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The Authority has not upheld a complaint about a 1News item reporting a leaked recording showed National MPs were ‘keen to pinch’ a Labour Party policy to improve financial conditions for retirement village residents ahead of the next general election. The complaint was that the item was unbalanced as neither the Retirement Villages Association (RVA) nor the sector were approached for comment regarding claims made in the item. The Authority found the focus of the 1News item was clearly political, highlighting the Government’s desire to address residents’ concerns before the next election, rather than claiming to be a balanced discussion of how retirement villages operate or the merits of Labour’s policy. In this context, the audience would not have expected a countering viewpoint to be presented from RVA or the sector. Not Upheld: Balance  ...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a promo for Love Island USA, broadcast during an episode of America’s Got Talent, breached the offensive and disturbing content and children’s interests standards. While Love Island USA is rated 16-LC, the Authority found the promo’s content was consistent with the G classification for America’s Got Talent. Any content that may have been viewed by some audience members as potentially suggestive or sexual was brief and inexplicit, and child viewers were unlikely to be unduly alarmed or distressed by the promo. Not Upheld: Offensive and Disturbing Content, Children’s Interests...

The Authority declined to determine a complaint about the use of te reo Māori across a number of TVNZ broadcasts. Te reo Māori is an official New Zealand language. Its use is a matter of editorial discretion appropriately determined by broadcasters. The Authority declined to determine the complaint because the use of te reo Māori does not raise any issue of broadcasting standards. Declined to Determine (section 11(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1989, in all the circumstances): Discrimination and Denigration, Fairness...

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1996-011 Dated the 8th day of February 1996 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by GALA Broadcaster TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND LIMITED J M Potter Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod A Martin...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint concerning an item on 1News reporting on cuts to the public sector. The complainant considered the broadcast’s claim that public sector spending cuts were to help pay for the government’s tax cuts was inaccurate, unbalanced and was unfair to Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, as it fully attributed public sector funding reductions to paying for tax cuts. The Authority found no breach of the accuracy standard, noting the broadcast did not fully attribute public sector funding reductions to paying for tax cuts. It further found in a news story about the impact of the cuts, the broadcaster was not required to include reference to other reasons for better management of government funds, as well as other financial measures that would also help pay for tax cuts, as the complainant had submitted....

The Authority has not upheld a complaint under the accuracy standard about a 1News item reporting on the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The complaint alleged the reporter’s statement in the item, ‘No time to escape’, referring to Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza, was inaccurate because the Israeli Prime Minister had ‘warned the people of Gaza to get out fast’. Noting the wide range of information and perspectives covered in the eight-minute segment, the Authority found the comment complained about did not result in the item being materially inaccurate or misleading, or cause harm that outweighed the public interest or the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint under various standards about an answer during the DUKE Quiz which, in identifying an astronaut who ‘did not set foot on the moon’, stated ‘but then, did anyone really land on the moon? ’. The Authority considered the complaint was trivial and did not warrant determination. Declined to Determine (section 11(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 – trivial): Offensive and Disturbing Content, Promotion of Illegal or Antisocial Behaviour, Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint a 1News item breached the discrimination and denigration, and accuracy standards by stating allegations of a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa were a ‘conspiracy theory’ and omitting to include footage shown by United States President Donald Trump to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Authority found the statement and omission of footage were not materially misleading because the ‘white genocide’ allegations have been repeatedly debunked and widely discredited, with numerous sources calling the allegations a ‘conspiracy theory’. The discrimination and denigration standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Discrimination and Denigration, Accuracy...

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 94/94 Dated the 6th day of October 1994 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by GROUP OPPOSED TO ADVERTISING OF LIQUOR Broadcaster TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND LIMITED I W Gallaway Chairperson J R Morris R A Barraclough L M Loates...

A 10-second promo for the movie Challengers, broadcast during an episode of Hyundai Country Calendar, showed a teenage girl kissing two teenage boys in succession (all clothed). The Authority did not uphold a complaint the promo breached the offensive and disturbing content and children’s interests standards. The promo’s content did not go beyond Country Calendar’s PG classification: the visual depiction of the teenagers’ interactions was brief, not graphic, and limited to kissing; and any sexual innuendo was low-level. Overall, the broadcast was not inappropriate for supervised child viewers, nor was it likely to offend a significant number of viewers generally. Not Upheld: Offensive and Disturbing Content, Children’s Interests...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint regarding the language used in a post-match interview on 1 News. The Southland Rugby captain used the phrase ‘shove it up their arse’ in response to a question on what he would say to ‘the detractors’. The Authority found this was low-level coarse language, within audience expectations, and recognised the value of allowing interviewees to express themselves in their own words. Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency...

Complaint60 Minutes – item on Ritalin – offensive – irresponsible – failed to respect principles of law – likely to place children at riskFindings(1) Standard G5 – no disrespect for law evidenced – no uphold (2) Standard G2 – public interest – current affairs – audience expectations unlikely to have been exceeded – no uphold (3) Standard G12 – not relevant – no uphold (4) Standard G16 – public interest – no uphold This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary An item on the black market for the prescription drug Ritalin was broadcast on 60 Minutes on TV One on 11 June 2000 beginning at 7. 30pm. On behalf of ADHD. org....

