In one of the best NZ non-fiction books of the year, Justine Ross outlines the full story of Lake Hāwea Station and what happens in the centre of a media storm; Nats v Newshub, and a bizarre live TV moment; MPs and media tetchiness in the halls of power; BSA
Media Insider: Country Calendar fallout - new book reveals full story of Lake Hāwea Station; Media v MPs - tetchy encounters; advertising moves
Geoff and Justine Ross at Lake Hāwea Station; Newshub's Lloyd Burr with Christopher Luxon before TVNZ stepped in.
Opinion by Shayne Currie
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand's most experienced senior journalists and media leaders.
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While ultimately overwhelmed by support - “our mountains would explode with the aroha we received” - the couple was ridiculed by a vocal minority for practices that featured on the show, such as landing mattresses for sheep in the shearing shed and playing Vivaldi music to help keep the animals calm.
In Justine Ross’ new book, Meet You at the Main Divide, she explains how she and Geoff Ross came to buy the high country station, the struggle to ‘fit in’ to the traditional and conservative farming sector, how they have transformed the 6700-hectare farm and farming practices, and their longer-term climate, environmental and commercial goals.
It is a rollicking read - one of the best local non-fiction books of the year, part Yellowstone, part Succession - and gives full context to their farming practices that extend well beyond mattresses and music.
As well as clearly laying out their sustainability and commercial mission at Lake Hāwea, it’s a fascinating insight into human behaviour, especially from some people they encountered early on.
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Justine Ross also devotes a chapter to that Country Calendar episode - the highest rating of the year.
It is clear the couple does not believe the show fully portrayed their climate-positive and commercial mission. Nor, in their view, did the show necessarily moderate social media comments in the best way in the aftermath.
In her book, Ross says the “most severe response” from the show’s Facebook moderators came from someone falsely claiming that fashion designer Maggie Hewitt was the couple’s daughter.
“‘What about the crazies who threatened our family and were actively spreading lies about our business?’ we thought. But we were assured that it was just a small group of hateful people who wanted us dead, or simply limbless in a ditch, and some of them extended their wishes to our children.”
Justine Ross says that the couple had called in police.
“We’ve never experienced that before,” she tells Media Insider. “Don’t forget, we come from the alcohol sector and they had better manners. We’ve done some disrupting before but we had never in our lives had our families threatened and had our home threatened.”
Ross says in the book that her husband “specifically asked me to make sure I wrote about how I felt during this public onslaught”.
“I felt bereft for my country and fear for my family,” she writes.
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“I felt shock at the ignorance. And if I’m honest, I felt doubt - that anything we tried to do to help grassroots farmers to get heartily-deserved premiums would actually work. When it came to the vitriol, women were some of the worst, and this surprised me.
“Our first utterance on the programme was ‘farming is the hardest thing we’ve ever done’. But the haters heard ‘rich not self-made’, they heard ‘fluff not profit’, they heard ‘flashy not hardworking’.
“We received correspondence from people who had never even met us, who threatened me, my home and my family - our character and capabilities too - to a degree to which the police had to intervene.”
In an interview this week - I am planning a visit to Lake Hāwea Station next month as part of a bigger feature (see details of the Great NZ Road Trip below) - Justine and Geoff Ross elaborated on some of their issues.
“There was limited pre-production,” Justine Ross said. “And without the right level of pre-production, it was incredibly difficult to understand how to tell our story.”
In the book, and in our interview, she says her father-in-law John Ross was disappointed Country Calendar did not show the incredible amount of work undertaken by the family at the station.
“The before and after photos of the station are dramatic and Geoff achieved this in a few shakes of a lamb’s tail. I was similarly disappointed and I felt that it was the lack of attention and crafting during pre-production that had resulted in this miss.”
Geoff Ross agrees the show did not portray the commercial returns for farmers focusing on sustainable practices.
“It wasn’t complete, is that a way of saying it?
“They have a very set format, 23 minutes, week in and week out for years and years and years and it has worked.
“When they came to us, they put our farm into that format.
“But I think the piece they missed is understanding why and what the rewards are for farming because of it. I think some viewed it as saying, why are they doing it that way?
