ONE NEWS CAPTIONS BY SAM BRADFORD AND JOHN LING. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT TVNZ ACCESS SERVICES 2013 DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF SEVEN SHARP, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. WELCOME TO SEVEN SHARP. HERE'S WHAT CAUGHT OUR EYE TODAY. A UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO STUDY FOUND THAT KIDS WHO SPEND HOURS WATCHING TV ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME CRIMINALS. YEAH, I'M NOT SURPRISED. HAVE YOU GUYS WATCHED 'DORA THE EXPLORER' RECENTLY? # WE <BLEEP>ED IT. # WE <BLEEP>ED IT. # WE <BLEEP>ED IT. HOORAY! # WHAT DID YOU <BLEEP>? HMM. YOU'VE CHANGED, DORA. YOU'VE CHANGED. WE'LL HAVE THAT STORY AND TALK TO SOMEONE WHO CAN TELL US IF OUR KIDS REALLY ARE TURNING INTO UBER-VIOLENT LITTLE MONSTERS BECAUSE OF THIS FINE MEDIUM LATER IN THE SHOW. YEAH. WE'RE ALSO TALKING TO SIR BOB JONES TONIGHT ABOUT HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT PROMOTING TOP JOBS FOR WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE. SPOILER ALERT ` HE'S AGAINST IT. SURPRISED? ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY, FORMER POLICEMAN GEORGE WOOD IS DENYING HE DID ANYTHING WRONG WHEN TAKING THIS PHOTO ON HIS CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING ON THE AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE. YEAH, DESPITE BEING A FORMER TOP COP, CURIOUS GEORGE CLEARLY WASN'T CURIOUS ENOUGH. HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS BREAKING THE LAW. GEORGE TOOK PICS OF THE TINO RANGATIRATANGA FLAG AND NZ FLAG TO ILLUSTRATE SEPARATISM. SO THE RACIAL DIVIDE: INTERESTING; ROAD RULES: NOT SO MUCH. AND ASSOCIATE MINISTER OF HEALTH TARIANA TURIA ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT PLAIN PACKAGING OF CIGARETTES WILL BE GOING AHEAD. YES, NEW PACKETS WILL HAVE NO LOGOS; JUST A PICTURE OF WHAT HEAVY SMOKING CAN DO TO YOU. WE EXPECT IT WILL LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IT IS TUESDAY NIGHT. WELCOME TO SEVEN SHARP. IT'S ALMOST 120 YEARS SINCE WOMEN WERE GIVEN THE VOTE, BUT APPARENTLY THEY'RE STILL NOT HAPPY. IN THE WORKPLACE, THINGS ARE STILL SO UNEVEN BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN THAT THE STOCK EXCHANGE IS BASICALLY TRYING TO SHAME LISTED COMPANIES INTO HIRING MORE SENIOR WOMEN. HEATHER DU PLESSIS-ALLAN MET SOME GIRLS AT THE TOP AND ASKED WHAT IT MEANS FOR WHITE MEN LIKE ME. CAR HORNS HONK PHONES RING WOMEN; YOUNG; OBVIOUSLY ALL WHITE. GOT A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF WOMEN OVER HERE. YOU'RE SITTING AROUND A LOT OF WOMEN. YES. OK. AROUND ABOUT ONCE A MONTH, DOES IT GET A BIT TETCHY? (CHUCKLES) I HAVE AROUND 190 PEOPLE REPORTING TO ME. THAT'S QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT FOR A WOMAN, ISN'T IT? YEAH. THIS IS GOOD. A YOUNG, WHITE GUY. WE ARE THE ENDANGERED SPECIES. DO YOU FEEL SAFE IN YOUR JOB? I'M VERY SAFE IN MY JOB. I FEEL REALLY COMFORTABLE. YOU DON'T THINK A WOMAN'S GONNA TAKE IT OFF YOU? I DON'T THINK SO, NO. FANTASTIC. THAT'S QUITE A GOOD SPREAD. LOOK AT THAT. A BIT OF EVERYTHING. THIS IS HOW MANY OF TELECOM'S STAFF ARE WOMEN. WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE IT, AND EVERY OTHER COMPANY ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE, NOW HAS TO PUBLISH ITS DIVERSITY INDEX. WOMAN; YOUNG... IS IT A BIT PC? OH, LOOK, IT IS A BIT PC, BUT I THINK YOU'VE GOT TO START SOMEWHERE. WHEN TRISH KEITH STARTED 20 YEARS AGO, TELECOM WAS A BLOKES' COMPANY. NOW IT'S CHAMPIONING THE PROMOTION OF MORE WOMEN TO SENIOR POSITIONS. