The Government will move to disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority and explore an industry-led complaints system, Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

Goldsmith says the BSA was built for a broadcast era that is “rapidly disappearing,” with audiences moving between live TV and radio, on-demand services, podcasts and online platforms. He argues the current framework treats similar content differently depending on how it’s delivered, creating inconsistencies for providers and audiences.

Under the plan, print-style self-regulation would become the default for journalism. The New Zealand Media Council already oversees newspapers, magazines and many digital outlets, and some broadcasters have opted in for parts of their operation. Goldsmith says the expectation is that the council will become the primary regulator for journalism across platforms, with industry self-regulation providing “an appropriate level of oversight to maintain ethical journalistic standards and audience trust.”

Officials will draft legislation in the coming months to repeal the Broadcasting Act provisions that establish and empower the BSA. The Government will also amend other laws that reference the Authority, including the Criminal Procedure Act. The BSA will continue operating until any repeal passes.

What this could change:

• Complaints about news and current affairs would likely be handled by the Media Council if broadcasters and publishers are covered by its scheme.
• Moving to a single standards path for journalism could reduce the current split between BSA oversight for broadcast and self-regulation for print and many online outlets.
• The announcement does not set out how non-journalistic broadcast standards (such as time-of-day classifications, language, or children’s interests) would be handled under self-regulation.

Unanswered in today’s announcement are the detailed transition arrangements, how complaints already in the BSA system will be treated, the timeline for introducing a bill, and what enforcement tools will exist under a self-regulatory regime for outlets that do not opt in.

The BSA, established by the Broadcasting Act 1989, hears complaints about radio and television content and can order broadcasters to air statements, corrections and pay costs. The Media Council is a voluntary industry body that adjudicates complaints and can require publication of its decisions and corrections by member outlets. Goldsmith’s move would make the council the default forum for journalism complaints, while the Government works through the broader shape of self-regulation across the media.