“The piece they missed is that actually can create greater returns for New Zealand farming, which is what all of us in farming need right now.”
Justine Ross adds: “I think it was sort of a perfect storm in a way of factors. The farming sector was in a world of pain. The story wasn’t told super-right.”
Country Calendar producer Dan Henry said in a statement that he understood the Rosses’ feeling that not every aspect of their story was told.
“Country Calendar’s focus is on the people and what they’re doing on the land, meaning our programmes don’t always have room to cover all the commercial and/or environmental goals that a longer documentary might. We had 23 minutes to tell a very complex story and we covered a lot of new ground.”
He said the show monitored hundreds of responses on Facebook “and hid comments that were directed personally at the Rosses or set out to undermine their business - as we would for anyone that features on the show.
“We did leave negative comments visible because we are always reluctant to stifle debate and opinions from viewers, as long as they do not move into that personal territory.
“After a couple of days, the overall tone changed and most of the response was either in support of what they were doing on Lake Hāwea Station, or at least pointing out that it was their land, they weren’t breaking any laws, and they should be free to farm however they wanted.”
The Nats, Newshub and a scrapped coin toss
A bizarre moment of live television unfolded on election night - one that has highlighted a current simmering tension between Newshub and the National Party.
Relations between the party and the news channel are at a low ebb, following a range of perceived issues that the new Government has with Newshub’s political coverage.
It came to a head on election night, when National rejected the tradition of having a coin toss to determine which channel new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon would speak to first, live, on Saturday night - TVNZ or Newshub.
National made it clear it would be TVNZ.
But that plan was almost foiled as footage shows Luxon getting mic-ed up first by Newshub political reporter Lloyd Burr as soon as the National leader had stepped off the stage from delivering his victory speech.
As Luxon was being prepared to go live on Newshub’s election special, several people including TVNZ deputy political editor Maiki Sherman and one of Luxon’s press secretaries, Julie Ash, strode into the scene, with someone removing the Newshub gear from Luxon.
He was led away for his TVNZ live-cross.
Newshub’s political coverage has always been relatively boisterous compared to TVNZ’s. Over the years, political editors such as Duncan Garner, Patrick Gower, Tova O’Brien and Jenna Lynch have all had similar, swaggering styles, and this is replicated by the likes of Burr and Newshub political colleague Amelia Wade.
Over recent weeks, it is understood the National Party has taken exception to aspects of Newshub’s coverage, including the perceived behaviour at some press conferences - there have been instances of reporters not backing down, and on one occasion Burr followed Luxon after he finished a press conference, with the cameras still rolling.
There will often be occasions where media companies and political parties or individuals will have issues over coverage.
Sometimes, senior editors will get involved to help resolve the situation; sometimes it just takes time.
It nearly always resolves itself, and it is understood individuals are working behind the scenes on this particular chapter.
In a statement to Media Insider, a Warner Bros. Discovery spokeswoman said: “Newshub stands by its coverage - all news organisations, including ours, play a critical Fourth Estate role in our democracy.
“On election night, we were disappointed that the National Party chose not to participate in the long-standing tradition of the coin toss, which has been recognised by our major parties as a fair way for competing news outlets to determine who has the first interview with the party leader.”
A spokesman for Luxon said: “From time to time, we raise concerns about coverage of different media companies. As you will be aware, this is not unusual and we do so confidentially.
“As for TVNZ getting the first interview, representatives from the broadcaster approached us some time before the election. [Newshub’s interview followed] immediately afterwards.”
Tetchiness in the halls of power
Perhaps it was the long, drawn-out election campaign. Perhaps it’s the prospect of several more weeks before we get to see the shape of the new National-led Government.
Whatever the case, there’s certainly been an air of tetchiness between politicians and journalists this week.
We had one Labour MP, Damien O’Connor, telling journalists to f*** off outside the caucus room, and another Labour MP, Helen White, involved in a terse exchange over what she perceived as a great result for her in Mt Albert, while some journalists viewed it as less than stellar. White is the provisional winner of the seat, with a slim, 106-vote lead. Jacinda Ardern won the seat in 2020 with a 21,246 majority.
