Mr Moore criticises media

Press, 5 October 1984, Page 5

Mr Moore criticises media

By

Oliver Riddell

in Wellington New Zealand is seriously under-represented by its news media in Asia and the Pacific, according to the Minister of Overseas Trade, Mr Moore.

He said this region now accounted for 32 per cent of New Zealand’s total exports. His recent trip to Japan and South Korea had made him uncomfortably aware of the inadequacies of the

country’s news media representation in a market now earning it more than $l4OO million a year. Japan was now New Zealand’s most important business partner, Mr Moore said. Yet it was covered by just one part-time correspondent who fed material exclusively to “The Press” in Christchurch and the “New Zealand Herald” in Auckland. The New Zealand Press Association retained only

one man in Hong Kong with a brief to cover the whole of the Asian region, he said. Neither Radio New Zealand nor Television New Zealand had any permanent representatives in the area.

That situation was in contrast with Europe where the New Zealand Press Association and Associated Press between them employed four full-time correspondents based in London.

This was a hangover from.

the 1950 s when Britain took 65 per cent of New Zealand’s exports, Mr Moore said. Today, Britain took only 13 per cent, and Britain and Western Europe between them accounted for 22 per cent. Information was vital to the promotion of trade, investment, and closer regional ties. Every effort was needed to boost New Zeland’s representation in the Asian and Pacific region.