The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA; mi, Te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

Crown entity A Crown entity (from the Commonwealth term '' Crown'') is an organisation that forms part of New Zealand's state sector established under the Crown Entities Act 2004, a unique umbrella governance and accountability statute. The Crown Entities Act i ...

created by the Broadcasting Act 1989 to develop and uphold standards of broadcasting for radio, free-to-air and

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

. The main functions of the BSA are to develop and maintain codified broadcasting standards and to operate a complaints procedure. The BSA is made up of a board appointed for a fixed term by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

on the advice of the

Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media __NOTOC__ The Minister of Broadcasting and Media is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the government's broadcasting and media policies, including the diversity and accessibility of broadcast content, broadca ...

, meaning that practically the Minister of Broadcasting (and

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

) appoint the board. The chair is always a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...

. One member is appointed after consultation with broadcasters and one after consultation with public interest groups. Complaints regarding breaches of broadcasting standards can only be brought to the BSA after first being raised with the broadcaster. In March 2013, the Law Commission proposed moving complaints about news and current affairs out of the jurisdiction of the BSA, the Press Council, and the Online Media Standards Authority, placing them under a proposed new body, the News Media Standards Authority.

Current members

* Paula Rose * Leigh Pearson * Susie Staley (Acting Chair)

References

External links

BSA Website
{{Authority control New Zealand independent crown entities Mass media in New Zealand Mass media complaints authorities Consumer organisations in New Zealand Broadcasting authorities Regulation in New Zealand