Search Rapua

Te Raumawhitu Kupenga declared a conflict of interest and did not participate in the determination of this complaint. Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]An item on Checkpoint was introduced by the newsreader saying, ‘The Māori Education Trust has had to sell its only assets – its farms – putting at risk the grants it is required to make to Māori students’. The item went on to discuss the financial history of the Trust. The Authority did not uphold a complaint that the introduction was inaccurate in that the sale of the farms had actually improved the financial position of the Trust. The financial ‘risk’ alleged by the broadcast is not a fact able to be objectively determined, and the Trust was able to put forward its position in the item, so listeners would not have been misled....

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]During the Saturday Morning programme on RNZ National, Kim Hill interviewed Dr Don Brash about his views on the use of te reo Māori in New Zealand. At one point in the interview Ms Hill put to Dr Brash, ‘Is this a political position on your part? I mean, we know your political position, for example, which says that the government has no responsibility to address the overrepresentation of Māori in negative social stats’. Dr Brash asked Ms Hill when he had said that, to which Ms Hill replied, ‘I’m quoting you. I think it was about seven years ago’. The Authority did not uphold a complaint that Ms Hill’s statement was materially inaccurate....

Summary [This summary does not form part of the decision. ]A news bulletin on Nine to Noon reported that former Act Party leader John Banks had been ordered to stand trial over ‘allegations of electoral fraud’. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this was inaccurate, because he was actually standing trial over allegations of ‘filing a false electoral return’. The label ‘electoral fraud’ was used as shorthand to characterise the accusations against Mr Banks, and was also adopted by numerous other news media. The story and the nature of the allegations were widely publicised so viewers would not have been misled. Not Upheld: AccuracyIntroduction[1] A news bulletin on Nine to Noon reported that former Act Party leader John Banks had been ordered to stand trial over ‘allegations of electoral fraud’. The programme was broadcast on Radio New Zealand National on 17 October 2013....

Download a PDF of Decision No. 1993-070:Boys and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 1993-070 PDF256. 02 KB...

ComplaintLive to Air: an Election Drama – radio play – National Radio – use of words "God" and "Jesus Christ" as expletives – offensive language – blasphemy FindingsPrinciple 1 – context – no uphold Principle 7 and Guidelines 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7f – only Guideline 7a relevant – threshold not achieved – no uphold This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary [1] Live to Air: an Election Drama was the title of a fifty minute-long radio play broadcast on National Radio at 4. 05pm on Sunday 28 July 2002. The dialogue on occasions used the words "God" and "Jesus Christ" as expletives. [2] Stella Anne McArthur complained to Radio New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, about the irreverent use of holy names. She described their use as offensive....

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Nine to Noon – political discussion – allegedly unfair FindingsStandard 6 (fairness) – robust political discussion – vital component of freedom of expression that politicians and public figures are scrutinised – panellist’s comments about Phil Goff were not “abusively personal” – Phil Goff treated fairly – not upheld This headnote does not form part of the decision. Introduction [1] A political discussion was broadcast during Nine to Noon on Radio New Zealand National on the morning of 3 October 2011. [2] Dorothy Bauld made a formal complaint to Radio New Zealand Ltd (RNZ), the broadcaster, alleging that the broadcast breached standards relating to controversial issues, fairness and discrimination and denigration....

ComplaintNine to Noon – interview with Daniel Goldhagen author of book which suggested Catholic responsibility for the Holocaust – called for annotations to the New Testament – unbalanced – unfair FindingsPrinciple 4 and Principle 5 – author’s opinions challenged by interviewer – discrimination not encouraged – no uphold This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary [1] Daniel Goldhagen, the author of a book which alleged Catholic complicity in the persecution of Jews during the Second World War, was interviewed on Nine to Noon. This programme is broadcast on National Radio between 9. 00am–12 noon each weekday. Mr Goldhagen called for annotations to the New Testament to mitigate the effect of those passages which he said were offensive to Jews. [2] Colin Wilson complained to Radio New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, that the item was unfair and unbalanced....

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 98/95 Dated the 21st day of September 1995 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by BARRY BARCLAY of Wellington Broadcaster RADIO NEW ZEALAND LIMITED J Potter Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint under the discrimination and denigration, and fairness standards about an interviewee saying, on Midday Report, Foreign Affairs Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters was ‘touching himself instead of doing a real job of caring for New Zealanders in difficulty’. Noting the threshold for finding a breach of the fairness standard is higher for politicians and public figures, the Authority found the brief comment would not have left listeners with an unfairly negative impression of Peters. The discrimination and denigration standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Discrimination and Denigration, Fairness...

