BSA Decisions Ngā Whakatau a te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho

---

Summary

Australian comedienne Collette Mann presented the Air New Zealand Holiday

segment on the Bay of Plenty, broadcast on TV One at 6:30pm on 5 July 1997. The

item showed the presenter driving around Tauranga, and included a visit to Matakana

Island and its marae.

Mr Smith complained to the broadcaster, Television New Zealand Ltd, that the

presenter's attitude on the marae was discourteous and disrespectful of Maori

traditions. The item was also inaccurate on some points, and the presenter's driving

at times showed disrespect for the law.

Explaining that the item contained a lot of "tongue-in-cheek" material while the

presenter reported on what she found interesting, TVNZ maintained that the item was

not offensive in the context of humour.

Dissatisfied with TVNZ's decision, Mr Smith referred the complaint to the

Broadcasting Standards Authority under s.8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989.

For the reasons below, the Authority declines to uphold the complaint.

Decision

The members of the Authority have viewed the item complained about and have read

the correspondence (summarised in the Appendix). On this occasion, the Authority

determines the complaint without a formal hearing.

Some tourist attractions in the Bay of Plenty were the focus of Air New Zealand

Holiday broadcast at 6:30pm on Saturday 5 July. The segment was presented by

Australian comedienne Collette Mann and explored attractions in the third episode of

the series focussing on the Pacific Coast Highway. The item depicted some of the

tourist features on Matakana Island off the coast from Tauranga.

Mr Smith complained to TVNZ that the presenter showed extreme discourtesy during

the traditional welcome onto the marae on Matakana Island. That had included

mocking gestures and grimaces to the camera and, he recalled, she pushed her nose

against the camera during the hongi ceremony. Mr Smith also complained that the

map used in the item inaccurately depicted the Pacific Coast Highway, and that the

item was also inaccurate in suggesting that the people of Matakana Island owned only

decrepit vehicles. The suggestion about vehicles was also unfair to the residents of

Matakana Island.

Mr Smith was also critical of the pictures of a defecating sheep, of the presenter's

cavalier attitude to the traffic laws, and the image about Maori customs presented

both to New Zealanders, especially the young, and to viewers overseas.

TVNZ assessed the complaint under the standards nominated by Mr Smith. They

require broadcasters:

G1   To be truthful and accurate on points of fact.

G2   To take into consideration currently accepted norms of decency and taste

in language and behaviour, bearing in mind the context in which any

language or behaviour occurs.

G4   To deal justly and fairly with any person taking part or referred to in any

programme.

G5   To respect the principles of law which sustain our society.

G12  To be mindful of the effect any programme may have on children during

their normally accepted viewing times.

G13  To avoid portraying people in a way which represents as inherently

inferior, or is likely to encourage discrimination against, any section of the

community on account of sex, race, age, disability, occupational status,

sexual orientation or the holding of any religious, cultural or political

belief. This requirement is not intended to prevent the broadcast of

material which is:

i) factual, or

ii) the expression of genuinely-held opinion in a news or current affairs

programme, or

iii) in the legitimate context of a humorous, satirical or dramatic work

Suggesting that Mr Smith had misconstrued the item, TVNZ said the travel

programme presented some material which an overseas visitor found interesting.

Further, it said, the comedienne had presented her views in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Specifically, TVNZ said the visuals of the vehicles depicted the people of Matakana

as "real characters", and the shot of the sheep oozed "Kiwiana". The presenter's lack

of skill with a campervan was a running joke through the three part series, and the

map used was only a stylised version. TVNZ denied that traditional Maori culture

was presented as a joke. Rather, it described the hongi on the camera lens as a good

natured and lighthearted joke, similar to jokes made about cultures elsewhere. The use

of humour, it added, ensured that the standard G13 was not breached.

When he referred his complaint to the Authority, and in later correspondence, Mr

Smith reported that the people of Matakana Island had found the item offensive, and

he asked why the area had not been made more attractive for visitors. Writing from

recent experience, he said that Australians displayed a respect for Aboriginal customs

while a similar respect for Maori culture was not apparent in the item on Matakana

Island.

The Authority believes that it is essential to appreciate that the item complained

about was not intended to be a serious discussion about Maori culture, the people of

Matakana Island, or the rules relating to driving. Using a stylised map of the

Highway, the presenter had dealt with the sights explored with a touch of humour. A

lighthearted approach was apparently adopted for dramatic purposes, and the material

advanced was obviously not meant to be taken seriously. The presenter's obvious

enjoyment in the rights of a colourful community, apparent from the voice-over

comments, ensured in particular that standard G13 was not contravened.

For the reasons above, the Authority declines to uphold the complaint.

Signed for and on behalf of the Authority

Sam Maling
Chairperson
16 October 1997

Appendix

Mr R S Smith's Complaint to Television New Zealand Ltd - 24 July 1997

Robert Smith of Tauranga complained to Television New Zealand Ltd about a section

of a travel programme Air New Zealand Holiday broadcast on TV One at 6:30pm on

Saturday 5 July. Part of the programme involved places of interest along the Pacific

Coast highway and, in particular, involved a visit to Matakana Island.

Mr Smith said that the community on Matakana was predominantly Maori and the

presenter was given a traditional welcome onto the marae. However, he continued, the

presenter showed extreme discourtesy. That had involved mocking gestures and

grimaces to the camera, and she had pushed her nose on the camera lens during the

hongi ceremony.

In addition to what he described as "the unfortunate marae discourtesy", Mr Smith

stated that the item breached standards G1, factual accuracy, G2, good taste and

decency, G4, dealing with people fairly, G5, respect for the principles of law, G12,

being mindful of children, and G13, denigrating community groups.

The factual inaccuracies were to suggest that the people of Matakana only owned

decrepit motor vehicles, and secondly, that the Pacific Coast Highway depicted on a

map varied from its actual route. The good taste standard was breached by the

needless inclusion of a defecating sheep. It was unfair to suggest that the people of

Matakana Island had scant regard for their vehicles, and the principles of law were

overlooked in the cavalier way parking tickets were accumulated and ignored. Further,

the standard of driving was deplorable. Because it showed material which

contradicted Maori customs as taught in schools, the programme had not been mindful

of children, and standard G13 was contravened given the marae material noted above.

Expressing concern about what the programme would do to New Zealand's

international image, Mr Smith said that there had been adverse comments from local

Maori.

TVNZ's Response to the Formal Complaint - 12 August 1997

Assessing the complaint under the nominated standards, TVNZ suggested that Mr

Smith had misconstrued the nature of the item. First, TVNZ pointed out that it was

presented by an Australian comedienne, Collette Mann, and contained tongue-in-

cheek material. Further, it was the view of an overseas visitor on matters she found

interesting. Moreover, TVNZ noted that Air New Zealand Holiday was a travel

programme, not a documentary.

Focussing on the specific aspects of the complaint, TVNZ argued that the people of

Matakana were shown as "real characters". One resident was shown driving an old

car with a dog on the bonnet. As for the map used, TVNZ explained that the

television map was only a stylised version in keeping with the series.

Turning to standard G2, TVNZ maintained that most people would find the shot of

the sheep a little amusing, adding:

The whole scenario of the presenter deciding to find her way around Matakana

Island by following a sheep oozes Kiwiana, and reflects the tongue-in-cheek

position mentioned above.

TVNZ considered that it had dealt with the standard G4 aspect under standard G1,

and observed that Collette Mann's use of a campervan was a running joke in the three

part series as she travelled the Pacific Coast Highway.

As for standards G12 and G13, TVNZ said that Collette Mann, and other tourists,

were welcomed on to the marae with a traditional hongi and she gave the lens a hongi

too. It added:

It was a joke - a lighthearted thing done by someone playing the ignorant foreign

tourist and we do not believe that it caused any serious offence. The customs of

the Irish, the Scots, the Welsh, the English, the French, the Australians and

many, many more are regularly joked about in comedy situations in a good

natured way. Surely that is part of being recognised as belonging to a world

community?

TVNZ pointed out that standard G13 allowed for the context of humour and it

declined to uphold the complaint.

Mr Smith's Referral to the Broadcasting Standards Authority - 31 August 1997

Dissatisfied with TVNZ's decision, Mr Smith referred his complaint to the

Broadcasting Standards Authority under s.8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989.

Mr Smith reported that he had found that adverse comment from Maori people was

widespread. He also said that the presenter, when on Matakana Island, had told

people that she would do her show her way even though she had been asked by

residents to make the area appear attractive for visitors.

TVNZ's Response to the Authority - 8 September 1997

TVNZ had little to add other than to stress the light-hearted approach taken by the

visiting presenter. Good natured humour, it continued, should not discourage visitors.

Mr Smith's Final Comment - 17 September 1997

Writing from Alice Springs while on holiday, Mr Smith maintained that the presenter

denigrated Maori cultural beliefs. In contrast to the approach in New Zealand, he

referred to a programme about Ayers Rock which asked specifically that Aboriginal

customs and beliefs be respected. Explaining that Maori practice was to be silent

when insulted, Mr Smith said that his inquiries revealed that the Maori on Matakana

had been offended by the attack on marae protocol.