60 Minutes (New Zealand TV program)


60 Minutes is the name of a television newsmagazine show previously broadcast in New Zealand on TV3. The show began in New Zealand in 1989 based on an American programme by the same name. The programme has been broadcast on Prime TV from 2013 and hosted by Charlotte Bellis, weekend anchor of Prime News: First at 5.30, has hosted 60 Minutes for the network alongside her news duties.
The broadcaster of 60 Minutes has changed twice during the 1990s. It was one of TV3's flagship programmes when TV3 went to air in 1989. Then in 1992, TVNZ won the rights to the programme.
After being shown on TV1 from 1993 to 2002, TVNZ decided not to renew the rights the show from CBS, and the rights were reacquired by TV3. Following this, there was a fight over the www.60minutes.co.nz domain, which for a short time, redirected to the site on TVNZ's replacement Sunday. Currently, the domain redirects to the www.cbs.com website.
During 2015 Charlotte Bellis hosted the show till December 2015 where the show went through a restructure where a New Zealand presenter introduces international stories from other editions of 60 Minutes around the world.
60 Minutes returned for 2016 on Monday 11 April for 2016 with the latest current affairs from around the world presented by familiar face Alistair Wilkinson.

Awards

In the inaugural Qantas Television Awards in 2005, the show won
At the 2008 Qantas Film and Television Awards, the show won
Some segments broadcast have received negative responses. After an item entitled "Fowl Play" aired on 20 September 2004 about battery farming of hens, the Egg Producers Federation of New Zealand complained to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. They claimed it was unbalanced, inaccurate and unfair, but the Authority did not uphold the complaint as the EPFNZ had failed to participate in the item.
In July 2005, an interview with Ashraf Choudhary, the only Muslim Member of Parliament in New Zealand was broadcast. In this Choudhary stated that he would not condemn the practise of stoning to death some homosexuals and people who have extramarital affairs.
A story broadcast in 2005 on the South Pacific received criticism from the Vanuatu Tourism Office General Manager. He said that the story by Rick Williamson was disrespectful to South Pacific cultures, taking footage out of context. In one section chiefs and villagers drinking kava are described as "really hammered" and "plastered on this stuff", while Williamson says when he partook in the kava that it was a "portal to the spirit world".