TVNZ Chair Discusses Controversial Gangs Report with Minister

The chair of New Zealand’s public broadcaster, Andrew Barclay, recently engaged in discussions with Paul Goldsmith, the Minister of Justice, regarding concerns over a reported “unbalanced” story about gang membership. The controversy arose after 1News aired a segment indicating that gang members now slightly outnumber police officers, coinciding with the release of the latest Crime and Victims survey, which reported 49,000 fewer victims of violent crime in the year ending October 2025 compared to two years earlier.

Following the initial report, Mark Mitchell, the Police Minister, expressed his dissatisfaction on social media. He criticized 1News for airing a story about gang membership without providing context about the government’s announcement of declining violent crime rates and reduced repeat youth offending. Mitchell described the coverage as “absolutely unbelievable,” suggesting it undermined the police’s efforts in tackling gang activity in New Zealand.

In response to the backlash, 1News aired a follow-up story five days later that covered the crime statistics released by the government. Goldsmith, who was present at the government’s announcement, confirmed that he spoke with a journalist from 1News after the first story aired. He stated, “Just like I often do when I’m not happy with a story, I ring the journalist and give them the benefit of my opinions.”

Goldsmith emphasized that his conversation with Barclay was brief and covered various topics, with the controversial story mentioned only in passing. He clarified, “I absolutely did not bring the story up myself, and I did not discuss editorial matters with the board member.” Goldsmith declined to elaborate further, stating that the issue was not appropriate for discussion.

During a subsequent Question Time, Mitchell reiterated his concerns about the report’s “unbalanced” nature. Labour’s police spokesperson, Ginny Andersen, questioned whether Mitchell or anyone from his office had contacted the TVNZ board regarding the report. Mitchell confirmed he had not made any direct contact, although he received a call and apology from a senior figure at TVNZ after posting about the issue on social media.

Mitchell indicated that he preferred to address concerns directly rather than escalate matters. He stated, “I don’t rush off straight away to report people and try to get people in trouble. No, I’d rather just talk to them, highlight the issues.” He also acknowledged his Facebook post, explaining that the decision to publicize his concerns stemmed from a belief that the report was unfair.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins joined the conversation, suggesting that if any TVNZ board member had influenced the decision to run the follow-up story on crime statistics, that individual should resign. He clarified, however, that he did not have evidence to support this claim.

A spokesperson for TVNZ stated that the organisation’s political editor had reached out to Mitchell’s office following the initial gang story to convey that the victims of crime data should have been included. The spokesperson added that the story underwent an internal review, resulting in an editorial decision to produce a follow-up segment that incorporated these figures for balanced coverage.

TVNZ reiterated its commitment to editorial independence, emphasizing that operational decisions on story coverage remain within the purview of the newsroom. The spokesperson noted, “TVNZ’s Board Directors also take an interest in how editorial standards are maintained. But editorial independence is of paramount importance to us.”