Advertising Standards Authority (New Zealand)

History

The ASA began when the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) was established in 1973 by the Newspaper Publishers Association, the NZ Broadcasting Commission and the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association. In 1974 it released the first Advertising Codes - focusing at first on advertisements related to weight loss, alcohol, and automobiles.

In 1990, the name was changed from the CAP to the Advertising Standards Authority and it was incorporated as a self-regulatory body. It now has 14 member organisations representing advertisers, agencies and the media.

In 2008, there was a total of $2.3 billion spent on advertising in New Zealand. These advertisements attracted 671 complaints to the ASA with 153 being upheld or settled. Of the remainder 140 were not upheld, 317 were judged as lacking grounds to proceed and 61 were withdrawn.

By 2023, the number of complaints had grown to over 1000 per year, and the compliance rate for decisions handed down by the Authority had increased to 99%.

There are now six codes enforced by the Authority, governing advertising related to Alcohol, Children, Finance, Food and Beverages, Gambling and Therapeutic Products and Services. The Authority enforces these code across platforms and media types.

ASA Objectives

The three main objectives are:

• To seek to maintain at all times and in all media a proper and generally acceptable standard of advertising and to ensure that advertising is not misleading or deceptive, either by statement or by implication.
• To establish and promote an effective system of voluntary self-regulation in respect to advertising standards.
• To establish and fund an Advertising Standards Complaints Board.

Controversies

The Department of Internal Affairs took television broadcasters and the Authority to task in 2023 over what it sees as advertising promoting illegal offshore gambling. A spokesperson for the Authority said that they were not responsible for interpreting or enforcing the law, but only with assessing of advertising breaches the codes of compliance - which the authority argues the ads themselves do not.

Advertising Standards Complaints and Appeal Board

The Advertising Standards Complaints Board (ASCB) is a nine-member board, with five public members and four industry members. The ASCB addresses complaints made by members of the public against ASA Advertising Codes.

The Advertising Standards Complaints Appeal Board (ASCAB) is a three-member Board that addresses appealed ASCB complaints.

References

References

1. (2024-11-26). "History of the ASA".
2. (2009-03-03). "Advertising revenue holds at 2.3 billion dollars in 2008". Advertising Standards Authority.
3. Watson, Lois. (2009-03-29). "No meat in Subway complaint". Sunday Star Times.
4. "ASA - Advertising Standards Authority".
5. Bevin, Andrew. (2023-09-13). "'Illegal' TV gambling ads difficult to address".
6. "ASA - Advertising Standards Authority".
7. "ASA - Advertising Standards Authority".