ComplaintOne News – interview with Chief Ombudsman about tax-payer funded sex-change operation where health bureaucracy acted unfairly – incorrect impression portrayed of ombudsman’s decision contrary to agreement before interview – unfair – distortion Interlocutory Decision 2001-ID001 – order to TVNZ to supply field tape to the Authority Interlocutory Decision 2001-ID002 – order to supply field tape to the complainant FindingsStandards G4 and G19 – item explained issue dealt with in Chief Ombudsman’s ruling – extract did not distort Chief Ombudsman’s comments – Chief Ombudsman not dealt with unfairly – no uphold Standard G1 – item’s introduction inaccurate – upholdNo Order This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary A ruling by the Ombudsman that a person seeking a taxpayer-funded sex-change operation had been treated unfairly by the health bureaucracy was dealt with in an item on One News, broadcast on TV One between 6. 00–7....

Summary A psychic involved in a private search for two missing Blenheim friends in the Marlborough Sounds expounded her theory on how they had died in an item on One Network News broadcast on TV One on 10 April 1998 between 6. 00–7. 00pm. Ms Gendall complained to Television New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, that it was offensive and unnecessarily distressing to the families to have the psychic offer her "grisly conclusions" as to how they had died. She also considered that the credibility of the psychic should have been questioned. The comment, she observed, had not been included in the later evening news bulletin. TVNZ responded that it was justified in reporting the psychic’s search, particularly as both of the families had been involved in the search....

SummaryAn episode of Newsflash broadcast on TV 2 on 15 September 1998 at 8. 00pm contained, among other things, skits with a religious theme. Mrs Gruijters complained to Television New Zealand Ltd that the skits were tasteless and offensive and she objected to what she perceived as an attempt to get laughs at all costs. TVNZ responded informally in the first instance, and when asked to respond formally, advised that it considered the complainant’s objection was really one of personal preference rather than an assertion that statutory standards had been breached. Dealing with the specific matters to which Mrs Gruijters objected, it maintained that there was nothing in the programme which breached the good taste standard, and nothing which represented any group as inherently inferior or encouraged discrimination against them. Dissatisfied with TVNZ’s response, Mrs Gruijters referred the complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority under s....

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989One News – item about an illegal advertising campaign for Goji Juice – product was being marketed to the Tongan community as being a cure for numerous diseases – allegedly unbalanced, inaccurate and unfairFindingsStandard 4 (balance) – controversial issue was the marketing of Goji Juice – broadcaster not required to seek comment from manufacturer or from people who endorsed the product – not upheld Standard 5 (accuracy) – no inaccuracies – not upheld Standard 6 (fairness) – broadcaster did not exhaust every alternative legitimate way of obtaining Namoe Sau’s comment before arranging door-stepping interview (guideline 6b) – used deception to obtain her comment without making sufficient attempts to obtain the material by other means (guideline 6c) – broadcaster treated Ms Sau unfairly – upheldNo OrderThis headnote does not form part of the decision Broadcast [1] An item on One News, broadcast on TV One at 6pm…...

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Item on Close Up looking at the nudist lifestyle – reporter visited a nudist camp – allegedly in breach of standards relating to good taste and decency and children’s interestsFindings Standard 1 (good taste and decency) – contextual factors – not upheld Standard 9 (children’s interests) – item not harmful to children – contextual factors – not upheldThis headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast [1] An item broadcast on Close Up on TV One at 7pm on 1 February 2005 used the occasion of the “nude Olympics” to look into the nudist lifestyle....

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Invader Zim – cartoon programme – allegedly in breach of children’s interestsFindingsStandard 9 (children’s interests) – not likely to disturb or alarm children – sufficiently unrealistic – not upheldThis headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast [1] A cartoon programme called Invader Zim screened on TV2 at 7:45am on Sunday 17 July 2005. The cartoon follows Zim, a character bent on taking over the universe. After nearly destroying his own planet, he is banished to Earth where he attends “skool”, while furthering his plot to exterminate all humans. Complaint [2] Timothy Bennett Mace complained to Television New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, that the programme was not suitable for children....

Complaint Private Investigators – complainants’ boat repossessed from their property – no attempt to pixellate them – humiliating – breach of privacy FindingsStandard 3 and Guideline 3a – Privacy principle (i) – facts disclosed objectionable – no public interest – uphold OrderBroadcast of statement; compensation of $750 to each of the complainants This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary [1] The repossession of a boat on which money was owing for the outboard motor was shown in a segment on Private Investigators broadcast on TV One at 9. 35pm on 6 November 2002. Private Investigators is a reality series which shows the range of activities undertaken by private investigators. [2] Mr and Mrs B Radford, the owners of the boat, complained through their solicitors to the Broadcasting Standards Authority under s. 8(1)(c) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 that the broadcast breached their privacy....