Meanwhile, Christopher Luxon appears on the face of it to be trying to bring some corporate-world discipline when it comes to dealing with the media.
He’s made it clear that coalition discussions won’t be played out in front of cameras or publicly. He says he hasn’t liked how previous coalition talks have been run through the media, although this claim doesn’t pass muster.
Political insiders say all coalition talks - whether it be Labour or National - have been conducted confidentially since MMP was introduced in 1996. “The rules around the 2017 talks were very confidential, all we got to report about was what snacks they were going in with,” says one insider.
While there’s been lots of media speculation in the past, coalition negotiations have hardly played out publicly, as Luxon implied.
“I appreciate there’ll be lots of reckons, there’ll be lots of people interviewing typewriters,” Luxon told reporters at one press conference this week.
“I’m not having a crack at anybody. I’m just saying to you, I’m wanting to do it in a different way.”
He’s previously compared coalition discussions with his business experience of bringing teams together and undertaking mergers and acquisitions.
“I’ve done a lot of negotiations. The way I deal with things, I want to build chemistry and relationships. I’m going to do it my way.”
At one stand-up, TVNZ political editor Jessica Mutch McKay said to Luxon: “You talk about your negotiations and you’ve done a lot before.
“This is very different because you are an elected Prime Minister. We are the Fourth Estate that represents the public and it feels like you’re treating us like we’re the ones that are hyped up.
“We’re not, we’re the ones asking on behalf of the public, who have interest in what’s going on. Can you see where we’re coming from?”
Luxon replied: “I fully respect that and I fully respect your role in the media. But what I’m just saying to you is that we had a mandate on Saturday night, we’re going to work our way through our arrangements of progressing our relationships and also the arrangements for a future government with those respective parties.
“I’m not doing negotiation through the media with that.
“I just can’t come out here every day and give you a blow-by-blow of what we’re discussing with each of those individual parties.”
Mutch McKay: “It’s about the tone that you’re setting by making it sound like we are being hungry and ferocious and impatient.”
Luxon: “No, no, I’m not meaning to say that at all to you, you’ve got a very important role to play as media. I fully respect that and I want to have a strong positive relationship with media because I think it’s a very important role in our democracy.”
One Good Text
We correspond with Sarah Bristow, the Director of News at Newshub, who announced this week she would be leaving the role in the new year.
RNZ apologises to Herald reporter
RNZ has apologised to Herald reporter Katie Harris over the way it handled her inquiries into the release of a transcript of comments made by then Cabinet minister Kiri Allan at the farewell of her then partner, RNZ presenter Mani Dunlop.
Harris complained to the Ombudsman’s office about RNZ’s refusal to release the full transcript of Allan’s comments under the Official Information Act.
The Ombudsman’s office, following an investigation, ruled that the transcript should be released and said they had sent this provisional ruling to RNZ for comment.
When Harris followed up with RNZ, they said they had not received the ruling.
However, RNZ had not only received it, the organisation had commented on it.
Harris followed up again, and again, and again with multiple emails.
”It was a mistake to say we had not responded to the Ombudsman or had a direct communication when actually we were in the process of doing so with the provisional ruling,” an RNZ spokesman told Harris.
”There was some human error on our behalf. Having acknowledged that, the best I can do is extend an apology and keep you up to date on where we are in the process.”
Harris this week broke the story of the full transcript.
Seven Sharp streaking story OK
Seven Sharp was fine to screen a wheelchair streaker, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled.
A viewer, Lloyd Brewerton, complained the broadcast of the streaker - who followed behind a similarly nude, able-bodied streaker - breached the offensive and disturbing content standard of the Broadcasting Standards Code.
But the authority, like TVNZ, rejected the complaint.
“The streaking in the clip occurred at a club football match. The reason the clip was highlighted and presented in a positive light was because one of the streakers was in a wheelchair, which is not a typical occurrence, and because the clip had been shared around the world,” the authority ruled.
“Further, at the beginning of the clip, the host explicitly commented ‘Pitch invasion is frowned upon these days’. In the circumstances, the authority found the clip was unlikely to promote or encourage streaking.”
