TVNZ last night screened a controversial lesbian kiss on Coronation Street in its new 5.25pm time slot.
It was the first time the long-running British television show has been screened at its new time, after being moved to make way for MasterChef Australia.
And within an hour of the kissbetween characters Sophie Webster, a religious schoolgirl, and her friend Sian Powers, the network had received calls.
A spokeswoman for TVNZ said the network abided by the Broadcasting Standards Authority guidelines for that time.
The BSA advises that up until 8.30pm, broadcasters need to avoid screening material that would disturb or alarm children.
"We apply the broadcasting standards evenly and without discrimination so that a kiss is a kiss, whether it's between a same-sex couple [or] a man and a woman," the spokeswoman said.
Coronation Street's move to the earlier timeslot upset fans who sent TVNZ an avalanche of complaints about the soap being sidelined for the cooking reality show.
The online petition "Stop TVNZ moving Coro St from its regular timeslots" has received more than 6000 signatures from people begging the network to keep showing it at 7.30pm.
