MEDIAWATCH: The F Word, Ani O’Brien and why Maiki Sherman kinda has to resign

The Maiki Sherman controversy isn’t really about one ugly word — it’s about power, leverage, and whether a political editor can still hold the line once the Government has something over them. Because if this is true, the issue isn’t just what was said — it’s who gets to use it, and when.

Media Insider: TVNZ threatened to sue Newstalk ZB as it chased Maiki Sherman story, Mike Hosking says

TVNZ threatened to sue Newstalk ZB after a producer raised questions with the state broadcaster about an incident in which its political editor, Maiki Sherman, allegedly used a homophobic slur, ZB host Mike Hosking says.

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Hosking told listeners today that his producer, Sam Carran, had been investigating the alleged incident – in which Sherman allegedly directed the word “f****t” at journalist Lloyd Burr during an event in Finance Minister Nicola Willis‘ office – in the latter part of 2025.

NZME

Ok.

Ok.

Ok.

A lot to unpack here.

IF this is true, IF the Political Editor of TVNZ at a boozy pre-budget piss up in the Finance Ministers Office used the F word as an insult in an argument with Lloyd Burr, IF that actually happened, then Maiki has to resign, but not for the reasons you might suspect.

This doesn’t smell like journalism — it smells like a set-up

Firstly the use of Ani O’Brien to do this has ‘hit job’ written all over it.

Ani is one of the Right wing hate trolls who is used to do political assassinations online, Ani was balls deep in the despicable attack on Green MP Benjamin Doyle where the insinuation was that they were abusing their child using nothing more than a blue squiggly line as ‘evidence’.

Ani was part of the smear attack on Willie Jackson that went no where and she was adjacent to Chris Hipkins ex going toxic online.

In my opinion, her participation in any smear marks it out as dirty politics. She’s like Cameron Slater, but more radioactive with longer hair.

Secondly – you can’t use the F word.

You can’t.

I mean, unless you are Gay yourself, in which case you can drop it like African Americans use the N word.

But if you ain’t an F word, you can’t use it and you sure as Christ can’t use it as an insult directed at an actual gay person.

That is as socially acceptable as drink driving, hitting on your babysitter and using meth to pay bills.

This is bigger than a slur — it’s about political leverage

And this is ultimately why Maiki must resign, not because what she did by using this slur is unforgivable, but because it immediately created leverage over her reporting by the Government.

Did she pull her punches when reporting on the Government knowing they had this over her?

When the Police Minister criticised TVNZ for this news story…

…Maiki Sherman immediately contacted the Police Minister, grovelled on her belly apologising and threw her own journalist under the bus for the Police Minister.

Now.

Did she do that knowing they had this allegation of her using a gay slur over her?

That is now a legitimate question.

All her coverage since this event last year is now called into question especially when Mark Mitchell criticised her.

It is untenable that she remains in the role, the moment she used that slur in the presence of the Government she became compromised.

She can’t stay in her job and her work between that event and now must all be revised in light of this news.

It is unacceptable that the political editor of the state broadcaster be in that job knowing the Government had this allegation of her using a gay slur over her.

Of course this story would drop the closer we got to the election because from the Government point of view, Maiki’s no longer useful to them and sowing chaos inside TVNZ months before the election by sacking her is fine and dandy for a Government that wants less fourth estate scrutiny.

Maiki handed the Government leverage to keep her in line for over a year and now she’s no longer useful to them, the story miraculously gets leaked to Hosking, who backs down on using it so it magically arrives with Ani O’Brien.

Maiki Sherman kinda has to resign.