MEDIAWATCH: Maiki Sherman Capitulated to NZ Police Minister to Strangle Fourth Estate Journalism – She Must Be Sacked
The Maiki Sherman TVNZ controversy isn’t just another media wobble — it’s a line-in-the-sand moment for Fourth Estate journalism in New Zealand. When a Political Editor rings a sitting Police Minister to apologise for accurate reporting, something has gone deeply, structurally wrong. And if there’s no accountability now, don’t expect any later.
It is now 24 hours since the revelations of how TVNZ Political Editor Maiki Sherman contacted Police Minister Mark Mitchell to grotesquely throw her own journalist under the bus and agree with the Police Minister as a censor to public broadcasting and she still hasn’t resigned!
TVNZ has released internal and external emails and correspondence revealing how it dealt with the political backlash to a press gallery reporter’s story on gang numbers.
TVNZ’s political editor acknowledged the response to a colleague’s story was “not great” and harmed the credibility of the state broadcaster, according to internal emails released under the Official Information Act.
Political editor Maiki Sherman told TVNZ’s news boss that she had seen a Facebook post by Police Minister Mark Mitchell, in which he took aim at the story by 1 News political reporter Benedict Collins in late February.
“Having read the Facebook post and comments, including the scale of engagement on the post, I acknowledge that the situation is not great and that it harms the credibility of our office and organisation, which is disappointing,” Sherman told TVNZ news and current affairs executive editor Phil O’Sullivan, who had referred the Facebook post to her.
She said she had a conversation with a person – the name is redacted – “and gone through where I think the story was lacking in balance”.
She has not resigned in shame so there are no alternatives but for TVNZ to now sack her because her crime against Fourth Estate Journalism is so egregious!
Is TVNZ saying that it will cower if the Police minister is unhappy with coverage and that their Political Editor will contact the Police Minister and agree with his demands?
When the watchdog starts asking permission
Firstly.
TVNZ political reporter Benedict Collins was 1,000% correct to point out that Gang numbers have gone up, because they have!
This was the Police Minister’s response to that TRUTH…
…this is Aotearoa NZ!
We are a liberal progressive democracy!
The bloody Police Minister doesn’t censor the public broadcaster!
That’s the sort of shit fascist regimes pull.
Let’s be 100% clear here, the crime propaganda lies Mitchell wants pimped are a joke!
The Survey methodology changed — so the drop may reflect measurement, not reality. The NZCVS is a self-reported victimisation survey — it measures people’s reported experiences with crime, not just police case counts. Critics note that changes in how the survey was conducted (timing, questions, mode of administration) can produce artificial swings that don’t necessarily reflect real changes in behaviour.
Secondly the water testing shows drug use has exploded…
Police minister says drug enforcement is working, despite cocaine use up 98%
“If enforcement is working, why are more drugs flowing into the country?”
…Thirdly the number of gang members has actually increased and Fourthly, COVID.
All over the planet, right after Covid lockdowns ended, crime surged as people went crazy.
The truth is that crime spikes all started easing around the planet, here in NZ we were seeing crime spikes crash BEFORE ANY OF THE GOVERNMENT’S HARDLINE LAW AND ORDER POLICY HAD EVEN BEEN IMPLEMENTED!
The Stats had been falling in NZ before Nationals new get tough on crime crap had even started!
READ THE REPORT!
Numbers of repeat serious young offenders are dropping – and no one knows why
- The Government has set a target for a 15% reduction in the number of serious and persistent young offenders by the end of 2029.
- Documents released to the Herald show a rising annual trend in the number of these offenders for three and a half years, but it has now reversed for consecutive months.
- Most of the Government’s cornerstone policies on this issue are yet to be implemented, while one that ministers are exploring is raising concern: ‘more punitive measures for recidivist families’.
This isn’t about crime — it’s about control
So.
National are desperate to pretend crime has dropped because of their policies (when that isn’t true) that the Police Minister publicly attacks the State Broadcaster for not platforming their propaganda and the Political Editor Maiki Sherman throws TVNZ political reporter Benedict Collins under the bus and backs up the bloody Police Minister!
Not only is Sherman wrong about the issue, to turn on a fellow journalist and side with the powers she is supposed to challenge is a gutless spinelessness that the Political Editor of TVNZ can’t have!
She’s acting as the editor for the National Party, not Fourth Estate Journalism!
Benedict Collins embarrassed the Government by telling the truth about crime in NZ and Maiki Sherman has sided with those attempting to manipulate the story rather than stand by her reporter!
Her role as Political Editor is utterly compromised and she must be sacked if she won’t resign!
As the Political Editor of TVNZ is it her duty to stand for the Fourth Estate Journalism they are tasked with, it is not to run cover for an embarrassed Government!
This sentence damns her to hell…
“I have just gotten off the phone with Minister Mitchell and offered an apology as political editor of the office,
She goes now or TVNZ’s credibility is forever compromised while she stays in her position.
TVNZ reporting on the Election, as far as the Left are concerned, is now deeply compromised by her remaining and we must go into this election attacking TVNZ’s biased pro Government editorial line for the remainder of 2026.
Sickening acquiescence to Police Minister bullying. She has forever stained her position with this cowardice.
This is a bloody democracy, not a fucking Police State!
Not good as I had respect for Maiki. The problem is the owners/editors of our media are so RW orientated that they can dictate what their journalists do! Maiki is guilty of being ‘bought’ so yes, she has to go. She should have known better by now. Tragic that there is “no balance” whatsoever in our media. We no longer watch TV news as it’s so unfairly biased. As for the corrupt, lying, corpulent Mitchell, the sooner we see the last of him, the better. If we are to have a fair and unbiased election, this unscrupulous, manipulative behaviour will need to be exposed and changed.