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING A TOKEN WOMAN? NO, NEVER. NO. IN FACT, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I HAD ONE GUY ON MY TEAM, AND I WAS ACCUSED OF HAVING A TOKEN MALE, WHICH WAS A REALLY INTERESTING PLAY ON THAT. BEFORE YOU THINK THIS IS ALL TOUCHY-FEELY, NEW-AGE NONSENSE, STOP. IT'S STILL NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. NOT EVERYWHERE'S AS BALANCED AS TELECOM. ACROSS ALL LISTED COMPANIES, THIS IS HOW MANY BOARD POSITIONS WOMEN HOLD. AND THERE'S A FINANCIAL REASON FOR PROMOTING WOMEN. RESEARCH SUGGESTS MORE WOMEN MEANS MORE MONEY IN THE ECONOMY. THE IDEA IS, IF WE GET 25% WOMEN ON TO BOARDS,... YEP. ...WE CAN ADD 10% GDP TO THIS ECONOMY. IS IT COS WE'RE SMARTER THAN YOU GUYS? (CHUCKLES) YOU HEARD RIGHT ` 10% ON TO GDP, THAT'S AROUND $20B, SIMPLY BECAUSE WOMEN THINK DIFFERENTLY TO MEN. AND WOMEN ARE JUST THE START OF THIS DIVERSITY DRIVE. NEXT ON THE LIST IS ETHNIC MINORITIES, AGE DISCRIMINATION AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. MIDDLE-AGED. ASIAN. WE'VE GOT AN AFRICAN. HE'S OLD. WHITE. BUT, SERIOUSLY, THIS COULD GET A LITTLE SILLY, COULDN'T IT? DON'T YOU RUN THE RISK OF ULTIMATELY HAVING TO RELY ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS? TO SAY, 'HAVE I GOT ENOUGH MEN, WOMEN, 'MAORI, WHITE PEOPLE OR ASIANS?' AND YOU'RE HIRING YOUR STAFF ACCORDING TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? WE'RE PROVIDING GUIDANCE ABOUT DIVERSITY. AND YOU CAN'T... PUT TOGETHER A CHEAT SHEET OF WHAT DIVERSITY IS. NZX BOSS TIM BENNETT CLAIMS HALF HIS STAFF ARE WOMEN. BUT WE COULDN'T CHECK THAT, BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T LET OUR CAMERA BEYOND THIS MEETING ROOM ` JUST IN CASE WE FILMED SENSITIVE INFORMATION. SO I THINK WE'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT REFLECTS THE DEMAND FROM INVESTORS. COULD IT POTENTIALLY BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE? INVESTORS COULD SAY, 'I DON'T REALLY WANT TO INVEST IN THAT COMPANY, 'WHICH IS FOCUSING ALL OF ITS ATTENTION ON HIRING WOMEN, 'RATHER THAN MAKING A PROFIT.' LOOK, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GONNA GIVE INVESTORS. SOME INVESTORS WILL CHOOSE TO USE THAT, AND WE HOPE THEY DO DO. BUT SOME WILL CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT, AND THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE. SO LISTEN UP, WHITE MAN. IS THIS YOUR FUTURE. I LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THERE. NICE WORK. NOW, WE'RE AWARE OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE MADE IT PRETTY CLEAR THAT, LET'S SAY, THE WOMAN WILL GET THE JOB IF A MAN AND A WOMAN APPLY FOR A JOB. DO YOU THINK THAT'S OK? IF, ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, AND THOSE TWO PEOPLE ARE, SORT OF, EQUALLY... TALENTED; EQUALLY ABLE TO DO THAT JOB, AND THEY HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION AND THEY HAVE A... A DEFICIT IN GENDER AND THEY UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS BENEFIT OF DIVERSITY, THEN THAT'S OK. THIS IS CALLED AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. THEN, IN THAT CASE, THE MAN HAS NO RECOURSE. THEN, IN THAT CASE, THE MAN HAS NO RECOURSE. HE HAS TO ACCEPT THAT IT'S IN LEGISLATION, DOESN'T HE? YEAH. IT IS IN LEGISLATION. IT'S BEEN IN LEGISLATION SINCE AT LEAST 2003. IF WE WANT TO BE A COMPETITIVE COUNTRY, WE CAN'T LET 50% OF OUR TALENT NOT BE INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR COUNTRY. YOU MEN ARE TRYING TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILIES, AND US WOMEN ARE TAKING ALL YOUR JOBS. THAT IS... THAT IS A DAILY CONCERN. COS WE'RE TOO GOOD. YOU ARE TOO GOOD. YOU WORK HARD, YOU'RE DILIGENT... AND GENERALLY YOU'RE SMARTER. WHITE MAN. RIGHTO, LET'S TALK TO THEM. WELL, LET'S GET MORE ON THIS. BUSINESSMAN SIR BOB JONES JOINS US IN WELLINGTON. We work harder and are smarter. I'm not sure about