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]Morning Report contained two items about the Government’s proposal for a specific criminal charge for family violence. A number of family violence experts were interviewed, and the introduction to one of the items stated that ‘14 women, six men and 10 children’ are killed by family violence annually. The Authority upheld a complaint that this statistic was inaccurate because the broadcaster’s source was significantly outdated, and it was part of the introduction which framed the discussion. However, the Authority did not uphold the aspect of the accuracy complaint that the items were misleading because they implied that men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators and women almost always victims of family violence....

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]Afternoons featured an interview with the author of a recently published book about life in Scandinavia. The Authority did not uphold a complaint that a statement in the introduction to the interview that two people were killed at a free speech forum in Copenhagen was inaccurate because one of the victims was killed at a synagogue. The segment was not news, current affairs or a factual programme to which the accuracy standard applied. In any event, the statement did not constitute a material inaccuracy in the context of the item as a whole. Not Upheld: Accuracy Introduction[1] Afternoons featured an interview with the author of a recently published book, The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia....

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1997-042 Dated the 17th day of April 1997 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by P M MACCALLUM of Havelock North Broadcaster RADIO NEW ZEALAND LIMITED J M Potter Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod A Martin...

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1997-091 Dated the 17th day of July 1997 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by WELLINGTON PALESTINE GROUP Broadcaster RADIO NEW ZEALAND LIMITED S R Maling Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod A Martin...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint about a Midday Report segment on Charlie Kirk’s death, which included a recording of Kirk’s final interaction and the gunshot which killed him. The complainant considered it offensive and lacking in decency to broadcast Kirk’s final moments. In the context, including comments alerting listeners to the pending content, the Authority found it was unlikely to disproportionately offend or disturb the Midday Report audience. Those who did not wish to listen were given a reasonable opportunity to turn the programme off. Noting the significant public interest in the segment, the Authority also found no harm justifying its intervention to limit the broadcaster’s freedom of expression. The privacy standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Offensive and Disturbing Content, Privacy...

Download a PDF of Decision No. 1990-012:Wood and Radio New Zealand Ltd - 1990-012 PDF452. 75 KB...

Summary [This summary does not form part of the decision. ]A media commentator on Nine to Noon made comments about the retirement of the editor of the Southland Times. The Authority declined to determine the complaint that the editor was ‘erroneously described… in glowing terms’. The complainant’s concerns about the way the editor was portrayed are matters of personal preference and editorial discretion, not broadcasting standards. The item clearly comprised personal opinion and did not require the presentation of other views. Declined to determine: Controversial IssuesIntroduction[1] During a discussion with a media commentator on Nine to Noon, comments were made about the retirement of the editor of the Southland Times. The programme was broadcast on 17 December 2013 on Radio New Zealand National....

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Afternoons with Jim Mora – discussion about dispute between unions and filmmakers in relation to the film The Hobbit – panel guest referred to John Key giving Warner Bros. 100 million dollars – allegedly inaccurate FindingsStandard 5 (accuracy) – programme consisted of commentary and opinion – panellist’s comments were clearly her opinion, not statements of fact – not inaccurate or misleading – not upheld This headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast [1] A “Panel” segment was broadcast during Afternoons with Jim Mora on Radio New Zealand National on the afternoon of 28 October 2010, in which the host discussed a number of topics with two guests. One of the topics was the dispute between unions and filmmakers in relation to the film The Hobbit, and the status of contractors compared with employees....

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1998-081 Decision No: 1998-082 Dated the 30th day of July 1998 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of complaints by A R MORETON of Auckland and ROBERT MENZIES of Picton RADIO NEW ZEALAND LIMITED Broadcaster S R Maling Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod J Withers...

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 Nine to Noon – item was part five of a 15-part reading of the novel “The Captive Wife” – the reading contained language of a sexual nature – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency  Findings Standard 1 (good taste and decency) – contextual factors – not upheld (This headnote does not form part of the decision. ) Broadcast [1]  On Friday 10 August 2007 at 10. 45am, Nine to Noon, broadcast on Radio New Zealand National, featured a reading from the novel “The Captive Wife” by Fiona Kidman. The novel was based on the lives of Jacky and Betty Guard, and events which took place in 19th century New Zealand. The reading was approximately 13 minutes long and was part five of a 15-part series....