14,000 people have called for Mike Hosking to be removed from TV screens.

The country needs a public service broadcaster operating under a charter, Opposition MPs say.

The public outcry to remove controversial TVNZ presenter Mike Hosking from screens has renewed criticism about how commercialised TVNZ, as a Crown entity, has become.

Greens broadcasting spokesperson Gareth Hughes was in favour of TVNZ having a charter to operate under - something that was scrapped in 2011.

SUPPLIED Labour MP Clare Curran says a new digital curriculum about to be introduced to schools will help boost digital literacy among children and young people.

"What we get is television built around ratings, around selling commercials, not about telling our national story, talking about New Zealand culture and we often get a lot of reality TV instead of the shows that actually inform and educate," he said.

READ MORE:

* Petition to 'get rid' of Mike Hosking has more than 14,000 supporters

* TVNZ to review complaints about Mike Hosking's comments on Andrew Judd

* Had enough of Mike Hosking?

* Mayor at centre of Mike Hosking controversy feels 'inspired' by public feedback

* A walk in the rain with Mike Hosking

"We're missing out, and the Green Party would work towards getting public broadcasting on TV."

Andy Jackson Green MP Gareth Hughes said TVNZ was chasing ratings.

Using controversy was a common way for networks to get better ratings, Hughes said - a new TVNZ show called Sex Box was an example.

"I value seeing New Zealand stories on TV, critical investigations, good quality journalism, New Zealand culture. No one else in the world is going to produce these shows for us."

CHARTER HISTORY

Both Labour and Greens opposed National's law change to remove the TVNZ charter six years ago.

Its stated values and objectives TVNZ would fulfil, such as striving "to set and maintain the highest standards of programme quality and editorial integrity" and providing "independent, comprehensive, impartial and in-depth coverage and analysis of news and current affairs".

Then-broadcasting minister Jonathan Coleman had said getting rid of the charter allowed the company to follow commercial objectives, and move from being a traditional broadcaster to a multi-platform company.

An amendment to the Television New Zealand Act specified the functions of TVNZ were to be: "a successful television and digital media company providing a range of content and services on a choice of delivery platforms and maintain its commercial performance."

However, New Zealand's publicly-owned radio broadcaster Radio New Zealand still has a charter.

And overseas, Australia's state-owned national broadcaster ABC has one. As does Britain's BBC.

LABOUR COMMITTED TO PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Labour's broadcasting spokesperson Clare Curran said TVNZ was in an "unusual situation" where it was state-owned but had become a fully commercial entity: "That's what drives them."

A policy was yet to be announced from Labour, but Curran said the party were committed to implementing a public "media entity" - that may not include changes to TVNZ.

The changes made by National in 2011 "essentially left no public broadcasting television in New Zealand" she said.

"That's what we believe is a travesty. We're the only OECD country that doesn't have a public television broadcaster."

Bringing back a public service media company for television was "absolutely realistic" - despite the recent funding challenges faced by Radio New Zealand.

CHARTER WOULD CAUSE MONEY PROBLEMS

Broadcasting Minister Amy Adams said TVNZ's mandate wasn't entirely commercial as it had to provide shows relevant to and valued by the public and reflecting Maori perspectives.

"TVNZ also shows the bulk of NZ On Air funded programmes, which are funded by that agency in fulfilment of an essentially public broadcasting mandate," she said.

Keeping the TVNZ charter in 2011 would have had negative financial repercussions, she explained.

"Fulfilling such a detailed charter would have required either a major transfer of funds from NZ On Air, which would have harmed the contestable funding model, or new funding, which NZ could not afford during the Global Financial Crisis."

Adams felt the the current tools for funding content "were the right mixture for New Zealand" - a mix of contestable funding, public radio, and Maori TV.

MINISTER HAS 'NO ROLE' IN HOSKING MATTER

Adams said she had "no role at all" in considering a petition to remove Hosking from television, as staffing was an operational matter for TVNZ, as were editorial decisions about content.

"Assuming all 14,000 (the number to sign the petition at the time of the minister's comment) watch TVNZ, it's worth noting that the number of signatories only make up 0.56 per cent of TVNZ's audience on any given day."

Curran, however, advised petitioners to complain about Hosking to the Broadcasting Standards Authority and TVNZ about standards.

"When talking about Mike Hosking, I actually counted up five that may have been breached - balance, fairness, accuracy, good taste and decency and discrimination and denigration."

TVNZ did not want to comment.

Hundreds of complaints against former TVNZ presenter Paul Henry had led to his resignation in 2010.