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Decisions
Hunter and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 2023-109 (16 January 2024)
2023-109

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint alleging a news bulletin on RNZ was unbalanced due to the placement of an update on the Rugby World Cup, ahead of other news. The Authority found that in all the circumstances the complaint should not be determined as it amounted to the complainant’s personal preference regarding matters of editorial discretion. Declined to determine (section 11(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1989, in all the circumstances): Balance...

Decisions
GE Free NZ in Food & Environment Inc and Discovery NZ Ltd - 2024-007 (20 March 2024)
2024-007

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a segment on AM, discussing the possible deregulation of GMOs, breached the balance and accuracy standards of the Code of Broadcasting Standards in New Zealand. The segment included two interviews with proponents for deregulation, which the complainant considered to be unbalanced, resulting in the audience being misled. The Authority did not uphold the balance complaint, finding the segment adequately acknowledged the existence of other perspectives, and that the topic had a long history of controversy, meaning the audience could reasonably be expected to be aware of different perspectives. The Authority did not uphold the accuracy complaint, finding the introduction of one of the interviewees was not misleading. Not Upheld: Accuracy, Balance...

Decisions
Hoadley and Television New Zealand Ltd - 2024-085 (28 January 2025)
2024-085

The Authority has not upheld a complaint, under the balance and accuracy standards, about an item on 1News reporting on a New Zealand scientist’s research trip to Greenland. The complainant alleged that a comment made by the host that ‘if all the ice in Greenland were to melt, the sea would rise by seven metres,’ was incorrect, as research shows the sea level rise to be occurring at a much lower rate. The Authority did not uphold the complaint, noting reasonable viewers were unlikely to interpret the broadcast in the way the complainant described and were unlikely to be misled by the absence of further supporting information or information regarding who funded the research. The balance standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Balance, Accuracy...

Decisions
Minto and Television New Zealand Ltd - 2025-017 (29 July 2025)
2025-017

The Authority has not upheld a complaint under the balance and accuracy standards about a 1News report on the start of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, and the first hostage/prisoner exchange as part of the deal. The complaint included claims the broadcast: failed to identify the West Bank as occupied; inaccurately cited how many were killed at the Nova festival and the identity of those attending the festival; inaccurately described the origin of the cars in the ‘car wall’; used ‘gratuitous adjectival framing to discredit Palestinian supporters’; and was overall unbalanced. Noting the challenges of verifying certain facts presented in the broadcast, the Authority did not uphold the complaints under the accuracy standard on the basis reasonable efforts had been made to ensure accuracy, or the relevant points were not materially inaccurate or misleading....

Decisions
Waisbrod and Television New Zealand Ltd - 2024-012 (22 April 2024)
2024-012

The Authority has not upheld a complaint a news report on 1News breached several standards, by using the phrase Hamas ‘fighters’, rather than Hamas ‘terrorists’. The Authority found the choice of word could not reasonably be said to encourage the different treatment of Jewish or Israeli people, devalue their reputation, or embed negative stereotypes about them. Under accuracy, the Authority found the word was not inaccurate, was not material in the context of the broadcast as a whole, and there was no harm at a level justifying limitation of the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and editorial independence. The balance and fairness standards did not apply. Not Upheld: Discrimination and Denigration, Accuracy, Balance and Fairness...

Decisions
McCaughan and Discovery NZ Ltd - 2020-166 (25 May 2021)
2020-166

The Authority has not upheld a complaint about a news item reporting on the Rt Hon Winston Peters’ likelihood of not returning to Parliament after the General Election. The item did not discuss a controversial issue, so the balance standard did not apply. It was not unfair to Mr Peters, given his position as an elected public figure and experience dealing with the media. Coverage of political issues close to Election Day is not in itself a breach of broadcasting standards. Not Upheld: Balance, Fairness...

Decisions
Prowse and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 2022-098 (22 November 2022)
2022-098

The Authority did not uphold a complaint regarding an episode of The Detail which investigated the New Zealand Film Commission’s management of a conflict of interest relating to its CEO at the time. The complainant considered the broadcast breached the balance and accuracy standards by not discussing the ‘significance of NZ On Air’s’ role in this matter. The Authority considered the complaint largely constituted a matter of personal preference, which is not capable of being resolved by a complaints procedure. Further, the proposed detail was additional to, rather than inconsistent with, any perspective presented in the broadcast so its absence was unlikely to misinform listeners. Not Upheld: Balance, Accuracy...

