MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday 24 November, 2011

Encore Screening for Top Rating Child Poverty Documentary

Viewers will have another chance to watch Inside New Zealand: Inside Child Poverty - A Special Report when it has a second screening this Sunday (November 27) at 1pm on TV3.

The Bryan Bruce-helmed documentary was watched by 385,900 New Zealanders* when it premiered on TV3 last night, and has generated a strong reaction. Since the Tuesday screening more than 14,600 people have watched the programme online via TV3’s On Demand service.**

The documentary has earned high praise from health professionals, including Prof Innes Asher, Senior Paediatrician at Auckland Starship Hospital, who described it as "compulsory viewing for all New Zealanders."

The documentary saw Bruce examine almost 100 years of child welfare in New Zealand, across the political spectrum, revealed how child health in New Zealand has deteriorated in recent years, and offered solutions.

Bruce says he is delighted that the documentary was watched by so many. While he is pleased that it has helped put the issue of child wellbeing back on the agenda of most parties, Bruce says that his programme is apolitical.

"The responsibility of the State for the health of our children is a moral and ethical question,” he says. “It ought not to be a political one."

Bruce says he wants all parties to commit now to holding cross-party talks on the issue after Saturday’s general election.

"We can't beat child poverty with a poverty of ideas" he says. "I'd like all the political leaders to agree now to sit down and come up with a long term plan for our kids that takes it out of the political arena."

"I encourage all voters to ask their candidates if they are willing to hold such talks, and if not why not."

ENDS

Inside New Zealand: Inside Child Poverty - A Special Report
ENCORE SCREENING
Sunday, 27 November at 1pm on TV3
WATCH NOW ON DEMAND
http://ondemand.tv3.co.nz/Inside-New-Zealand-Inside-Child Poverty/tabid/59/articleID/4761/MCat/342/Default.aspx

*Nielsen TAM
All 5+ audience = 385,900 people (9.5 rating, 21.1% share)
All 25-54 audience = 212,800 people (11.6 rating, 26.0% share)
The documentary was the most watched programme in its timeslot in both these key demographics.

**For comparison the top three On Demand shows last week were Home and Away (33,485 streams), The X Factor USA (19,753) and 7 Days (14,240).

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