that. You're the token woman on the panel, are you? Is not about me. I look at things in wider spectrum, and that's what this is about. This is absolute nonsense. To employ people on credentials other than merit is obviously stupid. I heard on one of your lead ups someone was going on about the Bulls, left-handedS and all that. It's just silly. There are some high-powered business leaders disagree ` chairmen of Vector, Telecom... Look at their business performance. They're disasters. It's childish. At the moment you're honing in on board members. If anyone out there has a husband that wants to be on board, run off with the bloody dustman. It's terrible aspiration. There's nothing worse than wanting to be on the board. These people are parasites who don't contribute anything. The Goldman Sachs report says the pull of underutilised women could raise NZ's GDP by 10%. I employ a lot of women. And we do try to encourage them, but not because they're women. We try to encourage all of our staff. We don't get much for it. They are not prepared to stay behind afterwards... If that's the way they want it, so be it. We have tried repeatedly. At the end of the day it doesn't matter. We don't give a dam with their men, woman or Martians. Are you saying that their reluctance to stay behind for Friday night drinks is holding them back? Yep. That's a fact. Their interests stops at five o'clock. Men are much more ambitious than women, in my experience. There are exceptions. Two of the last three prime ministers are women. This policy has the start at board level, because that filters down through companies. Boards are a joke. Anyone that is appointed for some symbolic reason is serving no purpose. This country is dominated by women in politics and in all sorts... They get there on merit. This is childish. Same as the Maori thing. There is plenty of evidence to show that women on boards improve the company's performance. That's rubbish. There are no reports saying that. I said a lord on a board is a bauble. There is only one criterion accounts, and that has merit. But we shouldn't focus on board. No one is stopping women doing anything. The only time I've ever heard prejudice against women right back to the '80s... Sorry, Sir Bob, we don't have time. Thanks for joniing us. SO, HOW DIVERSE IS OUR MOST FAMOUS WORKPLACE? JESSE HAS A BREAKDOWN ON THE MAKE-UP OF PARLIAMENT. OF NZ'S 121 MPS, 39 ARE WOMEN. THAT MEANS, IF REQUIRED, WE MEN COULD GOVERN ALONE. BUT WHAT WOULD WE GET DONE, REALLY? AND DO YOU WANT CAUCUS SMELLING LIKE A STUDENT FLAT? WHEN IT COMES TO ETHNICITY, THINGS ARE EVEN MORE DIVERSE: 11 MAORI, SIX PACIFIC ISLANDERS, TWO INDIANS AND A COUPLE OF ASIANS. THE REST OF THEM, YOU CAN SAFELY ASSUME, ARE PAKEHA. OR NZ EUROPEAN, OR WHATEVER THE FASHIONABLE WORD IS THESE DAYS. I SORT OF FORGET. THE ONLY MYSTERY IS MAGGIE BARRY, WHO LISTED HER ETHNICITY AS... JUST SAY IT, MAGGIE. YOU'RE A GINGER. IT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. REMEMBER, DIVERSITY IS WHAT MAKES THIS COUNTRY GREAT. QUITE RIGHT AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE GINGER QUOTA RAISED IN PARLIAMENT. WE LOOK LIKE THE VANILLA BUNCH. GREAT INTERVIEW WITH BOB. HEAPS COMING THROUGH ON TWITTER. AFTER THE BREAK ` A MASSIVE STUDY SAYS KIDS WATCHING TOO MUCH TV IS A QUICK ROAD TO BREAKING THE LAW. IF YOU ARE TO BELIEVE THE NAYSAYERS, TELEVISION IS THE EMBODIMENT OF EVIL AND WILL TURN YOUR CHILD INTO A CHUBBY SOCIAL OUTCAST. AND THAT'S NOT ALL ` IT'S ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING KIDS INTO CRIMINALS, ACCORDING TO AN EXTENSIVE STUDY JUST COMPLETED OUT OF OTAGO UNIVERSITY. HERE'S JEHAN CASINADER. FROM THE PLAYGROUND TO PRISON. DO YOU GUYS LIKE WATCHING TV? ALL: YES! KIDS