Seeding Change
April 5, 2021
Michael Reynolds is planting the seeds of change. He's a creating a community garden in a city park. Rather than grassed turf that goes largely unused, Michael wants fruits trees, vegetable gardens, herb beds. The Roimata Food Commons is about building community through food. People grow the crops and harvest the rewards. " When people start to feel connected in their own community's people's levels of wellbeing goes up, people start to feel safe."

There are important lessons here for those watching New Zealand's own homegrown platforms which are taxpayer supported through NZ on Air. Whether freeview or payview, what are we actually seeing and why? what are we actually paying for and why? Are we simply paying millions to subsidise commercially fragile kiwi media platforms or are we paying to ensure a future for kiwi made factual content? These questions are particularly relevant as the government considers new funding models for both film and television.