Editorial: TVNZ and its shock jock living in past

It seems not to have occurred to Mr Henry that this is a nation of immigrants. Photo / Greg Bowker

The most telling aspect of Paul Henry's suggestion that the Governor-General who succeeded Sir Anand Satyanand should look and sound like a New Zealander lay in its immediate aftermath.

The TV presenter told a website he did not regret his comments, and if anybody took exception, it was because "some people are easily offended".

Television New Zealand, his employer, seemed equally bemused by the fuss. "The audience tell us over and over again that one of the things they love about Paul Henry is that he's prepared to say the things we quietly think but are scared to say out loud," a spokeswoman said.

It is debatable which of the responses was the more deplorable. But both revealed a staggering lack of awareness of what Mr Henry had proposed to the Prime Minister on TVNZ's Breakfast show.

They appeared to believe any complaints required only the standard response delivered for Mr Henry's many previous insults. They could not distinguish between his comments about a Scottish singer and the implications of what he had asked John Key.

Further, both badly misread the reaction of the vast majority of New Zealanders, who recognised a boundary had been breached.

It was to be more than 24 hours before both the presenter and TVNZ came to acknowledge the extent of the blunder, culminating in the decision to suspend Mr Henry without pay until October 18. There was little option.

Apologies, especially those as inept as Mr Henry's, were never going to suffice. They failed to address the offence to Sir Anand, who was born here to parents who migrated from Fiji, and who has a distinguished record as a lawyer, judge, ombudsman and Governor-General.

That, according to Mr Henry, does not make him a New Zealander.

Nor did the apologies deal with the offence that could have been taken by the sons and daughters of every immigrant. It seems not to have occurred to Mr Henry that this is a nation of immigrants, and that, today, about a quarter of New Zealanders are born overseas.

TVNZ ticked many of the right boxes in announcing the suspension. Mr Henry's remarks were inappropriate for anyone in the company, said the chief executive, Rick Ellis.

While the presenter had been given a lot of freedom with the Breakfast programme, with that freedom came responsibility, he added. But it did not comment on the wider issue of the state broadcaster employing a shock jock, who deliberately courts controversy in a bid to gain ratings for a flagship programme.

TVNZ's initial response suggested that little else mattered other than appealing to the lowest common denominator. Ratings were the driving force, even in a slot devoid of current affairs competition since TV3's withdrawal.

Doubtless, they would have been very good yesterday as people awaited Mr Henry's next move. Given all this, it is perhaps little wonder Maori Television has usurped the role of public broadcaster in many ways.

The Government's financial demands on TVNZ are a significant factor in its approach. It was, therefore, somewhat ironic that John Key was among the collateral damage. The Prime Minister seemed taken aback by Mr Henry's comments, and failed to deliver the swift rebuke that would surely have come from his predecessor. It pointed to a lack of agility and decisiveness in pressure situations.

Sir Anand Satyanand's appointment as Governor-General was widely applauded. It said much about New Zealand today and what it is to be a New Zealander.

Mr Henry seems to be wallowing in a long distant past. So is TVNZ, judging by its initial response. If there is a next time, the appropriate reaction will have to come quicker - and be more decisive.