The owner of the media company Stuff appears to have been taken by surprise by an announcement from NZME that it plans to buy it for just one-dollar.
NZME said it asked the government and the Commerce Commission to urgently allow it to buy its rival by the end of the month but Stuff's owner, the Australian company Channel Nine, said talks were wrapped up last week with no deal in place.
Duncan Greive is the managing editor of The Spinoff and a media commentator.
