Rachel Smalley uncovers a range of snarky emails about herself written by Pharmac’s CEO and staff; Barry Soper given CPR after collapsing; the book that gangs love to read; a new media battleground; PR agency’s
clever name move.

Government agency Pharmac’s chief executive has been heavily criticised by the Health Minister, her own board chair and the Public Service Commissioner for “unacceptable” and “unprofessional” comments about journalist Rachel Smalley and her campaigning efforts to reform the drug-funding entity.

Disdain for Smalley has been revealed in internal Pharmac emails, with CEO Sarah Fitt saying she has “not much of a following”; a senior staff member describing a “nauseating” interview, and a staff member saying she’s “gunna be out of a job” with the closure of Today FM.

Another Pharmac staff member said Smalley would be “mega shitty” about not getting an interview with their CEO while another worker wrote a limerick about Smalley.

In statements to Media Insider, a “disappointed” Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said the emails were “unprofessional”; Pharmac board chair Steve Maharey said the emails were “unprofessional” and “unacceptable”; and Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes said the comments were “completely unacceptable for public servants”.

The internal emails written by Pharmac staff – released to Smalley as part of a Privacy Act request – are an enlightening insight into the PR strategy and work of the public drug-funding agency.

Smalley, the former Newstalk ZB and Today FM radio host, has been an outspoken critic of Pharmac and the way it decides which drugs to fund. She established The Medicine Gap campaign, fighting for better access to drugs on behalf of seriously sick and terminally ill patients.

As Smalley writes on nzherald.co.nz today, she believes the emails are further evidence as to why Pharmac needs an overhaul.

Fitt wrote several emails, including regular messages to her communications team about Smalley’s tweets.

In July 2022, Fitt sent to her communications team a Today FM tweet, highlighting an article that Smalley had written on the radio station’s website about a group of cancer patients funding their own drugs. They would have been dead if they were relying on the public system, Smalley wrote.

“Sigh…” wrote Fitt in the email header field.

One of her communications team replied that Smalley was an activist not a journalist, to which Fitt responded: “Yep agree, the good thing is that she has a terrible time slot [on Today FM] and not much of a following.”

On another occasion, Fitt floated the idea of a trip to Auckland to meet Smalley: “Anything is possible although not wild on a 6am studio appearance. Was thinking of a separate meeting off-air with her. Just an idea. If we don’t do her, we could do NZ Herald/Stuff/usual suspects or we could just go up and sit in the Viaduct in the sun.”

A senior communications team leader wrote in September 2022 that Smalley would be “mega shitty” at the CEO’s decision not to be interviewed by her about the Pharmac Review.

The following week, when the same leader called Smalley to let her know a drug would be funded to treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in children, she got off the phone and wrote an email: “I made Rachel Smalley cry… if that isn’t a win, I don’t know what is”.

Another senior leader described Smalley’s interview with patient advocate Fiona Tolich as “nauseating”. Referencing another item, he said: “you can hear some shit you really don’t want to hear (sort of like a Smalley-Tolich interview!)”

Another staff member wrote: “Smalley gunna be out of a job” on the day that Today FM’s closure was announced.

And one staff member wrote a ditty about Smalley, apparently as part of a staff limerick competition.

“There once was a journo named Smalley

Who Pharmac had treated quite poorly

On Twitter she raged

“Free speech has been caged!”

Her twelve followers replied: “That’s appalling’.”

Smalley has more than 27,000 followers on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall, in a statement to Media Insider, said: “I am disappointed to learn of these unprofessional comments. I have made it clear to the agency that this falls short of the standard expected of public servants.”

Media Insider approached Fitt and Pharmac early yesterday. Pharmac provided a statement from chair Steve Maharey.

“The Pharmac board have communicated to the chief executive that the comments made by herself, and some members of staff, in internal emails were unacceptable and unprofessional,” said Maharey.

“The board has reminded the chief executive of the role and responsibilities of a public servant and sought assurances that this situation will not happen again.”

He said Fitt had assured the board “this was an isolated and unique situation and that the comments are not reflective of Pharmac’s culture”.

“Further, the chief executive has expressed her regret and apologised for the language used in the internal emails.”

Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes said he’d been advised by Maharey that he considered the comments to be unacceptable and unprofessional. Maharey had spoken to Fitt “to remind her of the expected behaviour of public servants and has sought assurances that this won’t happen again”.

“That is the right thing for the board chair to do.

“The comments are completely unacceptable for public servants. The media play a critical role in a healthy and functioning democracy.”

Smalley told Media Insider last night that Hughes and Maharey needed to look at the issues through the “eyes of the public they serve”.

She said Pharmac had a dismissive approach to cancer patients.

