Some segments broadcast have received negative responses. After an item entitled "Fowl Play" aired on 20 September 2004 about battery farming of hens, the Egg Producers Federation of New Zealand (EPFNZ) complained to the
Broadcasting Standards Authority. They claimed it was unbalanced, inaccurate and unfair, but the Authority did not uphold the complaint as the EPFNZ had failed to participate in the item. In July 2005, an interview with
Ashraf Choudhary, the only
Muslim Member of Parliament in New Zealand was broadcast. In this Choudhary stated that he would not condemn the practise of
stoning to death some homosexuals and people who have extramarital affairs. A story broadcast in 2005 on the South Pacific received criticism from the Vanuatu Tourism Office General Manager. He said that the story by
Rick Williamson was disrespectful to South Pacific cultures, taking footage out of context. In one section chiefs and villagers drinking
kava are described as "really hammered" and "plastered on this stuff", while Williamson says when he partook in the kava that it was a "portal to the spirit world".
Broadcasting standards breaches In August 1997, New Zealand’s
Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) upheld complaints that a
60 Minutes item on rape allegations against rugby player
Roger Randle was unfair and lacked balance. The majority found the programme sought to vindicate Randle by portraying the complainant as of “dubious morality” and implying that, if raped, she had “asked for it”; no order was imposed. In March 2010, the BSA upheld a complaint by the
Hastings District Council against
60 Minutes for breaching privacy and fairness standards in a 2009 broadcast about girl gangs in Hawke’s Bay. The segment showed four underage girls—some as young as 12—engaging in antisocial behaviour, including graffiti and a staged house break-in, while failing to adequately conceal their identities. The BSA found that the broadcaster did not have informed consent, exploited the children, and disclosed highly offensive private facts. While other complaints on accuracy and law and order were not upheld, the Authority ruled that the broadcast unjustifiably breached the girls’ privacy and failed to treat them fairly. TVWorks was ordered to air a summary of the decision, pay $3,560.12 to the complainant, and $2,500 in costs to the Crown. ==References==