Complaint Number: 26/008
Advertiser: NZME.
Advertisement: NZME. Digital Marketing
Date of Decision: 23 January 2026
Outcome: Settled
Advertisement: The New Zealand Herald digital marketing advertisement for it’s
Summer Photo Competition. The text says “The New Zealand Herald is partnering
with Harvey Norman for the annual Summer Photo Competition. Take a photo
and enter online, to be in to win one of three cameras from Sony.” The image
below the text is of children asleep in the backseat of a car leaning against each
other. No seat belts are visible in the image.
Complaint: NZ Herald has advertised both on their Website and FaceBook of a
Summer Holiday Photo Competition. The picture of concern is children traveling in
a car without seatbelts, and clearly traveling on the road. A comment on the
picture states “Anyone who’s been a kid or has had kids will relate to this,” he said.
“The perfect jumble of sleeping bodies, the centred window behind and the road
disappearing in the distance: it couldn’t be better.”
Appalling neglect to road safety, the safety of children traveling in car, and
blatant ignorance of a reputable news media professional in it quoting ’it couldn’t
be better’, whether it’s own quote of from anyone representing this photo, they
have printed that stance.
I refer to rule 1 (e) of the Safety of the Advertising Standards Code.
Sorry, but I’m outraged by this advertisement when we in NZ support road safety
to the highest degree, and are concerned with the volume of road safety
incidences, the later on One News (TVNZ) last night (24 Dec 25)
Relevant Codes: Advertising Standards Code – Principle 1, Rule 1 (e) Safety;
Decision: The Complaints Board Chair accepted the complaint to go before the
Complaints Board to consider whether the Advertising Standards Code had been breached.
As part of the self-regulatory process, advertisers have the option of
amending or removing their advertising after receiving a complaint.
In this case the Advertiser confirmed that although this social media campaign
was no longer active, NZME undertakes not to use this image again for marketing
purposes.
Given the Advertiser’s co-operative engagement with the process by agreeing
not to use the image in the advertisement again, the Chair ruled the complaint
was settled