You may not know it if you’re listening to RNZ but behind the scenes some of their journalists and broadcasters are closely monitoring WeatherWatch.co.nz’s forecasts and news services – and even asking us questions.  Across our social media pages a number of Radio New Zealand journalists watch everything we put out – but then interview our competitors about it, never us.

From environmental to political reporters – they are monitoring it all.  Even National Radio broadcasters have asked us a few questions in the past, and one sent us kind comments about his support of our brand.  Yet despite some RNZ journalists taking our social media feeds and news – they never talk to us about it.

In 2013 Radio New Zealand along with Metservice teamed up on the Sunday morning show MediaWatch to attack our style – in particular our over the top use (in their eyes) of us saying a “Big Dry” was forming. We were never invited to have our voice heard.  Both government funded agencies, MetService and RNZ, then went on to attack our small business saying our use of “the big dry” was over the top – yet just a few weeks later the New Zealand Government announced the country was in the worst drought in 50 years and RNZ never retracted or corrected their attacks on us and quietly MetService joined in on the drought chat as if they knew it was coming all along. The Ministry for Primary Industries has hired us three times since this event for drought reporting.

A couple of years earlier both TVNZ and GeoNet (also Government owned agencies) promoted WeatherWatch very positively as we did in return – that was until we were told by sources that the boss of MetService had told them “State Owned Enterprises should stick together” – and like that we were cut from being talked about by both organisations, overnight.

With so many RNZ journalists following us – but not crediting /talking to us, we wonder if the same pressure has been applied to Radio New Zealand too?  

Earlier this year MetService made a deal with other mainstream news outlets in New Zealand to run daily news stories that do not include mention of their competition, something that is unheard of in any western country by a State forecaster and the mainstream media. It is 100% designed to give ‘click backs’ for revenue reasons and serves little good to the public.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz