The scene of the car versus concrete mixer crash that featured on Motorway Patrol.
The BSA did not uphold the privacy complaint, but it has suppressed the woman’s name. It said it acknowledged the impact of the broadcast on her.
The case raises interesting questions about people’s rights when it comes to reality television shows.
Generally speaking, TV crews and others are allowed to film in public places such as streets, parks and public buildings because there is no expectation of privacy. For shows such as Border Patrol, there are signs posted at the Auckland Airport arrivals hall when a camera crew is working.
The Motorway Patrol episode, which screened on TVNZ in August, featured a crash on Auckland’s Northwestern Motorway in which a car and a concrete mixer collided in wet weather. A senior police constable arrived on the scene, filmed by the Motorway Patrol TV crew.
The show’s narrator states: “The ambulance isn’t on site yet, but a medical professional is. So is a Good Samaritan.”
Motorway Patrol screens on TVNZ and is produced by Greenstone TV.
The Good Samaritan, an unnamed woman, can be seen in various shots.
Woman: I didn’t actually see the accident happen. I just drove by and …
Senior constable: No, no. Thanks for stopping. [Pointing to the medical professional] Do you know this guy?
Woman: Yeah, that’s my husband [laughs].
Senior constable: She’s [the person in the crashed car] probably in shock, isn’t she?
Woman: She is.
Senior constable: And it’ll be the seatbelt [referring to chest pain mentioned earlier by the driver of the car].
Woman: Yeah.
Senior constable: Busy, busy time for ambulances. They’re short, so.
Woman: And the shitty rain.
Senior constable: And it’s raining.
The woman made a direct privacy complaint to the BSA outlining her concerns about the broadcast.
The authority said the woman had stated her consent to be filmed and broadcast was not sought and, if it had been, the answer would have been no.
The woman said she had a “reasonable expectation that any interaction would not be televised”.
“The broadcast and the whole experience have caused them considerable distress and been immensely stressful,” reported the authority.
TVNZ’s response
TVNZ said the broadcast did not disclose any private information about the woman. The only information broadcast about her was her marital status – this was not an offensive disclosure and it was freely provided.
“The filming took place on the side of a motorway … and there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in such a setting, where any person may see the people involved in the incident,” TVNZ told the authority.
TVNZ did not consider the content to be intimate, sensitive or traumatic in nature.
Furthermore, the woman was not involved in the accident and appeared “upbeat and considerate in [their] interactions with police”.
“The complainant was portrayed, explicitly, as a Good Samaritan. This characterisation by the narrator is consistent with how viewers would appraise [the complainant’s] involvement in the incident.”
TVNZ said the camera crew were in high-visibility clothing, with the Greenstone logo and a camera in plain sight.
The authority said it had watched the segment.
“We acknowledge the experience of being filmed and broadcast on television has been distressing for the complainant. However, applying the privacy standard and relevant guidelines, we have not found any breach of the standard.”
The complainant, who had dutifully stopped to assist and check on the driver of the crashed vehicle, engaged willingly and jovially – often laughing – with the senior constable.
“We acknowledge the broadcaster’s submissions about the public interest in the programme generally – following the work of police on New Zealand’s motorways – as well as public interest in showing ‘Good Samaritans’ stopping to check on accident victims and calling an ambulance if they are first on the scene,” said the authority.
Sky high – what’s driving Sky TV’s share price?
Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney and chairman Philip Bowman. Photo montage / Oliver Rusden
Sky TV was in a world of operational pain earlier this year – a problematic, ageing satellite high up in space was causing all sorts of misery on earth. Some Sky customers were waiting weeks for their TV reception to be fixed.
Coupled with that was uncertainty over whether Sky TV would retain its golden goose – the New Zealand Rugby TV rights, especially All Blacks tests and Super Rugby matches, and the critical audience and advertising revenue they generate.
Fast forward six months and Sky is flying high.
Rugby rights have been secured for another five years, for a considerably lower price than the previous five-year deal.
And Sky pulled off a strategic masterstroke in July, acquiring Three (TV3) from Warner Bros Discovery for $1, in a debt-free deal, opening up a stronger free-to-air and advertising platform for the traditional pay-TV operator.
Its share price, which closed at $3.38 on Thursday, has recently been at a five-year high.
Are we now about to see an even bigger deal for Sky itself? Some industry observers believe it’s one of the next big moves in New Zealand media.
Rumours abound that private equity interests are sniffing. Some high-profile names may be involved.
In a research note this month, investment firm Forsyth Barr cited Sky TV as a potential merger and acquisitions (M&A) target.
“M&A is notoriously difficult to forecast (at least with regard to specific deals), but we expect the trend of elevated activity in 2025 to date to continue,” wrote Forsyth Barr’s Matt Montgomerie.
“With the NZD-USD at historically low levels, economic indicators improving, and near-term interest rates trending downwards, the building blocks are in place.”
He said a recent Simpson Grierson survey of 90 international corporates that had previously acquired businesses in NZ suggested 85% of respondents were considering, or would make, an acquisition over the next three years in NZ – up from 69% last year.