Short shrift for Argentina paper
Over many seasons, All Blacks communications staff have not always had the best of reputations with some journalists, reports NZME head of sport Winston Aldworth. But it seems New Zealand’s sportswriters aren’t the only ones to feel the odd cold shoulder.
When an Argentine newspaper wanted to tell its readers about the haka and the traditional paddle Aaron Smith has carried into the pre-match ritual, one of its journalists reached out to the communications team.
Here’s how Google Translate relayed their experience:
With the World Cup under way, there is nothing better than going to the sources. The New Zealand press officer, Jo Malcom, demonstrates the striking universality of this function: zero interest in collaborating, what a paradox, with the press.
“It’s not a spear, it’s a traditional paddle called ‘hoi’ in the Maori language. The haka is about us, not the opposing team. It unites us as a team. The translation is the same as always and is in the media guide,” she responds and considers the round trip exhausted. (Good luck on Friday, Jo).
The Great NZ Road Trip
Summer’s on the way - it’s time to uncover some great yarns and tell the stories of inspirational Kiwis.
We’re hitting the road - from coast to hinterland - in a new editorial series to gauge the mood of the nation and celebrate the very best of New Zealand.
Following a tough three-and-a-half years - including a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis - we’ll be meeting notable as well as everyday Kiwis helping make a difference in their towns, regions, country, and the world.
In association with VW, and with the help of our NZME teams, I’m travelling the country in an all-electric VW ID.5 from October 30 to November 12.
We’d love to hear from you. Do you have a story that’s worth us covering, a person in your town or city worth speaking to?
PLEASE EMAIL: roadtrip@nzherald.co.nz
Strategic advertising moves
Some high-profile advertising names are moving into new roles.
MediaWorks’ agency sales group head Anna Magasiva is joining oOh!media as group business director, a newly created role within the outdoor business.
“With the business ever-growing, we felt we needed someone who had the experience and skills to operate at a senior level within their agency portfolio and across the wider market; Anna was the obvious choice,” said oOh!media national sales director Mark Banbrook.
Meanwhile, another high-profile advertising name is joining Stuff. “Stuff is pleased to have secured a senior creative strategist with the agency expertise and experience of Andrew Reinholds into our new integration team,” said Stuff Harakeke director Sarah Stuart.
Reinholds has previously spent almost 11 years as managing partner at OMD and three years at the Stanley St agency.
Independent agency YoungShand has appointed Sue Kipling as its new executive strategy director. “This follows an impressive career working in some of New Zealand’s largest agencies, including FCB and Colenso BBDO, working at the top level in New York as managing director - strategy at Sullivan, and most recently spending the last year client-side as brand strategy manager at One New Zealand,” said a statement from YoungShand.
“We’ve been looking for the right strategy lead for a long time, and in fact had discussions with Sue before but the timing just wasn’t right,” said managing director Duncan Shand. “Now we’re both ready to go. What excites me about working with Sue is not only her breadth of experience but recent real experience client-side. Her success in a tough market like New York gives an immense amount of confidence...”
Talking of New York, NZME announced yesterday the return of its Imprint competition, which celebrates the power of print advertising by encouraging unique ways of using the medium.
The competition challenges NZME’s agency partners to showcase innovative and strategic thinking, proving how their campaigns leverage the full potential of print advertising.
The winner of the competition will win flights for two to New York, five nights’ accommodation, two tickets to Advertising Week New York and two tickets to a Broadway show of their choice. Competition entries are now open and close in May 2024. For more details, see here.
TV Awards finalists
Congratulations to all of the nominees for this year’s TV Awards - 115 finalists across 37 categories.
There are many mouth-watering line-ups, including, for Best News and Current Affairs Presenter, finalists Jack Tame, Jenny May-Clarkson and Patrick Gower. All three are on top of their game.
