‘Words have power’: Pacific tolerance for on-air slurs hits record low

Pacific people are setting the standard for what is considered unacceptable on New Zealand radio and television.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority’s (BSA) latest survey reveals that 78 per cent of Pacific respondents find potentially offensive words unacceptable - 13 percentage points higher than the national average.

The BSA’s 2025 Language that may offend in broadcasting survey tracks public attitudes to guide broadcasters on community expectations.

The survey shows that while New Zealanders are becoming less tolerant of strong language, Pasifika are leading the charge.

While tolerance levels remain relatively high in a 25 year context, more than half of the words assessed are now seen as less acceptable than they were in 2021.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Stacey Wood, the BSA chief executive, says this stance by Pacific communities is likely rooted in their community values.

Although tolerance remains high compared to the last 25 years, over half of the terms analysed have seen a decline in acceptability since 2021. Photo/Unsplash

“I presume without having the academic background to back it up, that it is partly cultural, perhaps with a religious connection as well,” Wood says.

“Because certain religious communities also have lower acceptance, possibly because women are generally less accepting as well.

“If we're saying that the most offensive terms tend to be racist and misogynistic terms, and we think about the people who are more likely to be targets of those terms, you can see why those demographic groups might be less accepting.”

Watch Stacey Wood’s full interview below.

The survey highlights specific words that Pacific people find most offensive. The term "curry muncher" tops the list, with 91 per cent rating it unacceptable, even above the N-word and the C-word, each at 89 per cent.

Terms targeting gender identity and disability are also met with low tolerance: 84 per cent of Pacific respondents find the word "tranny" unacceptable, compared with 65 per cent of the national population.

Religion also plays a role. Among Christian respondents, including many Pacific people, 84 per cent view blasphemous phrases like "Jesus f***ing Christ" as totally unacceptable, far above the national average of 53 per cent.

The survey shows that tolerance for offensive language is also context-dependent. Words are least acceptable in factual programming, sports commentary, and hosted talkback radio, especially before the 8.30pm watershed when children are likely to be listening.

Tolerance for terms concerning gender identity and disability is markedly lower among Pacific respondents compared to other demographic groups Photo/Unsplash

Context also plays a role, as strong language is least tolerated in factual programming, sports commentary, or talkback radio involving a host, particularly before the 8.30pm when children are likely to be listening.

Wood says the findings provide broadcasters with a tool to better align their content with audience expectations.

“Broadcasters might be looking at their scheduling and going, ‘oh, how many F words is too many for before the 8.30 watershed’? But it's their decision,” she says.

“We don't have any influence or desire to control what the media are putting out. Our standards are based on community expectations and this is one of the pieces of research that helps us to work out what those are.

“For me, it's just recognising that words have power and it's telling us what people don't want to hear.”

Viewers are least accepting of strong language in factual programming, sports broadcasts, and hosted talkback radio, especially before children are more likely to be in the audience.Photo/Unsplash

While tolerance levels are high compared with the past 25 years, more than half of the words analysed have seen a decline in acceptability since 2021. This reflects a growing recognition of the harm words can cause in a diverse society.

For Pacific communities, the survey highlights the importance of protecting dignity, respecting cultural and religious values, and standing firm against language that marginalises or attacks others.