The Wests are among the most infamous serial killers of all time.
Fred and Rosemary West kidnapped, tortured and dismembered at least nine young women between 1973 and 1981, burying the bodies at their own home.
Fred West also killed before he met his wife and Rosemary murdered her stepdaughter, Charmaine, in 1971.
The photo was allegedly sent in to Breakfast by "the couple's adoring kids" Dan, Rachel and Edwin, who "say you're the most caring parents they could ask for".
TVNZ's general manager of corporate communications, Rachel Howard, told the Herald that they "sincerely apologise" for the error and said that extra checks would be made in future.
"An image of Rosemary and Fred West was sent into the Breakfast team along with a false back story for our Today's the Day segment. Unfortunately, this wasn't caught before going to air," Howard said.
"We sincerely apologise to our viewers who saw this error on screen. Jenny-May spoke to our viewers as soon as the mistake was realised and noted that we take responsibility for getting things right and we are now adding extra steps to make sure we're not taken advantage of in this way again.
"We are disappointed someone chose to mislead us when this daily segment is an opportunity for our audience to share their positive news."