Race to Survive: NZ contestants; Paddy Gower; and Mike Hosking. Pictures / supplied, Dean Purcell, Michael Craig.
Official documents reveal high stakes - and an international response - after a US TV reality contestant killed a protected weka in NZ; Will Paddy Gower still have a TV3 show?; New radio ratings highlight Mike Hosking’s dominance - who else has done well?; Latest 6pm TV news ratings.
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A contestant who killed and ate a protected weka bird while filming a US reality TV show in New Zealand sparked a crisis-like response from public officials and executives, reaching the highest levels of the New Zealand Government and NBC in New York.
Official documents reveal the New Zealand Film Commission raised what it called the “chilling” prospect of ruling ineligible a $2 million taxpayer-funded production rebate for Race to Survive: New Zealand as a result of the incident.
The rebate is used to attract international productions to New Zealand, to help boost the local industry and economy.
The documents - released to the NZ Herald under the Official Information Act by the New Zealand Film Commission – reveal exactly what unfolded last October, and the fallout.
The documents show the incident was the subject of intense internal Film Commission discussion and was referred to the office of Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith, under the Government’s no-surprises policy.
NBC corporate and legal executives in New York also became involved and the commission considered whether the production might be ineligible for the rebate as a result of the incident.
The real-life drama unfolded when the curious weka – a protected bird – wandered into the Race to Survive contestants’ camp in the Wairoa Gorge Bike Park in the South Island’s Tasman district on the evening of October 23 last year.
The US show consists of nine teams of two competing in staged endurance races for a grand prize of $US500,000 ($812,000) across 240km and “40 days of hell”. The team that finish last in each survival race are eliminated.
A promotional video for the show outlines the rules, including no provided food.
According to an incident report provided by the production companies – New Zealand’s Pango Productions and US-based Original Productions – the weka met its fate in the camp.
“Unbeknownst to any of the film crew, safety or guides, competitor Corry Jones took a homemade spear and killed a weka bird. We believe other cast members were present during this, but all walked away knowing he had just broken a rule,” says the report.
“Corry then processed the bird, cooked it, and ate it.”
The report reveals cast members – all of whom had been briefed on what they could and couldn’t eat, and who had been told that weka were protected – did not raise the incident until one week later, on October 31.
That evening, two competitor teams approached a field producer to complain that Jones and his teammate Oliver Dev were “cheating”.
Senior staff interviewed the pair the next day. According to the incident report, Jones admitted “that he did in fact kill and eat a weka”.
In a subsequent interview, an apologetic Jones has said: “It is difficult to be in a place where you’re so desperate and hungry and there’s creatures running around camp that you’re not allowed to eat. You get into that mindset of starvation mode and this slowing down of your cognition.
“I knew it was breaking a rule, but that’s not important when you’re hungry. I apologise and it doesn’t sit lightly with me.”
The incident report says that after discussions with US colleagues, producers disqualified the pair from the show, and Jones was sent home. They had been leading contenders to win the $US500,000.
According to the report, members of the production team met with the Tasman District Council’s (TDC) mayor and local Department of Conservation staff were advised. They were reportedly satisfied with how production staff had handled the situation.
“Bailey Mackey, CEO of Pango Productions, has liaised and informed local iwi Ngāti Koata of the incident and, like the TDC, they are comfortable with the course of action undertaken by the event and production staff,” said the report.
On November 1, the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) became aware of the incident and began liaising with NBC Universal in the United States.
Internally, the commission’s head of international attraction Philippa Mossman raised the matter with media advisor Melissa Booth, and copied in chief executive Annie Murray.
Head of incentives and international promotions Catherine Bates, who was also copied in, confirmed the show was registered for the screen production grant.
Bates cited a clause in the rebate contract: “To be eligible to receive an International Rebate, an applicant must comply with New Zealand law (including health and safety law) in respect of all the applicant’s activities in New Zealand and in respect of any activities not undertaken in New Zealand but otherwise subject to New Zealand law.”
Bates wrote: “Given weka are protected, do we need to consider eligibility [for the rebate]?”
Mossman replied: “A chilling but understandable question.”
NBC’s head of global production Veronica Sullivan and legal affairs associate counsel Ashlie Major were involved in discussions and emails with the commission that week, as parties sought to confirm details of the incident, the protected status of weka and whether the incident would be depicted on the show.
On November 2, Sullivan wrote: “I’m hearing there is some v. negative feedback on this issue. Can you pls call me when you are able.”
In an email on November 3 – following a phone call – Mossman told Sullivan that “we appreciate this is a matter of urgent concern for you, too”.
Mossman said Murray, the NZFC chief executive, was now dealing with Pango’s Mackey directly and “seeking further advice”.
On November 6, Murray told Mackey in an email that the commission had “an obligation to inform the minister’s office of any incident that could result in media interest”.
The weka incident required notification, she said.
The next day she noted that it had appeared the matter had not been formally reported to the Department of Conservation (DoC), “which is required as weka are a fully protected species”.
Murray said: “We strongly advise that you report the incident urgently to DoC and seek legal advice if you have not already done so. I am prepared to hold the notification to the Minister’s office until 10am tomorrow to give you time to report, we can then advise the minister that a report has been filed with DoC.”
Mackey told Media Insider yesterday that he believed the company had fulfilled its obligations by initially advising a DoC staff member in Tasman.
The official documents also show he sent Murray legal advice on November 7.
The production company’s legal advice states, in relation to whether the rebate was at risk: “In our view, based on the facts that we have, the actions of Corry in killing and eating the weka do not amount to a failure of the applicant to comply with NZ law in relation to the ‘applicant’s activities’. This is because Corry has acted against clear advice, and his actions have not been condoned or supported in any way by the applicant.”
Along with that legal advice, Mackey told Murray in an email: ”We are comfortable with the steps we have taken from a legal perspective including the disclosures to the various associated entities, iwi and including DoC. I will be following up myself tomorrow with the minister and ministry.”
DoC said in July that it had been alerted by the production company soon after the incident.
It launched an investigation following the “unacceptable” incident – the penalty for killing protected wildlife is up to two years in jail or a fine of up to $100,000.
Jones and the production company were given written warnings and the company was placed on notice. Jones returned to the United States on November 7.
In a statement yesterday, the NZFC confirmed the rebate of $1.945 million had been approved following a meeting earlier this month.
“We were satisfied that the applicant dealt with the issue appropriately,” said an NZFC spokeswoman.
“We would need very strong grounds to decline an application. Our emails represent our process of carefully considering all possible aspects of an issue associated with an application to ensure we follow due process.”
One other area that the official documents cover is the media response. Both the Herald and Stuff were on to the story on Monday, July 22, after Jones’ disqualification and vague details of him eating a protected species were revealed on the US show. The actual incident and other specific details were not aired.
The commission - despite knowing by that stage the full details of all that unfolded in October last year, and that the show was subject to a rebate discussion - did not answer specific questions, or even confirm to the Herald that it was aware of the weka incident.
It simply said the show might qualify for the rebate, gave some background on the rebate process, and referred questions about the show to the producers.
In my opinion, the commission’s risk-averse approach to media needs to be reviewed. As I said to them at the time, reporters are asking legitimate questions on behalf of the public and taxpayers.
Yesterday, a spokeswoman said: “We are satisfied that we handled media enquiries about this incident in the best interests of the New Zealand public and the taxpayer. An enquiry often requires substantial research and background information to ensure the correct response. On top of that we are often restricted by legally binding confidentiality requirements and cannot talk about applications we receive where decisions have not yet been made. Importantly, at the time of your questions, a decision had not yet been made.”
Are there about to be some issues with the TV3 show Paddy Gower Has Issues?
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), owner of Three, is understood to be keen to apply again for NZ on Air funding for a new season of Gower’s eponymous show, Paddy Gower Has Issues.
Less certain, however, is Gower’s position.
In an interview with Media Insider two weeks ago, WBD NZ boss Juliet Peterson said: “We’re still working with Paddy and his team on what that could look like. We’re still very committed to Paddy. We have got Paddy on Ice coming up. Paddy is amazing.”
Down the hallway from her office is a poster, proudly displaying Paddy Gower on the wall.
Gower announced this week that he and business partner Jon Bridges would be contracting to Stuff, through their company Believer Media.
