Pacific leader warns scrapping BSA could leave communities without protection

A Pacific philanthropic leader warns that scrapping New Zealand’s broadcasting watchdog could leave communities exposed with no clear way to hold media to account.

The Government is considering the future of the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), which was established under the Broadcasting Act 1989 to oversee standards on radio and television.

Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith is “leaning” towards scrapping the authority altogether.

The move follows debate over the BSA’s role and reach in the fast-changing media landscape.

The push also comes after a controversial decision to extend its jurisdiction to online outlet The Platform, sparking claims of regulatory overreach from some politicians who say the regulator has overstepped.

But Pulotu Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i, the Chief Philanthropic Officer at the Michael & Suzanne Borrin Foundation, says getting rid of the watchdog would take away a key safeguard especially for Pacific communities.

She adds that while the law needs updating for the digital age, total abolition is not the answer.

“For Pacific people, we know what it feels like when our communities are spoken about unfairly or reduced to stereotypes.

Listen to Pulotu Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i’s interview below.

“It's not enough to say, ‘we just don't have to listen to it’, because the mainstream or the majority of people are listening to those harmful representations of us.”

“So having somewhere independent to raise concerns is important for the Pacific community and for all of us.”

Pulotu, who served on the BSA board from 2021 to 2025, says the regulator plays an important role - not just in handling complaints but in understanding public attitudes.

Research by the BSA’s 2024 Diversity Research Report found 85 per cent of Pacific people surveyed were concerned about offensive or discriminatory content in media.

Pulotu Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i says that the Broadcasting Standards Authority is crucial for New Zealand as it balances freedom of expression with the harm prevention. Photo/Unsplash

Their 2025 Language that may offend in broadcasting survey found 78 per cent of Pacific respondents find potentially offensive words unacceptable.

“That shows another function of the BSA. To conduct research and survey the public so that they get a sense of what would cause widespread offence or harm,” she says.

Pulotu argues the system does not silence free speech, noting only a small number of complaints are upheld each year.

Instead, she says it helps strike a balance between freedom of expression and protecting people from harm. This is something she believes would be lost under a self-regulated model.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority’s 2025 survey found 78 per cent of Pacific respondents find potentially offensive words unacceptable. Photo/Unsplash

The Government is considering replacing the BSA with a system closer to the New Zealand Media Council which does not have the same legal powers.

Supporters of change say the current rules are outdated and no longer reflect how people consume media.

ACT MP Laura McClure, whose party is pushing a bill to disestablish the authority, told William Terite on Pacific Mornings the BSA could limit freedom of expression.

“Some of the communities are conservative or they've got different views and I am concerned that if the BSA, for example, go out and criticise other types of potential media, that could actually be really scary for those that actually consume the media from that angle or share that view.

Watch Laura McClure’s interview below.

“We all have different views and that is one of the amazing parts about living in New Zealand. We're a free and open democracy and we should be able to actually say those freely without fear of any kind of retribution.”

McClure has described the BSA as an outdated “creature of 1989” and says people who are offended by content can simply choose not to engage with it.

She says existing protections like defamation laws and the Media Council are sufficient.

But Pulotu says that approach ignores the wider impact media can have.

ACT MP Laura McClure says the Broadcasting Standards Authority could limit freedom of expression. Photo/Unsplash

“There have been cases where broadcasters have made inflammatory comments about Pasifika people, which were found to have the potential to denigrate Pacific peoples and cause widespread harm,” she says.

Goldsmith told Newstalk ZB that the preferred solution is to revert to a self-regulatory Media Council-style arrangement, which lacks the legal powers of the current watchdog.

With the Government yet to make a final decision, the debate is now centred on a key question: whether modernising media laws should mean removing oversight or strengthening the ways communities can challenge harmful content.