The New Zealand Government has announced plans to abolish the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), a move welcomed by broadcaster Sean Plunket, who has been a vocal critic of the regulator. The BSA is responsible for overseeing broadcast media standards in the country and recently came under scrutiny after asserting its jurisdiction over a complaint related to Plunket’s online-only talkback network, The Platform.

Plunket, who briefly served on the BSA board in 2017 before resigning over a contentious tweet, has publicly challenged the authority’s decisions and accused it of ideological bias. Speaking following the Government’s announcement, he described the move to dismantle the BSA as a positive outcome, though he stopped short of claiming full credit. Plunket said the decision was a result of the BSA exceeding its mandate and that the regulator had demonstrated it was no longer effective. He expressed cautious optimism, stating that “common sense had prevailed” and acknowledged that his criticism may have encouraged Broadcasting Minister Paul Goldsmith to pursue the change, retracting a previous disparaging remark about the minister.

BSA Chief Executive Stacey Wood responded to the announcement by highlighting the authority’s 37-year history in maintaining public access to accurate and reliable media content. She emphasized the BSA’s role in providing a regulatory body for the public to address concerns over content standards.

Broadcaster Duncan Garner, who hosts the Editor-In-Chief podcast for MediaWorks and has also been critical of the BSA’s relevance, supported the Government’s decision, describing it as the right course of action. Garner suggested the BSA had made a significant miscalculation in targeting Plunket, contributing to its downfall.

The Government has yet to detail the timeline or alternative regulatory arrangements following the planned abolition of the BSA. The announcement signals a significant shift in how broadcast media standards may be enforced in New Zealand moving forward.