WHO LOVE TELLY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME CRIMINALS. I LIKE WATCHING SCARY MOVIES. AN OTAGO UNI STUDY SAYS THE MORE TV YOU WATCH AS A CHILD, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO END UP WITH CONVICTIONS IN LATER LIFE. WE PUT THIS THEORY TO THE TEST AT HUTT CENTRAL SCHOOL. WHAT SORT OF NAUGHTY THINGS HAVE YOU DONE? NOTHING. < DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE YOU? NO. IT SEEMS THE ROAD TO CRIME IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE. I KNOW SOME BAD THINGS. < YOU KNOW SOME BAD THINGS? FROM DOCTOR WHO. < DOCTOR WHO TAUGHT YOU BAD THINGS? YEAH. THERE'S SOME BAD WORDS AND BAD THINGS. BAD PEOPLE. < BAD PEOPLE? BAD ALIENS. THIS IS THE LATEST IN A LONG LINE OF STUDIES WHICH DRAW A LINK BETWEEN THE BOX AND UNDESIRABLE TRAITS. A NEW STUDY HAS SEEMINGLY CONFIRMED... THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE ON OUR TV SCREENS... LEADS TO BRAIN DAMAGE... ATTENTION-DEFICIT PROBLEMS... CHILDHOOD OBESITY... AND THE EARLY ONSET OF PUBERTY. THE MORE YOU WATCH, THE LESS LIKELY YOU ARE TO GET A TERTIARY QUALIFICATION. CAN WATCHING TELEVISION MAKE YOU A RAPIST OR EVEN A MURDERER? THANKS FOR HELPING US FIND THEM. < IS DORA THE EXPLORER A BAD PERSON? NO. < ARE YOU SURE? PHONE RINGS HELLO. BOB THE BUILDER. THE RESEARCHERS WEREN'T AVAILABLE TO TALK TO US TODAY, BUT ANOTHER CRIMINOLOGIST SAYS... TV ITSELF ISN'T THE FACTOR. STATIC CRACKLES HE RECKONS... IT'S MAINLY A FACTOR OF PARENTING. THE CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ABDICATE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND USE THE TELEVISION AS BABYSITTING AGENCY ARE THE KINDS OF PARENTS WHO HAVE LESS INVOLVEMENT WITH THEIR CHILDREN. THEIR CHILDREN DON'T DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR PARENTS. THE RESEARCH IS PART OF A LONG-TERM STUDY WHICH TRACKS A THOUSAND KIDS THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, SOME OF WHOM HAVE GONE ON TO COMMIT CRIME. THE STUDY ALSO LINKS TV WITH AGGRESSIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS, NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR. CUTTING DOWN ON TV, THEY RECKON, COULD PREVENT OUR BABIES FROM BECOMING BURGLARS. READ A BOOK, PLAY A GAME, GO DOWN TO THE BEACH, GO FISHING. DO ANYTHING, BUT YOU'RE NOT WATCHING TELEVISION. ESPECIALLY NOT AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT. < HAVE YOU HEARD OF SEVEN SHARP? ALL: NO. THE RESEARCHERS SAY THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHICH PROGRAMMES HAVE THE WORST IMPACT, BUT, WELL,... YOU CAN HAZARD A GUESS. HEY, WELCOME TO SEVEN SHARP. HERE'S WHAT CAUGHT OUR EYE TODAY. BABY GURGLES LET'S HEAR WHAT SOCIAL COMMENTATOR JOHN TAMIHERE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THIS. IS IT PARENTING OR TV? It's parenting. There is a hell of a lot more in the sling than just suggesting that just because you watch TV kids will be bad. 1-2 hours is fine. Above that... Crime figures up 30%. The sample is good, but the timing isn't. These kids came out back in the 70s. A lot of our kids now Internet savvy and are looking at a whole bunch of other things apart from TV. It's a very complicated world that we live in now. To suggest... It's parenting, as Greg Newbold said. Yet to be very careful getting carried away with big banner headlines don't tell the full story. The report says kids with no pre-existing things ` antisocial problems, average IQ ` it was TV. I think that the sample letters taken out of that study in regard to good parenting and good socio economic background, it's not all kids. Good parents who are watching this tonight... To say it was just TV is a big stretch. You have six kids. Do you think TV has had any effect? I don't do this