“Issuing written statements that speak to ‘regret’ or ’unacceptable behaviour’ will not fix Pharmac’s broken culture. Instead of political protectionism, this situation requires leadership and a willingness to disrupt and reform Pharmac for the benefit of all New Zealanders.”

What’s that sound?

That, readers, is the sound of journalists around New Zealand now applying to government departments and other agencies for their own Privacy Act files.

Barry Soper given CPR, returns home

Broadcaster Barry Soper is finally home with a “new lease on life” and thankful for the thousands of messages of love and support he has received from across the country – both directly and through Newstalk ZB – following his open-heart surgery.

The political commentator also revealed he’s lucky to be with us, saying he collapsed in hospital after his heart stopped in the days following his triple bypass two weeks ago.

Medical staff had to administer CPR.

“All I can remember are the nurses over me saying ‘Mr Soper, Barry, Barry, Barry!’, and me thinking ‘let me sleep, I am having a nice time’.”

The medical staff saved his life as they administered CPR. He knows he has angels looking over him and he paid a heartfelt tribute to the surgeons, nurses and hospital workers: “I’m very lucky to be here.”

In the end, Soper had three operations – the original triple bypass, a second to insert a pacemaker and a third to repair a fractured sternum following the life-saving CPR.

Soper returned home to wife Heather du Plessis-Allan yesterday. He can’t wait to get back to work, but also knows he can’t rush a return.

He’s on a mix of rest orders, with a careful exercise regime, including walking. He walked 500 metres yesterday and is already climbing stairs.

“I have a new lease on life, and I realise what a great bunch of people New Zealanders are, from across the spectrum. What a great country we live in.”

RNZ’s new ‘digital experience’

RNZ’s news platforms are in for a digital overhaul, according to a document obtained by Media Insider.

The document – an “advance notice of a contract opportunity” – tells of seeking a partner to “provide development services toward a digital experience intended to reach new audiences and to extend existing audiences’ experiences of RNZ’s news, information and stories of the day”.

“We are looking for a partner to realise this experience based on content models, information architecture and visual designs that will be progressing in-house, and further refined during the course of the development.”

I sought out RNZ to put that to me in plainer English – is it a new website or digital platform entirely?

“Just like many media entities, RNZ is looking to improve our digital products to serve our audiences,” said a spokesman. “As part of this, we are seeking a development partner to work with on enhancing our apps, webpages, and digital services.

“It’s too early to have any more detail except to say we are looking forward to the project and any collaboration opportunity it offers with other media companies.”

The book that keeps showing up in gang raids

Amongst all the drugs, money, paraphernalia and even silver ingots seized by police in gang raids, there is a regular book that makes an appearance.

Herald journalist Jared Savage’s Gangland, published in 2020, is often seized by police when they come calling on gang pads and related properties.

The photo above followed a police search warrant targeting a senior member of the Head Hunters motorcycle gang in Auckland in May.

“It’s one of perhaps a dozen similar photos I’ve been sent,” says Savage. “It’s become a bit of a running gag – cash, drugs, guns and a copy of Gangland found in a crook’s house.

“Certainly, the feedback I got from the criminal underworld was that Gangland was a popular item in prison (although it’s fair to say that not everyone was happy with what they read) and one of my local bookstores still keeps the book behind the counter because so many copies were stolen.”

At least one prison tried at one stage to ban Gangland. That decision was overturned after a robust case put forward by jailhouse lawyer and former Otago Corrections inmate Arthur Taylor.

Gangland has gone on to sell more than 15,000 copies and was on the best-seller lists for weeks, says publisher HarperCollins.

Savage’s new book, Gangster’s Paradise, is officially released next week, but is already on sale at bookshops.

An exclusive extract will be published on nzherald.co.nz on Sunday and in this weekend’s Herald on Sunday.

How to name an agency without being sued

Happy 10th birthday to the team at the One Plus One agency. I received a fascinating insight into how the agency was named recently.

Founder Kelly Bennett had previously established and led consumer PR agency, Eleven PR – part of the global TBWA creative agency group, owned by global holding company Omnicom.

After about seven years of successfully building that trans-Tasman business, Kelly made the call to break away from his global overlords and go it alone.

According to my One Plus One insider, “he had a foundation client in his sights, with whom he had a great relationship at the chief marketing officer [CMO] level.”

That CMO had even cleared the way with the CEO, but there was a hitch – he had mentioned Kelly Bennett “from Eleven PR”.

“At this point Kelly had quit his job, drawn up his business plan and was ready to make a go of it. The CMO of his prospective foundation client said, ‘Great news, the business is yours to lose. But… I told the boss you’re the guy from Eleven, so you need to name your firm something similar’.

“And so One Plus One was born.”

