First foreign correspondents

Press, 30 May 1986, Page 5

First foreign correspondents

Television New Zealand will appoint overseas news and current affairs correspondents, for the first time.

The first correspondents will be for Australia and Europe. The European correspondent will work from London.

The director-general of TVNZ, Mr Julian Mounter, said yesterday that in his opinion, it was no longer appropriate to have issues of significance to New Zealand covered solely from an American or British perspective. “Currently, we rely on freelancers or have to fly correspondents from New Zealand. That is an expensive and inefficient way of working,” he said.

The reporters will also be available to current affairs and will assist other departments of New Zealand television.

Mr Bruce Crossan, controller of news, current affairs and sport, said he was delighted with the decision.

“We hope to have them in place by the spring and the effects will be felt soon after that,” he said.

Mr Crossan said that initially equipment and crews would be hired but once it was known how much money that involved, TVNZ would review the situation to see if it was economical to send crews and equipment as well as correspondents.