Decisions
Gibson and SKY Network Television Ltd - 2005-047
2005-047

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Parliamentary Question Time – showed Deputy Prime Minister at times when he was not answering or asking questions – allegedly unbalancedFindingsStandard S6 (balance) – programme did not approach the proceedings from any particular perspective – balance not required – not upheldThis headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast[1] Coverage of Parliamentary Question Time was broadcast on Sky News at 2pm on 7 April 2005. Complaint[2] Michael Gibson complained that the broadcast was unbalanced because it focused on the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Michael Cullen, at times when he was not asking or answering questions. The coverage had shown Dr Cullen “grinning and derisively showing a dismissive attitude towards the Opposition”, he said. [3] Mr Gibson argued that the broadcaster had broken the same rules which had caused TV3 to be banned from filming in Parliament recently....

Decisions
The Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand Inc and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 2025-062 (17 December 2025)
2025-062

The Authority1 has not upheld a complaint that interviews on The Detail discussing a ‘power imbalance’ between retirement village operators and residents breached the balance, accuracy and fairness standards. The complainant alleged the broadcast was unbalanced and unfair as it did not provide an alternative perspective from a retirement village operator or the industry, and the statement, ‘operators are just sitting on the weekly fee’, was inaccurate. The Authority found the broadcast was signalled as coming from a particular point of view and viewers were unlikely to expect a countering perspective in the broadcast. The Authority also found the alleged inaccurate statement was clearly distinguishable as analysis, comment or opinion and was not materially misleading. The fairness standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Balance, Accuracy, Fairness...

Decisions
Judge and Discovery NZ Ltd - 2023-021 (14 June 2023)
2023-021

The Authority has not upheld a complaint an item on Newshub Live at 6pm breached the balance standard. The broadcast commented on Chris Hipkins’s first day as Prime Minister, and noted after only a few hours into the role, he did not have any ‘tangible’ policy to announce. The complainant alleged the broadcasting was biased, and unbalanced. The Authority did not uphold the complaint, finding the balance standard did not apply as the broadcast did not discuss an issue of public importance, the complainant did not specify which balancing perspectives they considered were not presented, and in any event, relevant perspectives had been presented in the broadcast.   Not Upheld: Balance...

Decisions
Neate and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 2019-074 (16 December 2019)
2019-074

A complaint that an RNZ news bulletin item breached the balance standard was not upheld. The item reported on a ‘Northland farmer’ who said his business would be put at risk by the government’s proposed methane reduction targets included in the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill. The Authority found that while climate change issues are controversial issues of public importance, the item did not amount to a ‘discussion’ for the purposes of the standard, as it was a brief, straightforward news report that did not purport to be an in-depth examination of the proposed methane reduction targets or the Bill. Not Upheld: Balance...

Decisions
Beach and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 2020-048 (14 September 2020)
2020-048

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that the reading of an adaptation of the novel My Name Was Judas by author C. K. Stead was offensive to Christians in breach of the good taste and decency, and discrimination and denigration standards. The Authority did not consider that the broadcast’s content was likely to cause widespread undue offence or distress or undermine widely shared community standards and it did not reach the high threshold necessary for finding that it encouraged the denigration of, or discrimination against, Christians as a section of the community. The Authority also found that the balance standard did not apply as the programme was not a news, current affairs or factual programme. Not upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Discrimination and Denigration, Balance....

Decisions
Marr & Robinson and NZME Radio Ltd - 2018-080 (16 January 2019)
2018-080

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]The Authority has not upheld two complaints that comments by Leighton Smith about climate change issues were unbalanced, inaccurate and unfair. Mr Smith provided his views in response to a news item, saying that climate change was not predominantly man made and was instead due to ‘normal variability’. The Authority noted that the balance and accuracy standards apply only to news, current affairs and factual programmes, and the requirements of the accuracy standard do not apply to statements of analysis, comment or opinion. In this case, the Authority considered it was clear that Mr Smith’s statements amounted to statements of opinion in a talkback context....

Decisions
Boyce and Discovery NZ Ltd - 2021-144 (16 February 2022)
2021-144

The Authority has not upheld a complaint about a report regarding a heckler at a press conference by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as the balance standard did not apply. It also found a report featuring footage of beach handball players’ uniforms did not breach the good taste and decency standard as the clip was not likely to undermine current norms of good taste and decency and the footage was justified in context. Not Upheld: Balance, Good Taste and Decency...