Gower talked up his “exciting” Stuff plans.
“We are going to be creating something special,” he told Media Insider yesterday.
“We are going to be finding some new ground in the media in New Zealand. Good ground, stable ground. We’re going to surprise Kiwis – it’s an exciting time.”
Citing his own background as the first night duty reporter for the NZ Herald and Bridges’ development of Seven Days, as well as the pair’s work on Paddy Gower Has Issues, Gower was thrilled about breaking new ground: “We’ve done it before and we are going to do it again.”
Gower said he and Bridges owned the IP for Paddy Gower Has Issues, and there was nothing in the Stuff contract that precluded him from doing other things.
He then added hastily: “Well, NZME [publisher of the Herald] would be out, unless there was a mega peace deal!”
But he also said it was too early to say whether he and Warner Bros Discovery would apply to NZ on Air for funding for Paddy Gower Has Issues.
“I haven’t even got to those talks or chats.”
He pointed out a couple of times that WBD had made him redundant, although he’s also occupied Switzerland-like territory in recent weeks.
He hosted RNZ’s Nine to Noon show; he’s appeared on Heather du Plessis-Allan’s Huddle panel on Newstalk ZB, and his documentary Paddy Gower on Ice was released on Three.
A spokeswoman for WBD said yesterday: “Paddy Gower is a phenomenal talent and we are excited to see the high-quality journalism he will no doubt produce with Stuff. WBD does not comment on potential funding applications, however, we have a very strong working relationship with Stuff and would not see Paddy’s new role there as a hindrance to working with him again in the future.”
In July, NZ on Air elected not to fund a new season of Paddy Gower Has Issues – the decision came on the same day as Gower and almost 300 of his colleagues at Warner Bros Discovery lost their jobs with the closure of Newshub and cutbacks in various departments.
“I’m disappointed, but I still believe in journalism and will find a way back!” Gower said at the time.
On the same day, an NZ on Air spokeswoman said: “While Paddy Gower Has Issues was assessed strongly, it was a relatively high-cost production for the number of episodes compared to other content.
“We also need to balance the slate in terms of the amount of funding going to content on each platform. We have conveyed to WBD that we would be happy to consider an application for Paddy Gower Has Issues again in a future funding round.”
It’s genuinely great news that Paddy Gower has found a new home. I had personally hoped he might return to his spiritual home, at the Herald. Instead, he remains a formidable competitor.
A big question that keeps arising from many Media Insider readers, including from sources within Stuff’s ranks, is how the company can afford hundreds of thousands of dollars in new salaries.
Another big hire this week is respected former Sunday executive producer Jane Skinner as managing editor of Stuff Digital.
The company has maintained it is a profitable media business – it’s also a private firm and won’t talk about the specifics of its balance sheet.
Like most other media companies, it has been reconfiguring its resources and structures to focus on a digital-first future.
Owner Sinead Boucher is about to step back into the role of chief executive on an interim basis; holding off on a permanent replacement might help the salary budget in the meantime.
The remarkable Mike Hosking continues to rule the airwaves – he and NZME’s Newstalk ZB dominate the latest Gfk radio ratings once again. ZB’s cumulative audience is up 10,900 listeners to 648,500.
Many of ZB’s other shows - including Heather du Plessis-Allan’s drive show, Kerre Woodham’s mornings show, and Marcus Lush’s night show are also number 1 for their own timeslots, nationally. ZB’s Early Edition - hosted now by Ryan Bridge who had four weeks at the microphone for this survey period - continues as number 1 nationally, as well.
A big call is coming as to who replaces Simon Barnett and James Daniels on ZB Afternoons. The pair depart next month having also increased their audience share and reaching number 2 nationally.
Other standouts for NZME include ZM and The Hits. ZM has the most listeners in the key commercial demographic of 25-54 for the sixth straight survey. Meanwhile, The Hits has 460,300 listeners – the highest audience number since the brand launched in 2014.
NZME chief audio officer Jason Winstanley said: “It’s fantastic to see strong, stable audience numbers continue across radio, with more than 3.4 million people tuning in weekly. Across the industry, we deliver entertaining, engaging content every day for our large audiences across the country, and radio remains a powerhouse for advertisers.”
