BSA Decisions Ngā whakatau a Te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho

Summary  

[This summary does not form part of the decision.] 

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint a promo on RNZ National for coverage of the 2026 ANZAC Day national commemoration, breached broadcasting standards. The complainant considered the statement ‘ANZAC commemorations bring together all Kiwis, as we stand as one to honour our service personnel,’ was inaccurate and unbalanced, as there are many New Zealanders who do not support or commemorate ANZAC Day for a range of reasons. The Authority considered the complaint was trivial and did not warrant determination, noting the arguments raised did not identify any potential harm at a level requiring intervention.

Declined to determine (section 11(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 – trivial): Balance, Accuracy

The broadcast

[1]  A promo was broadcast on 21 April 2026 on RNZ National, for the Radio New Zealand Ltd (RNZ) coverage of the national commemoration of ANZAC Day (25 April 2026) at the National War Memorial in Wellington. The promo stated:

Across Aotearoa, as the dawn breaks, New Zealanders will come together in remembrance of the fallen and the returned. ANZAC commemorations bring together all Kiwis, as we stand as one to honour our service personnel, past and present. Join us, from the National War Memorial in Wellington, for this year’s national commemoration, from 6 this Saturday morning. ANZAC Day 2026. We will remember them.

[2]  This promo was aired over a number of days in the lead up to ANZAC Day 2026.

The complaint

[3]  Peace Movement Aotearoa complained the promo breached the accuracy and balance standards of the Code of Broadcasting Standards in New Zealand for the following reasons:

• The statement ‘ANZAC commemorations bring together all Kiwis, as we stand as one to honour our service personnel, past and present,’ was inaccurate – ‘…there are many New Zealanders who do not observe or support ANZAC Day commemorations for a range of reasons, including: veterans and/or their descendants who do not support the politicisation or glorification of remembrance, or who boycott the services as a protest against the inadequate support given to those who have returned from armed conflict; conscientious objectors and/or their descendants who do not support violence in any form; New Zealanders who have an ethical, religious or other objection to war; New Zealanders who choose to remember all the casualties of war, civilian and military; New Zealanders who came here fleeing armed conflict; New Zealanders who simply don’t care, and so on.’
• ‘There is a multiplicity of views around all of New Zealand’s past and present engagements in situations of armed conflict and it is not balanced to promote such a false veneer of unity around any of those, including – in this instance – the invasion of Gallipoli in 1915.’

The broadcaster’s response

[4]  RNZ did not uphold the complaint for the following reasons:

• ‘…we do not consider the wording used in the promo to be a statement of literal fact requiring strict accuracy. Promotional material of this nature commonly uses broad, aspirational and symbolic language to reflect the perceived national significance of an event. References to “all Kiwis” and “stand as one” are reasonably understood in that context as rhetorical expressions, rather than as claims that every individual New Zealander participates in, or supports, ANZAC Day commemorations.’
• ‘Language of this kind is also widely used in public discourse about ANZAC Day. For example, public figures frequently describe ANZAC Day observance as being “woven into the fabric” of New Zealand’s national identity. The promo sits comfortably within that established rhetorical tradition, which emphasises shared remembrance without purporting to describe uniformity of individual belief or participation.’
• ‘We acknowledge your point that there is a diversity of views in Aotearoa New Zealand about ANZAC Day, its history, and the way it is commemorated. That diversity is reflected across RNZ’s wider coverage, which routinely includes a range of perspectives on matters of public importance, including those relating to war, remembrance, and national identity.’
• ‘However, in the context of a short promotional announcement marking a significant national day of remembrance, we do not consider that the language used is misleading or inappropriate, nor that it gives rise to any breach of RNZ’s Editorial Policies.’

Outcome: Decline to determine

[5]  Section 11(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 authorises the Authority to decline to determine complaints if it considers they are frivolous, vexatious, or trivial. A ‘trivial’ complaint is defined as one which is of little or no importance and is at such a level not to justify it being treated as a serious complaint.¹

[6]  We consider this complaint to be trivial. The broadcast does not raise any issues of broadcasting standards at a level which warrants our consideration for the following reasons:

• The complaint concerns generalised, hyperbolic language that was used in the context of a promo for coverage of the 2026 ANZAC Day national commemoration.
• Most listeners were unlikely to interpret reference to ‘all Kiwis’ and ‘standing together as one’ literally.
• The arguments raised by the complainant do not identify any potential harm at a level requiring our intervention.
• The relevant issues were satisfactorily addressed in the broadcaster’s decision (including its view that the nominated standards would not apply to this promotional material).

For the above reasons the Authority declines to determine the complaint under section 11(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989. 

Signed for and on behalf of the Authority

Susie Staley
Chair
26 August 2026    

Appendix

The correspondence listed below was received and considered by the Authority when it determined this complaint:

1  Peace Movement Aotearoa’s original complaint – 23 April 2026

2  RNZ’s decision – 28 April 2026

3  Peace Movement Aotearoa’s referral to the Authority – 25 May 2026

4  RNZ’s confirmation of no further comments and programme schedule for 23 April 2026 – 2 June 2026

¹ Broadcasting Standards Authority | Te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho “Guidance: BSA power to decline to determine a complaint” <bsa.govt.nz>