“Key opportunities from a valuation and screening perspective are: 1. Sky TV; 2. Oceania Healthcare; 3. SkyCity; 4. Scott Technology; and 5. Warehouse Group.”
On free cash flow, Sky TV was a “clear winner”.
Private equity eyes have never been far off Sky TV. In October 2023, Sky revealed it had received “a highly conditional, non-binding preliminary expression of interest from a third party to acquire all of the shares in Sky”.
It said the proposed transaction “falls short of the board’s view of the fair intrinsic value of Sky and, based on recent unsolicited feedback, the view of a number of Sky’s institutional shareholders. The board has advised the third party accordingly, and has ended discussions in respect of the non-binding indicative offer.”
A Sky cameraman has a close-up view of the All Blacks haka at Eden Park. Sky TV recently retained the rights to All Blacks tests for another five years. Photo / Alyse Wright
Forsyth Barr analyst Ben Crozier cited Sky’s dividend of at least 30c per share, coupled with the tailwinds of the successful rugby rights negotiations and the Three acquisition, as big factors in investor interest.
“If you look at the Discovery deal that they signed – near term it will be a small positive free cash flow, but they are expecting that to grow, and we are too, to $10 million or so free cash flow impact,” he told Media Insider.
“Market is backing management – Sophie [chief executive Sophie Moloney] and the team have done a good job over the last few years in executing cost out. The market is looking ahead and backing them to be able to deliver.”
Crozier said TVNZ’s move into sports rights – it has secured next year’s Football World Cup ahead of Sky – was “one to watch” although TVNZ’s programming rights budget was “significantly below what Sky TV can pay”.
“Sky TV is preferring the season-long sporting events rather than just a one-off sporting event … maybe you can’t monetise that as much within the Sky ecosystem as you can, say, season-long NRL or Super Rugby.”
Jarden head of research Arie Dekker told Media Insider: “I think we’ve seen the market re-rate Sky TV over the last 12 months on a combination of things. The stock is now paying a 30cps dividend for the year ahead, which makes it attractive from a yield perspective.
Jarden head of research Arie Dekker.
“Another key milestone has been the renegotiation of the rugby contract on more favourable terms, removing the risk associated with one of its key pieces of content for another five years. Sky has been able to sustainably win back or renew key sports content for a period of time now.
“Perhaps the one area that continues to have a question mark on it is revenue – Sky does continue to see some pressure on its premium subscribers in particular.
“The market may see the outlook on revenue improving with an eventual turn in economic conditions.”
Breeze blows away Magic
The battle for listeners in the entertainment radio space has been turned up.
MediaWorks’ Magic is coming off its FM frequencies, making way for Breeze Classic, an extension of the company’s easy-listening brand.
MediaWorks announced on Thursday that Breeze Classic, which is dedicated to “era-defining classics” from the likes of Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Abba and Elton John, would move on to 25 FM frequencies currently occupied by Magic on November 1.
The existing Breeze stations would stay on their current frequencies.
MediaWorks’ moves come as NZME is understood to have been focusing on the playlists of its own entertainment radio stations, including Coast.
Earlier this month, NZME also announced longtime radio personality Grant Kereama would become Coast’s Drive host.
New Coast Drive host Grant Kereama. Photo / Supplied
MediaWorks said Breeze Classic would be fronted by Magic personalities Mark McCarron, Mel Homer, John Markby, Murray Lindsay and Trudi Nelson.
Breeze Classic would focus on hits from the late 60s, 70s and early 80s; Breeze would continue to play hits from the 80s, 90s and 2000s, said MediaWorks’ director of content Leon Wratt.
The two Breeze stations are essentially head-to-head with NZME’s Coast and The Hits.
Magic will move to MediaWorks’ Rova digital platform and be presented by Bob Gentil.
In the most recent GFK radio survey, Breeze had a cumulative audience of 558,400, Magic 281,600, The Hits 413,200 and Coast 270,000.
Stuff collective contracts
Journalists from Stuff walked off the job for two hours in August over their collective contract negotiations. Photo / Dean Purcell
Stuff is understood to have settled collective contract negotiations with unionised editorial staff following at-times-heated discussions. Journalists walked off the job for two hours in late August, angry about the company’s position.
Media Insider previously revealed staff sought an overall pay increase of 6.5%. It is understood the parties have agreed to a smaller increase than that for the next 12 months, followed by a similar smaller rise for the year after.
Emails obtained by Media Insider in July revealed Stuff’s unionised journalists were perturbed by the company’s position on several fronts.
They described “highlights and lowlights” after a bargaining meeting with the company at the time, saying the company was “holding a pay offer hostage” and “Stuff wants to axe our health insurance”.
“As you know, we’ve asked for an overall pay increase of 6.5%, including a reform of the pay scale to be more aligned with how RNZ calculates things,” said one email sent by a Stuff journalist delegate, and co-signed alongside 10 others, to union members.
Media Insider understands negotiations have now been settled for both the Stuff Digital and Masthead Publishing collective contracts.