guy, and I don't do a whole bunch of other things. What about you as a kid growing up? TV had just kicked off then. (LAUGHS) Black and white. There wasn't a lot of violence. The landscape is different now, but do you think it will make a difference? Yet to look at what they're watching. We're bringing up a very complex bunch of kids now, as opposed to the thousands that were brought up in that study. I have some major reservations about jumping to a conclusion from that study. Thanks, John. Do I need to change what I grow? Is there enough affordable housing in my community? Do we need more learning centres for preschoolers? Does everyone count in the future of our country? Yeah, we do. Tuesday the 5th of March is Census Day. Census information is used by businesses, iwi, councils and the government to make decisions on issues that affect us all. Because you count. WE LOVE PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT STUFF, EVEN THE SMALL STUFF. WHICH IS WHY WE WERE FASCINATED BY TAUPO'S MICHAEL PARK. HE'S A VEXILLOLOGIST. MICHAEL HOLLAND FOUND OUT WHAT THAT IS. IF SIZE MATTERS, AUCKLAND AIRPORT'S GOT THE GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL. THE HARBOUR BRIDGE FLIES TWO. THE AMERICANS, OF COURSE, DO IT BIGGER, BETTER, MORE THAN ANYONE. AND OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOURS HAPPILY WEAR THEIR COLOURS. THEN THERE'S MICHAEL, RETIRED AIRCRAFT ENGINEER OF TAUPO. 500 ` YEP, 500 ` FLAGS. COUNTRIES, STATES, TERRITORIES, MILITARY ENSIGNS. HE'S GOT THE LOT. VEXILLOLOGIST. VEXILLOLOGIST? > VEXILLOLOGIST IS THE WORD. THAT'S A STUDIER OF FLAGS. AND MICHAEL RECKONS WE'RE ALL A BIT RESTRAINED, A LITTLE TOO SHY WHEN IT COMES TO HOISTING OUR COLOURS. IT'S NATIONAL IDENTITY, THAT'S WHAT IT IS. SO EVERY MORNING,... AT 6.30 SHARP. 6.30 SHARP? YES. SHARP'S THE 'IN' WORD AT THE MOMENT. ...MICHAEL'S OUT FRONT DOING WHAT HE MUST. I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE ONE AND SHOW IT OFF AND FEEL PROUD OF IT. BUT, RESPECTFULLY, THE STEREOTYPICAL VIEW OF SOMEONE WHO FLIES A FLAG IS PROBABLY THAT THEY'RE A 'STUCK IN THE MUD' OLD TRADITIONALIST? YES, THAT WOULD BE RIGHT. IT'S A PITY THAT MORE PEOPLE AREN'T TRADITIONALISTS, BECAUSE TRADITION IS PART OF OUR HERITAGE. UP SHE GOES. LIGHT GUITAR MUSIC AND WHEN IT'S NOT OUR NATIONAL DAY, WELL, THERE'S SCORES AND SCORES OF OTHER COLOURS TO FLY ` EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, BAR SOUTH SUDAN. HE STILL CAN'T BUY THAT ONE. SHOW US YOUR COLOURS IN THE LOVE 'EM OR HATE 'EM STAKES. FAVOURITE FLAG OF THE WORLD? MIDWAY ISLAND, MIDWAY ATOLL. IT'S GOT THE SEA, THE BIRD. IT'S JUST A REALLY NICE, PEACEFUL FLAG. MOST VIBRANT, MOST COLOURFUL? SEYCHELLES WOULD BE MY CHOICE. SEYCHELLES OFF THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA? YES. LEAST FAVOURITE? WOULD BE LIBYA'S OLD FLAG. IT'S JUST GREEN. IT COULD BE ANYTHING. (CHUCKLES) THAT WAS GADDAFI'S OLD FLAG? YEAH, IT COULD BE A TABLECLOTH, COULDN'T IT? (CHUCKLES) HE'S EDUCATING ALL OF US, BECAUSE WHEN WE SEE A FLAG FLYING, WE HAVE TO LOOK IT UP. COME ON, THEN. WHAT'S HE GOT UP TODAY? WELL, THAT ONE I'M NOT TOO SURE, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T LOOKED IT UP. THE BIG QUESTION ` HAVE YOU GONE OVERBOARD? > YES, I WOULD SAY SO. YES. I'LL LET YOU IN ON A SECRET. THAT'S CUBA? I'LL LET YOU IN ON A SECRET. THAT'S CUBA. IS IT? AH. THEY'RE COLOURFUL, PATRIOTIC AND QUITE INSPIRING. AND IF YOU'RE INCLINED TO RAISE OUR TWO MOST SYMBOLIC FLAGS ON ONE POLE, MICHAEL'S RESEARCHED THE OFFICIAL PROTOCOL, AND THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE. 'GOD DEFEND NZ' THAT'S ALMOST OUR LOT, NIGHT. CAPTIONS BY RICHARD EDMUNDS AND VIRGINIA PHILP. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR.