses the NZME shareholders meeting in 2024. Photo / Sylvie Whinray This was especially important, he said, given that NZME still employed a substantial percentage of journalists, especially in the wake of the closure of Newshub and other industry cutbacks. He estimated NZME had doubled its percentage of the overall number of New Zealand journalists as a result of the cutbacks at other newsrooms. In the normal course of events, media wouldn't take a lot of interest in NZME's annual shareholder meeting. However, there is still considerable interest in what unfolds today, and NZME expects to accommodate at least half a dozen reporters as well as cameras at the ASM. Meanwhile, Brash believed Joyce would make a good chair. The pair had worked together when Brash was leader of the National Party, and Joyce was in leadership roles for the party, including as general manager and election campaign director. 'He wasn't at that point in parliament, but he was a very effective executive director of the National Party, and we worked together very well,' said Brash. 'I had left Parliament before he came in [as an MP] in 2008. I left in 2007 so we didn't actually serve in the Parliament together, but my impression is he was a very competent minister.' Brash has bought 1000 shares in NZME. This allows him to attend the ASM. 'As a shareholder, I hope he runs the company well. I'm a very modest shareholder, I don't have any particularly strong views about his chairmanship. I'm sure he will do a good job - he's a very competent guy, and of course, he's been in the media himself prior to going to politics. 'In a sense, the developments that have taken place in the last few weeks may make it less important for me to make a public statement. 'I'm pleased with what's happened, and if I say anything at all, it will be in support of what's happened.' Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand's most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME. Watch Media Insider - The Podcast on YouTube, or listen to it on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Man who killed German backpacker eligible for parole
Man who killed German backpacker eligible for parole

Otago Daily Times

timea day ago

  • Otago Daily Times

Man who killed German backpacker eligible for parole

It has been almost 20 years since a young German backpacker was murdered in a picnic area of a national park. The death of Birgit Brauer, whose body was found in Lucy's Gully, near Ōakura, southwest of New Plymouth, shocked two nations and led to an 18-day manhunt for her killer, Michael Scott Wallace. Wallace, then a 44-year-old drug-taking transient with an extensive criminal history, went on to deny the murder but was found guilty by a jury. He was sentenced in 2007 to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 years. This month, he became eligible for parole and, despite the time that has passed, the 63-year-old is still refusing to admit to killing Brauer. Wallace made his first appearance before the Parole Board on May 14, at which he sought parole but was denied. The panel determined he had "a long way ahead to go" before he could be released. Wallace did not have an approved address at which he could reside if paroled, nor did he have a release proposal. The board's decision, released to NZME this week, stated Wallace has not been motivated to complete recommended treatments and was considered to still be in the rehabilitative phase of his sentence. It was also noted that he would undergo a formal assessment of psychopathy. Wallace recently refused to discuss his criminal history with a psychologist, and while the decision stated he had at some point claimed he could not remember the murder, he told the board that was no longer his stance. "He now says that he did not commit the offending," according to the decision, which was the position he took at trial. The fatal hitchhiking trip On September 20, 2005, Brauer and Wallace's paths fatally crossed in the tiny town of Waitōtara. There, she was picked up hitchhiking by Wallace as she travelled between Whanganui and New Plymouth. He drove her to Lucy's Gully in Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, formerly known as Egmont National Park, and bludgeoned her with a metal bar before unbuttoning her jeans, likely with sexual intent. When Wallace was disturbed by a passing vehicle, he dragged Brauer into the bush and stabbed her in the chest. Her body was later found by a jogger. Wallace disposed of evidence and eventually made his way to the Manawatū area, where, almost three weeks later, he was arrested. He told police at the time that he did not want to hurt people, but he had, and he would be better off if police had shot him. Meanwhile, Brauer's body was returned to Germany. She was described by those who knew her as reserved yet open, honest and friendly. Brauer knew how to enjoy herself; she had a good sense of humour and was sometimes cheeky. She was drawn to New Zealand by a love of nature and geography and soon became a keen All Blacks fan. Brauer loved New Zealanders' down-to-earth attitude and believed she was safe hitchhiking. At Wallace's sentencing, Brauer's parents told the court that the events of 2005 would never leave them. "To this day, we cannot believe Birgit is not with us. A criminal like him does not deserve to live," they said in their victim impact statement. The unforgettable case A former top Taranaki detective said he wasn't surprised Wallace still denied killing the 28-year-old tourist, who had been on a working holiday in New Zealand when she was murdered. Grant Coward became a household name when he led the high-profile investigation into the murder, during which he made a "we will catch you" promise to the killer. Speaking to NZME this week, Coward, who received the Commissioner of Police's Silver Merit Award in 2008 for his role in the inquiry, recalled the murder as being callous and cold-blooded. Now retired, Coward said the case had been "a real whodunit", and it was a team effort to track Wallace and help bring him to justice. "It took longer than normal, but we got there in the end." He said it was difficult to know if, or when, Wallace should be released. But, he believed that if Wallace was not rehabilitative or admitting fault, he should have an extended period of imprisonment. Coward said he had not maintained contact with Brauer's family, but she would be in his thoughts forever. "I reflect on the cases that I've worked on, and she's right up there as someone who you remember, because of what happened." Brauer was also someone Caryl Blomkvist remembered from time to time. She and her husband, Fritz Blomkvist, hosted Brauer at their Whanganui farm in the final two weeks of her life, as part of the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. When Brauer left, the Blomkvists dropped her off at the edge of Whanganui so she could begin her hitchhiking journey, but not without a warning. "We told her she shouldn't hitchhike," Blomkvist recalled when speaking to NZME this week. "Then a cop came and banged on our door at 11pm that night. We were pretty shocked." Blomkvist said Brauer's death was a traumatic time for everyone who knew her. "We still think about her," she said, describing Brauer as pleasant and hardworking. "She was no trouble. She spent her time quietly doing what we expected of her, very well. And she enjoyed reading her books and writing. "She wasn't living a party life at all; she liked the quiet life and enjoyed being on the farm." Blomkvist remained in contact with Brauer's mother, whom she said was a strong woman. Brauer's father has since died. Blomkvist preferred not to comment on Wallace, only to say that what he did to Brauer was undeserved. She said that she and her husband do not support him ever being released on parole. The unmotivated prisoner After Wallace's conviction for murder, it was revealed he had an extensive criminal history dating back to dishonesty offending in 1976, as well as arson and violence. In particular, he twice raped a woman in 1983, after attacking her husband and locking him in a closet. He served a five-year sentence of imprisonment for the home invasion and sex attack before later committing armed robbery and being sent back to prison. According to the recent parole decision, Wallace acknowledged at the hearing that he was guilty of his other crimes. "It would be useful to understand from him why he thinks he committed that offending, even if he continues to deny the index murder offence," the board's decision stated. While Wallace, who has not had any misconducts during his current sentence, was initially reluctant to speak with a psychologist in April for a risk assessment, he did, but refused to discuss his offending. The psychologist's report detailed a long history of alcohol and drug use and referred to a formal assessment of psychopathy to be conducted. Wallace, who has reimmersed himself in Te Ao Māori while in prison, has completed sessions with a one-to-one departmental psychologist, and a special treatment unit for high-risk violent offenders has been suggested. But there were impediments to Wallace entering such treatment, including his denial of the murder and his belief that he would not work well in a group setting. In the meantime, he will continue to undergo one-to-one treatment. The board found it was important Wallace also complete a drug treatment programme, despite not being motivated to do so. "Overall, Mr Wallace is still considered to be in the rehabilitative phase of his sentence, and therefore rehabilitation must be a priority." An updated psychological risk assessment was ordered before his next parole hearing, scheduled for next year. "So that the assessment is useful, we encourage Mr Wallace to discuss his offending history with the psychologist." - Tara Shaskey, Open Justice reporter

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