As a state owned enterprise, TVNZ enjoyed enormous commercial success under CEO Julian Mounter[9] (sustaining two-thirds of the overall audience share) and paid the Crown substantial dividends (over $250 million between 1989 and 1999).

However, the commercial success had been achieved through an unabashed pursuit of ratings through populist and tabloid content, and prior to the 1999 election the National-led government was evidently positioning TVNZ for commercialisation Labour-led administrations since 1999 explicitly recognised the market failures of a wholly commercial broadcasting sector (e.g. saturation-level advertising, low levels of local content, heavy reliance on cheap imports and a disregard for quality genres and in-depth news and current affairs) and re-emphasised television's cultural and democratic functions in their policy thinking.

[10] This introduced a dual remit whereby the broadcaster had to maintain its commercial performance (continuing dividend payments to the Crown) while simultaneously implementing a new public service Charter.

NZ On Air announced the creation of the contestable "Platinum Fund" in April 2009, setting aside the $15.11 million for high quality drama, documentary and other programme types.

Following the election of a National Party-led government under John Key in 2008, the Charter was abolished in favour of a return to the 1990s model of a full commercial broadcaster.

An example was in a memo called A More Public Broadcaster written by outgoing Chief Executive Ian Fraser to the board of TVNZ in October 2005, was obtained and released by Green MP Sue Kedgley.

In early 2006, TVNZ purchased Harmonic branded H.262 encoding equipment for the upcoming Freeview DTH service, which is an Electra 1000 on-the-fly video re-encoder.

This would be followed by a channel featuring children's, families', arts and documentary programming, with the working title of TVNZ Home, in early 2008.

Although Sue Kedgely welcomed the decision to make the channels (including children's programming) commercial-free, she accused the Government of tight-fistedness.

[21] For 3 weeks in January–February 1999, John Hawkesby became a weekday newsreader for One News, replacing Richard Long (who moved to presenting weekend bulletins alongside Liz Gunn).

In 2000, the Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled against TVNZ over inaccuracies in a news story about the drug Lyprinol (an extract from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel), which was erroneously touted as a cure for cancer.

[22] In 2004 current affairs veteran of 15 years Paul Holmes sparked a public outcry after he referred to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a "cheeky darkie" on his radio show on Newstalk ZB and subsequently chose not to renew his contract at TVNZ.

"[24][25] Following widespread public complaints and official criticism, Henry was suspended from TVNZ for 2 weeks without pay, eventually resigning from the broadcaster.

Henry's resignation polarised the New Zealand public, with supporters claiming he was a victim of political correctness, and critics accusing him of pandering to the lowest common denominator.

[30][31] On 8 February 2023, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that the merger of TVNZ and RNZ into ANZPM would be scrapped due to a shift in government priorities towards "cost of living issues."

[35] In early March 2024, due to financial difficulties from competing large Internet companies such as Netflix and YouTube and a decline in advertisement revenue, the state-owned broadcaster proposed ending television programmes Fair Go and Sunday along with 1News' midday and late night news segments.

[39] In early May 2024, E Tū filed a case against TVNZ with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), arguing that the broadcaster failed to follow the consultation requirements of its collective agreement with its members.

[42] On 7 October 2024, TVNZ's management proposed several measures to find NZ$30 million in cost-savings including closing down the 1News website by February 2025, investing more in its TVNZ+ streaming service and reorienting its youth-oriented platform Re:News to focus on video storytelling.

TVNZ 1 also broadcasts rural focused programmes such as Country Calendar and Rural Delivery, Māori community presentations such as Waka Huia, Marae Investigates and Te Karere, a daily Māori language news bulletin, and shows for minorities, such as Attitude, Neighbourhood, A Taste of Home and Tagata Pasifika.

Launched on 30 June 1975, its line up consists of dramas, sitcoms, comedies, children's programming, and reality shows, most of which are produced in New Zealand or imported from the United States.

It screens programming for a male audience with comedy, drama and factual series such as Two and a Half Men, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Everybody Hates Chris and River Monsters.

It also screens a number of sporting events such as the Men's and Women's Hockey Pro Leagues and the Dream11 Super Smash domestic cricket tournament.

[59] Both the Ministry and TVNZ explicitly wanted to ensure the archive was preserved and that it was made increasingly available for re-use through online streaming and other means.

"[citation needed] TVNZ began a teletext service in 1984 originally with the intention to help New Zealand's deaf community get improved access to news and information.

TVNZ's primary television channel TV One is provided as four distinct terrestrial feeds, localising to viewers within and around the Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch regions.

Nationwide networked services were first introduced in July 1969 to broadcast the Apollo 11 landing footage, flown in specially from Australia, from Wellington simultaneously across all stations.

This was again dropped in March 2007 with a return to only nationwide advertising on TVNZ channels on Sky Digital before being reintroduced through the Freeview SD service.

Wellington-based Avalon Studios, long a nucleus of TV production in New Zealand, was finally put up for sale by TVNZ in 2011, with most of its remaining shows relocating to Auckland, completing a trend of northward drift by the broadcaster.

When TVNZ scaled back its Dunedin studios in 1989, they were purchased by Ian Taylor, the founder of Animation Research and Taylormade Media.

[76] In practice, this status as a lifeline utility requires TVNZ to be able to function at least to a reduced level after an emergency, and to provide advice to civil defence authorities when requested.