Vision
Our Vision: a Media Environment in NZ that is safe for all:
free of gratuitous sex, violence, and offensive language.
So parents can trust what their children see.
Newsletter - July 2025
By John Terris
July 2025
KIA ORA
80 years ago, when the only source of news in NZ was the daily paper, my dad would open the Taranaki Daily News and don his specs and after a short interval would take his specs off and declare to no-one in particular (unless you count a small boy known in the family as J.J), “The World’s In A Mess” and with a sigh of regret mixed with mild exasperation, would fold the paper, and go outside to dig the spuds for dinner.
Newsletter - May 2025
By John Terris
May 2025
KIA ORA
A whip smart bunch of women, many of whom were the Government’s natural supporters, got together in the week that the Government announced that some of their poorer paid sisters were going to lose the chance of a pay rise , and decided to strike back on behalf of their kids who have become addicts to a very nasty substance called Social media-itis. The marketing experts among them conjured up a nifty title for what has been rapidly building into a mass movement called B416 and invited one of their number, Erica Stanford to join the meeting and bring along the PM.
Newsletter - March 2025
By John Terris
Mar 2025
KIA ORA
LEGISLATIVE CURBS ON PEOPLE WHO TRY TO SHAME, BULLY, HARRASS OR THREATEN TO KILL (ALSO KNOWN AS HATE SPEECH) IS BEING CHECKED (TO SOME SMALL DEGREE) BY THE ON-LINE ANTI-STALKING BILL CRIMES AMENDMENT, CURRENTLY BEFORE OUR PARLIAMENT.
As we all know from observing recent events in the US, the former Capital of the Free World, that its currently being transformed in the image of unelected social media billionaires.
Newsletter - February 2025
By John Terris
Feb 2025
KIA ORA
The Justice Committee of the NZ Parliament is calling for submissions on the Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill with a closing date of mid-February 2025.
This is a useful piece of legislation certainly and we must commend Minister Paul Goldsmith for it. He and his Government need to be aware, however, that much more needs to be done. It must be said that our Legislature, wearing different stripes over the past 10 years, has generally failed to deal with the onset of the effects of unregulated social media on young people in this country.
Newsletter - Summer 2024
By John Terris
Dec 2024
KIA ORA FOLKS
I am a voracious opinion reader and discovered recently that two writers Phil O’Reilly and Max Rashbrooke, from opposite ends of the political spectrum, are saying exactly the same thing about our democratic landscape, which makes me think.
Both are saying, in different contexts, that it is time to bring the public into decision making much more. Says O’Reilly, a Business advocate (Sunday Star Times 21/10/24) “We need to bring the public more into the game,…. then we might all hold our politicians into account more effectively.” In similar vein, Rashbrooke, a University researcher, (The Post, 16/11/24) declares that “Top down, one-way politics is a 20th Century hangover. We need more opportunities for ordinary people to come together … and play a meaningful part in decision making”.
News - Summer 2024
By John Terris
Nov 2024
ALL QUIET ON THE MEDIA FRONT
A month ago there was a serious set-to between Google representatives in NZ, and our local news media industry because of the intention of the Government to require social media news gatherers like Google, Facebook, Meta and X and the other Greed-Is-Good tribe, to help themselves to the reportage of our local sources without fee. The Fair Bargaining Digital Bargaining Bill (big ups again to Minister Goldsmith) will make them pay as they have to do already in most well-run countries.
If you think Social Media deserve some payback for the free services they offer you, maybe think again, because without your knowing it they have already harvested all your personal details and preferences and susceptibilities, without paying for them, and are now selling consumer goods back to you selectively with unwanted on-line advertising.
How did that happen?
News - Summer 2024
By John Terris
Nov 2024
GOOD NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA CURBS
It is a matter of real satisfaction that Minister Paul Goldsmith has undertaken to introduce legislation against stalkers, including those on line, before the end of the year.
For too long, our kids have been victims of the predations of creepy-peepers on the social media, who get their joliies from threatening and bullying vulnerable young women.
Parents will certainly welcome this move which is timely, especially after moves from the Australian Government to ban the use of mobile phone use among under 16 year olds, a move which parents here would undoubtedly welcome.
It's unlikely to happen here, of course, because the present Coalition government is being led by the nose by its partners NZ First and ACT, who both see votes among powerful lobby groups and their supporters in this country those who favour Individual Freedom, whether it's licencing Threats To Kill on social media, or allowing widespread purchase of Automatic rifles for the likes of the Mosque Murderer.
Newsletter - Winter 2024
By John Terris
Aug 2024
KIA ORA FOLKS
SOME GOOD NEWS from THE MEDIA SCENE IN N.Z. PAUL GOLDSMITH, MINISTER OF BROADCASTING has announced government support for the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill which offers a lifeline for our local media after the illegal predations of the last few years of the International Internet Scammers , also known as Google, Facebook and Twitter(like criminals everywhere they also adopt aliases, as in X, Meta etc), who steal others content without paying for it.
Newsletter - Summer 2023
By John Terris
Dec 2023
EDITORIAL
The employment court in NZ has heard some rather shaming evidence from microbiologist Dr Siouxie Wiles about the on-line abuse to which she was subject for her media commentary during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Newsletter - Winter 2023
By John Terris
Jul 2023
GUNNING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
There is a period of consultation now under way here, on what is to be done in Aotearoa, running till the end of July. Early out of the blocks, following the release of a DIA Discussion Document on Media regulation at the beginning of June, have been some newspapers, who suggested that this was an attack on press freedom (which may be a tiny exaggeration, since mainstream media will remain as free as they are now, according to the document).
