Aaron Capil
No address provided
Via email:
[FYI request #31669 email]
7 August 2025
Kia ora Aaron
Official Information Act request dated 21 July 2025
We refer to your email dated 21 July 2025 requesting information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act) regarding TVNZ’s production Q+A with Jack Tame.
Request One: Please provide any communications between TVNZ, James Lindsay, and
any third parties concerning James Lindsay.
Response One: By way of context, James Lindsay has been on a tour in New Zealand
this year managed by the Free Speech Union. On 16 March 2025, Q+A featured an
interview with James Lindsay, which was arranged through the Free Speech Union.
We note Q+A has previously interviewed a number of guests who have been on tours
managed by a range of organisations.
TVNZ holds communications about filming arrangements relating to James Lindsay,
logistics, show-timing issues that led to the release of the Q+A interview on digital
channels only, and discussion of James Lindsay’s speaking activities in New Zealand.
This information is withheld on the basis of:
• Section 9(2)(b) of the Act: to protect information where the making available of
the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position
of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information;
• Section 9(2)(ba) of the Act: to protect information which is subject to an obligation
of confidence, where the making available of the information would be likely to
prejudice the supply of similar information in the public interest;
• Section 9(2)(g) of the Act: to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs
through the free and frank expression of opinions by members of an organisation
in the course of their duty; and
• Section 9(2)(i) of the Act: to enable TVNZ to carry out, without prejudice or
disadvantage, commercial activities.
Information about TVNZ’s internal news and current affairs operations (including the
col ection of source information for current affairs segments, and arrangements
relating to segments and interviews) is confidential and commercial y sensitive, and is
withheld to enable our newsroom to operate free of influence and without fear or
favour. Release of information about how we produce our news and current affairs
content would put us at strategic disadvantage to our competitors in the media
industry, would mean we could not carry out free and frank editorial discussions, and
would mean we could not produce news and current affairs content without
disadvantage.
To assist you with your request and in accordance with the Act’s principle of
availability, please note we searched for any formal complaints by the public relating
to the Q+A programme on 16 March 2025, as wel as any complaints made directly to
the Q+A email inbox. We confirm TVNZ did not receive any such complaints regarding
James Lindsay. Q+A received some neutral/positive feedback about the interview
with James Lindsay, the details of which are withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Act
(to protect the privacy of natural persons) and section 9(2)(ba) (confidential
information and the public interest).
Request Two: Please provide al internal communications within TVNZ (including, but
not limited to TVNZ’s employees, contractors, advisors, management, or leadership)
regarding the James Lindsay interview. This should include communications leading
up to the interview, and in the aftermath.
Response Two: TVNZ holds internal communications relating to interview research,
logistics and show-timing issues that led to the release of the interview on digital
channels only. These communications all relate to TVNZ’s internal news and current
affairs operations, and are therefore confidential and commercial y sensitive for the
reasons set out in Response One above. The requested information is therefore
withheld on the basis of section 9(2)(b), section 9(2)(ba), section 9(2)(g) and section
9(2)(i) of the Act.
If you are dissatisfied with this response section 28 of the Act provides you with the
right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman in order to seek an investigation and
review.
Yours sincerely,
Official Information Requests Team
TVNZ
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