Kelly apparently never heard from Omnicom’s lawyers “for which he is eternally grateful”.

AT advertising contract set to advance

Auckland Transport (AT) has whittled down participants for one of the biggest advertising and marketing contracts in New Zealand history.

Following a registration of interest (ROI) stage, AT says it has notified successful and unsuccessful applicants and is working on a full request for proposal (RFP) process.

As Media Insider reported in June, it is a “transformational contract” that has sent the outdoor media companies into “a frenzy”, according to those in the industry.

One insider called it “the biggest pitch” in media right now. Another source said everyone had something to gain, and possibly something to lose, depending on how AT ultimately lands on the future contracts.

Six key AT pillars are at stake:

AT confirms they are expecting a big revenue boost from the new contracts.

“The agreements (and commercial arrangements within) that are currently in place are up to 23 years old,” says AT head of partnerships and experience Simon Soulsby.

“So, to help inform our commercial ‘North Star’, 12 or so months ago we carried out a significant piece of work to identify global practice in terms of commercial structures,” Soulsby says.

“We have drawn down on commercial modelling from cities such as LA and London, and whilst we’re expecting a significant lift in revenue as we move across into our new agreements, we are also looking to improve on a number of other positive outcomes, ranging from sustainability through to customer experience.”

Soulsby said it was a highly competitive pitch, and the number of companies who had put their names forward was “commercially sensitive”.

All the big players will be in the mix, though, including oOhmedia, which has the current contract for bus shelters, and MediaWorks, which has the contract for bus exteriors and some billboards; as well as the likes of Go Media and Lumo. Perhaps one or two other surprises will be in there too.

“I can say that we have received over the expected registrations, and we are pleased with the interest,” says Soulsby.

“What I can say is that we received ROIs from a wide range of media businesses.”

He said there had been no joint proposals at this stage, “but that is certainly something we are open to”.

Soulsby said the tender was “unprecedented in scale and commercial terms”.

“At this stage, we’re looking at launching our RFP to the shortlisted participants in November, however, this could slip further, and we are keeping participants up to date.”

A new media battleground

There’s an intriguing regional and community media battle unfolding in Waikato.

This week, former Stuff/INL and NZME senior leader David Mackenzie announced his independent media business, Good Local Media, had purchased Waikato Business News, the online and monthly print publication that has been operating for more than two decades.

“Waikato Business News has been publishing for over 25 years serving the Waikato business community well – we look forward to building on this,” Mackenzie said. “With the significant depth and experience of our staff, we can add a lot of value to the publication.”

Good Local Media launched Te Awamutu News in 2019, as a sister paper to Cambridge News.

Te Awamutu is also serviced by NZME’s Te Awamutu Courier, edited by local legend Dean Taylor. I know for a fact, and have seen first-hand, that Taylor does not shy away from competition.

NZME also has the Waikato Herald (formerly Waikato News), published weekly inside the NZ Herald papers distributed throughout the region.

Waikato digital content is also housed on nzherald.co.nz, under the Waikato Herald brand – NZME no doubt has seen an opportunity to drive audience following Stuff’s launch of the Waikato Times paywall earlier this year.

According to latest Nielsen statistics, it’s a tight battle, digitally. Stuff has a Waikato audience of 186,000 and the NZ Herald 171,000.

Mackenzie’s purchase of WBN means the two main companies do not have a duopoly.

One Good Text

The Black Caps opened their Cricket World Cup campaign with a sensational win over England overnight. This week we correspond with The Bounce founder/editor and leading sportswriter Dylan Cleaver. His response was very prescient!

Pacific Media’s new digital experience

While RNZ looks to be on the hunt for a new digital development partner, the Pacific Media Network unveiled its own new-look website this week.

PMN CEO Don Mann says the project was completed within a year, led by web agency Daylight Group, the team behind The Spinoff.

“We liken our online space to a digital version of a kupega or upega: a net that seeks to contain Pacific knowledge that sustains us and to share this koloa across the Moanaverse,” says Mann.

“The main colour tapa black is an intention-neutral backdrop that holds the vibrancy of our islands.”

PMN partners (among others) with NZME and the Herald for the Te Rito journalism cadetship scheme.

A personal note

Our long-form interview with Simon Barnett last weekend has resonated with many readers. I cannot recall, in more than 30 years of journalism, one of my stories receiving so much feedback.

Simon’s eloquent and beautiful words about his ailing wife Jodi will be something I’ll forever remember. And his connection with the public is something to behold.

Thank you to those readers who have taken the time to write and pass on messages of love and support for Simon, Jodi and their four daughters, Samantha, Sophie, Bella and Lily.

Jodi will be farewelled in Christchurch today after losing her long and courageous battle with brain cancer earlier this week.

RIP, Jodi.