Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Lakes Council meeting recording returns to YouTube but edited

Zizi Sparks
By Zizi Sparks
Multimedia journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
14 Jun, 2019 12:19 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The meeting concerned took place in the Rotorua Lakes Council chambers. Photo / File

The meeting concerned took place in the Rotorua Lakes Council chambers. Photo / File

A video recording of a council meeting, previously taken offline has now returned to YouTube but it has been edited.

At a Rotorua Lakes Council meeting on May 30, councillor Rob Kent revealed he had sought defamation advice about a Facebook post by mayoral candidate Reynold Macpherson.

Kent alleged Macpherson questioned his integrity, accused him of duplicity and inferred he received Resource Management Act commissioner training and appointment to the RMA Policy Committee as "payback for ... enabling mayor Chadwick to be re-elected [in 2016]".

However Kent decided not to pursue the defamation claim because of the cost and difficulty to prove.

Less than a week later the stream of the meeting had been removed from YouTube.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At the time the council said it was to "work through technicalities regarding ongoing publication and the organisation's role and responsibilities as a 'publisher' ".

Rotorua Lakes councillor Rob Kent. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua Lakes councillor Rob Kent. Photo / Supplied

The council would not reveal whether they had sought legal advice.

Since then the meeting has been re-uploaded to YouTube with a note in the caption.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"A short excerpt of this recording (at 11.51) has been redacted to remove content of a speculative personal nature," the note reads.

In a written response from the council, it confirmed 15 seconds had been edited out and the video had been re-uploaded on June 6.

It confirmed legal advice had been sought.

"Council strives to be a responsible 'publisher' and that carries with it a duty of care, including with respect to the nature of the content published, in any form," the written statement said.

Discover more

New Zealand

'Hate speech' row erupts after Rotorua councillor compared to the Pied Piper

27 May 06:32 AM

'State of inebriation': Rotorua councillor seeks defamation advice

30 May 06:21 AM

Apology sought for referring 'hate speech' to police

30 May 12:46 AM
New Zealand

Council video featuring defamation claims taken offline

06 Jun 03:47 AM

"That has to be balanced with the need to keep the community informed of council matters that are in the public interest. The video was temporarily removed to consider these matters and to consider what, if any, action was appropriate."

The issue has attracted letters to the editor.

One letter writer said they believed council meetings weren't the right time to raise personal grievances.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Rotorua Daily Post

'Social dysfunction at its worst': Two people sentenced over Rotorua teen prostitution ring

04 Jul 01:08 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM

Peter was trapped under a tractor for hours on his Mangakino farm.

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

'Social dysfunction at its worst': Two people sentenced over Rotorua teen prostitution ring

'Social dysfunction at its worst': Two people sentenced over Rotorua teen prostitution ring

04 Jul 01:08 AM
'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP