AI use for article writing
joseph k made this Official Information request to Radio New Zealand Limited
This request has an unknown status. We're waiting for joseph k to read recent responses and update the status.
From: joseph k
Dear Radio New Zealand Limited,
I am writing regarding the second-last par of the article 'Ōtara parents question pool ‘manu’ restrictions ahead of World Championships' published 5:11 pm on 16 January 2026 , by Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata.
Specifically, the par reads:
"The story highlights the tension between safety regulations and community traditions, particularly in low-income areas with strong Pacific and Māori participation in swimming and aquatic sports."
The reason I am making this request is because this sentence reads like it was written by a large language model.
Specifically, it would not be common in traditional journalistic writing to have a self reference to 'the story' in (typically a writer would refer to the specific issues that the story has raised).
Likewise "highlights the tension" is another common phrase produced by large language models such as ChatGPT. [see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:...
My request is thus:
1. Was AI used in the creation of this article? If so please detail the type of model and subscription plan. Please also provide a copy of the full AI chat thread / transcript involving the article.
2. Has RNZ received any correspondence or complaints regarding this article? If so, please provide copies of any such emails, including internal editorial correspondence.
3. What are RNZ's internal policies regarding generative AI used for editorial purposes? Please provide a copy.
4. As the article appears to have been syndicated from LDR/ PMN, what safeguards does RNZ have to ensure syndicated content appearing on RNZ is accurate and complies with RNZ editorial standards?
5. How many page views has the article had?
Link to the article:
[https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/5842...
Yours faithfully,
Joseph Keriwyn,
Wellington NZ
From: OIA Requests
Radio New Zealand Limited
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From: OIA Requests
Radio New Zealand Limited
Kia ora Joseph
Please take this email as acknowledgement of your OIA request. Under the
Official Information Act 1982 we have 20 working days to respond.
Ngâ mihi,
Bek
OIA Request Team
RNZ, PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand, 6140
[1]https://www.rnz.co.nz/about/contact
[2]1FBB1DAC
-----Original Message-----
From: joseph k <[3][FOI #34004 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 8 March 2026 10:12 pm
To: OIA Requests <[4][RNZ request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] - Official Information request - AI use for article
writing
Dear Radio New Zealand Limited,
I am writing regarding the second-last par of the article 'Ôtara parents
question pool ‘manu’ restrictions ahead of World Championships' published
5:11 pm on 16 January 2026 , by Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata.
Specifically, the par reads:
"The story highlights the tension between safety regulations and community
traditions, particularly in low-income areas with strong Pacific and Mâori
participation in swimming and aquatic sports."
The reason I am making this request is because this sentence reads like it
was written by a large language model.
Specifically, it would not be common in traditional journalistic writing
to have a self reference to 'the story' in (typically a writer would refer
to the specific issues that the story has raised).
Likewise "highlights the tension" is another common phrase produced by
large language models such as ChatGPT. [see:
[5]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:...
My request is thus:
1. Was AI used in the creation of this article? If so please detail the
type of model and subscription plan. Please also provide a copy of the
full AI chat thread / transcript involving the article.
2. Has RNZ received any correspondence or complaints regarding this
article? If so, please provide copies of any such emails, including
internal editorial correspondence.
3. What are RNZ's internal policies regarding generative AI used for
editorial purposes? Please provide a copy.
4. As the article appears to have been syndicated from LDR/ PMN, what
safeguards does RNZ have to ensure syndicated content appearing on RNZ is
accurate and complies with RNZ editorial standards?
5. How many page views has the article had?
Link to the article:
[https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/5842...
Yours faithfully,
Joseph Keriwyn,
Wellington NZ
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www.rnz.co.nz
References
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1. https://www.rnz.co.nz/about/contact
3. mailto:[FOI #34004 email]
4. mailto:[RNZ request email]
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:...
6. mailto:[FOI #34004 email]
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8. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
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From: Andrew Holden
Radio New Zealand Limited
Kia ora Joseph,
Please find attached our response to your AI request.
Regards,
Andrew
Andrew Holden (he/him)
Complaints Custodian & OIA Officer
RNZ, PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand, 6140
DDI +64 4 474 1424
Mobile: +64 21 568 253
[1]www.rnz.co.nz
I am off on Wednesdays.
Emails sent by Radio New Zealand Limited (RNZ) or any related entity,
including any attachments, may be confidential, protected by copyright
and/or subject to privilege. If you receive an email from RNZ in error,
please inform the sender immediately, delete it from your system and do
not use, copy or disclose any of the information in that email for any
purpose. Emails to/from RNZ may undergo email filtering and virus
scanning, including by third party contractors. However, RNZ does not
guarantee that any email or any attachment is secure, error-free or free
of viruses or other unwanted or unexpected inclusions. The views expressed
in any non-business email are not necessarily the views of RNZ.
www.rnz.co.nz
References
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Brooke Hart left an annotation ()
That's not quite correct. Their primary legal obligation regarding timeliness is to respond as soon as reasonably practicable. The "20 working days" mentioned in the act is not the time they have to respond, rather it's the upper limit after which they would have unambiguously broken the law (assuming they don't extend the deadline using a permitted reason from the act).
Link to this