Decisions
Jarvis and Television New Zealand Ltd - 2021-135 (20 December 2021)
2021-135

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a 1 News Covid Update broadcast breached the balance and accuracy standards by featuring modelling of the current COVID-19 outbreak provided by Professor Shaun Hendy. The Authority found the balance standard was not breached. While the item discussed the topic of COVID-19 modelling, which is a controversial issue of public importance, it was clearly signalled as approaching the topic from a particular perspective. Viewers could also reasonably be expected to be aware of alternative views from other coverage.  The accuracy standard was not breached as the modelling was analysis, comment or opinion and so was not subject to the standard. Not Upheld: Balance, Accuracy...

Decisions
Lancaster and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 2024-031 (24 July 2024)
2024-031

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that comments made by the hosts of Midweek Mediawatch concerning sexual violence during the October 7 attacks in Israel were inaccurate, unbalanced and unfair for downplaying or denying that sexual violence occurred. During an extended discussion concerning an interview on Q + A, and how the Israel-Hamas conflict is reported on generally, the hosts noted reporting of sexual violence on 7 October 2023 had been challenged by other outlets, and mentioned that the Q + A interview did not challenge these claims. The Authority found that the statements were more consistent with analysis, comment or opinion to which the accuracy standard did not apply. However, it found relevant statements were, in any event, not misleading. The balance and fairness standards did not apply. Not Upheld: Accuracy, Balance, Fairness...

Decisions
Coney and Television New Zealand Ltd - 2022-066 (7 December 2022)
2022-066

A segment on Sunday contained a story about two women suffering debilitating symptoms of menopause, and included a brief discussion with a doctor about the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy as a treatment option. The complainant alleged the broadcast breached the accuracy and balance standards as it inaccurately described HRT as ‘safe’, promoted HRT’s benefits for other health issues, contained a statement that a 20-year-old study linking breast cancer to HRT had been discredited as flawed, and failed to provide countering views on HRT’s safety and on the validity of the study. The Authority did not uphold the complaint, finding it was reasonable for TVNZ to rely on Dr Teagle as an authoritative source, the segment was materially accurate, the story was clearly told from a particular perspective, and the alleged harm did not outweigh the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression. Not Upheld: Accuracy, Balance...

Decisions
Foster and Television New Zealand Ltd - 2024-101 (9 June 2025)
2024-101

The Authority has not upheld a complaint under the balance, accuracy, and fairness standards about a Q + A interview with David Seymour on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill (Bill). The complainant alleged TVNZ’s reporting on the Bill, in this broadcast and in general, was biased; interviewer Jack Tame inaccurately claimed the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a partnership and erroneously cited the ‘Fleming version’ of the Treaty; and it was unfair to ‘only present one side of an argument’. The Authority found the balance standard does not apply to concerns of bias, and the audience was likely to be aware of significant perspectives on the Bill from this broadcast and other media coverage. It also found it was not misleading to suggest the Treaty/Te Tiriti is a partnership or cite the official English text of the Treaty. The fairness standard did not apply....

Decisions
YS and NZME Radio Ltd - 2023-011 (16 May 2023)
2023-011

During a broadcast of Mike Hosking Breakfast, Hosking discussed his predictions for the upcoming Hamilton West by-election, commenting that Dr Gaurav Sharma would be the ‘biggest loser’ and stating he was a ‘nobody. ’ Later in the programme, Hosking discussed the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s (our) recently released annual report, commenting the BSA is ‘a complete and utter waste of time. ’ The complainant alleged these comments breached multiple broadcasting standards. In the context of the broadcast, the Authority found Hosking’s comments were not likely to cause widespread disproportionate offence or distress, and did not result in any unfairness to Dr Sharma or the BSA. The discrimination and denigration, balance, accuracy and privacy standards either did not apply or were not breached. Not Upheld: Offensive and Disturbing Content, Discrimination and Denigration, Balance, Accuracy, Privacy, Fairness...

Decisions
Harris and Sky Network Television Ltd - 2023-053 (30 August 2023)
2023-053

The Authority has not upheld two complaints about Prime News’ coverage of King Charles’ coronation on 1 and 2 May 2023. The complainant alleged the first broadcast was unbalanced as it only included interviews with people who were opposed to the idea of the public being asked to participate in a pledge of allegiance to the King. They further considered the second broadcast was inaccurate as the reporter did not back up their introductory statement ‘Love him or loathe him, in London right now, you can't escape him’ with evidence that people did loathe King Charles, and described a souvenir of the King ‘as a clown’....

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