A Newsroom story revealing malpractice at the child protection agency is judged the best current affairs story of the year
Newsroom Investigates, led by journalist Melanie Reid, has won the award for best current affairs programme at the NZ TV Awards in Auckland.
The winning entry was for a programme entitled Breaking Bad Practice, which exposed ongoing malpractice and abuse of power by Oranga Tamariki, the child protection agency.
The story exposed questionable behaviours, including submitting misleading and unbalanced information to the court, flawed decision-making around moving children, and contraventions of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
Breaking Bad Practice, and an Ombudsman’s investigation resulting from an earlier Newsroom Investigates story on Oranga Tamariki, vindicated the Newsroom team’s revelations in a video report which had been removed from public view by an order of the High Court that had been sought by Crown lawyers.
Reid’s entry said: “Our coverage stopped OT in its tracks, halting the practice which became known as the ‘reverse uplift’ where all children placed with non-Māori caregivers were pulled from their ‘homes for life’ to meet OT’s latest political ideology.
“Our work, which has been a labour of love, was rubberstamped by the Ombudsman in a report that upheld our investigation and showed the importance of perseverance. Sometimes as journalists, it’s about the importance of keeping on going.”
Newsroom Investigates won the top award ahead of finalists Q&A with Jack Tame (TVNZ) and Te Ao with Moana (Whakaata Māori).
Receiving the award, Reid said she and reporter Bonnie Sumner hoped their persistence in examining Oranga Tamariki’s actions would lead to better outcomes for New Zealand’s children.
“Our fight goes on. We won’t stop until putting ideology over children stops.”
The winning programme was filmed by George Murahidy and Grant Findlay and edited by Paul Enticott.
Reid also took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Peter Ellis, as an inspiration for her journalism.
Reid was closely involved in the Ellis case from the 1990s and has just produced an 8-part video series Peter Ellis, the Civic Creche and Me that has aired on Newsroom, the final episode running from Monday November 28.
“He fought until the day he died for justice, not just for himself but for all those who were involved in that 1990s delusional fantasy that was the Christchurch Civic creche case.”
Reid and her team also won the award for best Current Affairs Programme in 2017 and 2019. It recognises “analysis of important political and social events or issues of the present time.” And Newsroom Investigates won the 2022 Voyager Media Award for best investigation.
Newsroom Investigates is funded by NZ on Air.