Equally, rival network MediaWorks is crowing about its own strong performance – lifting its overall commercial share, with great results for Mai FM in Auckland (it’s moved into the number 2 spot, behind ZB) and Channel X (for its first full year of results, it has 150,400 listeners).
“NZ’s favourite music station The Breeze continues its winning streak as the #1 music station in Aotearoa for the seventh year in a row with a 9.1% share (10+) and 614,000 listeners every week,” said MediaWorks content director Leon Wratt.
He also praised The Rock’s performance, with its morning breakfast show the number one music breakfast station (8.1% share).
Amongst all the results and positive industry news was an interesting line from Radio Broadcasters Association chief executive Alistair Jamison.
“NZ on Air will release their ‘Where are the Audiences?’ data next week and I am sure this will generate debate on what is the real consumer media behaviour,” said Jamison.
“With a sample of over 14,000, and active 36 weeks a year, I have no doubt that GfK represents the most robust audio data and is the best measure of NZ radio audiences. It continues to demonstrate that our audiences are stable, engaged and that radio presents a wide range of opportunity for all advertisers.”
I took that to be a thinly veiled swipe at the NZ on Air survey, which will be released at an industry gathering on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for NZ on Air said yesterday that the agency had “always been clear” that its survey would not exactly match other data sources.
She sent a quote from the survey: “The results in this study will not exactly match data from sources such as TV ratings, radio surveys, or online analytics as the methodologies are different. However, this study does provide an objective, single source comparison across all media.”
It could be an interesting event.
Warner Bros Discovery has enjoyed a week of good ratings for its still relatively new 6pm TV news bulletin.
While TVNZ remains a clear leader at 6pm, the Stuff-produced ThreeNews bulletin enjoyed its best ratings on Monday this week in the 25-54 age bracket since its launch in early July.
Its average audience in that age group was of 95,300 - by comparison, TVNZ also had a big night. Its 25-54 audience for 1News was 202,400.
The overall 5+ average ratings were strong for Stuff/Three as well – 235,500 people on Monday, the best numbers since launch week. TVNZ’s average audience was 730,500.
Regardless of that gap, Stuff and WBD executives will be pleased and relieved that their numbers have come up following the Olympics and school holidays and will be seeking to stabilise them above an average of 200,000.
Meanwhile, Stuff has nudged past the NZ Herald in the now ding-dong battle for monthly online audience. For July, Stuff’s audience sat at 2.18m and the Herald’s at 2.04m. RNZ was in third spot for news sites, with an audience of 1.4m, and the 1 News site was fourth with an audience of 895,000. Newshub, which closed on July 5, still managed a monthly unique audience number of 550,000.
This week we catch up with NZ Herald senior writer Steve Braunias.
NZ Herald publisher NZME has announced two new major editorial roles in its regional operation.
Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post editor Scott Inglis has been appointed North Island regional editor, leading NZME’s six regional news titles and a newly formed regional leadership hub.
Kim Gillespie takes up the role of Editor – Bay of Plenty & Communities, heading up the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post regional team, as well as continuing to lead the company’s stable of community titles.
“Scott and Kim bring a wealth of experience and knowledge and will provide great leadership and support across the various parts of our regional and community newsrooms and offices,” said NZME editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness.
The Marketing Association has now opened voting for the public’s favourite TV ads of the 2010s.
It is running a months-long campaign to find the most popular ads of the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s, to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Winners of each decade, and an overall winner, will be announced in October.
According to votes so far, the two leading contenders for the 1970s title are KFC’s Hugo and Hollie and the Crunchie Great Train Robbery.
“The 1980s see BASF Dear John, Toyota’s Scotty and Crumpy and TVNZ’s Goodnight Kiwi in a close race,” says Marketing Association boss John Miles.
“The 1990s Toyota’s Bugger and Nestle’s Scorched Almonds are leading ahead of Mainland Cheese and Telecom’s Spot.”
And for the 2000s, Vogels and Mitre 10 are leading the pack closely followed by ASB Goldstein and Tip Top’s ‘Togs togs, undies undies’.
To vote, see here.
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.
'I can imagine people being outraged that TVNZ signed a deal with me.'