Quote:The Broadcasting Standard Authority (BSA) said Hawkesby's statements were misleading, implying Māori and Pacific people were being "moved to the top of surgery waitlists" and gave the impression ethnicity was the key factor in getting a spot on the waitlist.
It found her comments breached its discrimination and denigration standard by reinforcing negative stereotypes.
"Hawkesby's comments played into the stereotype that Māori and Pacific peoples disproportionately take up resources and are given undeserved special treatment in Aotearoa New Zealand's society, at the expense of other ethnicities. While not said explicitly, in our view, the exaggerated and misleading nature of Hawkesby's comments had the effect of evoking this type of prejudicial bias.
"The conduct was serious, featuring repeated and sustained inaccurate descriptions of the Equity Adjustor Score over the course of a one hour broadcast, which in turn had the effect of embedding negative stereotypes about Māori and Pacific peoples. This was despite accurate information being to hand."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/513830/kate-hawkesby-comments-about-maori-and-pacific-patients-labelled-misleading-and-inflammatory