Other key categories and finalists:
NZ on Air Best Drama
The Brokenwood Mysteries South Pacific Pictures /TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Inky Pinky Ponky Tikilounge Productions/ Whakaata Māori/ The Coconet
The Gone Kingfisher Films / Keeper Pictures / Southern Light Films / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Best Comedy 7 Days: Season 15 Episode 18 Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / ThreeNow and Three
Not Even: Season 1 Episode 4 Miss Conception Films / Sky Open
Homebound 3.0: Season 1 Episode 1 Kevin & Co / Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / ThreeNow and Three
Educators: Season 3 Episode 1 South Pacific Pictures / TVNZ+ and TVNZ2
Best Factual Series
Slash/Tairāwhiti TVNZ / 1News
When Bob Came: Season 1 Stella Maris Production / Caravan Carpark Films / TVNZ+
Homesteads: Season 1 Te Imurangi Ltd / Whakaata Māori
NZ on Air Best Documentary
Inside Child Poverty Revisited Red Sky Film & Television Ltd / ThreeNow and Three
Fire and Fury Stuff Circuit / Stuff
No Māori Allowed Kindred Films / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Best Original Reality Series
Unbreakable: Season 2 Episode 1 Storymaker Ltd / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Heartbreak Island: Season 3 Episode 12 Imagination Television Ltd / ThreeNow and Three
The Walkers: Season 2 Episode 3 Hi Mama Production / TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+
Best Format Reality Series
Match Fit - League Legends Pango Productions / ThreeNow and Three
The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes Great Southern Television / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
The Dog House NZ South Pacific Pictures / TVNZ2 and TVNZ+
Best Current Affairs Programme
Paddy Gower Has Issues Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / Newshub/ ThreeNow and Three
Newsroom Investigates Newsroom
Sunday TVNZ / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Te Ao with Moana Whakaata Māori
Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Programme
Te Ao with Moana Whakataa Māori
The Hui Great Southern Television / ThreeNow and Three
NZ Wars, Stories of Wairau Aotearoa Media Collective & Great Southern Television / RNZ
Homesteads Te Imurangi Ltd / Whakaata Māori
Best News Coverage
1News - Auckland Flooding TVNZ / 1News, TVNZ1
1News - Cyclone Gabrielle TVNZ / 1News, TVNZ1
Newshub - Cyclone Gabrielle hits the East Coast Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / Newshub / ThreeNow and Three
Best Sports Programme
The Crowd Goes Wild Sky Sport
Scratched : Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends Hex Work Productions / The Spinoff
East Coast Rising Pango Productions / TVNZ2 and TVNZ+
Best Entertainment Programme
Ka Pō, Ka Ao Rob Ruha with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Satellite / Whakaata Māori
Taskmaster NZ Kevin & Co / TVNZ2 and TVNZ+
Guy Montgomery’s Guy-Mont Spelling Bee Kevin & Co / Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / ThreeNow and Three
Best Actress
Antonia Prebble Double Parked Kevin & Co / Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / ThreeNow and Three
Madeleine Sami Double Parked Kevin & Co / Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / ThreeNow and Three
Amanaki Prescott-Faletau Inky Pinky Ponky Tikilounge Productions / TheCoconet / Whakaata Māori
Best Actor
Dominic Ona-Ariki One Lane Bridge Great Southern Television / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Richard Flood The Gone Kingfisher Films/ Keeper Pictures/ Southern Light Films / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Neill Rea The Brokenwood Mysteries South Pacific Pictures / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Reporter of the Year
Mark Crysell Sunday TVNZ / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Lisette Reymer Newshub Live at 6 Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / Newshub/ ThreeNow and Three
Thomas Mead 1 News TVNZ / 1 News, TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Best Presenter: Entertainment
Sonia Gray Kids Wired Differently Ruckus / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Karen O’Leary Paddy Gower Has Issues Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ /ThreeNow and Three
Alice Snedden Alice Snedden’s Bad News Hex Work Productions / The Spinoff
Best Presenter: News And Current Affairs
Jack Tame Q+A with Jack Tame TVNZ / TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Jenny May-Clarkson Breakfast TVNZ / 1News/ TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
Patrick Gower Newshub Live at 6pm, Paddy Gower Has Issues, AM, The Project NZ Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ / Newshub / ThreeNow and Three
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by Kura Forrester at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre on December 5.
- 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.
