Irene M / Mellie K
No address provided
Via email: . [FYI request #33779 email]
6 March 2026
Kia ora Irene / Mellie
Official Information Act request dated 27 February 2025
We refer to your email dated 27 February 2025 requesting information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Request 1: Regarding 1 News broadcasts from 5 January 2026 to 20 February 2026 [I
request] a ful list of al international news segments aired on 1 News during this
period.
Request 2: For each segment, please provide:
• Title or headline of the segment
• Date and time of broadcast
• Duration of the segment
• Description or summary of the content
• Names and roles of staff involved (producers, editors, journalists, camera
operators, and any contributors)
• The corresponding department or unit responsible for the segment
Responses 1 and 2: TVNZ is not able to answer requests 1 and 2 without further
information from you. That is because:
• It is not clear from your request which 1News segments the request is intended
to cover. 1News international segments are broadcast on 1News at Six, as well
as on Breakfast and on other TVNZ shows.
• It is not clear from your request what type of international news segments the
request is intended to cover. By way of example, 1News at Six features
segments that are syndicated from international providers, segments that are
created by TVNZ from international material, and segments that include
broadcast by TVNZ reporters in international locations.
We should be grateful if you would please set our request with due specificity in
accordance with section 12 of the Act.
On the basis your request is intended to cover all of the above, please note that the
information requested via requests 1 and 2 is not readily retrievable. TVNZ does not
list “all international news segments” within a particular broadcast, so retrieving a list
of any of the information requested in requests 1 and 2 would be a manual job and
would therefore require substantial collation and research.
Please note that if you do clarify your request in accordance with section 12, then
depending on how your clarified request is framed, the following outcomes are
possible:
1. Part of your request may be declined on the basis of section 18(d) of the Act:
the international news segments requested were publicly available during the
date period and for a period thereafter; and/or
2. Parts of your request may be declined on the basis of section 18(e) of the Act:
the information does not exist (e.g. TVNZ does not retain a description or
summary of the content of all news segments that feature international news
content and the Act does not require the creation of information); and/or
3. Your request may be declined on the basis of section 18(f) of the Act; the
information cannot be made available without substantial col ation or research;
and / or
4. If the information is able to be provided despite that substantial col ation and
research, a charge may apply in accordance with section 15 of the Act.
To assist you in taking a cost-effective approach, please also note that the fol owing
withholding grounds may also apply to some of this requested information:
• Section 9(2)(b) of the Act: Information withheld 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. That is because contracts with international
news organisations contain particular confidentiality provisions that restrict
the information that can be publicly shared; and/or
• 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 choice of interviewers for
current affairs segments) is 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; and/or
• Section 9(2)(a) of the Act: to protect the privacy of the persons involved in
simply carrying out their duties as employees when the public interest does
not require those people to be publicly named (for example, international
contributors).
Request 3: For any segment that was edited, removed, replaced, or cancelled:
• Original planned date/time of broadcast
• Actual broadcast date/time (if different)
• Details of the changes made
• The reason(s) for editorial change or removal
• Any internal communications, memos, or notes explaining the editorial
decision
Response 3: What information is responsive to this request cannot be identified
without further clarification of your request 1. However, please note that in addition to
the possibilities outlined above, it is very likely that information responsive to this
request 3 would be withheld on the basis of section 9(2)(i): al of this information
relates to editorial decisions which are commercial y sensitive, and which – as above -
are withheld to enable our newsroom to operate competitively and to operate free
of influence and without fear or favour,
2
We trust this information assists. Please do come back to us should you wish to
clarify the ambit of your request, at which point we can assist with payment options
(in the event a charge is applicable).
If you are dissatisfied with this response, section 28 of the Act sets out the
circumstances in which you may 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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