It is understood staff have retained their health insurance.
Stuff Masthead Publishing managing director Joanna Norris has been contacted for comment.
Spark’s split car ad complaints
A scene from Spark’s split-car advertisement.
Spark’s new split-car ad has drawn several official complaints to the advertising watchdog.
One complainant told the Advertising Standards Authority the ad – in which a vehicle separates into two, and the passenger enjoying an enriched experience using a Spark cellphone – was “bizarre and irrelevant”.
“This seems to me to cause retraumatising to people who lived through car crashes. To me, the characters lack any depth. The ad is far too long and in a prime-time viewing period. I’d like to see it removed.”
Another person said it was inappropriate, in the context of a viewer perhaps losing a loved one in a similar-looking car crash.
“This is very disturbing that the advertiser allowed such … advice from whoever created [the] ad. Spark needs to remove their advertising agency.”
Two other complainants raised concerns about the use of cellphones in a car, even though the ad shows only the passenger on the device.
For all four complaints, the ASA said the issues raised did “not reach the threshold to breach the relevant Advertising Standards Authority Codes and we will not be taking any further action”.
Kiwi series tops the Guardian’s TV list
Lauren Lyle as Mia Beaton in The Ridge. Supplied
Congratulations to New Zealand’s Great Southern Television and the other producers of The Ridge. The joint Kiwi-BBC TV production topped the Guardian newspaper’s TV picks for the week last week.
The Ridge, a psychological thriller based on a doctor who makes a last-minute dash to New Zealand, only to find her sister dead, is currently screening here on Neon.
‘Flopped’: Kiwi leads ad agency out of financial mess
One of New Zealand’s top advertising agencies is battling in a raging sea of red ink and has called upon a Kiwi to steer its Australasian operation into calmer waters.
Dentsu’s New Zealand operation lost $19.1 million in 2024, according to its financial statements filed with the New Zealand Companies Office. That was part of a broader A$64m ($72.4m) loss for the combined Australia-New Zealand operation.
Australian advertising industry website Mi3 reported Dentsu ANZ’s approach to transformation had “racked up losses of more than a billion dollars” in recent years.
It pointed the finger at two previous Australasian chief executives who had “banked on structural reform and internal, cross-functional consulting and product teams, packaged ultimately as higher-order services to create an agency-consulting hybrid that was meant to be fitter, faster, flatter and fancier in scope than its holdco rivals”.
“It flopped.”
Dentsu ANZ chief executive Rob Harvey.
A press release in early August announced Dentsu Aotearoa boss Rob Harvey’s elevation to Dentsu ANZ chief executive, effective immediately. He is working between Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.
Mi3 reported Harvey was “in a race to clean up a troubled balance sheet and an over-engineered structure that has created too much complexity and confusion for a marketing services holding company than five years of experimental re-engineering was supposed to. It’s come at enormous cost.”
The report said Harvey was rolling back “large swathes” of change management under the previous two chief executives’ regimes.
“Dentsu ANZ last month received a A$100m injection from Dentsu France in order to recapitalise and it’s seeking a further A$300m from Dentsu Group Inc to wipe out borrowings, a lifeline which the auditor’s report suggests ‘is expected to occur within 12 months’.
“Harvey is also facing the prospect of Dentsu Japan selling its international operations, a development he had told staff they should park and focus on the domestic business.”
New Zealand finances
In New Zealand, Dentsu’s clients include Woolworths, TVNZ, Kathmandu and Placemakers.
The New Zealand financial statements for the firm reveal revenue of $51.9m in 2024, down from $54.3m in 2023. Expenses rose from $60.8m to $65.7m in the same period.
Notes to the financial accounts state: “At balance date, the group has negative working capital of $40,937,000 (2023: $30,548,000) and negative equity of $22,938,000 (2023: $3,882,000).
“The negative working capital balances arise primarily due to using a short-term overdraft. The going concern assumption is dependent on the continuing financial support of the company’s Japan parent, Dentsu Group Inc.
“Dentsu Group Inc has continued to undertake providing financial support for a period of at least until 12 months from the date that these consolidated financial statements are signed.
“The directors are confident in the group’s ability to continue as a going concern.”
Harvey responds
Harvey was unavailable for an interview this week, but sent a statement to Media Insider.
“It’s hard to read our historical results across Australia and New Zealand in isolation due to internal factors that influence how they are presented. However, once normalised for internal group charges, finance adjustments and one-offs, the Dentsu business in New Zealand delivered a positive operating profit over this period,” Harvey said.
“Across the ANZ region, we have taken action by writing down goodwill from legacy mergers and acquisitions, simplifying our structure, and focusing on what works.”
He said that the company, “above all”, was committed to its clients and staff.
“Every decision we make is about delivering for our clients – staying responsive, providing connected and innovative solutions, and being the reliable partner they can count on. At the same time, we are supporting our people through change and building a culture and environment where they can do their best work.”
He cited a range of awards that the company was up for in the coming weeks and months, including New Zealand’s Best Places to Work Awards, the Effies and the IAB Digital Advertising Awards.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.