60 Minutes (New Zealand TV programme)

Awards

In the inaugural Qantas Television Awards in 2005, the show won

• Best Current Affairs Series
• Best Current Affairs Reporter for Amanda Millar
• Best Current Affairs Senior Camera for Ross Kenward on a segment called "Green Acres"

At the 2008 Qantas Film and Television Awards, the show won

• Best Current Affairs Reporting for a weekly programme or one off current affairs special – Sarah Hall, Paula Penfold, George Murahidy and Catherine Hallinan.
• Best Current Affairs Camera – George Murahidy
• Best News and Current Affairs Editing – Paul Enticott

Controversy

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 March 2010, the Broadcasting Standards Authority (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

• "TV rivals bury competitive spirit", National Business Review, 28 February 1992
• "Website wrangle turns into current affairs story", New Zealand Herald, 26 August 2002

References

1. (2010-03-02). "Hastings District Council and TVWorks Ltd - 2009-088".